Dear Mark, I discuss the history and current uses of the film printer (not only optical), in a forthcoming essay on the work of film restoration laboratories, in the Spring 2006 issue of the AMIA Journal. You might also consult the two references below. But the best histories of the optical printer that I have heard come from the lab technicians who have used the machines throughout their careers. Crabtree, J.I. “The Motion-Picture Laboratory.” Jan. 1955. A Technological History of Motion Pictures and Television: An Anthology from the Pages of the Journal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Ed. Raymond Fielding. Berkeley: U California P, 1983. 150-172. Read, Paul, and Mark-Paul Meyer, eds. Restoration of Motion Picture Film. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2000. Regards, Gabriel Gabriel M. Paletz Professor of Film History and Screenwriting PCFE Film School Prague, Czech Republic >From: Mark Winokur <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: [SCREEN-L] Optical Printer >Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2005 18:45:59 -0600 > >Does anyone know of a good history of the optical printer? Thank you. >Mark Winokur > >---- >For past messages, visit the Screen-L Archives: >http://bama.ua.edu/archives/screen-l.html _________________________________________________________________ On the road to retirement? Check out MSN Life Events for advice on how to get there! http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=Retirement ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite http://www.ScreenSite.org