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Photographic printing is the process of producing a final image on paper for viewing, using chemically sensitized paper. The paper is exposed to a photographic negative, a positive transparency (or slide), or a digital image file projected using an enlarger or digital exposure unit such as a LightJet or Minilab printer. Alternatively, the negative or transparency may be placed atop the paper and directly exposed, creating a contact print. Digital photographs are commonly printed on plain paper, for example by a color printer, but this is not considered "photographic printing".[1]
Following exposure, the paper is processed to reveal and make permanent the latent image.
At the high end of the market, the output from color inkjet printers can now give you almost the same results as the traditional photographic printing process that involves color separations.