Before the printing press, writers used parchment and ink to create longhand manuscripts. Though the demand for books was high, the cost of paper and of the scribe meant that books remained a rare and precious commodity.  All this changed with the printing press. The new linen paper from China was cheaper than the parchment made from animal skins. Meanwhile, the moveable-type press eliminated the need to carve separate plates for every copied page. At last, books could be mass-produced.