Resources & Support

We take great pride in making our clients feel confident about their jobs during the production process. To help you gain a better understanding of what’s happening to your project, we’ve compiled a glossary of terms that we commonly use in our industry.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T V W

• Absorbency

  The ability of a material to take up moisture

• Accordion Fold

  A type of paper folding in which each fold runs in the opposite direction to the previous fold creating a pleated or accordion effect.

• Acid Resist

  An acid-proof protective coating applied to metal plates prior to etching designs thereon. Bichromated solutions employed in photoengraving as sensitizers provide acid resist through the action of light on sensitized surface.

• Actinic Rays

  Light exposure that affects chemical changes in paper.

• Agate

  A type size of 5 1/2 points. Reference, agate line.

• Agate Line

  In newspaper classifieds, a measurement denoting 1/4 inch depth by one column width. 14 agate lines = one column inch.

• Air

  Large white areas in a design layout.

• Alignment

  The condition of type and or art materials as they level up on a horizontal or vertical line.

• Alkali Blue

  Also called reflex blue. A pigment used in carbon black inks and varnishes to improve luster.

• Alley

  A term for a random, coincidental path or a row of white space within a segment of copy.

• Alphabet Length

  The measured length (in points) of the lowercase alphabet of a certain size and series of type.

• American Paper Institute

  An organization that correlates all paper related information.

• Aniline

  Oil-based solvent (quick drying) used in the preparation process of dyes and inks.

• Antigua

  An eleventh century Italian script typeface.

• Antiskinning Agent

  An antioxidant agent used to prevent inks from skinning over in the can.

• Apron

  The white area of text (or illustrations) at the margins which form a foldout.

• Aqueous Plate

  Water soluble plate coatings, which are less toxic and less polluting.

• Arc Light

  A light source produced by the passing of electric current between two electrodes; used in the production of plates in photolithography.

• Arms

  Those elements of letters that branch out from the stem of a letter, such as: "K" and "Y".

• Art Paper

  A paper evenly coated with a fine clay compound, which creates a hard smooth surface on one or both sides.

• Art Work

  Any materials or images that are prepared for graphic reproduction.

• Artwork

  All illustrated material, ornamentation, photos and charts etc., that is prepared for reproduction.

• As To Press

  In gravure printing, (recessed areas of plate hold ink), a term used for proofs showing the final position of color images.

• ASA

  A number set by the American Standards Assoc., which is placed on film stock to allow calculation of the length and "F" number of an exposure. Reference, "F" numbers.

• Ascender

  Any part of a lower case letter which rises above the main body of the letter such as in "d", "b" and "h".

• Assembled view

  In illustration, a term used to describe a view of a drawing in its assembled or whole format.

• Author's Alterations (AA's)

  Changes made after composition stage where customer is responsible for additional charges.

• Azure

  The light blue color used in the nomenclature of "laid" and "wove" papers.

• Back To Back

  Print applied to both sides of a sheet of paper.

• Background

  That portion of a photograph or line art drawing that appears furthest from the eye; the surface upon which the main image is superimposed.

• Backslant

  Any type that tilts to the left or backward direction; opposite of italic type.

• Backstep Marks

  Marks printed on signatures that indicate where the final fold will occur. When gathering and initial folding is completed, these marks appear as a stepped sequence.

• Balance

  A term used to describe the aesthetic or harmony of elements, whether they are photos, art or copy, within a layout or design.

• Banner

  The primary headline usually spanning the entire width of a page.

• Base Line

  This is a term used to describe the imaginary horizontal line upon which stand capitals, lower case letters, punctuation points etc.

• Basic Size

  This term refers to a standard size of paper stock; even though the required size may be smaller or larger.

• Basis Weight

  Basis or basic weight refers to the weight, in pounds, of a ream (500 sheets) of paper cut to a given standard size for that particular paper grade.

• Bauhaus

  A design school in Germany where the Sans Serif font was originated.

• Bending Chip

  A recycled paperboard product used for making folding cartons.

• BF

  An abbreviation for boldface, used to determine where boldface copy is to be used. Reference, boldface.

• Binding

  Various methods of securing folded sections together and or fastening them to a cover, to form single copies of a book.

• Black Letter

  An old style of typeface used in Germany in the 15th century, also referred to as Old English (US) and Gothic (UK).

• Blanket

  On offset presses a fabric-reinforced sheet of rubber to transfer the impression from the plate onto the paper.

• Bleed

  Extra ink area that crosses trim line, used to allow for variations that occur when the reproduction is trimmed or die-cut.

