Contact Printing definition

A way in which a lab replicates film.  The print is created on a Contact Printer machine; the unexposed print stock and original film are attached together.  As one emulsion is pressed against the other’s emulsion, they are sped by a light radiating through the original which then exposes the print stock with the same picture.   There are a few kinds of contact prints, including answer prints, release prints, and workprints.  In addition to contact printing, there exists optical printing which involves either creating a reduction print or making a blow up.