Additive Primaries - Red, green and blue are the primary
colors of light from which all other colors can be made.
Adhesive Binding - Material fastened with adhesives. Perfect binding.
Aliasing - Visibly jagged steps along angled or object edges, due to
sharp tonal contrasts between pixels.
Application - A computer software program that performs a specific task,
i.e. page layout, word processing, illustration or scanning.
Ascender - Part of a letter that extends above the x-height, i.e. b,
d, h, l.
Basis Weight - The weight in pounds for a ream of paper
cut to a definite size.
Bindery - The operations performed to finish the job. These include folding, numbering, drilling, padding, cutting, collating, gathering, thermography, marrying, stapling, perforating and scoring.
Bitmap - A digitized image that is mapped into a grid of pixels. The color of each pixel is defined by a specific number of bits.
Black Point - A movable reference point that defines the darkest area in an image, causing all other areas to be adjusted accordingly.
Bleed - Printing that extends off the edge of a sheet or page after trimming.
Body Type - Used in the main part of the printed piece.
Bold Type - Used in headlines or for emphasis.
Bond - Paper that is strong, permanent, accommodates pen ink and various printing processes. Take erasures well; lint free surface; even surface. Used for stationery, letterhead, business forms, direct mail advertising, announcements, price lists, office systems and invoices.
Book Paper - Uncoated and coated papers with the characteristics required for printing purposes, with the exception of newsprint.
Bristol Paper - Heavy weight, durable paper intended for printing. Can take the place of offset where great durability is required. Weight is usually 67 to 100 lbs.
Burning - In platemaking, the exposure of a plate to intense, controlled light usually through a negative.
Camera Ready Art or Copy - Paste-ups, photographs,
laser printouts or other art that is fully prepared to be photographed for
platemaking.
Carbonless - A type of paper that allows information printed or written on the top sheet to be transferred to subsequent sheets. A 3-part carbonless form would have 3 sheets. Also known as NCR (a brand) paper.
CD-ROM - Acronym for Compact Disk Read Only Memory
Clip Art - Completed standard line art (either printed or on
CD).
CMS- Color management system. This ensures color uniformity
across input and output devices so that final printed results match originals.
The characteristics or profiles of devices are normally established by reference
to standard color targets.
Coated Paper - Paper having a surface coating which produces a smooth finish. Surfaces vary from eggshell to glossy.
Collate - To assemble flat material in a predetermined order for binding.
Color Balance - Correct combinations of CM & Y to produce 1) image with no color cast; 2) neutral gray; or 3) reproduction as close to the original image as possible.
Color Bar - A 1/4” bar made up of varying percentages of CMYK. Used to measure ink density on press.
Color Cast - An overall color imbalance in an image, as if viewed through a colored filter.
Color Correction - Any method used to correct color variances not corrected during scanning or other methods of image reproduction.
Color Separation - The process of separating an image into the primary printing color of CMYK. Each printing plate will carry a different color–C, M, Y or K.
Color Transparency - A positive image on a transparent support and rendered in natural colors. (Kodacrome).
Compression - The reduction in memory of an image file.
Continuous Tone (contone) - A photographic image whose tones are solid shades from gray to black, not produced by a pattern of varying sized dots.
Contrast - Degree of tone differences in a photographic picture or film.
Copy - Any furnished material (typewritten manuscript, pictures, artwork, etc.) to be used in the production of printing.
Corner Stitch - One staple in the upper left hand comer.
Cover Stock - Heavyweight offset paper that can be used as protective or decorative cover.
Crop - To reduce the size of an image by cutting off portions from the edge. Cropping is done to eliminate unwanted detail, allowing more attention to be focused on the remaining image.
CMYK - Acronym for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and BlacK, the process colors used in color printing. Also known as 4-color printing. CMY are the primary colorants of subtractive color.
Decompression - The expansion of compressed image files.
Densitometer - Instrument for quickly and accurately measuring
photographic density.
Density - Term describing the degree of opacity in the dark
parts of an image.
Descender - Part of a letter that extends below the x-height, i.e. g, j, p, q.
Desktop Publishing (DTP) - The creation of professional documents, flyers,
brochures, ads, etc. using a personal computer, page layout software, page
printers and typesetting.
Descreening - Removal of halftone dot patterns while scanning a printed photo to avoid blurring the image. This also avoids moiré patterning and color shifts during subsequent halftone reprinting.
Die Cutting - Cutting irregular shapes in paper.
Digital Color Proof - A proof from a printer that does not require color separated films. Proofed directly from the computer.
