The above is a copyrighted picture reproduced here by permission. © 2009 by Jochen Wilke.
Gules, a beggar cloaked and
hooded, holding
a begging bowl dexter and a walking stick sinister, all Proper.
Johannes Gutenberg was a German goldsmith from Mainz. He adopted as a surname the name given to the home of his parents, possibly because his Gensfleisch family name did not sound dignified enough (Gänsefleisch means "goose meat"). The Gensfleisch zur Laden family seems related to the Gensfleisch von Sorgenloch whose arms also feature a beggar (possibly a canting element for Sorgenloch which evokes misery).
One of the main innovations of Johannes Gutenberg was the introduction (c. 1439) of mass-produced movable type, using alloys of the metal formerly called stibium (element 51, Sb) which is now known as antimony (literally, "anti-monk") precisely because Gutenberg's invention provided a printed alternative to the books that were hand-copied by monks (Gutenberg Bibles, 1455). Johannes Gutenberg also introduced the screw press and oil-based ink which made modern printing possible.
By making the dissemination of information much easier, Gutenberg's invention of an efficient printing process ushered in the Renaissance. It is has thus been construed as the most important innovation of the second millenium.