Glossary of Printing Terms
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Accordion Fold- a series of two or more parallel folds in which each fold opens in the opposite direction of the previous fold, that open like an accordion
Adobe®- Adobe Systems Incorporated, a company that builds graphics software
Acrobat®- a software program from Adobe® that allows you to create and view PDF files. PDF files can be viewed and printed on any computer platform
Against the Grain- at right angles to the grain of the paper
Aliasing- when raster images show jagged edges when magnified. Anti-Aliasing is when the jagged edges are masked with surrounding lighter pixels to create a smooth edge.
Application Program- general term for any computer software program.
Bindery- additional work to complete the job after the paper is printed. Includes binding, collating, cutting, drilling, folding, packaging, stitching, trimming, tabbing, and wrapping
Bit-Mapped Image- an image made up of pixels, also called a rasterized image
Blanket- a covering on the printing cylinder on a printing press. The blanket transfers the ink from the printing plate to the paper.
Bleed- in printing, bleeds are when the printed inks run all the way to the edge of the paper.
Blind Embossing- embossing without printing. The design is stamped without ink and gives a bas-relief effect.
Blueline- a print made from negatives on special light-sensitive paper, used as a proof before printing.
Brightness- the ability of a paper to reflect light.
Burn- to expose a blueline proof or printing plate.
Byte- a sequence of adjacent binary digits (often shorter than a word) that is processed as a unit by a computer.
C1S- paper coated on one side.
C2S- paper coated on both sides.
Caliper- a measure of a paper's thickness expressed in thousandths of an inch (mils).
Camera-Ready Art- graphic art that has been assembled in place and is ready to be photographed or digitally scanned to make a printing plate.
Card Stock- also called cover stock. This paper is used for postcards, business cards, catalog covers and other items that need a heavier stock.
CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black)- these are the colors used for full color process printing. These four inks when mixed together can reproduce a wide range of colors and shades.
Collate- to organize, gather, and assemble the various parts of a printed piece or business form.
Color Bars- a series of control targets on the press sheet that allow the press operator to maintain consistency and accuracy throughout the press run.
Color-Correct- to retouch or enhance color levels in a digital file before output to color separate.
Color Proofs- progressive in color process work, proofs made from the separate plates to show the sequence of printing and the result after each additional color has been applied.
Color Separation- the photographic or electronic means of separating artwork into the different colors used to reproduce the image. Each color is then made into a plate to be run on press
Compression- a software process by which images or files are condensed so that they occupy less storage space. Compressed files also transmit faster over the internet due to their reduced file size.
Continuous Tone- all camera and scanner input exhibiting a range of gray tones formed by photography, not dots or screens. All basic photographs, prints and transparencies fall under this category.
Contrast- in photography (either color or black and white), the range of tonal gradation between highlights and shadows- in other words, the comparative density of certain areas of the image. The farther apart the tones are, the higher the contrast.
CorelDRAW®- this is a popular drawing software program.
Crop Marks- lines positioned outside the corners of the sheet showing where you want the job to be trimmed or folded.
Cropping- eliminating portions of copy so that it better fits the page design. It is usually done by trimming the image.
Densitometer- a sensitive photoelectric instrument that measures the density of photographic images or colors.
Density- in the graphic arts, the relative light absorption in a given area of an image, whether photographic, typed, printed, or carbon.
Desktop Publishing (DTP)- the process of creating fully composed pages using a computer, off-the-shelf software and an output device such as a laser printer.
Die- a sharp metal rule used for die cutting, or a block of metal used for embossing or foil stamping.
Die Cutting- cutting irregular shapes in paper using metal rules mounted on a letter press.
Dingbats- small abstract ornaments or symbols printed on the paper to indicate direction or instructions, or used simply as a motif of the subject matter.
Document- the paper source document, or later, the stored image of the source document.
Dot- a single element of a halftone printing surface.
Dot Gain- the phenomenon of dots printing larger on paper than their actual size on negatives or plates.
Dot Matrix Printer- a computer printout device that forms characters by printing dots within a grid pattern.
Double-Burn- in production, exposing two or more films onto a printing plate or a new film to create a single image. The images are "burned" in register onto the sensitized plate.
DPI- abbreviation 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 of any output device.
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 made from a monochrome original.
Embossing- raised letters or designs created by squeezing the paper between two metal dies.
EPS (Encapsulated Postscript)- this format of computer file is the preferred format for printing. It allows your graphics to be imaged at the resolution of the final output device. EPS files can be either raster or vector.
Finish Size- size of printed product after production is complete.
Flush- the lining up of image or copy to the left or right with another image or copy.
Foil Stamping- a process of stamping foil designs or lettering on book covers or other materials.
Fold Marks- short lines printed on a document to show where it should be folded.
Font- the carrier for a typeface style.
Foot- the bottom of a page, book or column.
Format- all elements that make up the individual character of a publication. Format includes size, style, type, page margins, printing requirements, binding, etc.
Four-Color Process- a technique of printing that uses the three process colors of ink (yellow, cyan, magenta) and black to simulate color photographs or illustrations.