Digital File - A document that is created and stored on a computer. Usually created in a page layout software program.
Digital Plate - A plate that is exposed directly by data from prepress
sytem, i.e. Macintosh.
Direct-to-plate Technology - Direct exposure of image data from computer
onto printing plates, without the intermediate use for film.
Direct-to-press Technology - When a document is ripped directly from
a digital file onto the press. The press may or may not require plates. This
eliminates many of the prepress steps.
dMax - The point of maximum density in an image or original.
dMin - The point of minimum density in an image or original.
Dots (halftone) - Minute, symmetrical, individual subdivisions of a
printing surface, varying in size, formed by means of the halftone screen.
Dot Gain - Amount the dots spread out on the press.
Dots Per Inch (DPI) - A measurement of output device resolution, not
to be confused with LPI.
Drying Time - Time it takes for something to dry or ink to harden.
Dummy - A hand prepared book of blank pages ruled to scale to show the position
of type and illustration.
Duotone or Duograph - Two halftone negatives made at different screen angles from the same copy and then consecutively printed in register to produce a two-tone effect.
Duplex Printing - Printing on two sides of the page. The use
of both sides of paper.
DVD - Digital video disk. Similar to a CD-ROM.
Dye Sublimation - A printing process using small heating elements to create an image. Used for digital color proofs.
Electronic File - A document that is created and stored
on a computer.
EM or EN Dash - Dash lines used for emphasis being the same size as em or en spaces, i.e.—is used in place of two hyphens, and – is used in a sequence of numbers.
Embossing - When areas of the paper are raised and textured. Usually done intentionally for decorative purposes. Blind embossing is when ink and design are used to give the illusion of embossed paper.
EPS - Encapsulated PostScript. A standard format for a drawing, image or complete page layout, allowing it to be placed into other documents. EPS files normally include a low-resolution screen preview.
Fake Color - One color printed on colored paper.
Felt Side - The smoother side of the paper for printing. The top side of the sheet in paper manufacturing.
Fine Papers - Papers of the grades used for writing and for book printing. Bond, ledger, cover, book papers.
Finished Quantity - The number of printed pieces that are to be delivered to the customer. Examples: 100 sheets 8 1/2 x 11 printed 1-up has a finished quantity of 100. While 100 sheets 8 1/2 x 11 printed 2-up has a finished quantity of 200.
Finished Size - The dimensions of the sheet being delivered after all cutting and trimming operations are performed.
Font - A set of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and symbols that share a unified design. The design is called a typeface. A group of related typefaces is called a type family.
FPO - For position only. A low-resolution image placed in a document to indicate where the final version is to be positioned.
French Fold - A sheet of paper printed on one side and folded as to expose the printing. (Exterior Fold)
Gathering - To arrange printed work that has been folded
in a numbered or predetermined sequence to form a book.
GCR - Gray component replacement. A technique for replacing
all the neutral tones of an image with an appropriate amount of black.
Gigabyte (Gb) - 1,024 megabytes or 1,048,576 kilobytes of digital
data.
Grain - The direction in which most of the paper fibers lie. Paper will fold, cut and tear more easily with the grain than against it.
Gray Balance - The balance between CMY colorants required to produce neutral grays without a color cast.
Gray Levels - Discreet tonal steps in a continous tone image, inherent to digital data. Most CT images will contain 256 gray levels per color.
Gray Scale - A strip of film containing uniform step tones ranging from pure white to black with intermediate shades of gray. Used as exposure guide. Term also used to describe continuous tone image.
Grippers - Mechanical fingers that pull a sheet through the printing unit of a press.
Gripper Margin - Area of paper held by grippers—need to know this value in prepress and/or stripping so no image is in this area.
Halftone - A pattern of dots of different sizes used
to simulate a continuous-tone photograph, either in color or black and white.
Highlight - The lightest or whitest parts in a photograph; represented in a halftone by the smallest dots or the absence of all dots on the printed copy.
Hue - The color of an object perceived by the eye due to the fact that a single or pair of RGB primary colors predominates.
Imagesetter - A device used to output a computer image
or composition at high resolution onto photographic paper, film or plate material.
Image (Image area) - Picture to reproduce as a representation of the original.
Imposition - The laying out of pages in a press form so that they will be in the correct order when the paper is folded and cut.
Imprinting - The printing of additional information on a sheet that has already been printed. The term can also be used for printing on a customer supplied stock.
Jaggies - See Aliasing.
JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group. An organization that has defined various file compression techniques. A bitmap compression file format.
Justification - Spacing out type to a given measure to obtain uniform length of lines.
