main printed feature: form

One of the common uses of printing was to create standardized forms that could then be filled in by the user to individualize them.

Indulgence, Augsburg, 1481 (recto)

In addition to the intentional blanks filled in with the date and what may be the names of the recipients of this indulgence (Sigismundo and possibly his wife Anna), there are several corrections interpolated among the lines—they appear to largely be shifts in verb tense and pronouns, maybe to reflect that this indulgence is being presented to two people, rather than one. The interweaving of print and handwriting in this form reflects how in this earliest era of print use in Europe, there was a need for scribes as well as printers.

Indulgence, Nuremberg, 1482

This form is an indulgence granted for "promoting the war against the Turks," in a variant designed specifically for women. The handwritten portion in the upper right corner fills in the name of the recipient, Cristina Schuczin, and her diocese, Bamberg. Indulgence forms like this one, combining print and manuscript elements, were some of the first widespread uses of printing in the Middle Ages.

Summons, 1622

This summons to appear before the King's exchequer is a typical printed form---the parts that are the standard formula are printed, while the specifics of dates and places are filled in by hand.