trial impression
- noun
- Specialized
- The printer created a trial impression to identify any issues before the final run.
Examples
-
The designer reviewed the trial impression carefully to ensure it matched the original artwork.
-
After running a trial impression, the team noticed several color discrepancies.
-
It is likely that the artist worked more by touch than by sight, using his eyes only to examine the results in trial impressions.
Academic text (1993)
Synonyms
A test print made to check for mistakes before final printing
A printed copy used to check text for mistakes before final printing
A printed page you check for mistakes before the final printing
A first printed copy used to check letters and layout before final printing
How Final
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'trial' (a test or trial run) combined with 'impression' (a printed copy) yields a test print. This follows ordinary English noun-noun compounding and is the same logic as 'test print' in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent senses will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The term trial impression comes from printing shops: a trial is a small 'test' and an impression is the mark left when ink hits the paper, so printers made a quick test print to 'check for errors' before the final copies were made.