GLOSSARY of PRINTING TERMS Top

GLOSSARY OF PRINTING TERMS top
The following is a glossary of common printing terms.
A
Absorption / In paper, the property which causes it to take up liquids or vapors in contact with it.
Additional Color / Color added to the four primary colours for printing, used in direct tint.
Additive Primaries / Red, green and blue are the primary colors of light from which all other colours can be made.
Against The Grain / Folding or feeding paper at right angles to the grain direction of the paper.
Aliasing / Visibly jagged steps along angled or object edges, due to sharp tonal contrasts between pixels.
Alterations / Changes made in text copy or art after a job has been set in type or shot and proofs have been pulled for checking.
Application File Format / When a document is created using desktop publishing software, the resulting files or files are typically saved to the computer's hard disk. This file is said to be in an Application File Format. This format is unique to the software used and enables the user to continue to work with the document.
Apron / White space added to margins of text area on a page to accommodate a foldout.
Archive / When referring to electronic archiving, it means the ability to electronically store documents for future electronic, on-demand printing. The files are commonly stored in a print ready format and are not accessible for editing. However, changes to the stored document can be incorporated by replacing pages or entire sections with updated pages.
Artwork / Illustrations, drawings, photographs, renderings, paintings, sketches, or copy of any kind - except text copy - that is being prepared or used for reproduction.
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B
Bindery / The phase of the print job in which the job is finished - that is, where the printed sheet is manipulated into its final format by such processes as folding, stitching, gluing, and cutting.
Bindery Operations / Operations normally performed after press operations. Such operations may include punching, fastening, drilling, folding, trimming, slitting, numbering and affixing.
Bit Depth / The number of bits used to represent each pixel in an image to determine its colour or tone.
Bit Map / In computer imaging, the electronic representation of a page, indicating the position of every possible spot (zero or none).
Bitmapped (Rasterized) Image / A graphic or character represented by pixels or dots that display the graphic's light or dark spots arranged horizontally and vertically. Each pixel is indicated as a 1 (dark spot) or a 0 (light spot) to the computer in binary code.
Black Point / A reference point that defines the darkest area in an image, causing all other areas to be adjusted accordingly.
Blanket / A covering on the printing cylinder of an offset press. The blanket receives the impression from the plate and transfers it to the paper. Since the blanket acts as a transfer agent, it will have a "mirror" image of the images on the plate and substrate.
Blanket-to-Blanket press / In offset printing, a configuration in which a continuous web of paper is fed between two blanket cylinders, printing both sides at once. Also called a perfecting press.
Bleed / That part of the image which extends beyond the trim-line of the page (i.e., the printed matter designed to run off the edge of the paper). Illustrations which spread to the edge of the page and allow no margins are described as bled-off.
Blow Up / A photographic enlargement.
Bottom Printing / Printing on the underside of translucent film or paper, so the design reads through the top.
Browser / A software application that permits browsing, retrieval and viewing of content on the Internet, World Wide Web and intranets.
Bulk / The degree of thickness of paper. In book printing, the number of pages per inch for a given basis weight.
Burn / In platemaking, a common term used for a plate exposure.
Byte / A measurement unit equal to 8 bits of digital information.
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C
CD-ROM / Acronym for Compact Disc-Read-Only Memory. A CD-ROM drive uses the CD format as a computer storage medium.
Centerfold/spread / Facing pages in the center of a section. Center spreads are also called naturals.
Clipping / The conversion of all tones lighter than a specified grey level to white, or darker than a specified grey level to black, causing loss of detail. This also applies to individual channels in a color image.
Coated / Term used to describe paper or board that has a top layer of china clay (a mineral) to give a smooth finish. Coated stock reproduces a sharper dot that uncoated substrates (i.e., paper) and usually has a higher level of gloss. Glossy magazines, for example, are printed on coated paper. Also known as enamel paper or surface paper.
Coated Paper / Paper or board covered with a mat or brilliant shiny effect to get a better print.
Coating / In printing, an emulsion, varnish or lacquer applied over a printed surface to protect it.
Cold Color / In printing, a color with a bluish cast.
Cold-Set Ink / A solid ink that, when used on a "hot press" (one that has a heated cylinder), melts into a liquid that then solidifies on contact with the paper.
Collate / To organize, gather and assemble the various parts of a printed piece or business form.
Color Cast / An overall color imbalance in an image, as if viewed through a colored filter.
Color Correction / Any method such as masking, dot-etching, re-etching and scanning, or editing used to improve color rendition.
Color Separation / The division of colors of a continuous tone multicolored original or line copy into basic portions, each of which is to be reproduced by a separate printing plate.
Color Separations / Color process printing uses four colours: (1) cyan; (2) yellow; (3) magenta; and (4) black {also known as CYMK}. These print as tiny dots of solid color, which combine to give the full color range of the original. The copy is broken down into the process colors by photographic or electronic color separation. In separation, the original copy is photographed four times using colored filters, to produce a different separation negative for each color.
Color Swatch / A series of color guides, which may be graded in a standardised fashion as in the Pantone matching system.
Compression / The reduction in size of an image file.
Continuous Tone / A photographic image which contains gradient tones from black to white.
Contra Vision / A print substrate whose panels typically provide one-way vision, see-through graphic advertisements and signs.
Copy / The complete advertising message to be displayed on the advertising structure.
Corrugated / Board composed of one or several fluted paper sheets glued between or on one more flat facings.
Counter Dispenser / Advertising material placed on the counter with on its front side several products exposed to the consumer for self-service, contrary to a stocking material where the products are placed at the back side of the display and thus on the seller's side.
