printing

[ prin-ting ]

/ ˈprɪn tɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR printing ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the art, process, or business of producing books, newspapers, etc., by impression from movable types, plates, etc.

the act of a person or thing that prints.

words, symbols, etc., in printed form.

printed material.

the total number of copies of a book or other publication printed at one time: The book had a first printing of 10,000.

writing in which the letters resemble printed ones.

Nearby words

Origin of printing

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at print, -ing¹

Related formsnon·print·ing, adjective

print

[ print ]

/ prɪnt /

verb (used with object)

to produce (a text, picture, etc.) by applying inked types, plates, blocks, or the like, to paper or other material either by direct pressure or indirectly by offsetting an image onto an intermediate roller.

to reproduce (a design or pattern) by engraving on a plate or block.

to form a design or pattern upon, as by stamping with an engraved plate or block: to print calico.

to cause (a manuscript, text, etc.) to be published in print.

to write in letters like those commonly used in print: Print your name on these forms.

Computers. to produce (data) in legible alphanumeric or graphic form.

to indent or mark by pressing something into or upon (something).

to produce or fix (an indentation, mark, etc.), as by pressure.

to impress on the mind, memory, etc.

to fingerprint.

to apply (a thing) with pressure so as to leave an indentation, mark, etc.: The horses printed their hoofs on the wet grass.

Photography. to produce a positive picture from (a negative) by the transmission of light.

verb (used without object)

to take impressions from type, an engraved plate, etc., as in a press.

to produce by means of a reproduction process: to print in color; to print unevenly.

to make an image by means of ink, chemical action, etc., as type, engraved plates, etc.: This type is too worn to print cleanly.

to write in characters such as are used in print: He'd rather print than use longhand.

to follow the vocation of a printer.

noun

the state of being printed.

printed lettering, especially with reference to character, style, or size: This print is too large for footnotes.

printed material.

a printed publication, as a newspaper or magazine.

newsprint.

a picture, design, or the like, printed from an engraved or otherwise prepared block, plate, etc.

an indentation, mark, etc., made by the pressure of one body or thing on another.

something with which an impression is made; a stamp or die.

a fingerprint.

Textiles.

a design or pattern on cloth made by dyeing, weaving, or printing with engraved rollers, blocks of wood, stencils, etc.
a cloth so treated.
an article of apparel made of this cloth.

something that has been subjected to impression, as a pat of butter.

Photography. a picture, especially a positive made from a negative.

any reproduced image, as a blueprint.

Movies, Television. a positive copy of a completed film or filmed program ready for showing; release print.

adjective

of, for, or comprising newspapers and magazines: print media.

Verb Phrases

print in, Photography. burn¹(def 45).Also burn in.

print out, Computers. to make a printout of.

Origin of print

1250–1300; (noun) Middle English prent(e), print(e), prient(e) < Old French priente impression, print, noun use of feminine past participle of preindre to press¹ < Latin premere; (v.) Middle English prenten, derivative of the noun

Related formsun·print·ed, adjectivewell-print·ed, adjective

Can be confusedprince prints

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for printing

Using standard methods, the cost of printing DNA could run upwards of a billion dollars or more, depending on the strand.
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Consumers are also gaining the ability to take the designs into their own hands as 3D printing becomes more accessible.
What, and Who, You'll Be Wearing in 2015|Justin Jones|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For as much as Walter was a maniac, he was at the forefront of printing art.
Tim Burton Talks ‘Big Eyes,’ His Taste For the Macabre, and the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel|Marlow Stern|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The entire process of preplanning and printing the hand, brackets, and cuffs takes just over a day.
3-D Printing Is Changing the Future of Prosthetics|Lucy Vernasco|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

With 3D printing you can continue to use the file and update.
3-D Printing Is Changing the Future of Prosthetics|Lucy Vernasco|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sometimes the printing does not follow as quickly as one would like.
Papers and proceedings of the thirty-fifth general meeting of the American Library Association, 1913|Various
Inconsistent hyphenation, punctuation, printing and spelling errors have been corrected silently.
A Fair Mystery|Bertha M. Clay
Sizing material is also added, which helps to keep the fibres together and hold the ink in printing.
The Building of a Book|Various
Binding books was one of his occupations; and in 1509, when a press was set up in the monastery, he lent a hand in the printing.
The Age of Erasmus|P. S. Allen
It did not take long to find out how little I knew about printing a newspaper.
Land of the Burnt Thigh|Edith Eudora Kohl

British Dictionary definitions for printing

printing

/ (ˈprɪntɪŋ) /

noun

the process, business, or art of producing printed matter
(as modifier)printing ink

printed text

Also called: impression all the copies of a book or other publication printed at one time

a form of writing in which letters resemble printed letters

print

/ (prɪnt) /

verb

to reproduce (text, pictures, etc), esp in large numbers, by applying ink to paper or other material by one of various processes

to produce or reproduce (a manuscript, a book, data, etc) in print, as for publication

to write (letters, etc) in the style of printed matter

to mark or indent (a surface) by pressing (something) onto it

to produce a photographic print from (a negative)

(tr) to implant or fix in the mind or memory

(tr) to make (a mark or indentation) by applying pressure

noun

printed matter such as newsprint

a printed publication such as a newspaper or book

in print

in printed or published form
(of a book, etc) offered for sale by the publisher

out of print no longer available from a publisher

a design or picture printed from an engraved plate, wood block, or other medium

printed text, esp with regard to the typeface usedsmall print

a positive photographic image in colour or black and white produced, usually on paper, from a negative image on filmCompare slide (def. 13)

a fabric with a printed design
(as modifier)a print dress

a mark or indentation made by pressing something onto a surface
a stamp, die, etc, that makes such an impression
the surface subjected to such an impression

See fingerprint

Word Origin for print

C13 priente, from Old French: something printed, from preindre to make an impression, from Latin premere to press

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for printing

printing

adj.

present participle adjective from print (v.). Printing press is from 1580s.

print

c.1300, "impression, mark" (as by a stamp or seal), from Old French preinte "impression," noun use of fem. past participle of preindre "to press, crush," altered from prembre, from Latin premere "to press" (see press (v.1)). The Old French word also was borrowed into Middle Dutch (prente, Dutch prent) and other Germanic languages.

Meaning "printed lettering" is from 1620s; print-hand "print-like handwriting" is from 1658. Sense of "picture or design from a block or plate" is first attested 1660s. Meaning "piece of printed cloth" is from 1756. In Middle English, stigmata were called precious prentes of crist; to perceiven the print of sight was "to feel (someone's) gaze." Out of print "no longer to be had from the publisher" is from 1670s (to be in print is recorded from late 15c.). Print journalism attested from 1962.

print

mid-14c., prenten "to make an impression" (as with a seal, stamp, etc.), from print (n.). Meaning "to set a mark on any surface" (including by writing) is attested from late 14c. Meaning "to run off on a press" is recorded from 1510s (Caxton, 1474, used enprynte in this sense). In reference to textiles, 1580s. The photography sense is recorded from 1851 (the noun in this sense is from 1853). Meaning "to write in imitation of typography" is from 1801.

He always prints, I know, 'cos he learnt writin' from the large bills in the bookin' offices. [Charles Dickens, "Pickwick Papers," 1837]

The meaning "to record (someone's) fingerprints" is from 1952. Related: Printed; printing.

printing

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of printing

print

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

adjective

Verb Phrases

Origin of print

Examples from the Web for printing

printing

noun

print

verb

noun

Word Origin for print

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