Kerning - Reduces the space between two characters
to enhance readability.
Knockout - The elimination of part of an image in order for another image to be printed in front. Overlapping elements.
Laid Paper - Paper that has textured parallel horizontal
bumpy lines within the paper giving it a ribbed effect.
Laser Printer - Although a number of devices employ laser technology to print images, this normally refers to desktop printers that use a dry toner process.
Layout - The art of placing every element of a job in its proper position.
Leading - The space between lines of text measured from baseline to baseline, usually measured in points. The default in “auto, “ which is 120 percent of the point size of the text.
Line Copy - Any copy suitable for reproduction without using a screen. Also referred to as Line Art or Line Work.
Linen Paper - Paper that has a textured even cross hatch fine pattern within the paper.
Linen Tester or Loupe - Magnifying glass used for close visual inspection.
Lines Per Inch (LPI) - The number of lines (rows of dots) per inch in a screen and therefore in a screen tint, halftone or separation. Examples: 100, 120, 130 lpi, etc.
Make-ready - Preparing the printing press prior to
printing. (Pressure adjustment, setting upfeed, etc.)
Mark-up - Procedure of noting alterations on a proof.
Marrying - The joining of two or more sets of collated or gathered materials together.
Matte Finish - Dull paper finish without gloss or luster.
Metallic Ink - Suspension of fine metal powders in the inks vehicle. (e.g., bronze or brass for gold, aluminum for silver.)
Midtone - The middle range of tones in an image.
Moiré Pattern - Undesirable pattern in halftones and screen tints made with improperly aligned screens.
Mottling - A texture similar to orange peel sometimes caused by sharpening. It is particularly visible in flat areas such as sky or skin.
Negative - In photography an image on a film or paper
in which the transparent areas represent the dark tones of the original and
the opaque portions represent the light tones on the original.
Number Up - The number of originals on a given sheet. For example, 2-up or 4-up. 2-up allows you to produce 1000 pieces from 500 sheets or impressions.
OCR - Optical character recognition. The analysis of
scanned data to recognize characters so they can be converted into editable
text.
Offset - A lithographic printing process where the ink is transferred
from the plate to a rubber blanket, and from there “offset” onto
the impression paper.
Offset Printing - Printing process where the image is transferred (offset) from the plate to the rubber blanket before being transferred (printed) to the sheet of paper.
Offsetting of Inks - The transfer, or smearing of ink from a freshly printed sheet to another with which it comes in contact.
On-Demand Printing - The publication of only the required number of documents at a given time. The immediate production of documents that are prepared, stored and distributed totally in electronic form.
Opaque - In offset lithography, to paint out areas on a negative not wanted on the plate. In paper, the property which makes it less transparent.
Original - The artwork or first piece of material, which is used to make duplicates.
Orphan - In type, a single line of type sitting alone at the bottom of a page. Should be avoided.
Overlay - In artwork, a transparent covering over copy where call outs, instructions or corrections are marked.
Overprinting - Application of a gloss varnish over printed matter by means of a printing press.
PDF - Portable Document File. A cross-platform computer
language.
Parallel Fold - One or more folds in the same direction.
Parent Size - Basis size. The standard size of any given stock. Example: 25" x 38" for offset papers, 20" x 26" for cover, 25-1/2" x 30 1/2" for index, 22 1/2" x 28 1/2" for vellum bristol, and 17" x 22" for bond are five basic standards.
Paste-up - The operation of assembling originals to be camera ready.
Perforating - The operation of placing interrupted slits into a sheet so that it may be easily torn free.
Pica - A basic unit of measure in typography. There are 12 points in a pica; approximately 6 picas in an inch.
Pixel - Picture element. Digital images are composed of touching pixels, each having a specific color or tone. The eye merges differently colored pixels into continous tones.
Plates - Thin, flexible sheets for lithographic printing; can
be metal, polyester or paper.
Point - A basic unit of measure in typography. A point is equal
to approximately 1/72 of an inch.
PMS - Pantone Matching System. A standard guide of defining and matching colors for reproduction.
Posterization - The conversion of continous tone data into a series of visible tonal steps or bands used for special effects.
PostScript - A computer language that allows the creation of text and graphics.
PPI/PPCM - Pixels per inch or pixels per centimeter. Units of measurement for scanned images.
Preflight - The process of checking customers’ files to make sure everything is there and in the correct format prior to processing.
Prepress - The production steps before printing, particularly those steps needed to transform the original copy into the printing plates or other form needed for reproduction (i.e. stripping, imagesetting, proofing, platemaking).
