Plantin, Christophe

Plantin, Christophe krēstôfˈ pläNtăNˈ [key], 1514–89, printer. Plantin left his native France for Belgium because of religious persecution. In Antwerp his work, at first as a bookbinder, began in 1549. He began the production and publishing of books in 1555. His establishment continued to work until 1867 and is now preserved as the Plantin-Moretus Museum. Plantin was the leading printer of the second half of the 16th cent., and his books are admired for their accuracy and their typography. His equipment included types designed by Garamond and Granjon. The most famous work from his press is the Polyglot Bible (Bible regia) in eight volumes. In the center of his printer's mark is a pair of compasses.

See study by K. L. Bowen and D. Imhof (2009).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2026, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Libraries, Books, and Printing: Biographies