Leaf from The Golden Legend

A page from a German incunable printed by Ludwig von Renchen. Early printed books were intentionally made to look like manuscripts, using letters (movable types) that looked like handwriting (at first glance). The book in progress (printed folios) were sent to specialists, who worked different aspects of the pages. Initial letters were hand drawn by illuminators in the spaces left on purpose (usually on the top left corner of the page), and red colored rubrics were added to the text by hand.