Pre-screened - Refers to photographs that are already halftones. If you were to copy a newspaper photograph you would be reproducing a pre-screened photograph.
Press Size - The dimensions of the sheet being run through the press.
Pressure-Sensitive Labels - Material with an adhesive coating, protected by a backing sheet until used, which will stick without moistening.
Primary Color - A base color that is used to compose other colors.
Process Ink Colors - CMYK pigments used in printing processes, chosen to produce the widest range of color mixtures.
Press Quantity - The number of impressions the press will be making to generate the finished product.
Quote - The estimate of the selling price of printed
work given to a customer.
Rag Paper - A term indicating at least 25% rag fibers
in the paper. (Common %, 25-50, 75-100%.)
Ream - 500 sheets of bond or offset. 250 sheets of cover.
Reflection Copy - Originals that are opaque such as photographs.
Register - Maintaining the exact relative position of two or more colors or lines on the copy.
Register Marks - Guides on plates to aid in obtaining register.
Res - A term used to define image resolution instead of dpi.
Res 12 indicates 12 pixels per millimeter.
Resolution - The ability to reproduce detail accurately. High resolution usually means more faithful reproduction quality.
RGB - Red, Green and Blue are the primary color of light perceived by the eye.
Right Angle Fold - Two or more folds at a 90 degree angle from the first.
RIP - Raster Image Processor. Software that converts computer data to spots understandable by various laser printers, imagesetters and other output devices. Every PostScript (or laser) output device requires a RIP (internal or external).
Saddle Stitch - To fasten a booklet by stapling it
through the middle fold of the sheets.
Sans Serif - Class of typefaces without decorative strokes.
Saturation - The extent to which primary colors predominate in a color.
Scaling - Determining the proper size for an image that is to be reduced or enlarged.
Scan - Electronically creating a digital image from a photo or line art image.
Screen Angles - The relational angles of CMYK to prevent moiré in printing. Cyan–105°; Magenta–75°; Yellow–90°; and Black–45°.
Screen Frequency - The number of rows or lines of dots in a halftone image within a given distance, normally stated in lines per inch (lpi) or lines per centimeter (lpcm).
Screen Ruling - The number of lines per inch on a screen. Another term for screen frequency.
Scoring - Placing a crease in the sheet so it can be easily folded.
Secondary Color - Color obtained by mixing two primary colors. Although known as primary colorants, C, M and Y are the secondary colors of light. Red plus green produce yellow for example.
Serif - Any of the short lines stemming from and at an angle to the upper and lower ends of the strokes of the letter. Used in text to enhance readability.
Sets - Term used to describe several originals that are to be placed together. For example, a 3-part NCR (or carbonless) printed form would be referred to as a set.
Shadow - The darkest area of an image.
Show-through - The ability to see the printing from the back
of the sheet caused by either stock being too transparent or the ink too oily.
Signature - The sheet itself which when folded becomes one unit
of a book.
Spoilage Allowance - Extra pieces printed or copied to allow for waste in bindery set-up.
Substrate - The base material used to carry or support an image, for example paper or film.
Tag - Paper with a durable, smooth surface similar
to index. Accepts printing and writing. Standard (basis) size 24” x 36”;
weighs 100 to 175 lbs.
Text Paper - A general term applied to high quality antique or laid papers, made in white and colors; used for booklets, programs, announcements and advertising printing.
Thermography -The heat set process of raising printed inks. It’s sometimes called raised printing.
TIFF - Tag Image File Format. A popular image file format supported by the majority of image-editing programs running on a variety of computer platforms.
Tint - A gradation of color resulting from adding white to the original color.
Transparency - Property of a material which permits light to pass through it. The opposite to opacity.
Trap - A combination of, or overprinting of, two adjoining colors to prevent paper from showing through between the colors. Traps are applied to the digital file or film prior to printing to make up for press inflexibility.
Trim Lines - Lines added to the page to guide the cutter and bindery operations.
Typesetting - The operation of arranging elements of text (the actual words) and graphics in a uniform and legible manner.
Vellum Finish - A finish on paper which is relatively
absorbent for fast ink penetration.
Watermark - Distinctive design created in paper during
manufacturing.
Widow - A single word on a line by itself either at the end of a paragraph, page or document. This should be avoided in typography.
WYSIWYG - An acronym for “What You See Is What You Get.” Refers to a screen display that accurately reflects the look of the printed page.
X-Height - The height of lowercase letters in a font
(not including ascenders or descenders).
is a leader in this, that and the
other thing. Trust me!
Motronics Corporation. All rights reserved