• Block

  Illustrations or line art etched onto zinc or copper plates and used in letterpress printing.

• Blocking Out

  To mask a section of an art layout before reproduction.

• Blow-up

  Any enlargement of photos, copies or line art.

• Blue-Line

  Photographic proof made from flats for checking accuracy, layout and imposition before plates are made. Also known as a dylux.

• Body

  The main shank or portion of the letter character other than the ascenders and descenders. Also: A term used to define the thickness or viscosity of printer's ink.

• Body Size

  The point size of a particular type character.

• Boldface

  Any type that has a heavier black stroke that makes it more conspicuous.

• Bolts

  The edges of folded sheets of paper, which are trimmed off in the final stages of production.

• Bond

  A grade of durable writing, printing and typing paper that has a standard size of 17x22 inches.

• Book

  A general classification to describe papers used to print books; its standard size is 25x38 inches. Also a printed work which contains more than 64 pages.

• Bristol Board

  A board paper of various thickness; having a smooth finish and used for printing and drawing.

• Broad Fold

  A term given to the fold whereby paper is folded with the short side running with the grain.

• Brochure

  A pamphlet that is bound in booklet form.

• Buckle Folder

  A portion of the binding machinery with rollers that fold the paper.

• Bullet

  A boldface square or dot used before a sentence to emphasize its importance.

• Burn

  A term used in plate making to describe the amount of plate exposure time.

• Burnishing

  Creating a polished finish on paper by rubbing with stone or hand smoothing a surface.

• Cadmium Yellow

  A pigment made from cadmium sulfide and cadmium selenide.

• Caliper

  The measurement of thickness of paper expressed in thousandths of an inch or mils.

• Camera Ready

  A term given to any copy, artwork etc., that is prepared for photographic reproduction.

• Caps & Lower Case

  Instructions in the typesetting process that indicate the use of a capital letter to start a sentence and the rest of the letters in lower case.

• Caps & Small Caps

  Two sizes of capital letters made in one size of type.

• Cast Coated

  A paper that is coated and then pressure dried using a polished roller which imparts an enamel like hard gloss finish.

• Chain Lines

  Lines that appear on laid paper as a result of the wires of the papermaking machine.

• Chancery Italic

  A 13th century handwriting style which is the roots of italic design.

• Coated (Paper)

  Paper coated with clay, white pigments and a binder. Better for printing because there is less picking.

• Coated Stock

  Any paper that has a mineral coating applied after the paper is made, giving the paper a smoother finish.

• Collate

  To gather sheets or signatures together in their correct order. (see Gather)

• Color Bars

  This term refers to a color test strip, which is printed on the waste portion of a press sheet. It is a standardized (GATF-Graphic Arts Technical Foundation) process which allows a pressman to determine the quality of the printed material relative to ink density, registration, and dot gain. It also includes the Star Target, which is a similar system designed to detect inking problems.

• Color Separating

  The processes of separating the primary color components for printing.

• Color Transparency

  Transparent film containing a positive photographic color image.

• Column Gutter

  Space between two or more columns of type on one page.

• Composition

  The assembly of characters into words, lines and paragraphs of text or body matter for reproduction by printing.

• Condensed Type

  A narrow, elongated type face.

• Copy

  Refers to any typewritten material, art, photos etc., to be used for the printing process.

• Corner Marks

  Marks on a final printed sheet that indicate the trim lines or register indicators.

• Creep

  When the rubber blanket on a cylinder moves forward due to contact with the plate or paper. Result of added thickness of folded sheets being behind one another in a folded signature. Outer edges of sheets creep away from back most fold as more folded sheets are inserted inside the middle.

• Crop Mark

  Markings at edges of original or on guide sheet to indicate the area desired in reproduction with negative or plate trimmed (cropped) at the markings.

• Cross-over

  Elements that cross page boundaries and land on two consecutive pages (usually rules).

• Curl

  Not lying flat and tending to form into cylindrical or wavy shapes. A term to describe the differences of either side of a sheet relative to coatings, absorbency etc.; the concave side is the curl side.

• Cut-off

  A term used in web press printing to describe the point at which a sheet of paper is cut from the roll; usually this dimension is equal to the circumference of the cylinder.

• Cutter

  Machine for accurately cutting stacks of paper to desired dimensions...can also be used to crease. Also trims out final bound books' top size (soft cover).

• Cyan

  A shade of blue used in the four-color process; it reflects blue and green and absorbs red.

