Under the patronage of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Syrai, Abd Allah Zakhir, an apprentice goldsmith, with the help of his brother, sets up a press at Aleppo, Syria. Without ever having seen a printing press in operation, Zakhir engraves all the matrices, makes the tools, and casts the type. Between 1706 and 1711 nine titles will be issued from the Aleppan press. This is the first printing press operated by a Muslim to print in Arabic in the Middle East.

"Inexplicably, after the publication in 1711 of a treatise by the Patriarch himself, the press in Aleppo suddenly ceased operating, but Zakhir later set up another press at Choueir in Lebanon, and once again set about cutting type molds and founding his typeface. The press itself was brought from Europe, and in 1734 he printed his first book; this press continued to be used at the monastery of Saint John at Choueir until 1899."

An anonymous edition of Traite de la peinture en mignature printed in The Hague describes trichromancy in terms of three Couleurs primitives--yellow, red and blue. At this time Christophe le Blon is working as a miniaturist in Amsterdam.