Additive Color Theory - The mixture of red, green, and blue light,the primary colors of light, to produce white light.
Against the Grain - At right angles to the direction of the grain of the paper.
Aliasing - A “staircase” or jagged effect that occurs when display resolution is too coarse to minimize the broken appearance of certainelectronic design elements. Aliasing is more visually pronounced in diagonal lines, curves, and circles.
Alteration - Any change made by the customer after copy or artwork has been given to the service bureau, separator or printer. The change could be in copy, specifications, or both. Also called AA, author alteration or customer alteration.
Anti-offset Powder - Finely powdered starch sprayed on the printed surface of coated paper as sheets leave the press to prevent wet ink from transferring from the top of one sheet to the bottom of the next sheet.
Aqueous Coating - Water based coating applied like ink by a printing press to protect and enhance the printed surface.
Artifact - any non-natural feature or structure accidentally introduced into something being observed or studied.
Ascender - The part of a lower case letter which rises above the main body, as in “b” or “d”.
Automatic Picture Replacement (APR) - Scitex’s implementation of the process in which a low resolution image is automatically replaced by the high resolution version of the image.
Back Up - In printing: to print the second side of a sheet already printed on one side. In computers: to make a copy of your work on a separate disk in case something happens to the original.
BasisWeight - Weight in pounds of a ream (500 sheets) of paper cut to a given standard size for that grade; example: 500 sheets of 17” x 22” 20 lb. bond paper weighs 20 pounds.
Binder’s Creep - The slight but cumulative extension of the edges of each inserted spread or signature beyond the edges of the one that encloses it in a saddle-stitch bind.
Blanket - In offset printing, a rubber-surfaced fabric that is clamped around a cylinder. The image is transferred from the plate to the blanket, and from there, transferred to the paper.
Bleed - Printed image which extends beyond the trim edge of the sheet or page.
Blind Image - Image that is debossed or embossed, but not printed with ink or foil.
Blueline - Prepress photographic proof made from stripped negatives where all colors show as shades of a single color on white paper. Also called brownline, silverprint.
Bond Paper - A grade of writing or printing paper where strength, durability and performance are essential requirements; used for letterheads, business forms, etc. The basic size is 17” x 22”.
Book Paper - A general term for coated and uncoated paper. The basic size is 25” x 38”.
Brightness - In paper, the reflectance or brilliance of the paper.
Bristol - Type of board paper used for post cards, business cards and other heavy-use products. Basic size is 22 1/2” x 28 1/2” or 22 1/2” x 35”.
Butt Register - Register where ink colors meet precisely without overlapping or allowing space between. Also called butt fit and kiss register.
Bump-Ink applied from a fifth or higher plate in four-color process printing, usually to strengthen a specific color; also referred to as a touchplate.
C - The abbreviation for cyan in the four-color process.
Caliper - The thickness of paper, usually expressed in thousandths of an inch (mils). Also, a device on a sheetfed press that detects double sheets or on a binding machine that detects missing signatures or inserts.
Case Bind - To bind using glue to hold signatures to a case made of binder board covered with fabric, plastic or leather. Also called cloth edition, hard bind or hard cover.
Cast Coated Paper - Paper dried under pressure against a heated, polished cylinder to produce a high-gloss enamel finish.
CEPS - Computer electronic prepress systems (today largely replaced by desktop network systems)
Chalking - Refers to improper drying of ink. Pigments dust off because ink has been absorbed too rapidly into the paper.
Choke - A slight size reduction of an opening into which an image will print.
Chroma - The attribute of color that specifies its amount of saturation or strength.
CIM - Computer integrated manufacturing.
CIP4 - The International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press, and Postpress (CIP4) Organization; a not-for-profit association responsible for JDF.
CMYK - Abbreviation for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black), the four process colors.
Coated Paper - Paper with a coating of clay or other substances that improves reflectivity and ink holdout.
Color Balance - Maintaining the ratio of cyan, magenta, and yellow ink to produce a picture with the desired color and without an unwanted color cast or color bias.
Color Bars - The color strip on proofs that is used as a guide for the printer in determining the amount and density of ink needed.
Color Calibration - A means or method of setting a computer monitor, scanner, or color printer to a standard set of color values so as to ensure that all the colors remain consistent throughout each step of the imaging process.
Color Cast - Discoloration of an entire image or portion of an image caused by an overabundance of one color.