• Cylinder Gap

  The gap in the cylinders of a press where the grippers or blanket clamps is housed.

• Dahlgren

  A dampening system for printing presses which utilizes more alcohol (25%) and less water; this greatly reduces the amount of paper that is spoiled.

• Dampening

  An essential part of the printing process whereby cloth covered rubber rollers distributes the dampening solution to the plate.

• Deckle Edge

  The rough or feathered edge of paper when left untrimmed.

• Delete

  An instruction given to remove an element from a layout.

• Descender

  A term that describes that portion of lower case letters which extends below the main body of the letter, as in "p".

• Die

  Design, letters or shapes, cut into metal (mostly brass) for stamping book covers or embossing. An engraved stamp used for impressing an image or design.

• Die Cutting

  A method of using sharp steel ruled stamps or rollers to cut various shapes i.e. labels, boxes, image shapes, either post press or in line. The process of cutting paper in a shape or design by the use of a wooden die or block in which are positioned steel rules in the shape of the desired pattern.

• Die Stamping

  An intaglio process for printing from images engraved into copper or steel plates.

• Digital Proof

  Color separation data is digitally stored and then exposed to color photographic paper creating a picture of the final product before it is actually printed.

• Display Type

  Any type that stands out from the rest of the type on a page which attracts attention of the reader.

• Distribution Rollers

  In the printing process, the rubber coated rollers responsible for the distribution of ink from the fountain to the ink drum.

• Dot

  The smallest individual element of a halftone.

• Dot Gain

  Darkening of halftone image due to ink absorption in paper causing halftone dots to enlarge. Terms to describe the occurrence whereby dots are printing larger than they should.

• Drier

  A term that describes any additives to ink which encourages the drying process.

• Drill

  The actual drilling of holes into paper for ring or comb binding.

• Drop Shadow

  A shadow image placed strategically behind an image to create the affect of the image lifting off the page.

• Ductor Roller

  The roller between the inking and the dampening rollers.

• Dull Finish

  Any matte finished paper.

• Dummy

  A term used to describe the preliminary assemblage of copy and art elements to be reproduced in the desired finished product; also called a comp.

• Duotone

  Color reproduction from monochrome original. Keyplate usually printed in dark color for detail, second plate printed in light flat tints. A two-color halftone reproduction generated from a one-color photo.

• Duplex Paper

  Paper which has a different color or finish on each side.

• Electronic Proof

  A process of generating a prepress proof in which paper is electronically exposed to the color separation negatives; the paper is passed through the electrically charged pigmented toners, which adhere electrostatically, resulting in the finished proof.

• Elliptical Dot

  Halftone screens in which the dots are actually elongated to produce improved middle tones.

• Em

  A unit of measurement equaling 12 points or 4.5mm.

• Embossed

  A method of paper finishing whereby a pattern is pressed into the paper when it is dry.

• Embossing

  To raise in relief a design or letters already printed on card stock or heavy paper by an uninked block or die. In rubber and plastic plate making the process is usually done by heat.

• Engraving

  A printing process whereby images such as copy or art are etched onto a plate. When ink is applied, these etched areas act as small wells to hold the ink; paper is forced against this die and the ink is lifted out of the etched areas creating raised images on the paper.

• Estimate

  The form used by the printer to calculate the project for the print buyer. This form contains the basic parameters of the project including size, quantity, colors, bleeds, photos etc.

• Expanded Type

  Type with width greater than normal producing a rectangular effect.

• Fan Fold

  Paper folding that emulates an accordion or fan, the folds being alternating and parallel.

• Fat Face

  Type that is quite varied in its use of very thin and very wide strokes.

• Felt Finish

  The smoother side of paper, usually a soft weave pattern used for book papers.

• Felt Side

  It is the top side of the sheet in the paper making process that does not lie on the Fourdrinier wire.

• Fit

  The registration of items within a given page.

• Fold Marks

  Markings at top edges that show where folds should occur.

• Folder

  Machine used to fold signatures down into sections.

• Font

  The characters which make up a complete typeface and size.

• Form Rollers

  The rollers that come into direct contact with the plate of a printing press.

• Ganging

  The bundling of two or more different printing projects on the same sheet of paper.

• Gathering

  Assembling sheets of paper and signatures into their proper sequence; collating.

• Ghosting

  Image which appears as a lighter area on a subsequent print due to local blanket depressions from previous image areas on a letterpress rotary machine as well as on an offset press.

• Gigo

  Garbage in, garbage out.

• Goldenrod

  An orange colored paper with gridlines, used to assemble materials for exposure for platemaking.

