printer

American  

[prin-ter] / ˈprɪn tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that prints, especially a person whose occupation is printing.

2. Computers. an output device that produces a paper copy of alphanumeric or graphic data.

3. an instrument that automatically records telegraphic messages by means of a printing mechanism activated by incoming signals.

4. Movies. a photographic machine through which either the negative or positive of a master print can be run, together with unexposed film, to make a duplicate.

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printer British  

/ ˈprɪntə /

noun

1. a person or business engaged in printing

2. a machine or device that prints

3. computing an output device for printing results on paper

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Other Word Forms

• printerlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of printer

First recorded in 1495–1505; print + -er ¹

Explanation

A printer might be a person whose job is to make copies of printed material, or a machine that’s hooked up to a computer and prints on paper. With a 3D printer, you can even “print” a spatula! A 3D printer creates a replica of an image sent to it from a computer, whether it’s a car part or a spatula. Most people have the regular kind of printer, though, that they use to print things like essays or articles. Or, you might hire a printer to make your wedding invitations. The original printers, circa 1500, were people who operated a moveable type printing press (invented in 1450), printing books and other texts in small quantities.

Example Sentences

They include a Cloud Printer, which prints digital orders directly in kitchens to reduce confusion and allow chefs to fulfill them immediately.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Master Printer Bill Berkuta prints an order for a customer.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2024

Printer Stuart Blaze, from Wellington in Shropshire, produced the items, making sure they were off-centre just like the pub, which was affected by subsidence due to mining in the area in the 19th Century.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2023

Her most recent book is "The Color of Abolition: How a Printer, a Prophet, and a Contessa Moved a Nation."

From Salon • Aug. 1, 2022

Printer and publisher Mathew Carey watched sadly as “almost every hour in the day, carts, waggons, coaches, and chairs, were to be seen transporting families & furniture to the country in every direction.”

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

Related Words

• laser printer