Color Electronic Prepress Systems (CEPS) (high-end) - Dedicated computer workstations and systems designed exclusively for highest-quality color manipulation and preparation.
Color Management Systems - Electronic characterization, calibration and control systems that help to assure color consistency and accuracy throughout the print production process from scanning through previewing on screen and proofing to reproduction on press.
Color Scanner - An electronic piece of equipment that utilizes a laser or other high intensity light to make color separation negatives from either reflective prints or transparencies.
Color Separations - The four-color negatives or positives which are the result of changing full color photos or art into the four process colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) by the use of filters.
Color Sequence - The order in which the four-color process inks are printed on the press.
Colorimeter - An instrument for measuring color the way the eye sees it.
Comb Bind - To bind by inserting the teeth of a flexible plastic comb through holes punched along the edge of a stack of paper.
Composite File - A PostScript file that represents color pages containing picture elements specified in terms of CMYK color space as opposed to black and white “grayscale” pages which represent separations.
Composite Proofs - Single test sheet showing position and color of all elements as stripped up.
Comprehensive - A detailed dummy or sketch of a design, intended to give a clear sense of how the finished piece should look.
Computer-to-plate (CTP or CtP) - Describes a system in which the use of desktop publishing software, electronic prepress workstations, and platesetters allows the imaging of metal plates for any format of press without the use of film, stripping or traditional platemaking. This process results in lower costs while shortening the amount of time needed to get a job on the press. Sometimes also called C2P to distinguish it from CTP, or computer-to-press.
Computer-to-plate - Producing metal or polyester plates directly from digital files without producing a set of film negatives.
Computer-to-press - Describes a printing system that includes desktop publishing software, electronic prepress workstations and a new type of press which is capable of rapidly changing the images it is printing without the use of removable plates.
Condensed Type - Type whose width has been reduced without affecting its height.
Condition - To keep paper in the pressroom for a few hours or days before printing so that its moisture level and temperature equal that in the pressroom.
Continuous Tones - An illustrative image that is not composed of halftone printing dots. Also a bitmapped image.
Continuous-tone Digital Proofing - Producing a proof with reliable color but no halftone pattern (photorealistic) directly from a digital file, usually by inkjet or dye sublimination process, without producing a set of film negatives.
Conventional Dot - A halftone dot with the classic square format: middle tone dots are square, while the extremely small black dots or white openings are round.
Copy - Original job material (paste-ups, film, photos, and other graphics) furnished for the print job.
Coverage - The amount of ink on a page or sheet, usually given in percentages.
Creep - The shifting position of the page in a saddle-stitched bind.
Creep moves the inside pages or signatures away from the spine.
Crop - To eliminate portions of copy or an image.
CropMarks - Symbols placed in the margin outside the image area that indicate to the printer and bindery the area to be printed and/or trimmed from the image.
Cross Direction - In paper, the direction across the grain.
Paper is stronger across the grain but more sensitive to humidity against the grain.
Crossover - A reproduction that extends across two facing pages in a book or magazine and crosses over the binding.
CTP - Computer-to-plate.
Cure - To dry inks, varnishes or other coatings after printing to ensure good adhesion and prevent set-off.
Curl - The distortion of paper due to differences in structure or coatings from one side to the other or from absorption of moisture on the press.
Cutoff - Circumference of the impression cylinder of a web press, therefore, the length of the printed sheet on roll to sheet presses or the length of the repeat pattern on roll to roll presses.
Cyan - One of the three subtractive primary colors used in process printing. It is commonly known as process blue.
Dampening System - The mechanism on a press for transferring fountain solution to the plate.
Data Shift - In process color printing, it describes a shift in one of the channels of data that comprise the image file and could cause inconsistent color in some areas in the image.
Deboss - To press an image into paper so it lies below the surface.
Deckel Edge - The untrimmed feathery edges of paper formed where the pulp flows against the wire of a paper making machine.
Densitometer - Instrument used to measure density. Reflection densitometers measure light reflected from paper and other surfaces. Transmission densitometers measure light transmitted through film and other materials.
Density - The amount an object absorbs or reflects light is called “density level.” High-density objects absorb or stop light; low-density objects reflect or transmit light.
Descender - The part of a lower case letter which extends below the main body, as in “p.” Desktop Publishing Stripping - Electronic assembly of all elements in final imposition for direct output as composite negative or plate.
