Printer's Glossary

Accordion fold

Bindery term, two or more parallel folds which open like an accordion.

Against the grain

At right angles to direction of paper grain.

Alteration

Change in copy of specifications after production has begun.

Artboard

Alternate term for mechanical art.

Author's corrections

Also know as "AC's". Changed and additions in copy after it has been typeset.

Back up

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

Banding

Method of packaging printed pieces of paper using rubber or paper bands.

Basis weight

Weight in pounds of a ream of paper cut to the basic size for its grade.

Bind

To fasten sheets or signatures with wire, thread, glue. or by other means.

Bindery

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

Blanket

The thick rubber mat on a printing press that transfers ink from the plate to paper.

Bleed

Printing that goes to the edge of the sheet after trimming.

Blind embossing

An image pressed into a sheet without ink or foil.

Blueline

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

Board

Alternate term for mechanical.

Bond & carbon

Business form with paper and carbon paper.

Bond paper

Strong durable paper grade used for letterheads and business forms.

Break for color

Also known as a color break. To separate mechanically or by software the parts to be printed in different colors.

Brightness

The brilliance or reflectance of paper.

Bulk

Thickness of paper stock 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.

Butt

Joining images without overlapping.

Butt fit

Printed colors that overlap one row of dots so they appear to butt.

Carbonless

Pressure sensitive writing paper that does not use carbon.

Caliper

Paper thickness in thousandths of an inch.

Camera-ready copy

Print ready mechanical art.

Carload

A truck load of paper weighing 40000 pounds.

Case bind

A type of binding used in making hard cover books using glue.

Cast coated

Coated paper with a high gloss reflective finish.

Chrome

A term for a transparency.

Coated paper

A clay coated printing paper with a smooth finish.

Collate

A finishing term for gathering paper in a precise order.

Color bar

A quality control term regarding the spots of ink color on the tail of a sheet.

Color correction

Methods of improving color separations.

Color filter

Filters uses in making color separations, red, blue, green.

Color key

Color proofs in layers of acetate.

Color matching system

A system of formulated ink colors used for communicating color.

Color separations

The process of preparing artwork, photographs, transparencies, or computer generated art for printing by separating into the four primary printing colors.

Comb bind

To plastic comb bind by inserting the comb into punched holes.

Composite film

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

Continuous-tone copy

Illustrations, photographs or computer files that contain gradient tones from black to white or light to dark.

Contrast

The tonal change in color from light to dark.

Copy

All furnished material or disc used in the production of a printed product.

Cover paper

A heavy printing paper used to cover books, make presentation folders, etc.

Crash number

Numbering paper by pressing an image on the first sheet which is transferred to all parts of the printed set.

Crimping

Puncture marks holding business forms together.

Cromalin

Trade name for DuPont color proofs.

Crop

To cut 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.

Densitometer

A quality control devise to measure the density of printing ink.

Density

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

Diazo

A light sensitive coating used on printing plates.

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.

Dot

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

Dot gain or spread

A term used to explain the difference in size between the dot on film v paper.

Double burn

Exposing a plate to multiple images.

Draw-down

A sample of ink and paper used to evaluate ink colors.

Drop-out

Portions of artwork that do not print.

Dummy

A rough layout of a printed piece showing position and finished size.

Duotone

A halftone picture made up of two printed colors.

Dylux

Photographic paper made by DuPont and used for bluelines.

Emboss

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

Emulsion

Light sensitive coating found on printing plates and film.

Eurobind

A patented method of binding perfect bound books so they will open and lay flatter.

Facsimile transmission

The process of converting graphic images into electronic signals.

Film rip

See Rip film.

Flat

An assembly of negatives taped to masking materials for platemaking.

Flood

To cover a printed page with ink, varnish, or plastic coating.

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.

Foil emboss

Foil stamping and embossing a image on paper with a die.

Foil stamping

Using a die to place a metallic or pigmented image on paper.

4-color-process

The process of combining four basic colors to create a printed color picture or colors composed from the basic four colors.

French fold

Two folds at right angles to each other.

Galley proof

Text copy 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 multiple images or jobs on the same sheet. A way to save money.

