• Accordion
Fold Two or more parallel folds that open
like an accordion.
• Bleed
An image or printed color that runs to the edge
of the paper. Since a press cannot print ink right
up the edge of a sheet, the image is printed on
an oversized sheet and then trimmed to size. Bleeding
increases the amount of paper needed, which may
increase the production cost of the job.
• Blueline
A printer's proof consisting of a photo-sensitive
material burned from the negatives that is used
when checking for errors.
• Burn
Exposing photo-sensitive media to light, as in,
burning a plate in offset printing.
• Caliper
Thickness of paper, usually expressed in thousandths
of an inch (mils).
• Camera
Ready The stage in printing when the document
is ready to be photographed to make plates for the
press. All elements of the document are in their
final position, and the document has received its
final proofing.
• Camera
Ready Copy A term referring to copy/art that
is ready to be photographed.
• Choke
(Choking) When a publication is printed with
several interacting spot colors, gaps or color shifts
may appear between objects. Choking closes this
gap by overlapping a dark color over the boundary
of a light color.
• Chromalin
A color proofing system developed by DuPont.
• CMYK
Printers use CMYK - representing the colors cyan
(a light blue), magenta (a pinkish purple), yellow,
and black inks - when printing 4-color process work.
These are called subtractive colors, as combining
them all gives the color black. Subtracting one
or more of these colors will yield any other color.
When combined in various percentages, these four
inks will create an entire spectrum of colors, including
those used in color photographs.
• Coated
Paper Paper with a layer of coating applied
to one (C1S) or both (C2S) sides, such as gloss,
dull and matte finish. Due to decreased dot gain,
coated papers provide sharper images and are used
frequently in 4 color process work as well as in
black and white halftones.
• Color
Key A printer's proof that consists of four
sheets of colored acetate that represents the color
separation process for a particular job.
• Color
Matching A color sample book is used to match
colors with standard inks used by most printers.
The printer will then prepare separate printing
plates for each color. The colors are chosen from
those provided by a color matching system, such
as Pantone. Use of a color matching system permits
consistency of the color over time and among different
jobs.
• Color
Separation The separation of color artwork
or transparencies on to a separate sheet for each
color.
• Color
Transparency A full-color transparent positive
image. Also called a chrome, or slide.
• Composite
Image A photograph or other image that is
created by a combination of multiple images on a
single sheet.
• Copy
The words (text) that are used in printed material.
• Copyright
An exclusive right that has been granted by law
to a particular creative product
• Copywriter
Someone who writes copy for advertisements or other
promotional material.
• Crash
Printing Letterpress printing on carbonless
forms so the image prints simultaneously on all
sheets in the set.
• Cropping
To reduce in size; to remove unwanted elements.
• Desktop
Publishing The use of a computer to create
documents that can be printed. Specialized software
is used to add copy and graphics to the document,
which is then outputted to a printer or typesetting
equipment.
• Die-Cutting
The use of a sharp, formed piece of metal
to cut out specific shapes in a piece of paper.
• Digital
Data processed using the numbers 0 and 1 through
on/off impulses.
• Digital
Camera A type of camera that stores the photographed
image electronically rather than on film. The images
are downloaded into a computer where they can be
manipulated in a manner similar to a scanner.
• Digital
Printing New printing technology which permits
the linking of printing presses to computers. Benefits
include: faster turnaround times, lowered production
costs, and the ability to personalize documents.
It is frequently used for on-demand or short-run
color printing.
• Dot
Gain The spread of ink on paper, causing
the dots which make up the image to print larger
than they were on the film or plate. The images
may become distorted, appearing darker with less
clarity.
• Dots
per Inch (DPI) A measure of computer screen
and printer resolution that is referred to as the
number of dots that a device can print or display
per inch. The more dots per inch, the sharper the
image.
• Dummy
Replica of the finished piece, marked with color
breaks and folds, made with the paper selected for
the job.
• Duotone
A two-color halftone of the same image created by
using two screens, two plates, and two colors.
• Emboss
The creation of a raised (embossed) image by pressing
a shape into a sheet of paper with a metal or plastic
die.
• Emulsion
The chemically treated side of photographic film.
• Engraved
Printing A printing process using recessed
plates. Ink sits in the recessed wells of the plate,
and when pressure is applied, raised letters and
images appear on the front of the page.