Detail Enhancement - The technique of exaggerating picture image edges with unsharp masking or peaking, so the observer can easily see the detail of the original in the final reproduction.
Die - Device for cutting, scoring, stamping, embossing or debossing.
Diecutting - Using sharp steel rules to cut special shapes from printed sheets. Diecutting can be done on either flatbed or rotary presses.
Digital Asset Management - File or asset storage and retrieval by a company for its customer.
Digital Photography - Direct electronic capture of an image within a camera without using film and processing.
Digital Printing - Printing by plateless imaging systems that are imaged by digital data from prepress systems.
Digital Soft Proof - A color video monitor display of a picture file, data file or text file.
Dimensional Stability - Ability of a film to hold size throughout its cycle of use. Polyester-based films are more dimensionally stable than acetate bases; glass is more stable than polyester.
Direct Digital Color Proof (DDCP) - A proof made directly from the stored data file onto a substrate using a peripheral device such as a photographic exposure, dot matrix printer or ink jet printer without producing intermediate films.
Direct Imaging Press (DI) - Offset press on which plates are imaged while on press directly from files prepared on a dedicated electronic prepress workstation. Most models print waterless but one model with a dampening system has been marketed.
Direct-to-plate - Often used as a synonym for computer-to-plate but less desirable to use because the acronym DTP can be confused with desktop publishing, which is also known as DTP (see also “Computer-to-plate”).
Dither - To fill the gap between two pixels with another pixel having an average value of the two to minimize the difference or add detail to smooth the result.
Dot Area - The size of the dot is indicated by the percentage of the area it occupies from zero to one hundred percent.
Dot Gain - The increase in the printing dot size from the halftone film to the printed substrate resulting in darker tones.
Double Black Duotones - Image created from two halftones, one for highlights and the other for midtones and shadows. Both plates are inked with black for the most contrast.
Double Burn - Utilizing two or more negatives to expose an image on a plate or positive print.
Drawdown - Sample of inks specified for a job applied to the substrate specified for a job.
Dummy - A layout showing the size, shape, form and general style of a piece of printing.
Duplex (printing) - Two-sided printing or printing on both sides of a sheet. Typically a digital printing term.
Duotone - A two-color halftone produced by overprinting two halftone screens made from the same photograph (usually a black and white photo), as a means of generating a monochromatic image with a full range of tonal gradations.
Duplex Paper - Paper with a different color or finish on each side.
Dye Sublimation - A process used for color proofing systems and heat transfer printing. The “dye” is a colorant that undergoes “sublimation,” which is the direct transformation from a solid into a gas without passing through the liquid phase. When the substance is cooled, it turns back into a solid again, also without passing through a liquid stage. In the case of proofing systems, the colorant is a solid wax.
Electronic Dot Generation - Method of producing halftones electronically on scanners and prepress systems.
Electronic Publishing - A configuration of hardware and software used for digital page composition. The term includes desktop publishing and high-end systems.
Electrophotography - Image transfer system used in copiers to produce images using electrostatic forces.
Elliptical Dot - An elongated or oval halftone dot used to minimize the midtone jump in dot gain at the point where dots are large enough to connect.
Emboss - To press an image into paper so it lies above the surface.
Emulsion - The light-sensitive coating on photographic film, plates or stencils.
End Sheet - Sheet that attaches the inside pages of a case bound book to its cover.
Engraving - Printing method using a plate, also called a die, with an image cut into its surface.
EnhancedMulti-color (“High-fidelity”) Printing - Full-color printing using six, seven or more “process” colors instead of the traditional four.
EPS - An abbreviation for Encapsulated PostScript (most common in graphic arts); for Electronic Publishing System; and External Page Storage. Encapsulated PostScript is an Adobe Systems-developed file format. It is a device-independent PostScript representation of a graphic or other object. It stores files as vectors and includes a low-resolution bitmap representation for quick on-screen viewing
Estimate - A statement of what a print job will probably cost based on specified quantities, materials, and labor.
Etch - To use chemicals to carve an image into plates and film or an acid solution used to desensitize the non-printing areas of the plate.
Environmentally-friendly Processes - Reduced-chemical, silver-and VOC-free processes for preparation of printed materials.
Exposure - The quantity of light that is allowed to act on a photographic material. The product of the intensity and the duration of the light acting on the emulsions.
Fanout - Distortion of paper on the press due to waviness in the paper caused by absorption of moisture at the edges of the paper, particularly across the grain.