Coverage / Extent to which ink covers the substrate (paper). Ink coverage is usually expressed in percentage terms.
Creasing / Partial shaping of cardboard through stamping to allow it to fold.
Cromalin / A type of color proof, produced from color separated film, used to give an indication to the client of how the full-color print job will look.
Crop / To eliminate portions of the copy, usually on a photograph or plate, indicated on the original by cropmarks.
Crop Marks / In design, the lines drawn on an overlay or in the margins of an illustration to define the portion of the image that will appear in the reproduction.
Cropping / Trimming or masking sections of the artwork that are not required to be printed.
Crossover / An image that continues from one page of a publication across the gutter to the opposite page.
Curl / A waviness or rolling effect that sometimes occurs at the edge of a paper sheet. It is usually associated with the improper moisture balance within the sheet, or uneven drying when the orientation with the sheet, improper refining of pulp or mechanical stresses during manufacture or printing.
Cutting or Creasing / An operation carried out on a special finishing machine when special shapes need to be cut and creased. For each job, a form is made up to shape with cutting and/or creasing rules to the required design.
Cyan / The special blue used in four-color process printing.
CYMK / The process colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black which are combined in varying amounts to represent colors in an original image. K is used for Black to avoid confusion with Blue.
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D
Decompression / The expansion of compressed image files.
Density / The degree of darkness (light absorption or opacity) of a photographic image.
Density / The degree of opacity of a light absorbing filter, pigment or exposed photographic emulsion.
Descender / That part of a lower case letter which extends below the main body, as in "p,"
Descreening / Removal of halftone dot patterns during or after scanning printed matter by defocusing the image.
Die / A tool made from steel and wood used for cutting irregular shapes from paper or board. Also called a form.
Die Cutting / Using a form to cut holes or irregular outlines in display work or printed pieces.
Die Stamping / A printing technique that uses a die to emboss a relief image onto a surface. Ink or metallic foil is generally used to add color, but if not the surface is said to be blind-stamped. Also known as relief stamping.
Die Press / A machine that is used to die cut or emboss a shape into paper or board.
Digital Color Proof / A color proof produced from digital data without the need for separation films.
Direct-To-Plate / Direct exposure of image data onto printing plates, without the intermediate use of film.
Direct-To-Press / Elimination of intermediate film and printing plates by the direct transfer of image data to printing cylinders in the press.
Document Reader / An OCR (Optical Character Recognition) device that reads one or several lines of data when the document is moved past one or more read heads.
Dot / The individual element of a halftone.
Dot Gain / In printing, a defect in which dots print larger than they should, causing darker tones or stronger colors.
DPI / Acronym for "Dots Per Inch". A 300 DPI printer, for instance is capable of printing 300 dots across and 300 down within one inch square. DPI is a measurement of resolution for scanning, displaying, or printing.
Dummy / A preliminary layout showing the position of illustrations and text as they are to appear in the final reproduction. A set of blank pages made up in advance to show the size, shape, form and general style of a piece of printing.
Duotone / A two-color halftone reproduction from a one-color photograph.
Dupe / To create an identical duplicate of an original piece of film.
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E
em / In composition, a unit of measurement exactly as wide an high as the point size being set.
Embossing / Process producing raised images on thin materials such as paper, cardboard, leather or certain supple plastics : dry embossing or ink embossing.
Emulsion / A light-sensitive coating on film or stencils.
en / In composition, one-half the width of an em.
Enamel Paper / Coated Paper. Term used to describe paper or board that has a top layer of china clay (a mineral) to give a smooth finish. Coated stock reproduces a sharper dot than uncoated substrates (paper) and usually has a higher level of floss. Glossy magazines, for example, are printed on coated paper. Also known as coated paper or surface paper.
EPS / Encapsulated PostScript. A file format often used for images generated in object-orientated drawing applications like "Illustrator" or "Freehand" and for scanned images.
Exposure / Represents the opportunity for an advertising message to be seen and read.
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F
Facing / Number of products of a same range represented in the front line of the store shelf.
Feeder / In printing presses, the section that separates the sheets and feeds them in position for printing.
Fibre Optic Display / An innovative use of electronic light transmitting fibres to create changeable copy displays.
Film / Negative/Positive Sheets or rolls or a clear and stable plastic containing line and/or tone reproductions of the image. Used during the making of printing stencils.
Film Negative / A reverse photographic image in which dark areas appear light and vice versa. Film negatives are used to make printing plates.
Film Positive / A piece of clear acetate or other film upon which the image appears as it did in the original.
Finished Size / The size of a printed product after production is complete.
Finishing / All production operations after printing. The processes include cutting, punching, stitching and gluing.
Flatbed Scanner / Any scanning device that incorporates a flat transparent plate, on which original images are placed for scanning.
Font / In composition, a complete assortment of letters, numbers, punctuation marks, etc. of a given size and design. For example, Times or Helvetica.
Format / All elements that make up the individual character of a publication. Format includes size, style, type, page margins, printing requirements, binding, etc.
Four Colour Process / A technique of printing that uses the three process colours of ink (cyan, magenta, yellow) and black to simulate colour photographs or illustrations.
Four Color Process Inks / The inks used in four-color process printing.
FTP / Acronym for "File Transfer Protocol". A networking protocol for moving files between computers.
Full Color / Synonymous with Four-Colour Process.
Full-Bleed / Image printing 1/8" - 1/4" beyond the trim marks on all sides. This is done to aid the printer in preventing a white edge from appearing if the paper is not trimmed perfectly.