Generation

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

Ghost bars

A quality control method used to reduce ghosted image created by heat or chemical contamination.

Ghosting

A faint printed image that appears on a printed sheet where it was not intended. More often than not this problem is a function of graphical design. It is hard to tell when or where ghosting will occur. Sometimes you can see the problem developing immediately after printing the sheet, other times the problem occurs while drying. However the problem occurs it is costly to fix, if it can be fixed. Occasionally it can be eliminated by changing the color sequence, the inks, the paper, changing to a press with a drier, printing the problem area in a separate pass through the press or changing the racking (reducing the number of sheets on the drying racks). Since it is a function of graphical design, the buyer pays for the increased cost.

Gloss

A shiny look reflecting light.

Grain

The direction in which the paper fiber lie.

Grippers

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

Hairline

A very thin line 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.

Hickey

Reoccurring unplanned spots that appear in the printed image from dust, lint, dried ink.

High-bulk paper

A paper made thicker than its standard basis weight.

Highlight

The lightest areas in a picture or halftone.

Image area

Portion of paper on which ink can appear.

Imposition

Positioning printed pages so they will fold in the proper order.

Impression

Putting an image on paper.

Imprint

Adding copy to a previously printed page.

Indicia

Postal information place on a printed product.

Ink fountain

The reservoir on a printing press that hold the ink.

Keylines

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

Kiss die cut

To cut the top layer of a pressure sensitive sheet and not the backing.

Knock out

To mask out an image.

Laid finish

Simulating the surface of handmade paper.

Laminate

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

Layflat

See Eurobind.

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.

Magenta

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

Makeready

All the activities required to prepare a press for printing.

Marginal words

Call outs for directions on various parts of a business form.

Mask

Blocking light from reaching parts of a printing plate.

Matchprint

Trade name for 3M integral color proof.

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.

Micrometer

Instrument used to measure the thickness of different papers.

Middle tones

The tones in a photograph that are approximately half as dark as the shadow area.

Moire

Occurs when screen angles are wrong causing odd patterns in photographs.

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.

Offsetting

Using an intermediate surface used to transfer ink. Also, an unpleasant happening when the images of freshly printed sheets transfer images to each other.

Offset paper

Term for uncoated book paper.

Ok sheet

Final approved color inking sheet before production begins.

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.)

Outline halftone

Removing the background of a picture or silhouetting an image in a picture.

Overlay

The transparent cover sheet on artwork often used for instructions.

Overrun or overs

Copies printed in excess of the specified quantity. (Printing trade terms allow for + - 10 % to represent a completed order.)

Page count

Total number of pages in a book including blanks.

Pattern carbon

Special carbon paper used in business forms that only transfers in certain areas.

Perfect bind

A type of binding that glues the edge of sheets to a cover like a telephone book, Microsoft software manual, or Country Living Magazine.

Perfecting press

A sheet fed printing press that prints both sides of a sheet in one pass.

Pica

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

Picking

Printers nightmare that occurs as the surface of a sheet lifts off during printing. Generally a paper manufactures quality control problem.

Pin register

A standard used to fit film to film and film to plates and plates to press to assure the proper registration of printer colors.

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.

Point

For paper, a unit of thickness equaling 1/1000 inch. for typesetting, a unit of height equaling 1/72 inch.

PostScript

The computer language most recognized by printing devices.

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).

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.

Recto

Right-hand page of an open book.

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.

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.

Screen angles

Frequently a desktop publishers nightmare. The angles at which halftone, duo tones, tri tones, and color separation printing films are placed to make them look right.

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 guide

The mechanical register unit on a printing press that positions a sheet from the side.

Side stitch

Binding by stapling along one side of a sheet.

Signature

A sheet of printed pages which when folded become a part of a book or publication.

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.

Split fountain

Putting more than one ink in a printing fountain to achieve special color affects.

Spoilage

Planned paper waste for all printing operations.

Spot varnish

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

Stamping

Term for foil stamping.

Stat

Term for inexpensive print of line copy or halftone.

Step-and-repeat

A procedure for placing the same image on plates in multiple places.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 using the same side guides and plate for the second side.

Wove paper

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

 

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