Further reading

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  • American Cinematographer Manual, 2nd ed., Mascelli, Joseph V., A.S.C. and Miller, Arthur, A.S.C, eds. Los Angeles, 1966, p.494 ff.

Optival vs Contact Printing

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As in any analog process, every optical "pass" degraded the picture, just like a photocopy of a photocopy (although the degradation can be greater with contact printing than with optical printing).[7]

The "can" in "can be greater..." is a little ambiguous. A quick read might give the impression that optical printing is generally better (although I don't think the the editor meant it this way).

According to the cite, only when contact between the elements is compromised does the quality fall below that of optical printing.

So I changes it to read:

As in any analog process, every optical "pass" degraded the picture, just like a photocopy of a photocopy. Properly performed contact printing generally creates less degradation, however, under certain conditions the degradation can be greater with contact printing than with optical printing.[7]