1. The art or process of producing printed material using inked type and a printing press. 2. The number of copies produced of a particular printed item, such as books or newspapers. 3. A person who prints.
Printing facilitated the spread of ideas and helped shape alterations in social relations made possible by industrial development and economic transformations. It enabled literate people to gain access to information previously available only to the elite and to become involved in political, social and intellectual activities.
The invention of movable types allowed the production of a large number of printed items quickly and inexpensively. Early “journeyman printers” were free to travel throughout Europe with their tools of trade, enabling them to print wherever they found opportunities. Their skill and expertise facilitated the growth of libraries and other centers of cultural life.
Online print services make it easy to order prints of pictures and documents. Some also offer products such as posters and photo books. They may require you to upload files in a specific size and resolution, but the process is usually straightforward.
Before sending your file to a print shop, make sure it’s in a format they can accept. For example, if your project contains text, be sure to use fonts that are embedded (rather than raster) in the PDF file you send. This prevents font substitution and guarantees that the final document will look exactly how you designed it. It’s also a good idea to save your file as a EPS or PNG with maximum quality settings.