Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1390–1468), a German who built his first printing press around 1440 to 1450, is considered the inventor of a lasting system of movable-type printing. Printing technology had only a brief existence in Europe before Gutenberg, whose process, culminating in the publication of the Gutenberg Bible (1452–1456), made printed material available to everyone, not just the clergy or the privileged class. Gutenberg is credited with helping spread the ideals of the Renaissance (1350–1600) throughout Europe.