The young lapidary was poor, and he had spent part of his savings in working out his scheme of block-printing.

Block-printing is the impress of the pattern by hand; as block-books were made four centuries ago.

By foreigners, on the other hand, he will be chiefly remembered as the inventor of the art of block-printing.

There are, however, certain differences between plate-printing and block-printing which affect the essentials of art.