Printing Glossary
Printing Glossary
The terminology of the print industry can be confusing, even if you’re in the trade, so to help you out with some of the more commonly used terms, we’ve put together a printing glossary. If you would like to put all your new found lingo into context, then head over to our artwork guide where you will find a series of hints, tricks and tips to produce the perfect print document.
A sizes
The most common paper size used for general printing
Acetate
A thin, flexible sheet of transparent plastic used to make overlays
Adobe Illustrator
A vector based graphic drawing program developed by Adobe
Adobe Photoshop
Graphics editing program, current and primary market leader for non-vector images, and image manipulation/editing developed by Adobe
A/W
Abbreviation for artwork
Against the grain
At right angles to the direction of the grain in the paper
Art paper
A range of smooth papers with a filled surface
B sizes
Paper sizes which are mainly used for large format printing (in our case B2 for Litho and B2 and B3 for digital)
Back up
Printing on the reverse side of a sheet
Binding
A method of joining sheets of paper
Bitmap
A grid of printed dots generated by computer to represent type and images. The more you zoom in the more pixelated it becomes, until it is just a section of individually coloured squares
Bleed
Where the colour or an image continues off the edge of the paper
Blanket
A rubber surfaced fabric that is clamped around a cylinder on a litho press, to which the image is transferred from the plate and from which it is then transferred to the paper
Blend
A smooth transition between two colours, also known as gradient
Blind emboss
Process of raising letters or designs on paper onto which no image has been printed
Bond paper
A quality grade of paper suitable for office stationery
Blocking
To impress or stamp a design into a cover. Most commonly seen on case bound book covers
Board
Although there is no formal rule, paper exceeding 170gsm is usually referred to as board
C sizes
The size of an envelope, e.g. C3, C4, C5, etc.
Carbonless paper
Paper coated with chemicals to enable the transfer of images from one sheet to another with pressure writing or typing, also known as NCR paper
Case bound
A hardback book made with stiff outer covers. Case bound books are usually covered with cloth, vinyl or leather
Cast coated
A coated paper with a very high gloss enamel finish
Choking (also known as Trapping)
When space left for a foreground image is reduced to avoid underlapping
Clip art
Graphics saved in ready-to-use computer files usually included with shipped desktop publishing solutions such as Microsoft Word, or PowerPoint
Clipping path
Closed vector path or shape used to remove the background of an image in image editing software such as Photoshop
CMYK
Letters which stand for Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y) and Key (Black) (K) the standard inks used in a 4 colour process press
Coater
Part of a litho press, which applies coatings to printed literature (see coating)
Coating
A water based coating applied to printed matter during printing to protect from ink smudging and enhance appearance
Collating
Arranging of printed sheets into a desired sequence
Colour mark-up
Specifications for colours on a piece of artwork sent to a printer
Colour separation
Process by which an image is separated into the four colours for print production (see CMYK)
Comb Binding
Binding inserting flexible plastic teeth into pre-punched holes along the edge of the document
Computer to plate
(CTP) The production of printing plates directly from the computer
Concertina fold
Folding a leaflet or booklet where each fold opens in the opposite direction to its neighbour
Continuous stationery
Forms which are produced from reels of paper and then fan folded
Creep
When the middle pages of a folded section extend slightly beyond the outside pages
Crease
To mechanically press a rule or die into heavy paper to enable it to be folded without cracking the ink
Crop
To trim or frame the edges of a picture or page to make it fit or remove unwanted sections
Crop marks
Printed lines on the edge of paper indicating where the paper should be cut
Cyan
The blue shade of CMYK
Die cut
A shaped printed product, often used for achieving unusually-shaped flyers, business cards, pocket folders, brochures or shelf wobblers. Die-cutting is the process of achieving the desired die-cut shape. We have downloadable cutter guides here
Digital printing
Printing straight from electronic artwork. Ideal for short runs up to about the 1000 mark, no need for plate making so usually more cost effective on shorter runs
Debossing
Pressing an image into paper so it lies below the surface, the opposite of embossing
Density
Opacity of printed images
Dot gain
A defect in which dots print larger than intended, causing darker colours or tones. This is caused by the spreading of ink on the paper stock
Digital proofing
Proofing direct from digital files instead of using film, now the most popular form of proofing
Desktop publishing
The creation of artwork and print from your computer using software such as Adobe InDesign or similar
DL envelope
A standard envelope size measuring 110mm x 220mm. They take A4 sheets, folded into three
Dots per square inch (DPI)
Indicates the resolution of an image. The more dots per square inch, the larger it can be printed and the higher the resolution (quality) of the image, a minimum of 300DPI at 100% image size should be used for any print files to achieve a good quality image
Duplex
Printing on both sides of a sheet of paper
Duotone
An image printed using two colours rather than one
Drilling
Drilling holes in paper so it can be used in a ring binder
Dummy
A sample made up with the actual materials and cut to size. Unlike a proof which is usually supplied as a pdf and shows what the finished product will look like, a dummy is a hard copy which still requires further work to get it to the finished article.
