|
|
Glossary of Terms
ACCORDION FOLD - Bindery term, two or more
parallel folds which open like an accordion.
AQUEOUS COATING - Water based COATING that is applied to a
printed sheet to protect the ink against scratching and scuffing and to enhance
the overall appearance by providing a low gloss sheen to the finished piece.
Aqueous coating has become the most cost effective coating choice for most
commercial print applications.
ARTWORK - All original copy, including type, photos and
illustrations, intended for printing. Also called art.
BANDING - Method of securing loose printed pieces of paper
using rubber, paper, mylar or metal bands.
BIND - To attach printed pages with staples, wire, thread,
glue, or other means-commonly between two covers-to create magazines, catalogs,
books etc.
BINDERY - The finishing department of a print shop or firm
specializing in finishing printed products.
BLEED - Bleed refers to artwork that extends off of the paper.
A bleed ad will have no white (paper color) around it. Art must go off the page
at least 1/8" not stop at page edge. Trimming machines are not as precise as
printing presses and can be off slightly when the printed material is cut down
to size. It is almost impossible to cut along the page edge exactly. Having art
go off the page will assure that after final trimming of page there will no
possibility of a white hairline around the edge of page.
BLOW-UP - An enlargement, usually used with graphic images or
photographs
BOND & CARBON - Business form with paper and carbon paper.
BOND PAPER - Strong durable paper grade used for letterheads,
business forms, writing, typing and copying.
BRIGHTNESS - The brilliance or reflectance of paper. Though
mostly subjective, brightness often times is understood as “how white” a piece
of paper appears to the eye.
BULK – The thickness of a sheet of paper in thousandths of an
inch or number of pages per inch.
BULK PACK - Boxing printed product without wrapping or
banding.
BURN - Exposing a printing plate to high intensity light or
placing an image on a printing plate by light.
C2S/C1S - COATING 2 Sides (C2S) / COATING 1 Side (C1S)
CHESHIRE LABELING : Peal and Stick Style labels used for
mailing magazines, catalogs, postcards etc.
CMYK – The inks Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black applied in
FOUR COLOR PROCESS.
COATED PAPER – A wide variety of papers that have undergone
COATING to impart increased degrees of gloss, ink holdout, brightness and
smoothness.
COATING – a paper finishing operation in which the surface of
a paper is covered with a substance to impart a desired finish or texture to
the paper and improve its printability.
COLD SET – Cold set refers to printing that does not use heat
to dry freshly printed ink. Because the ink takes a greater amount of time to
dry, cold set printing uses uncoated papers that have greater saturation and
speed up the drying time for ink.
COLLATE - A finishing term for arranging printed pieces in a
numerical order for binding purposes as for a magazine or book.
COLOR BAR - A quality control term regarding the spots of ink
color on the tail of a sheet.
COMMERCIAL PRINTER - Printer producing a wide range of
products such as brochures, direct mail pieces, posters, booklets, books,
catalogs, magazines.
CONTRAST - The tonal change in color from light to dark.
COVER PAPER - Thick paper that protects a publication and
advertises its title. Parts of covers are often described as follows: Cover
1=outside front; Cover 2=inside front; Cover 3=inside back, Cover 4=outside
back.
CREEP - Phenomenon of middle pages of a folded signature
extending slightly beyond outside pages.
CRIMPING - Puncture marks holding business forms together.
CROP - To cut off parts of a picture or image.
CROP MARKS - Printed lines showing where to trim a printed
sheet. Also called cut marks and tic marks.
CSR – Customer Service Representative
CUT SIZES - Paper sizes used with office machines and small
presses.
CYAN – Blue pigment. One of the four basic ink colors in CYMK
process color.
DIE - Metal rule or imaged block used to cut or place an image
on paper in the finishing process.
DIE CUTTING - Cutting images into or out of paper.
DIGITAL PROOFING - Page proofs produced through electronic
memory transferred onto paper via laser or ink-jet.
DIRECT TO PLATE – A modern printing process that allows
artwork to be set up on the computer in a form that goes directly to the
production of printing plate(s) without the need for conversion to film
DOT - An element of halftones. Using a magnifying glass
(loupe) you will see that printed pictures are made many dots.
DOT GAIN – The concept that inks are absorbed by papers at
varying saturation levels relative to the coatings or lack thereof of the
papers used. For example, inks on newsprint type paper (uncoated) have a
greater absorption tendency than inks on gloss (coated) paper. The greater the
dot gain (or absorption of each dot of ink), the darker and less crisp the
printed images appear.