• Grain

  Direction of fibers in a sheet of paper governing paper properties such as increased size changes with relative humidity, across the grain, and better folding properties along the grain.

• Gripper

  A series of metal fingers that hold each sheet of paper as it passes through the various stages of the printing process.

• Gripper Edge

  The grippers of the printing press move the paper through the press by holding onto the leading edge of the sheet; this edge is the gripper edge.

• Gutter

  Space between pages in the printing frame of a book, or inside margin towards the back or binding edge. The blank space or margin between the type page and the binding of a book.

• Hairline register

  Printing registration that lies within the range of plus or minus one half row of dots. It is the thinnest of the standard printers' rules.

• Halftone

  Tone graduated image composed of varying sized dots or lines, with equidistant centers.

• Halftone Screen

  A sheet of film or glass containing ruled right-angled lines, used to translate the full tone of a photo to the halftone dot image required for printing.

• Head Margin

  That space which lies between the top of the printed copy and the trimmed edge.

• Hickies

  Imperfections in presswork due to dirt on press, trapping errors, etc.

• Image Area

  That portion of the printing plate that carries the ink and prints on paper.

• Imposition

  Arrangement of pages so that they print correctly on a press sheet, and the pages are in proper order when the sheets are folded.

• Impression

  Product resulting from one cycle of printing machine. The pressure of the image carrier, whether it be the type, plate or blanket, when it contacts the paper.

• Index Bristol

  A relatively thick paper stock; basis size---25 1/2 x 30 1/2.

• Indicia

  Markings pre-printed on mailing envelopes to replace the stamp.

• Ink Fountain

  The device which stores and meters ink to the inking rollers.

• Inserts

  Extra printed pages inserted loosely into printed pieces.

• Iridescent Paper

  A coated stock finished in mother-of-pearl.

• Italic

  Text that is used to denote emphasis by slanting the type body forward.

• Jog

  To vibrate a stack of finished pages so that they are tightly aligned for final trimming.

• Kerning

  The narrowing of space between two letters so that they become closer and take up less space on the page.

• Keyline

  Lines that are drawn on artwork that indicate the exact placement, shape and size of elements including halftones, illustrations etc.

• Kraft

  A coarse unbleached paper used for printing and industrial products.

• Layout

  A rendition that shows the placement of all the elements, roughs, thumbnails etc., of the final printed piece before it goes to print.

• Leaders

  The dots or dashes used in type to guide the eye from one set of type to the next.

• Leading

  Space between lines of type; the distance in points between one baseline and the next.

• Letterpress

  Printing that utilizes inked raised surfaces to create the image.

• Line Copy

  Any copy that can be reproduced without the use of halftone screens.

• Linen

  A paper that emulates the look and texture of linen cloth.

• Lithography

  The process of printing that utilizes flat inked surfaces to create the printed images.

• Logotype

  A personalized type or design symbol for a company or product.

• Make Rready

  Process of adjusting final plate on the press to fine tune or modify plate surface.

• Margin

  Imprinted space around edge of page.

• Mark-up

  To write up instructions, as on a dummy.

• Matte Finish

  A coated paper finish that goes through minimal calendaring. Reference, calendaring.

• Mottle

  A term used to describe spotty or uneven ink absorption.

• Natural

  A term to describe papers that have a color similar to that of wood; also called cream, off-white or ivory.

• Negative

  Film that contains the same images as the original print, except that all colors and shades are reversed. Reference, positive.

• Offset

  The most commonly used printing method, whereby the printed material does not receive the ink directly from the printing plate but from an intermediary cylinder called a blanket which receives the ink from the plate and transfers it to the paper.

• Offset Paper

  A term for uncoated book paper.

• Opacity

  Quality of papers that defines its opaqueness or ability to prevent two-sided printing from showing through.

• Opaque Ink

  Ink that completely covers any ink under itself.

• Over Run

  Surplus of copies printed.

• Parent Sheet

  A sheet that is larger than the cut stock of the same paper.

• Paste-up

  Preparation of positive materials into a layout for photographing to film negatives.

• Perf Marks

  Markings usually dotted lines at edges showing where perforations should occur.

• Perforating

  Punching small holes or slits in a sheet of paper or cardboard to facilitate tearing along a desired line.

• Pica

  Standard of measurement, 1/6 inch. 1 pica = 12 points 72 points = 1 inch

• Pin Register

  Using metal pins fitted into preset holes of copy sheets, films, plates and presses that will assure the proper registration.

