Painetussa

Painetussa is a term used in Finnish bibliographic practice to indicate that a work exists in printed form, as opposed to a digital edition or other non-printed formats. In library catalogs, publishing records, and bibliographic metadata, painetussa acts as a format marker accompanying entries for a work, and is often found together with ISBN, publisher, publication year, and physical format details such as binding and page count. The term helps librarians, researchers, and collectors distinguish between formats when searching for copies or determining availability.

Etymology: Painetussa derives from painettu, the past participle of painaa "to print," with the inessive suffix -ssa, yielding "in the printed form." The form is primarily used in Finnish-language contexts and is less common outside Finland, though the general distinction between printed and digital editions exists in many languages.

Usage and practicality: The designation is most relevant for multi-format works published in both print and digital forms. In catalogs it may appear as "Painetussa" in a format field or note, sometimes with qualifiers like "painettua versiota" or "painetussa julkaisussa." It does not convey access rights but indicates physical availability.

Relation to other formats: Painetussa sits alongside terms such as digitaaliset, verkkoversio, and e-kirja. As digitization expands, the explicit use of painetussa can decrease in some catalogs, but it remains a standard descriptor in many holdings records and historical bibliographies.

See also: printed edition, digital edition, library cataloging, bibliographic metadata.