• EPS
(Encapsulated PostScript) A computer graphics file
format developed by Adobe Systems that usually contains
object-oriented files.
• File
Transfer Program (FTP) Computer software
that permits the exchange of information between
computers.
• Focaltone
A color matching system for process color.
• Foil
Stamping The application of foil to paper.
May also be combined with embossing for added interest.
• Font
All of the characters and associated spacing of
one size of one typeface.
• Four(4)
Color Process A method of printing that uses
dots of cyan, magenta, yellow and black to recreate
the continuous tones and variety of colors in a
color image.
• GIF
A graphic file format commonly used by computer
bulletin boards; not appropriate for printing.
• Graphic
An item to be printed that is not copy (text); includes
photographs and illustrations.
• Graphic
Design The use of graphic elements and text
to communicate an idea or concept.
• Graphic
Designer The person who develops the graphic
designs.
• Gutter
Space between columns of type where pages
meet at the binding.
• Halftone
The method by which photographs and other images
are printed by using cells of dots to simulate the
tones between light and dark. A printing press is
not able to change the tone of ink, therefore dots
of color are used to trick the eye into seeing a
continuous tone image. To accomplish this, the photo
is shot through a mesh of a screen that breaks the
image into tiny dots. The closer the lines of the
screen, the smaller the dots and the more dots per
inch, leading to a crisper image.
• Hexachrome
A color separation process developed by Pantone
which uses 6 instead of 4 process colors.
• Illustrator
Someone who develops original artwork for use in
commercial applications.
• Imagesetter
A high resolution device that will print directly
to plate ready film, i.e. a high resolution printer.
• Imposition
The process of arranging the pages of copy so that
when the sheets are printed and folded for binding
the pages will be in the proper order.
• JPEG
A computer graphics file format that is not typically
used in printing due to low resolution.
• Kern
The adjustment of the spacing between letters in
order to make them more visually pleasing and balanced
on the sheet.
• Leading
The space between lines of type, measured from the
baseline of one line to the baseline of the next.
The quantity is measured in points, such as 6 point
type, 8 point, etc. Each point equals approximately
1/72th of an inch.
• Lupe
A magnifying lens used by printers to examine the
details of printed materials. Use of a lupe permits
an individual to see the individual color halftone
dots used in process color printing.
• Makeready
All the activities required to set up the press
for a pressrun, including running test sheets of
paper.
• Moir
A blurry pattern created by printing several repetitive
designs on top of each other. In 4-color process
printing, this pattern is created when the halftone
screen of each color is not properly aligned.
• Negatives
(negs) A film negative version of an image
area, obtained either by shooting the mechanical
page with a process camera, or by running out film
through an imagesetting system.
• Offset
Printing An indirect printing process whereby
ink is transferred to the paper by a blanket that
carries an impression from the printing plate, rather
than directly from the plate itself. This is the
most common method of commercial printing at this
time.
• Opaque
(Opacity) relates to the show-through of
the printed image from the opposite side of the
sheet or the sheet under it. Paper thickness and
the use of mineral fillers affect it.
• OCR
(Optical Character Recognition) Software
that translates images of letters entered into the
computer with a scanner into characters that can
be manipulated as text but not as images.
• Perfect
Binding A binding process whereby single
sheets are stacked together, the binding edge is
ground to create a rough surface, and adhesive is
applied. A cover is then wrapped around the pages.
• Photo
CD The system developed by Kodak for storing
the images obtained through a digital camera onto
a compact disc.
• Photocopy
A reproduction process that uses a light sensitive
printing element, toner, and heat to fuse the toner
to the paper to produce the copy.
• Photo
Illustration An image produced by the use
of one or more photographs.
• Pica
A unit of measure equal to 12 points or one sixth
of an inch.
• Pixel
Short for picture element. These are the dots that
form the picture on a monitor. The smaller the pixel,
the more detailed the picture.
• Pixel
Depth The amount of data used to describe
the colored dots on a computer monitor.
• Plate-Ready
Film The final photographic film that is
used to make printing plates.
• PMS
(Pantone Matching System) A color matching
system created by Pantone.
• Point
Equivalent to 1/72th of an inch, points are the
units of measurement of type, such as 6 point, 10
point, etc.
• PrePress
The processes performed on a printing order prior
to its going to the press to be printed. Examples
are typesetting, layout, scanning, etc.