DRILLING - To drill a hole into printed material. For example,
a wall calendar has drill hole in each page to accommodate wall hanging.
DULL COATED – Type of ENAMEL PAPER that is less glossy
ENAMEL PAPER – Low gloss, high BULK, high OPACITY papers that
are ideal for OFFSET printing.
ESTIMATE – Written proposal stating the SPECIFICATIONS of a
print project and the cost to produce it. Also called a bid, quotation or
tender.
ESTIMATOR - The individual performing or creating the ESTIMATE
FINISHED SIZE - Size of a printed piece after it has been
printed, cut, folded and bound. Also called TRIM SIZE.
FIXED COSTS - Costs that remain the same regardless of how
many pieces are printed. Examples are plate charges and set up fees.
FLAT SIZE - Size of product after printing and cutting, but
before folding and binding.
FLOOD - To cover 100% of a printed page with ink, varnish, or
plastic coating.
F.O.B. – Freight on board. Refers to printed matter that is
ready to be shipped from its point of origin (the printing company). In the
case of FOB, shipping arrangements need to be made in order for the shipment to
reach its final destination.
FOIL - A metallic or pigmented coating on plastic sheets or
rolls used in foil stamping and foil embossing.
FOIL EMBOSS – FOIL STAMPING and EMBOSSING an image on paper
with a DIE.
FOIL STAMPING - Using a DIE to place a metallic or pigmented
image on paper.
FOLD MARKS - With printed matter, markings indicating where a
fold is to occur, usually located at the top edges.
FOLDER - A bindery machine dedicated to folding printed
materials.
FOUR COLOR PROCESS (4CP) - A process of printing four basic
ink colors, CMYK, in sequence in order to reproduce pictures or colors. Four
Color Process is necessary for most types of COMMERCIAL PRINTING.
FRENCH FOLD - Two folds at right angles to each other.
FTP – File Transfer Protocol. A method of transporting the
files of one user to another by means of uploading to a secure internet host
location.
GALLEY PROOF - Text copy of a book before it is 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 two or more projects on the same PRESS SHEET.
GANG RUN – A cost saving type of commercial printing. Gang Run
printing combines two or more printing projects on the same PRESS SHEET to run
on the same PRINTING PRESS according to a common color calibration.
GAYLORD BOX – A large shipping box used for shipping printed
materials. Gaylord dimensions are typically 4’ x 4’ x 4’.
GLOSS COATED – Refers to paper that has the greatest
reflective quality. Gloss coated papers have greater bulk and opacity than
ENAMEL papers, have greater sheen, and are less expensive than mattes or satins
because of their greater popularity. Gloss coated paper is the most commonly
used paper for nearly all printing applications.
HALFTONE – Term describing the varying size and color density
of small dots, which serve to simulate the appearance of continuous gradations
of tone as found in photographs. Halftones are necessary in order for
COMMERCIAL PRINTING to reproduce photographic images. The lightness and
darkness of photographic images are reproduced by varying the size and density
of printed dots; small dots spaced far apart produce light areas, while large
dots clustered more closely together produce dark areas.
HARD COPY PROOF – Typically refers to a paper proof that is
shipped or mailed as opposed to an ELECTRONIC PROOF which is emailed or hosted
on a secure sight.
HEAT SET WEB PRESS – Printing that uses intense oven
temperature heat to dry freshly printed ink. Fast drying ink reduces ink
saturation resulting in finely detailed images and higher printing speeds
HICKEY - Reoccurring unplanned spots that appear in the
printed image from dust, lint and dried ink.
IMAGE AREA - Portion of the paper on which ink is deposited.
INDICIA - Postal information placed on printed materials for
mailing purposes.
INK COLORS - The number of ink colors is indicated with a
ratio. The first number is the front page and the second number is the back.
Unless otherwise specified, 4/4 means FOUR COLOR PROCESS on both the front and
back of sheet of paper. As pertains to the inside pages of paginated documents
(books, catalogs, magazine, etc.,) 4/4 means FOUR COLOR PROCESS on all inside
pages.
ISBN - A number assigned to a published work and usually found
either on the title page or the back of the title page. Considered an
International Standard Book Number.