Feeder - The part of the press that separates the sheets of paper and feeds them into position for printing.
Felt Side - The smoother side of the paper.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) - In networking and telecommunications, a specific (and eponymously named) file transfer protocol used for logging into remote computer networks, browsing and searching directories, and downloading or uploading files without data loss.
Fingerprint - To test a printing press to determine its exact printing characteristics, such as its dot gain, ink density, and trapping, for the purpose of customizing color separations for those printing conditions.
Flat - The assembled composite of negatives or positives ready for platemaking. Also, a term used to describe a photograph that is lacking in contrast.
Flexography - A printing process that uses a raised surface of flexible rubber or photopolymer printing plate mounted on a rotary drum and thin, fast-drying inks to print on almost any roll stock.
Flush Cover - A cover trimmed to the same size as the inside text pages.
Fly Leaf - The half of the end sheets not glued to the front and back covers of a case bound book.
Flying Paster - An automatic pasting device that splices a new roll of paper onto an expiring roll without stopping the web press.
Foil Stamp - To press a heated die onto a sheet of foil, releasing the foil from its backing and adhering it to a substrate.
Folio - In typesetting, the typeset page number. Right hand pages contain the odd number folios.
Font - A complete set of type characters in one typeface and type size.
Foot - The bottom of a page or book.
Foot Margin - The distance between the bottom edge of the body of type (text) on a page and the bottom edge of the trimmed page (see also “Tail Margin”).
For Position Only (FPO) - Refers to inferior quality copies of photos or art used on mechanicals to indicate placement and scaling, but not intended for reproduction.
Form - Each side of a signature.
Form Roller - A roller which comes in contact with the printing plate, bringing it water or ink.
Fountain Solution - A mixture of water and chemicals that dampens a printing plate to prevent ink from adhering to the non-image areas.
Four-color Process - Use of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black to create a full color image.
Free Sheet - Paper made from cooked wood fibers mixed with chemicals and washed free of impurities.
Frequency-modulated Screening - See stochastic screening.
Front End System - The computer hardware on which application software used to prepare pages of type and graphics is run.
Fulfillment - The storing of a customer’s materials until that customer requests delivery to itself or to a third party. Also, the fulfilling by a vendor of a request received from a customer by phone, by mail or by electronic means. Also known as “pick and pack.”
Full-scale Black - A black printer separation that prints dots in every part of the picture, from the highlight to the shadow. Also called full-range black.
Gapless Press - A web press with special blanket cylinders that, with each rotation, allow more printing per square inch. This larger print space plus a shorter cutoff point can save a significant amount of paper on large runs.
Gang - To halftone or separate more than one image in only one exposure. Also to print two or more finished products on the same sheet during one press run.
Gather - To assemble folded signatures in proper sequence.
Ghosting - Phenomenon of a faint image on a printed sheet where it was not intended to appear.
Gradation - The gradual shading of one value of tint into another lighter or darker tint.
Grain - The direction in which most fibers are aligned.
Gravure - The process of printing from cylinders that contain cells that hold the ink for transfer to the substrate. In gravure color printing, each succeeding color is printed on a dry color, rather than one still wet as in letterpress and offset lithography.
Gray Balance - The proper amount of cyan, magenta, and yellow printing to produce a gray scale with no apparent dominant hue.
Gray Component Replacement (GCR) - A color separation process that uses the black printer for the neutral gray portion of any color. Instead of mixing cyan, magenta, and yellow to produce those grays, they are replaced with black ink. GCR deepens the shadows in an image that lacks depth. GCR replaces the grays with process black, unlike Under Color Removal (UCR) which reduces process colors in the neutral grays and adds black.
Gray Stabilization - Ability to maintain neutral gray balance during a color reproduction. The use of GCR helps to stabilize neutrals.
Grindoff - The approximately 1/8” (3mm) that is removed along the spine of gathered signatures before perfect binding.
Gripper Edge - The leading edge of a sheet which is held by the grippers on a printing press.
GripperMargin - The unprintable area of the paper where it is gripped as it passes through a printing press. Usually measures a half inch or less.
Grippers - Metal fingers that clamp onto the paper and control its flow as it passes through the press.
Gutter - The inside margin of a bound page. The blank space between two columns of text or image areas is also called “gutter.” Hairline Register - Register within plus or minus one-half row of dots.
