Much of history would be lost forever if it wasn't written down. Doing it by hand is tedious and not very consistent. Besides the ink fades off over time with some cases. With the printing press, it's much more clear and consistent to read. Also the printing press allowed for anyone to get access to books. Before it was the elite that could only get access.
The main reason why so many historians regard the printing press as the most important invention of the past millennium is because this led to an incredible increase in the speed with which information spread throughout the globe--meaning that the overall lives of average people became dramatically better. Another reason is Much of history would be lost forever if it wasn't written down. Doing it by hand is tedious and not very consistent. Besides the ink fades off over time with some cases. With the printing press, it's much clearer and more consistent to read. Also, the printing press allowed for anyone to get access to books. Before it was the elite that could only get access.
