Printer’s Devil (traditional term)

Printer’s Devil is an old term for a typesetting or printing error, often caused by accidental mistakes during the printing process. Historically, it referred to small errors like misplaced or omitted characters, which were sometimes introduced by workers (printer’s apprentices) or the chaotic nature of manual typesetting. The term has persisted as a whimsical way to describe these inadvertent flaws in printed material. Essentially, a Printer’s Devil is an unintended mistake in a printed piece, reflecting the human or mechanical errors inherent in traditional printing practices.