JOB NUMBER - A number assigned to a specific printing project
in a printing company for use in tracking and historical record keeping.
K - Abbreviation for black in four-color process printing.
KB – Kilobyte
LAID FINISH - Simulating the surface of handmade paper.
LAMINATE – 1. To cover with film for protection and
enhancement purposes. 2. To bond or glue one surface to another.
LENTICULAR - A specific type of printing that produces a
holographic or 3 dimensional effect.
LINE SCREEN - The number of horizontal lines of ink in a
square inch.
LOUPE - A magnifying glass used to examine a printed image,
plate and position film.
MAGENTA – Red pigment. One of the four basic ink colors in
CYMK process color.
MATCHPRINT - A type of a four-color-process proofing system.
MATTE COATED – Low gloss, glare free paper. Matte coated
papers have greater bulk and opacity than ENAMEL papers.
MB – Megabyte. A Megabyte is equal to 1000 Kilobytes.
MIL – One thousandth of an inch.
NEGATIVE - The image on film that makes the white areas of
originals black and black areas white.
NEWSPRINT – An inexpensive, UNCOATED paper manufactured from
groundwood for newspaper printing.
OFFSET – The most common type of COMMERCIAL PRINTING. Also
known as Offset Lithography, the term refers to the process of transferring an
image to a rubber blanket. The rubber blanket transfers (of ‘offsets’) the
image to the paper
OFFSET PAPER – See UNCOATED PAPER
OVERS/UNDERS – The quantity of finished printed pieces above
or below the ordered quantity.
PAGE - One side of a piece of paper.
PAGE COUNT - Total number of pages in a book, magazine or
catalog including blank or unprinted pages.
PAPER SIZE - The dimensional size of a trimmed sheet of paper
e.g., 8.5” x 11.”
PDF –Abbreviation for Portable Document Format. PDF files are
generated by the Adobe software program Acrobat.
PERFECT BIND – a means of binding books, magazines, catalogs
etc. An adhesive is applied to the spine of collated and gathered pages.
Perfect bound publications have rectangular backbones. Also called adhesive
bind, cutback bind, glue bind, paper bind, patent bind, perfecting bind, soft
bind and soft cover bind.
PIXEL - Short for Picture Element, a dot generated by a
computer screen, scanner or other digital device in order to reproduce an
image.
PLATE – The basic image-carrying surface in a printing
process.
PMS -The abbreviated name of the Pantone Color Matching
System. PMS is used to match, specify, identify, and display specific colors or
colored ink combinations.
POINT -For paper, a unit of thickness equaling 1/1000 inch.
For typeface (font), point is a unit of height equaling 1/72 inch.
POSTSCRIPT - The computer language most recognized by printing
devices.
PRE-FLIGHT - The process in which a file is checked to make
sure it is press ready.
PRE-PRESS – Refers to all pre-print production services
including PRE-FLIGHT, file conversion, plate making etc., that are necessary in
order to print.
PRESS CHECK – Event prior to print production at which
MAKE-READY sheets are examined by the print buyer or agent before full
production is authorized and commenced.
PRICE BREAK – Quantity of printed pieces at which the unit
cost (either price per thousand or piece) drops.
PROCESS COLORS - Cyan (blue), Magenta (process red), Yellow
(process yellow), blacK (process black).
PROOF – A Pre-Production test print used to correct typos,
positional errors, layout problems, and color aspects.
PROTECTIVE COATING - Solvent or water based coating that is
applied to a printed sheet to protect the ink against scratching and scuffing
and to enhance the overall appearance.
QUOTATION – See ESTIMATE
REAM - Five hundred sheets of paper.
REGISTER – The degree to which successfully printed colors or
images are accurately positioned in respect to alignment and contiguity.
Accurate register ensures that final printed piece has the effect of a “single
image” with no color gaps or overlaps.
RESOLUTION – Qualitative/Quantitative term pertaining to
graphics and imaging. Resolution refers the number of dots/pixels/lines per
square inch. Photographic images, for example, need to have a minimum
resolution of 300 dots per square inch.
RGB - Abbreviation for Red, Green, Blue, the additive primary
colors. RGB is the color standard for video graphics and must be converted to
CMYK for printing applications.
SADDLE STITCH –To attach printed pages with staples through a
centerfold.
SATIN COATED – type of low gloss paper characterized by a
smooth surface, intended to simulate the feel of satin.
SCALE – The size of an image.