FreeHand®- a professional illustration program produced by Macromedia®.
GIF- this file format is mainly used for Web graphics. It makes a very small file, but is not extremely accurate. GIF, which is limited to 256 colors, is not acceptable for quality reproduction in printing.
Ghosting- phenomenon of a faint, unintended image on a printed sheet.
Grain- in paper, grain is the direction in which most wood pulp fibers lie within the sheet as the paper is made. Folding paper against the grain breaks more wood fibers than folding with the grain, resulting in an uneven, less precise fold.
Gripper Space- in sheet-fed printing, the amount of space needed for the grippers (i.e., the devices that pull the paper through the press) to grasp the leading edge (i.e., the gripper edge) of the paper. Although the amount of gripper space might vary from one press to another, it usually ranges from 1/4" to 5/8".
Gutter- the inner margin of a page, from the edge of the printing area to the binding edge.
Halftone- the process of converting a continuous tone photograph into a pattern of different size dots that simulate shades of gray. When viewed with a magnifying glass you will see a series of dots but at normal viewing distances appears continuous tone.
Hard Copy- a printed or written document on film or paper.
Head- the top of a page or book.
Hickies- in printing, spots or defects caused by foreign matter on the printing plate or blanket. Ink hickies appear as dark specks with a white ring around them; paper hickies appear as white specks.
Impression- the results of one rotation of a plate cylinder on a printing press.
Imprint- a secondary printing over a limited area, whether performed by a small imprinting unit or by a press prior to delivery to the client. Also, an imprint can be a name or trademark printed in a document margin by the printer.
InDesign™- the latest page layout software from Adobe® for publication design and layout.
Indicia- postal permit information printed on objects to be mailed; accepted by the US Postal Service in lieu of stamps.
Ink Absorption- extent and rate of penetration of printing ink into the surface of a paper. Influences ink drying time and degree of ink holdout. Inks printed on uncoated text papers dry by absorption
JPEG- a file format used for good quality photographic reproduction on the Web. JPEG graphics are capable of reproducing a full range of color while still remaining small enough for Web use. Most of the photographs you see on the Web are JPEG format.
Kerning- an effort to eliminate excessive white space in a document by reducing the space between certain letters.
Knockout- part of an image that is purposely eliminated so another image can be printed.
LAN- abbreviation for "Local Area Network." A LAN is used to physically link workstations with a file server, allowing the hardware and software to work together. The LAN also allows users to share peripheral devices such as magnetic drives and printers.
Landscape- page orientation in which width is greater than depth.
Laser Printer- a printer that uses a laser light beam to create a latent image on an intermediate photoconductive surface. The conductive surface is placed in contact with a toner, and the resultant image is transferred to plain paper and fused with heat and/or pressure.
Layout- the basic elements of a design shown in their proper positions on a layout sheet, with specifications of type, spacing, and general style.
Lithography- a printing process in which both the image and non-image areas are on the same plane. It is based on the principle that oil (ink) and water do not mix. The image is first transferred to a rubber blanket and then to paper.
Logo- a company's trademark. A logo may be a symbol, an image, the company's initials, or the company's or product's name in a special design used as a trademark in advertising. Also known as logotype.
M- abbreviation for a quantity of 1,000. ("M" is the Roman numeral for 1,000.)
Masking- in the graphic arts, preventing a specific portion of an illustration from being reproduced by placing paper over it before exposure. In offset lithography, masking refers to the use of opaque material to protect non-printing areas of the printing plate during exposure.
MatchPrint®- 3M® trade name for an integral color proof.
Matte Finish- a paper surface having a level, smooth coat exhibiting little or no gloss.
Moiré- with halftone screens, an undesirable wavelike or checkered geometric pattern caused when two screened images are superimposed at certain angles. This can also occur when a halftone is photographed through a screen.
Montage- several drawings or photographs combined into a single illustration.
Negative- a reverse photographic image on film or paper in which the dark areas appear light and the light areas appear dark.
Newsprint- paper made mostly from ground wood pulp and small amounts of chemical pulp; used for printing newspapers
Offset Printing- a printing process in which the inked image is transferred (i.e., "offset") from the plate to an intermediate blanket before being printed on the substrate.
Opacity- the quality of being impenetrable by liquids or light. With paper, it is the ability to keep print from showing through to the other side.
Opaque- in production, a solution or paint used to block out areas on a film negative to keep them from being reproduced on the plate.
Overprinting- printing an image over another impression. In addition, in graphic arts work, overprinting refers to printing a secondary color over a primary color in order to achieve a special tint or pattern.
PageMaker®- an older page layout program by Adobe®. InDesign® is the newest page layout program by Adobe® and is expected to replace PageMaker®
Pantone® Matching System- trade name for a color-matching system used by printers to specify inks for printing. A specific formula is used to produce each shade, and each shade is assigned a specific number. Often referred to as "PMS.".
Parent Sheet- the original sheet from which press size sheets are cut.
Perfect Bound- a style of binding in which all pages are held together by adhesive at the back or binding edge.
Perforation- a series of cuts or holes manufactured on a form to weaken it for tearing.
