The development of mechanical printing was key to the spread of Protestant thought because it allowed thinkers such as Calvin to circumvent the existing channels through which theological information was spread, most namely the Church. In the past, scripture and other texts were transcribed by monks and other clergy, meaning that the chief means of production of texts was controlled by the Church, which in turn controlled the message and thoughts to which people were exposed. However, mechanical printing meant that anyone could produce and distribute their thoughts rapidly to a large number of people, and the early Protestant thinkers used this to their advantage.
