Koenig & Bauer
Encyclopedia
Koenig & Bauer AG
(KBA) is a German
company that makes printing press
es based in Würzburg
. It was founded by Friedrich Koenig
and Andreas Friedrich Bauer
in Würzburg in 1817, making it the oldest printing press manufacturer in the world.
95% of the banknotes used in the world are printed on printers made by KBA-Giori, a division of KBA.
before the establishment of their company upon their return to Germany.
Aktiengesellschaft
Aktiengesellschaft is a German term that refers to a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e. owned by shareholders, and may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland...
(KBA) is a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
company that makes printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
es based in Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
. It was founded by Friedrich Koenig
Friedrich Koenig
Friedrich Gottlob Koenig was a German inventor best-known for his high-speed printing press, which he built together with watchmaker Andreas Friedrich Bauer....
and Andreas Friedrich Bauer
Andreas Friedrich Bauer
Andreas Friedrich Bauer was a German engineer who developed the first functional steam-powered printing press with his colleague Friedrich Koenig, who had invented the technology and sold it to The Times in London in 1814....
in Würzburg in 1817, making it the oldest printing press manufacturer in the world.
95% of the banknotes used in the world are printed on printers made by KBA-Giori, a division of KBA.
Printing capacity
The table lists the maximum number of pages which the various early 19th century press designs of Friedrich Koenig and Andreas Bauer could print per hour, compared to earlier hand-operated screw presses. The table includes those designs which were constructed by the pair in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
before the establishment of their company upon their return to Germany.
| Hand-operated presses | Steam-powered presses | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gutenberg-style ca. 1600 |
Stanhope Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope aka Charles Mahon, 3rd Earl Stanhope FRS was a British statesman and scientist. He was the father of the great traveller and Arabist Lady Hester Stanhope and brother-in-law of William Pitt the Younger. He is sometimes confused with an exact contemporary of his,... ca. 1800 |
Koenig & Bauer 1812 |
Koenig & Bauer 1813 |
Koenig & Bauer 1814 |
Koenig & Bauer 1818 |
|
| Impressions per hour | 240 | 480 | 800 | 1100 | 2000 | 2400 |