optical printer

American

noun

a film printer used in making optical effects, consisting basically of a camera that photographs the image with special lenses to enlarge, reduce, distort, etc., and a projector that transfers the image to the print stock, as distinguished from a contact printer.

Etymology

Origin of optical printer

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

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optical printer

The figure is photographed against a blue background and then combined in an optical printer with the scene into which it will be placed.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023