Question

Why did the woodblock method became popular in europe?

Answer 1

It was because copying a manuscript was an expensive, laborious and time-consuming business. It was also not as fragile as the manuscripts. Thus, woodblock printing began to be widely used in Europe to print textiles, playing cards, and religious pictures with simple, brief texts.

Answer 2

With the growing demand for books, woodblock printing gradually became more and more popular as the cost of production by wood block was cheaper. The production of handwritten manuscript could not meet the ever increasing demand for books. Copying was an expensive laborious and time consuming business.