PhotoShop®- The premier photo manipulation program created by Adobe®, used to color correct and sharpen scans.
Pica- a typographic measurement. There are approximately 6 picas in an inch and 12 points in a pica.
Pixel- abbreviation for "picture element." The smallest, most basic component of an image on a display screen. A pixel is comparable to an individual dot in a printed photograph. The number of pixels in an image determines its resolution.
Plate- the surface from which a print is made and that bears the image to be reproduced.
Point- a unit of measurement designating either type size or the thickness of paper. With type size, one point equals .0138", and there are 12 points in one pica. With paper thickness, one point equals 0.001".
PostScript®- A page description language, created by Adobe®, for medium to high resolution printing devices. PostScript® describes points and lines in space to accurately render type and pictures yielding rich content and appearance.
PreFlight- In digital prepress, the test used to evaluate or analyze every component needed to produce a printing job. Preflight confirms the type of disk being submitted, the color gamut, color breaks, and any art required (illustrations, photographs, etc.) plus layout files, screen fonts, printer fonts, EPS or TIFF files, laser proofs, page sizes, print driver, crop marks, etc.
PrePress- camera work, stripping, platemaking, and other activities performed by a printer before press work begins.
Press Check- event at which test sheets are examined before the production run is authorized to begin.
Process Color- any of the three subtractive primary colors- yellow, magenta, and cyan- that are used in combination with one another to reproduce the entire visible spectrum.
Proof- a sheet of printed copy that is a representation of a printed piece.
Proofreading- examining a printed piece for typesetting errors.
Publisher- a software package produced by Microsoft for simple office and home publishing.
QuarkXPress®- a professional quality desktop publishing program. It is the program of choice for many designers and advertising agencies.
RAM- abbreviation for "Random Access Memory." RAM is the working memory of a computer; information stored in RAM can be modified and written to.
Raster Image Processor (RIP)- the process of interpreting a page description language, such as Postscript, to a raster format at the resolution and in the format required for a printer or imagesetter. May also refer to the hardware and/or software used in the process of ripping a file.
Ream- five hundred sheets of paper. The weight per ream cut to a standard size for a particular grade of paper is that paper's basis weight.
Registration Marks- marks outside the printing area that help to make sure colors are lined up or "registered" together.
Registration- in printing, registration refers to the alignment of printed images.
Resolution- the measure of detail in an image.
RGB- red, green and blue. These are the primary colors which make white light. For printing, secondary colors (cyan, magenta and yellow) are used to simulate the colors required. Black (K) is added to help CMY reproduce rich blacks and shadows. When preparing color files for output, please ensure that all placed graphics and colors are separated for four-color CMYK and not RGB.
ROM- abbreviation for "Read Only Memory." ROM cannot be written to- only read.
Saddle Stitching- a method of binding in which wire staples are inserted through the fold at the spine and clinched in the center of the center spread, so that the pages lie flat when the piece is opened.
Sans Serif- a typeface having characters without serifs (fine lines at the ends of main strokes).
Scaling- figuring the proportions of artwork so that it can be either enlarged or reduced to fit into a particular area.
Scanning- a process by which images are optically sensed by a scanner and converted by special software into binary code that corresponds to the image's dark and light spots.
Score- to impress or indent a mark in the paper to make folding easier.
Screen- a cross-ruled glass plate (or a piece of film or plastic) that is placed in front of the lens of a camera (or in contact with film) in order to break up copy into dots that will carry the ink in reproduction. Screens are designated by the number of ruled lines per inch they contain (from 50 to 500) or by the ratio of dots to clear spaces. The greater the
number of lines per inch, the finer the reproduction will be.
Serif- a short line or adornment that crosses the main strokes of characters in a typeface.
Sheet Fed- a press that prints on sheets of paper that are fed into the press one at a time.
Signature- a sheet of printed pages (in multiples of four, eight or sixteen) that, when folded, become part of a publication.
Solid- any area of the sheet that has received 100% ink coverage.
Tint- a general shading applied to a form. A tint is usually a low-percentage flat screen or a very light color printed solid.
Trapping- a technique in which touching colors are slightly overlapped to cover any misregistration of the printing plates.
Typography- the design, style, appearance or arrangement of matter printed from type.
Uncoated Paper- paper that has not had a final coating applied for smoothness. Uncoated paper is absorbent and soft in appearance.
Varnish- a clear, liquid coating, either matte or glossy, that is applied to a printed product for protection and appearance.
Vellum- a paper finish that makes the paper strong, toothy, and absorbent.
Vignette- a halftone with a gradually fading background.
Wash-Up- the process of cleaning the press, rollers, plate, and ink fountain when changing ink colors on the press.
Watermark- a design, pattern, or symbol impressed in paper while it is being formed on the wet end of the paper machine, usually from a wire design attached to a dandy roll. When the paper is held up to light, the watermark appears as either a lighter or darker area than the rest of the paper.
Web Press- a press that prints images on rolls of paper.
Work-and-Turn - printing on both sides of a sheet, using the same lead edge for both passes through the press.
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