Primer may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films Primer (film), a 2004 feature film written and directed by Shane Carruth Primer (video), a documentary about the funk band Living Colour Literature Primer (textbook), a textbook used in primary education to teach the alphabet and other basic subjects Primer (prayer book), a common name for English prayer books used from the 13th to 16th centuries The New England Primer (1688), a Puritan book from Colonial America with morality-themed rhymes Music Primer (album), a 1995 music album by the musical group Rockapella Primer 55, an American alternative metal band "The Primer", a song from the 2005 album Alaska by Between the Buried and Me Firearms Primer (firearms), a firearm powder charge-ignition mechanism Centerfire ammunition, Boxer or Berdan primers used in modern centerfire cartridges Detonator, a small explosive device also known as an explosive primer or blasting cap Friction primer, an ignition device for muzzle-loading cannon Percussion cap, a gunpowder ignition device for 19th century muzzle-loading firearms and modern replicas Coatings Primer (cosmetics), a cream or lotion applied before another to improve coverage and persistence Primer (paint), a coating applied to a surface to prepare it for paint or another coating or adhesive Fonts Great primer, a font size of 18 points Long primer, a font size between bourgeois and small pica Primer (typeface) People Sylvester Primer (1842–1912), American linguist and philologist John Primer (born 1945), American Chicago singer and guitarist Software Primer (app), free mobile application by Google Primer-E Primer, software for statistical analysis of ecological data Other uses Primer (gasoline engine), a device on some petrol engines used to prime the engine with gasoline before starting it Primer (molecular biology), a nucleic acid strand (or related molecule) that serves as a starting point for replication Money-creation primer Trap primer, a plumbing device or valve that adds water to traps See also Premier (disambiguation) Priming (disambiguation)