Embed
Putting data into a computer file, allowing the elements to be changed
Encapsulation
Plastic coating providing a rigid, watertight covering for printed matter
Embossing
The process of raising letters or designs on card or paper, the opposite of debossing
Encapsulated Postscript File (EPS)
This is a file format, which can be read across different programs on MAC or PC computers
Finishing
All operations post printing (e.g. guillotining, folding, binding, laminating etc.)
Foil Emboss
To emboss an image then apply a foil to it, often seen on hard back casebound books
Folio
Page numbers
Font
The type design for writing in a print document
Font matching
Finding the closest possible match when a chosen font is not available
Four colour process
Full colour printing using four constituent colours: Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y) and Key (black) (K)
Format
Size, shape and overall style of layout or printed project
French fold
Two folds at right angles to each other
Full colour
Process using the four basic printing colours, cyan, magenta, yellow and black (see four colour process)
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
A network protocol used to transfer data (most commonly artwork) from one computer to another through a network such as the Internet
Grain of the paper
Paper is made up of many fibres, which usually line up in one direction. This produces a direction or grain along which it is easier to fold, bend or tear paper
Gloss varnish
A varnish applied to printed matter to protect against smudging and finger marking and gives a gloss finish
Greyscale
Shades of grey ranging from black to white
Gripper
A device on a printing machine for holding the sheet during the printing or finishing process
Gripper allowance
The margin of paper which is held by the gripper and cannot be printed on
Grams per Square Metre (GSM)
Measurement of a paper’s weight, paper can also be measured in microns as well
Gutter
The inside margins or blank space between 2 facing pages to allow for binding
Gusset
Expandable portion of a pocketed folder or envelope
Halftone
Picture with a combination of shades of tone created by varying dot sizes
Hickey
Spots or imperfections in printed items due to dirt whilst printing
House Sheet
Term referring to a paper that is used by the printer as their ‘own’ stock, usually held in large quantities and used when a client doesn’t specify a particular stock
Hue
The main attribute of a colour which distinguishes it from other colours
IBC
Inside Back Cover
IFC
Inside Front Cover
Image area
Portion of paper where printed ink appears
Image setter
A device that plots high-resolution images
Import
To bring a picture or text into an application ready for design work
Indicia
The section for postal information on a printed product
Ivory board
A highly finished paperboard used for business cards
Imposition
The arrangement of pages so they are in the correct sequence when folded
Insert
Printed material inserted loose in a publication
Job Definition Format (JDF)
This is a type of computer language which automates workflow from desktop to final print production
Job ticket/job sheet
Alternative names for an order
Jog
To shake a stack of paper, either on a machine or by hand, so that the edges line up
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
One of the most common file formats for image files
Justified
When text is aligned to the left and right margins
K
The black ink used in the CMYK process, named K so as not to be confused with Blue
Kerning
Adjusting the space between characters in text, not to be confused with tracking
Kiss cut
A type of cut used to cut through the substrate (top layer) but leave the bottom sheet (backing paper) untouched
Knockout
A shape or object printed by eliminating all background colours
Kraft paper
A tough brown paper used for packing
Laminating
A thin plastic film used on printed literature to give protection, commonly available in gloss or matt.
