Gyemi type cast

King Taejong set up the Type Foundry (Jujaso) and cast the Gyemi type, the first metal movable type made in Joseon.

Joseon sought to establish a Neo-Confucian order by printing the classics and histories widely. In 1403 Taejong founded the Jujaso, an office for casting type and printing books, and had bronze type cast after the lettering of Song-dynasty editions. It is called Gyemi type after the cyclical name of that year. It carried on Goryeo’s metal-type printing.

The Gyemi type was fixed to the forme with beeswax, and since the pieces shifted during printing, only a few sheets could be printed a day. Sejong improved the type shapes and typesetting with the Gyeongja type (1420) and Gabin type (1434), raising printing efficiency greatly.