- present participle of print.
printing
Americannoun
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the art, process, or business of producing books, newspapers, etc., by impression from movable types, plates, etc.
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the act of a person or thing that prints.
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words, symbols, etc., in printed form.
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printed material.
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the total number of copies of a book or other publication printed at one time.
The book had a first printing of 10,000.
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writing in which the letters resemble printed ones.
noun
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the process, business, or art of producing printed matter
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( as modifier )
printing ink
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printed text
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Also called: impression. all the copies of a book or other publication printed at one time
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a form of writing in which letters resemble printed letters
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of printing
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at print, -ing 1
Vocabulary lists containing printing
Chinese History - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When the postal service first started printing stamps and recording the price in 1885, it cost 2 cents for postage on a 1-ounce letter.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
The 2008 law, enacted by the SAD-BJP government, regulated the printing, publication, distribution and handling of the Guru Granth Sahib and barred its unauthorised printing or publication.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
A young Benjamin Franklin, he points out, went deeply into debt to start his printing business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Advances in 3D printing have made the conversion devices widely available and cheap to produce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The new technology of steam-run printing presses could spit out cheap tabloid newspapers by the thousands.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
John Trumbull’s iconic paintings of the Revolution are joined by historic printings, weapons, pottery, quilts and more in a patriotic display that shows how these creators shaped a visual history of the young country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
The Bible, one of the very first printings of the 1611 King James Bible, was bought by book dealer Simon Finch from Norfolk.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine lawmakers are backing a proposal to include language about the state’s obligations to Native American tribes in future printings of the the state’s constitution.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 15, 2023
Emperor Shomu had encouraged the spread of Buddhism by ordering a temple to be built in every province and block printings of Buddhist scriptures to be disseminated to the general populace.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
That wouldn’t happen until February 1998, when it would hit the charts and stay there, through 48 printings and 2.5 million copies.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
