How did the printing press preserve the past?

It would print out the thing and then now a days we can look back on them 

Before the printing press, people would have to copy by hand or use a very slow process. However, with the printing press, books were able to be printed faster and easier which made books very popular (especially in Italy) which helped make books more accessible to more readers and spread ideas. These books preserved were then kept which preserved the ideas of the past. Hope that made sense!