1. a machine or device that sets type by photographic means, converting digital or analog text into printed characters on film or paper for printing
Usage: printing and publishing; largely historical; replaced by digital typesetting and direct-to-plate technology

Examples

• The printing house invested in a new phototypesetter to modernize its composition workflow.
• Before digital publishing, phototypsetters were essential equipment in every major newspaper office.
• The phototypesetter could produce camera-ready copy much faster than traditional metal type setting.
• Operators trained on the phototypesetter had to understand both mechanical and photographic principles.
• The transition from phototypesetter to computer-based typesetting transformed the publishing industry in the 1990s.