• Plastic Comb

  A method of binding books whereby holes are drilled on the side closest the spine, and a plastic grasping device is inserted to hold the pages together.

• Plate

  Reproduction of type or cuts in metal, plastic, rubber, or other material, to form a plate bearing a relief, planographic or intaglio printing surface.

• Plate Cylinder

  The cylinder on a printing press on which the plate is mounted.

• Point

  A measurement unit equal to 1/72 of an inch. 12 points to a pica, 72 points to an inch.

• Ppi

  Pixels per inch.

• Press-Proof

  Actual press sheet to show image, tone values and colors as well as imposition of frame or press-plate.

• Process Inks

  Printing inks, usually in sets of four colors. The most frequent combination is yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, which are printed, one over another in that order, to obtain a colored print with the desired hues, whites, blacks, and grays.

• Proof

  Impression from composed type or blocks, taken for checking and correction, from a lithographic plate to check accuracy of layout, type matter, tone and color reproduction.

• Rag paper

  Papers with a complete or partial content of cotton fibers.

• Ream

  500 sheets of paper.

• Reducer

  Any substance that softens and reduces the tack of ink.

• Register

  The arrangement of two or more images in exact alignment with each other.

• Register Marks

  Any crossmarks or other symbols used on layout to assure proper registration.

• Right Angle Fold

  A term that denotes folds that are 90 degrees to each other.

• Rubine

  A pigment somewhat redder than true magenta.

• Run-Around

  A term given to copy that accommodates the lines of a picture or other image or copy.

• Saddle Stitching

  Stitching where the wire staples pass through the spine from the outside and are clinched in the center. Only used with folded sections, either single sections or two or more sections inset to form a single section.

• Safety Paper

  A paper that shows sign of erasure so that it cannot be altered or tampered with easily.

• Score

  Impressions or cuts in flat material to facilitate bending or tearing.

• Sheetwise

  The printing of two different images on two different sides of a sheet of paper by turning the page over after the first side is printed and using the same gripper and side guides.

• Short Ink

  Ink that is smooth and creamy but does not flow freely.

• Side Guide

  The guides on the sides of the sheet fed press that position the sheet sideways as the paper is led towards the front guides.

• Signature (Section)

  Printed sheet (or its flat) that consists of a number of pages of a book, placed so that they will fold and bind together as a section of a book. The printed sheet after folding.

• Slitting

  A term to describe the process of cutting of printed sheets by the cutting wheels of a printing press.

• Spiral Bind

  A binding whereby a wire or plastic is spiraled through holes punched along the binding side.

• Spot Color

  Small area printed in a second color.

• Step And Repeat

  A process of generating multiple exposures by taking an image and stepping it according to a predetermined layout.

• Stock

  A term for unprinted paper or other material to be printed.

• Tack

  The adhesive quality of inks.

• Text

  A high quality printing paper.

• Thermography

  A printing process whereby slow drying ink is applied to paper and while the ink is still wet, it is lightly dusted with a resinous powder. The paper then passes through a heat chamber where the powder melts and fuses with the ink to produce a raised surface.

• Transparent

  Inks that do not block out the colored inks that they print over, but instead blend with them to create intermediate colors.

• Trim Marks

  Marks placed on the sheet to indicate where to cut the page.

• Vacuum Frame

  Also called a contact frame; used in the platemaking process to hold materials in tight contact during exposure.

• Varnish

  A clear shiny ink used to add gloss to printed pieces. The primary component of the ink vehicle. Reference, vehicle.

• Vellum

  A finish of paper that is rough, bulky and has a degree of tooth.

• Vignette

  Fade to white or small decorative design or illustration. A photo or illustration etc., in which the tones fade gradually away until they blend with the surface they are printed on.

• W&T

  An abbreviation for work and turn.

• Washup

  The procedure of cleaning a particular ink from all of the printing elements (rollers, plate, ink fountain etc.) of a press.

• Watermark

  A translucent logo that is embossed during the papermaking process while the paper slurry is on the dandy roll. Reference, dandy roll

• Widow

  A single word or two left at the end of a paragraph, or a part of a sentence ending a paragraph, which loops over to the next page and stands alone. Also, the last sentence of a paragraph which contains only one or two short words.

• Wire Stitching Or Stapling

  To fasten together sheets, signatures, or sections with wire staples. 3 methods... saddle stitching, side stitching, and stabbing.

• Wove

  A smooth paper made on finely textured wire that gives the paper a gentle patterned finish.

• Writing Paper

  Another name for bond paper.