The exact year in which woodblock printing was invented is still very much debated in academic circles because no artefacts or documentary records related to the earliest printing have been discovered. Nevertheless, judging from the pace of social and cultural developments and relevant documentary evidence, we can draw a rough outline. Woodblocks were first used in the Sui Dynasty (581---18) and became popular in Tang Dynasty. As to woodblock printing in the Tang Dynasty (618---07), plenty of documentary records and printing artefacts have survived to the present.

Tools for woodblock printing