SCORE – 1. To crease or slightly cut piece of paper to prepare
it for folding. 2. To take a razor or needle and cut a small line in a job to
mark the place it should be folded.
SCREEN – To produce a HALFTONE of a continuous-tone image.
SCREEN TINT – A HALFTONE characterized by dots that are all
the same size over the entire area of the image.
SELF COVER / PLUS COVER – Self Cover refers to a paginated
document (magazine, catalog, book, etc) that has its cover and inside pages
printed on the same TYPE OF PAPER. A Plus Cover refers to a paginated document
(magazine, catalog, book, etc) that has its Cover printed on a different type
of paper than the inside pages.
SELF MAILER - A printed item that is mailed without an
envelope. A postcard is an example of a self mailer.
SHEETFED PRESS – OFFSET press that prints individual sheets of
paper or other material rather than roll paper. See WEB PRESS
SIGNATURE – Any WEB or SHEETFED press sheet on which multiple
pages have been imprinted which, when folded and cut, forms a group of pages. A
signature is often a group of 16, 24, 32 or 48 pages.
SKID – A wood or plastic pallet on which boxes of printed
materials are stacked and secured for shipping.
SPECIFICATIONS – The description of a printing project that
includes quantity, size, color etc., used for estimating cost and production
time.
SPINE - Outside surface of a book or publication formed when
inside pages are bound together by glue to create flat or slightly rounded
edge.
SPIRAL BIND - To bind using a a continuous metal or plastic
wire looped through holes. Also called a coil bind or a Wire-O bind.
SPOT COLOR - Refers to the process of applying color to a
specific area of a printed sheet in order to highlight a particular page
element or to most accurately reproduce a particular color such as found in a
company logo (Coca Cola Red, for example). Spot colors are often times
specified by the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM (PMS).
SPOT COATING – Similar to SPOT COLOR, spot coating refers to
the process of applying varnish, aqueous, or UV coating to a specific area of a
printed sheet in order to create contrast. Spot coating is more of a stylistic
option than FLOOD COATING, which is most often applied to protect the printing
against scratching and scuffing.
STAMPING – Alternative term for foil stamping.
TABBING – Refers to sealing a mailing piece such as a brochure
with a small, round sticker to prevent the piece from opening up during
transit.
TEXT PAPER – Refers to paper that is used for the inside pages
of books, magazines, catalogs etc. Also, most commonly used for flyers,
brochures, newletters, etc.
THERMOGRAPHY - Method of printing using colorless resin powder
that takes on the color of underlying ink and creates elevation that is
noticeable to the touch. Most often, Thermography is a stylistic option for
business cards. Also referred to as raised printing or thermo printing.
TRIM MARKS - Similar to crop or register marks. These marks
show where to trim the printed sheet.
TRIM SIZE - The final size of a printed piece after it has
been dried and cut.
TYPE OF PAPER – Refers to the WEIGHT and FINISH of paper.
UNCOATED PAPER – Refers to paper that has not been coated to
accommodate FOUR COLOR PROCESS. Also called OFFSET PAPER, uncoated paper is
used most often in book printing where text pages have only black print without
color images.
UNDER-RUN - Production of fewer pieces than ordered. See over
run.
UP – Refers to how many individual pieces (same or different)
can be yielded by a single sheet of paper.
UV COATING - Solvent based COATING that is applied to a
printed sheet to protect the ink against scratching and scuffing and to enhance
the overall appearance by providing a high gloss sheen to the finished piece.
UV coating is the most durable and expensive type of press applied protective
coating.
VARNISH - Solvent based COATING that is applied to a printed
sheet to protect the ink against scratching and scuffing and to slightly
enhance the overall appearance by providing a trace sheen to the finished
piece. Varnish is the least durable and least expensive type of press applied
protective coating.
VELLUM FINISH - Somewhat rough, toothy finish.
WATERMARK - A distinctive, yet faint image that is more easily
seen by holding a piece of paper up to light.
WEB PAPER - A roll of printing paper used by a WEB PRESS
WEB PRESS – OFFSET Press that prints on continuous rolls of
paper, rather on than individual sheets.
WORK AND TURN – Pertains to SHEETFED printing, and refers to
printing the front side of a sheet, allowing it to dry, and then turning it
over to print the same image on the back side.
WOVE PAPER - A paper having a uniform, unlined surface with a
smooth finish.
|
|
|