how did the printing press shrink the intellectual gap between social classes?

[Erica Christine]

[Nelson]

The inexpensive word of the Bible and the classics tended to make education easier for all the people.

[Sam Johnson]

At one time reading literature media,(books, etc.), was very costly, and only the wealthy could afford them, and have them to read.Books were made by hand one at a time, and that made them expensive! The printing press enabled books to be mass produced cheaply, and the poorer folks could now afford them, therefore they were able to read, and learn. It also brought the news to the common man allowing him to be up on the latest happenings. Did you know that Abraham Lincoln, as a boy had to borrow a book from a man of wealth to have something to read? It was 'The life of George Washington'

[manic jester]

because up untill the time of the press only the very rich, lucky, or royal could read or have access to illuminated text. with the invention of the print press information could be spread to a far lager demographic. Print was more relied upon for communication meaning more people needed to read, which up untill that point was only a very very few that could. once people could read, it meant they could express themselves more freely and to a wider range of people. Artistic print happened and ideas were communicated to a larger range of people. Tnis meant ideas that couldn't be expressed by word were made apparent and the human brain moved to work with this shift of thinking.
hope this helped.

[Spikes]

Before the printing press only the rich and priveledged could afford books and were educated to read. With the printing press, books became more affordable and widely available to the common man. This was also important because now ideas could be shared and spread more quickly (through flyers, newsletters). This gave the common man a political voice he didn't have before and equalized him with anyone (much like our social media, Twitter, Facebook, others). This actually helped to start the American Revolution because the people could protest in print to a wide audience.