Final answer:
Johannes Gensfleisch Zur Laden zum Gutenberg set up the first printing press in Germany in 1453, sparking the European printing revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individual responsible for setting up the first printing press in Germany in 1453 was Johannes Gensfleisch Zur Laden zum Gutenberg. An intellectual and entrepreneur from a prosperous background, Gutenberg revolutionized the production of books by creating the movable type printing press. Prior to his innovation, books were laboriously copied by hand, typically by monks in monasteries. However, Gutenberg's press allowed for books to be mass-produced, vastly increasing the number of copies and decreasing the cost, which eventually led to a significant reduction in illiteracy rates. Gutenberg further refined the process by creating metal type and letter block molds, ensuring uniformity in size and facilitating typesetters in forming lines or pages of print. His invention marked the beginning of the printing revolution in Europe, transforming how knowledge was disseminated and having a lasting impact on society.