Print Glossary and Terminology

0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 

Return To Top ^ ( 0-9 )

4-color-process

Process that combines the four basic colors to create a printed color picture or colors composed from the basic four colors.

Return To Top ^ ( A )

Accordion fold

A term used in the binding process when two or more parallel folds open like an accordion.

Air

Amount of white space in a layout.

Align

To line up type or graphic material, using a base or vertical line as a reference guide.

Alteration

Change in copy of specifications after production has begun.

Artboard

Often used by designers when referring to ‘mechanical art’.

Artwork

A general term used to describe photographs, drawings, paintings, hand lettering, and the like prepared to illustrate printed matter.

Author's corrections (ACs)

Corrections, and knowing who generated them, is important. Also know as "AC's". ACs refer to changes or addition in copy after it has been typeset.

Return To Top ^ ( B )

Back up

Printing the second side of a sheet already printed on one side.

Banner

As opposed to a large printed poster, this term refers to a large headline or title extending across the full page width.

Bind

To secure sheets with staples, thread, glue or using other means.

Bindery

The department of a print shop or firm specializing in binding and finishing printed products.

Bleed

Printing (generally meaning inking) that goes to the edge of the sheet after trimming.

Blind embossing

Pressing an image into paper without using ink or foil. Generally, t his creates an uplifted image.

Blueline

A photographic proof that is used to check position of all image elements.

Bond paper

Strong durable paper grade used for letterheads and business forms.

Brightness

The reflectiveness or brightness of paper.

Bulk packing

Packaging printed materials without wrapping or banding.

Burn

Exposing a printing plate to high intensity light.

Butt

Butting images together, or joining them without overlapping.

Return To Top ^ ( C )

Camera-ready copy

Artwork or pasted-up material that is ready for production.

Caption

Also called a cutline. Text that identifies a picture.

Chrome

A term for a transparency.

Coated paper

A clay-coated printing paper with a smooth finish.

Collate

A finishing term for organizing paper or pages in a specific order.

Color bar

A quality control term that refers to the spots of ink color on the tail of a sheet.

Color correction

A process that occurs to improve color separations.

Color key

Color proofs that are done in layers, so that each one can be checked overlaying the others.

Color matching system

A system of formulated ink colors used for communicating color.

Color separations

The process of preparing artwork for printing by separating into the four primary printing colors.

Comb bind

A comb-like plastic binding inserted into punched holes.

Composite film

Combining two or more images on one or more pieces of film.

Contrast

The tonal change in color from light to dark.

Copy

Content that is used to produce the printed project.

Cover paper

A heavy printing paper.

Crop

To edit off parts of a picture or image.

Crop marks

Printed lines showing where to trim a printed sheet.

Crossover

Printing across the gutter or from one page to the facing page of a publication.

Cyan

One of four standard process colors. The blue color.

Return To Top ^ ( D )

Density

The degree of color or darkness of an image or photograph.

Die

Metal rule or imaged block used to cut or place an image on paper in the finishing process.

Die cutting

Curing images in or out of paper using a ‘die’.

Dot

An element of halftones. Using a loupe you will see that printed pictures are made many dots.

Dummy

A rough layout of a printed piece showing final size and image and copy locations.

Duotone

A half-tone picture made up of two printed colors.

Return To Top ^ ( E )

Emboss

Pressing an image into paper so that it will create a raised relief.

Emulsion

Light sensitive coating found on printing plates and film.

Return To Top ^ ( F )

Flop

The reverse side of an image.

Foil

A metallic or pigmented coating on plastic sheets or rolls used in foil stamping and foil embossing.

Return To Top ^ ( G )

Galley proof

Text copy, usually for proofing, prior to it being put into a mechanical layout or desktop layout.

Gang

Getting the most out of a printing press by using the maximum sheet size to print multiple images or jobs on the same sheet.

Generation

Stages of reproduction from original copy. A first generation reproduction yields the best quality.

Ghosting

A faint printed image that appears on a printed sheet where it was not intended.

Gloss

A shiny look reflecting light.

Grain

The direction of the paper fibers.

Grippers

The metal fingers on a printing press that hold the paper as it passes through the press.

Return To Top ^ ( H )

Hairline

A very thin line, border or gap about the width of a hair or 1/100 inch.

Halftone

Converting a continuous tone to dots for printing.

Hard copy

The output of a computer printer, or typed text sent for typesetting.

Return To Top ^ ( I )

Image area

Portion of paper on which ink can appear.

Imprint

Adding copy to a previously printed page.

Indicia

Postal information place on a printed product.

Return To Top ^ ( J )

Return To Top ^ ( K )

Keylines

Lines on mechanical art that show position of photographs or illustrations.

Knock out

To mask out an image.

Return To Top ^ ( L )

Laminate

To cover with film, to bond or glue one surface to another.

Line copy

High contrast copy not requiring a halftone.

Lines per inch

The number of rows of dots per inch in a halftone.

Loupe

A magnifying glass used to review a printed image, plate and position film.

Return To Top ^ ( M )

Magenta

Process red, one of the basic colors in process color.

Make-ready

All the activities required to prepare a press for printing.

Mask

Blocking light from reaching parts of a printing plate.

Matte finish

Dull paper or ink finish.

Mechanical

Camera ready art all contained on one board.

Mechanical separation

Mechanical art overlay for each color to be printed.

