printing

/ˈprɪntɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈprɪntɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈprin-tiŋ/ (ame, mw)

printing — noun

  • printingsingular
  • printingsplural

1. the activity, process, or business of putting words, pictures, or patterns onto

1.名詞B1
釋義

the activity, process, or business of putting words, pictures, or patterns onto paper, cloth, or other surfaces using a machine that puts ink onto the material

例句

Jude works in the printing industry and manages a team of ten press operators.

collocation: printing industry

The invention of the printing press made books much cheaper and more available to ordinary people.

同義詞
  • publishing

    broader term; includes editing, marketing, and distribution, not just the physical printing process

  • reproduction

    more technical; focuses on the duplicating process rather than the industry as a whole

文法句型

printing + noun (as modifier)

用法筆記

Uncountable in this sense — do not use with 'a' or 'an' (❌ a printing, ✅ the printing industry). Commonly appears as a modifier in compound nouns: printing press, printing company, printing technology.

常見錯誤

❌He works in a printing.
✅He works in the printing industry.
💡'printing' is uncountable for this sense; you need a specific noun like 'industry', 'company', or 'department'.

2. a batch of identical copies of a publication, all produced at the same time

2.名詞B2
釋義

a batch of identical copies of a publication, all produced at the same time

例句

The first printing of Jiwoo's novel sold out within a week, so the publisher ordered a second run.

first/second printing — ordinal + printing

A third printing of the textbook was needed after it became a required course at several schools.

同義詞
  • impression

    more formal, used mainly in British publishing; identical meaning

  • edition

    different meaning — an edition is a version with content changes, while a printing is merely a production batch

文法句型

a printing of [number] copies

first/second/third printing

用法筆記

Countable in this sense, so you can say 'a printing' or 'three printings'. Often used with an ordinal number (first printing, second printing) to indicate the sequence of batches. A 'reprint' is a later printing without significant changes to the content.

常見錯誤

❌The book is already in its three printing.
✅The book is already in its third printing.
💡use ordinal numbers (first, second, third) to describe the sequence of printings.

3. a style of handwriting in which each letter is formed separately and not joined

3.名詞B2
釋義

a style of handwriting in which each letter is formed separately and not joined to the next letter, so that it looks similar to printed text

例句

The teacher asked the class to write in printing so their answers would be easy to read.

write in printing — preposition pattern

Sari filled the form in clear printing because cursive was not accepted.

同義詞
  • block letters

    same meaning; often used on forms or official documents

  • print script

    more technical; used in education to describe the handwriting style taught before cursive

反義詞
  • cursive

    joined-up writing where letters flow into each other

  • handwriting

    general term for any style of writing by hand, including both printing and cursive

用法筆記

Uncountable in this sense. Usually follows the preposition 'in': write in printing, fill in the form in printing. The opposite style is 'cursive' (joined writing) or 'handwriting' (general term).

常見錯誤

❌Please write in a printing so I can read it.
✅Please write in printing so I can read it.
💡no article needed; 'printing' is uncountable here.