Layout file
The file where all the design elements of the print are kept
Line copy
A document consisting of two tones without gradation
Lithographic (Litho) printing
Transferring an image onto a set of ‘plates’ which then transfers the ink onto the sheet. Ideal for larger runs, traditionally deemed the best quality, though digital print is equal nowadays
Lines per inch (LPI)
A measurement of printing resolution consisting of halftones mixed together to create different tones. It measures how close the lines in a halftone grid are
Magenta
The red colour in the CMYK four colour process
Matt coating
A coating which gives a matt finish as well as protecting the document from fingerprints
Machine fold
The process of mechanically folding paper
Machine varnish
A varnish applied to print to protect it against smudging or finger marking
Micrometer
Instrument for measuring thickness of paper
Moiree
A Printing fault where halftones appear as patterns of dots, also known as cross-screening.
No carbon required (NCR)
Ideal for handwritten forms that require duplicate copies, see also carbonless paper
OBC
Outside Front Cover
OFC
Outside Front Cover
Offset litho
A printing process where the image is transferred to a rubber layer before coming into contact with the paper
Overs
Extra printed products delivered to a customer in addition to the quantity they ordered
Pagination
The term for the numbering of a book
Pantone
A registered trade name for the Pantone Matching System, a system of colour matching used to ensure consisitency across all medias (digital, print, vinyl etc)
Portable document format (PDF)
A file which captures and sends electronic documents in the exact intended format, the industry standard
Perfect binding
Form of bookbinding where the pages are glued rather than sewn, requires a spine
Perfected press
A press which prints on both sides of a sheet of paper during a single pass through the press
Perforation
A dotted score to allow paper to be torn off easily, often used for tickets and vouchers
Plate Setter
Machine that imges plates from a digital file (i.e. PDF)
Printing plate
A metal plate to which the image is transferred before going onto paper used in litho printing
Proof
An exact sample of print to be checked for errors, available in digital (virtual), and hard (physical) versions
QuarkXPress
Formerly an industry standard computer application for creating and editing print files, now mostly replaced by Adobe InDesign
Ream
The name for 500 sheets of paper
Register
Positioning of images on a sheet relative to one another
Resolution
Measurement of image quality – see also dots per square inch (DPI) ideally needs to be minimum of 300dpi at 100% scale for high quality print
Reversed out
White type on a black or coloured background
RGB (Red, Green, Blue)
A three colour split which is typically used for web based images, see CMYK
Raster image processor (RIP)
A processor which converts files into a bitmap format ready for printing
Rosette
Where the four colours of CMYK overlap each other in cluster in right angles to one another and resemble the petals of a rose
Saddle-stitch
When the pages of a document are bound together using metal staples, does not use a spine
Scans
The name given to hard copies of a document which have been converted to a bitmap image
Self-cover
Where the paper used for the cover of a bound document is the same as the interior pages
Set off
The unintentional transfer of wet ink to another sheet
Sheet fed press
Presses which are fed by single pieces of paper rather than a continuous roll
Show through
The degree to which printing is visible through paper, not a desirable effect
Shrink wrapping
A method of packing where the product is wrapped in a thin, clear plastic sheet and blasted with heat to make it shrink to the size of the parcel
Special colour
A colour which cannot be made up of the four CMYK colours
Spread
A reader’s spread is the consecutive placement of pages. A printer’s spread is the position of pages based on how many pages are in the document
Tint
A shade or variety of a colour
Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)
A type of file which stores an image
Trapping
Overlapping colours to eliminate the white lines that can appear between them
Typesetting
Assembling of text and pictures to create a page
Typo
Short for ‘typographical error’ aka a mistake
UV Varnish
A finish which is applied after printing then dried using a UV Lamp
Vector
Infinitely scaleable image, usually produced in Adobe Illustrator or similar programmes
Visual
A preliminary layout of a design, also known as a mock-up
Web fed press
Presses which are fed by paper from a reel rather than separate sheets, used for very high volume jobs
Yellow
The Yellow colour in the CMYK four colour process
Z Fold
A leaflet that is folded into 3 pages in the pattern of a Z