Return To Top ^ ( N )

Negative

The image on film that makes the white areas of originals black and black areas white.

Non-reproducing blue

A blue color the camera cannot see. Used in marking up artwork.

Return To Top ^ ( O )

Offset paper

Term for uncoated book paper.

Opacity

The amount of show-through on a printed sheet. The more opacity or the thicker the paper the less show-through. (The thicker/heavier the paper the higher the cost.)

Overlay

The transparent cover sheet on artwork often used for instructions.

Overrun or overs

Excess printed copies.

Return To Top ^ ( P )

Perfect bind

A type of binding that glues the edge of sheets to a cover.

Pica

Unit of measure in typesetting. One pica = 1/6 inch.

Plate gap

Gripper space. The area where the grippers hold the sheet as it passes through the press.

PMS

The abbreviated name of the Pantone Color Matching System.

PMT

Abbreviated name for photomechanical transfer. Often used to make position prints.

Press number

A method of numbering manufacturing business forms or tickets.

Pressure-sensitive paper

Paper material with self sticking adhesive covered by a backing sheet.

Process blue

The blue or cyan color in process printing.

Process colors

Cyan (blue), magenta (process red), yellow (process yellow), black (process black).

Return To Top ^ ( Q )

Return To Top ^ ( R )

Ragged left

Type that is justified to the right margin and the line lengths vary on the left.

Ragged right

Type that is justified to the left margin and the line lengths vary on the right.

Ream

Five hundred sheets of paper.

Reflective copy

Copy that is not transparent.

Register

To position print in the proper position in relation to the edge of the sheet and to other printing on the same sheet.

Register marks

Cross-hair lines or marks on film, plates, and paper that guide strippers, platemakers, pressmen, and bindery personnel in processing a print order from start to finish.

Reverse

The opposite of what you see. Printing the background of an image. For example; type your name on a piece of paper. The reverse of this would be a black piece of paper with a white name.

Rip film

A method of making printing negatives from PostScript files created by desktop publishing.

Return To Top ^ ( S )

Saddle stitch

Binding a booklet or magazine with staples in the seam where it folds.

Scanner

Device used to make color separations, halftones, duo tones and tri tones. Also a device used to scan art, pictures or drawings in desktop publishing.

Score

A crease put on paper to help it fold better.

Self-cover

Using the same paper as the text for the cover.

Shadow

The darkest areas of a photograph.

Show-through

Printing on one side of a sheet that can be seen on the other side of the sheet.

Side stitch

Binding by stapling along one side of a sheet.

Silhouette halftone

A term used for an outline halftone.

Skid

A pallet used for a pile of cut sheets.

Specifications

A precise description of a print order.

Spine

The binding edge of a book or publication.

Spot varnish

Varnish used to hilight a specific part of the printed sheet.

Stamping

Term for foil stamping.

Stet

A proof mark meaning let the original copy stand.

Stock

The material to be printed.

Stripping

The positioning of film on a flat prior to platemaking.

Substance weight

A term of basis weight when referring to bond papers.

Substrate

Any surface on which printing is done.

Return To Top ^ ( T )

Text paper

Grades of uncoated paper with textured surfaces.

Tints

A shade of a single color or combined colors.

Tissue overlay

Usually a thin transparent paper placed over artwork for protection uses for marking color breaks and other printer instructions.

Transfer tape

A peel and stick tape used in business forms.

Transparency

A positive photographic slide on film allowing light to pass through.

Transparent copy

A film that light must pass through for it to be seen or reproduced.

Transparent ink

A printing ink that does not conceal the color under it.

Trapping

The ability to print one ink over the other.

Trim marks

Similar to crop or register marks. These marks show where to trim the printed sheet.

Trim size

The final size of one printed image after the last trim is made.

Return To Top ^ ( U )

Under-run

Production of fewer copies than ordered. See over run.

Up

Printing two or three up means printing multiple copies of the same image on the same sheet.

UV coating

Liquid laminate bonded and cured with ultraviolet light. Environmentally friendly.

Return To Top ^ ( V )

Varnish

A clear liquid applied to printed surfaces for looks and protection. (UV coating looks better.)

Verso

The left hand page of an open book.

Vignette halftone

A halftone whose background gradually fades to white.

Return To Top ^ ( W )

Washup

Removing printing ink from a press, washing the rollers and blanket. Certain ink colors require multiple washups to avoid ink and chemical contamination.

Waste

A term for planned spoilage.

Watermark

A distinctive design created in paper at the time of manufacture that can be easily seen by holding the paper up to a light.

Web

A roll of printing paper.

Web press

The name of a type of presses that print from rolls of paper.

Wire O

A bindery trade name for mechanical binding using double loops of wire through a hole.

Wire-O binding

A method of wire binding books along the binding edge that will allow the book to lay flat using double loops. See Wire O.

With the grain

Folding or feeding paper into the press or folder parallel to the grain of the paper.

Work and tumble

Printing one side of a sheet and turning it over from the gripper to the tail to print the second side using the same side guide and plate for the second side.

Work and turn

Printing one side of a sheet and turning it over from left to right ussing the same side guides and plate for the second side.

Wove paper

A paper having a uniform unlined surface with a smooth finish.

Return To Top ^ ( X )

Return To Top ^ ( Y )

Return To Top ^ ( Z )