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- During the handpress era (roughly 1450–1800), and especially in the 16th century, the Southern Netherlands (corresponding largely to what is now Belgium) was an international centre for the printing of books and images. There were printers in many of the towns, and some towns had many printers. The laws of Charles V required all printers and booksellers to acquire a license in order to exercise their trade, a requirement that was in place through the subsequent period of Spanish rule. His son, Philip II of Spain, further ordered that the Antwerp printers enrol with the Guild of St Luke, adding another layer of control. The business records of one of the most important printing houses of the era, the Plantin Office in Antwerp, have remained intact, and are now the archive of the Plantin-Moretus Museum. As a result, the records of who was involved in printing are extremely accessible to historians and have been much studied. This list is arranged alphabetically by town. Booksellers or print publishers who did not own a printing press but who commissioned printing under their own name are included. Some of the dates given are approximate. As of January 2015 the list is largely limited to printers who were active at some point during the rule of the Archdukes Albert and Isabella (1598–1621). (en)
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