printer

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.

Definitions of printer
1

n someone whose occupation is printing

Synonyms:
pressman
Examples:
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Gianbattista Bodoni
Italian printer who designed the Bodoni font (1740-1813)
William Bradford
United States printer (born in England) whose press produced the first American prayer book and the New York City's first newspaper (1663-1752)
William Caxton
English printer who in 1474 printed the first book in English (1422-1491)
Benjamin Franklin
printer whose success as an author led him to take up politics; he helped draw up the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; he played a major role in the American Revolution and negotiated French support for the colonists; as a scientist he is remembered particularly for his research in electricity (1706-1790)
Frederic William Goudy
United States printer noted for designing typefaces (1865-1947)
Johannes Gutenberg
German printer who was the first in Europe to print using movable type and the first to use a press (1400-1468)
Types:
compositor, setter, typesetter, typographer
one who sets written material into type
proofreader, reader
someone who reads proof in order to find errors and mark corrections
Type of:
skilled worker, skilled workman, trained worker
a worker who has acquired special skills

n (computer science) an output device that prints the results of data processing

Types:
dot matrix printer, dot printer, matrix printer
a printer that represents each character as a pattern of dots from a dot matrix
ink-jet printer
a printer that produces characters by projecting electrically charged droplets of ink
stylus printer, wire matrix printer, wire printer
an impact printer in which each character is represented by a pattern of dots made by wires or styli
Type of:
computer peripheral, peripheral, peripheral device
(computer science) electronic equipment connected by cable to the CPU of a computer
printing machine
a machine that prints

n a machine that prints

Synonyms:
printing machine
Types:
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Addressograph, addressing machine
a printer that automatically prints addresses on letters for mailing
character printer, character-at-a-time printer, serial printer
a printer that prints a single character at a time
electrostatic printer
a printer that uses an electric charge to deposit toner on paper
impact printer
a printer that prints by mechanical impacts
line printer, line-at-a-time printer
printer that serves as an output device on a computer; prints a whole line of characters at a time
page printer, page-at-a-time printer
a printer that prints one page at a time
thermal printer
a printer that produces characters by applying heat to special paper that is sensitive to heat
typesetting machine
a printer that sets textual material in type
bar printer
an impact printer that uses a bar to carry the type slugs
chain printer
an impact printer that carries the type slugs by links of a revolving chain
daisywheel printer
a printer that uses a daisy print wheel
dot matrix printer, dot printer, matrix printer
a printer that represents each character as a pattern of dots from a dot matrix
drum printer
a line printer in which the type is mounted on a rotating drum that contains a full character set for each printing position
laser printer
electrostatic printer that focuses a laser beam to form images that are transferred to paper electrostatically
Linotype, Linotype machine
a typesetting machine operated from a keyboard that casts an entire line as a single slug of metal
monotype
a typesetting machine operated from a keyboard that sets separate characters
teleprinter, teletype machine, teletypewriter, telex, telex machine
a character printer connected to a telegraph that operates like a typewriter
stock ticker, ticker
a character printer that automatically prints stock quotations on ticker tape
typewriter
hand-operated character printer for printing written messages one character at a time
stylus printer, wire matrix printer, wire printer
an impact printer in which each character is represented by a pattern of dots made by wires or styli
xerographic printer
a page printer that uses the xerographic process
Type of:
machine
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks

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