In the woodcut, a relief image of an entire page was carved on wooden blocks, ink, and is used to print copies of this page. This method originated in China under the Han dynasty (before 220 AD) as a method of printing on textiles and later paper, and has been used widely throughout East Asia. The oldest printed book dated by this method is the Diamond Sutra (868 AD).
The method (called Woodcut when used in art) arrived in Europe in the early 14th century. Books (known as block-books), and letters and religious pictures, began to be produced by this method. Creating an entire book was a laborious process that requires a hand-carved by category of each page and blocks of wood tends to crack, if stored for long periods. The monks who wrote it or paid much.