| Gutenberg Notes | Early Years | The Strasbourg Years | Partnership with Fust |
| Jobbing | Guttenberg Bible | Break Up With Fust | The Later Years | Print Shop |
The cost of operating a printing shop were high. While most craftsmen of the times could work out of their homes, printing required space to house the printing presses which was not likely to be found in the average, even well-off, homes of the period. Many workers would be needed to handle the casting of the type and operations of the press. Supplies had to be bought such as metal for the type, paper and ink. All of this meant a good deal of money up front since no profits could come in until after the product of the printing presses was sold.
This resulted in the solution of "jobbing" printing which was the printing of small inexpensive items meant to be thrown away after their use. Such items would be programs of performances, fliers for business, or tickets to events. The fifteenth-century equivalent of a ticket was called an "indulgence".
It is likely that Gutenberg printed such items while perfecting his typecasting and printing techniques as a way of making money. An almanac for 1448 and a Latin grammar book of that era have been traced back to Gutenberg.