• Printing
The process of applying ink to paper or other object
in order to reproduce words or images.
• Printing
Plate A thin object (plate) made of either
metal or paper which is light sensitive and causes
an image to be transferred to paper while on a printing
press. The image is burned onto the plate by the
use of high intensity light. The surface of the
plate is treated or configured so that only the
printing image is receptive to the ink which transfers
to the printed object.
• Proof
A method of checking for errors prior to printing
an order. Normally the last prepress operation.
A press proof is used by the printing press operator
to ensure the correctness of the finished product
during the production of the order.
• Process
Color One of the four colors (cyan, magenta,
yellow, and black) that is used in producing full-color
images, such as color photographs.
• Raster
Image Processor (RIP) Hardware and software
which translates data into a series of dots for
output.
• Register
To position printing in proper relation to the edges
of the paper and other printed images on the same
sheet.
• Register
Marks Cross-hair lines on mechanicals, negatives,
and plates that guide strippers and printers.
• Registration
Putting two or more images together so that they
are exactly aligned, and the resulting image is
well defined.
• Reverse
out, Knock out Type or other image defined
by printing the background rather than the image
itself, allowing the underlying color of paper or
previously printed ink to show in the shape of the
image.
• Resolution
The number of picture elements (pixels) per unit
of linear measurement (normally an inch) on a computer
monitor, or the number of dots per inch (dpi) in
printed form.
• RGB
RGB (red, green, and blue) are called additive colors
because added together they may create all colors.
Typically, RGB is used for slide presentations,
computer software and games, and anything that is
viewed on a video monitor.
• Saddle
Stitch The binding of sheets of paper to
form a book by use of staples or stitching through
the spine.
• Sans
Serif Literally, without serif(s), which
are the extra projections from the main stroke of
letters found in some type faces.
• Score
To mechanically crease or press a channel into paper
along a line so it will fold more easily.
• Screens
Dot variant of an image, shade or tint.
• Script
A kind of type face that mimics handwriting.
• Self
Cover Publication made entirely from the
same paper so that cover is printed on the same
paper simultaneously with inside pages.
• Serif
An extra projection from the main stroke of letters
in certain type faces.
• Service
Bureau An organization that provides specialized
graphics services to printers. Service bureaus often
provide color separations, color keys, etc.
• Sheet-fed
Press A press that prints single sheets of
paper, as opposed to a web press.
• Signature
A press sheet folded into a series of pages to be
bound. Standard signatures are 8, 16, and 32 pages.
• Spot
Color A single color ink or varnish applied
to printed material. Primarily used when process
colors are not appropriate. The effective use of
spot color can add heightened interest to printed
materials without incurring the cost of process
colors.
• Spread
When a publication is printed with several interacting
spot colors, gaps or color shifts may appear between
objects. A spread closes the gap by overlapping
a light foreground object to a dark background.
• Stripping
Assembling negatives in flats in preparation for
making printing plates.
• Style
Sheet Instructions for the layout of a document,
such as the type faces to be used, point size of
headers, placement of footers, etc., in order to
maintain consistency throughout the document.
• Thermography
A finishing technique applied after printing that
raises the ink and gives the effect of engraved
printing.
• Tint
A lightened spot or process color created by printing
smaller halftone dots of the base color. This is
also referred to as screening the color.
• TIFF
A graphics file that is commonly used in printing
for photographs and illustrations needing high resolution.
• Trapping
The deliberate overlap of adjacent colors to minimize
the effects of misregistration of printed materials.
• Trim
Size Size of the printed product after the
last trim is made.
• UV
Coating Liquid laminate bonded and cured
to the sheet with ultraviolet light.
• Up
Printing two-up or three-up means printing the identical
piece two or three times on one sheet of paper in
one impression.
• Varnish
A coating added on top of paper to serve as protection,
add a finish, or add a tinge of color. Varnishes
are very effective in adding emphasis or eye-appeal
to printed material. A flood varnish is applied
to the entire page; a spot varnish is applied only
to selected image areas and requires a printing
plate to apply.
• Washup
The process of cleaning the ink off a press after
a press run.
• Watermark
Distinctive design created in paper fibers during
paper manufacture.
• Web
Press A high run, fast speed printing press
that uses rolls of paper rather than individual
sheets.