Halftone - An image composed of tiny dots whose variations in size create the illusion of variations in tone. Traditionally, a halftone screen was used to convert a continuous tone image into a halftone; such screening is currently done electronically.
Hard Copy - A printed paper copy of output in readable form.
It is also a transparency film or photograph of an image displayed on the monitor.
Hard Dots - Second generation dots or laser-generated dots that have hard edges without any fringe.
Hard Proof - A color proof made on a substrate from production films or on a substrate directly from the stored pixel data. The latter is usually referred to as a digital hard proof, and a video proof as a digital soft proof.
Head - The top of a page or book.
Heatset - Web printing process whereby non-absorbent paper goes through the press and the ink is dried by heat.
Hickey - Spot on a printed sheet usually due to dust, lint or bits of paper.
High Fidelity Printing or Hi-Fi Printing - Describes a method of printing that expands the CMYK gamut’s range by adding extra colors known as extra-trinary colors. Several graphic arts vendors, including Pantone, have created extra trinary colorants that can be used to supplement the basic three (CMY) (see also “Enhanced Multi-color Printing”).
Highlight - The lightest area of a photograph that has the smallest or fewest dots when made into a halftone.
Holdout - A property of coated paper with low ink absorption which allows ink to set on the surface with high gloss. Too much holdout can cause ink to rub off or mark the next sheet.
House Sheet - Paper kept in stock by a printer and suitable for a wide variety of printing jobs.
Hue - The attribute of color that designates its dominant wave length and distinguishes it from other colors.
Imagesetter - A high-resolution laser output device that writes data on photosensitive paper or film. The data is processed by a RIP and can record halftones and line images as well as type.
Imposition - Laying out pages in a press form so that when the pages are printed and folded they will be in proper order.
Impression - One sheet passing once through the press.
Imprinting - To print new copy on a previously printed sheet, such as imprinting an employee’s name on business cards.
In-line - Components of a system arranged in a logical production sequence and in such a way that materials are automatically fed to the next component. An example would be a coating tower on a press to apply the lacquer or UV coating on the same pass as the color.
Ink Balance - Relationship of the densities and dot gain of process inks to each other and to a standard density of neutral gray.
Inkjet - A method of printing images using jets that squirt minuscule drops of ink onto a variety of surfaces.
Insert - A printed piece prepared for insertion into a publication or another printed piece.
Intaglio - Method of printing in which the image is etched below the non-printing surface. Gravure and engraving are the most common forms.
JDF - Job Definition Format, an XML-based specification for process automation in the printing and publishing industries.
Jog - To align the edges of a pile of paper by hitting or shaking against a flat surface.
K - Abbreviation for black in four-color process printing.
Kelvin - A unit of measure used to describe the color temperature of a light source, such as the 5000K standard viewing conditions.
Key Plate - Negative or plate that prints the most detail (usually black) and to which other plates are aligned.
Kilobyte - K, Kb or KB. A unit of measuring digital information which equals 1024 bytes.
Kiss Cut - To diecut the top layer but not the backing of self-adhesive paper.
Kiss Impression - Lightest possible impression that will transfer ink to a substrate.
Knock Out - To clear an area of absolutely every printing dot; or to outline an image and drop out all dots surrounding it.
Kraft Paper - Strong paper made with bleached or unbleached long fiber wood pulp. Used for grocery bags, envelopes, and wrapping paper.
Laminate - To bond a plastic film by heat and/or pressure to a printed sheet for protection and appearance.
Lap Register - Register where ink colors overlap slightly.
Layout - A drawing that gives the general appearance of the finished piece and usually indicates the relationship between illustrations and copy.
Leading - (ledd-ing) The linespace, or white space, between lines of copy measured in points.
Leaf - One sheet of paper in a publication. Each side of a leaf is one page.
Lenticular Printing - Lenticulars are flat images that appear to display depth, motion, or, in some cases, both. Lenticular printing is a specialized print process that can show depth, motion or a little of both. The lenticular material is made up of tiny ridges or lenses (hence the name “lenticular” printing). The printer takes multiple images and interlaces or weaves them together. When that woven image is printed to the back of the lenticular material, the lenses hide all but one image at a time. As the viewing angle changes, the images shown to your eye rotates to the next in the series. When a series of images are run before your eyes it creates animation.
Letterpress - Method of printing where the wrong-reading raised surface of a printing plate is inked and impressed directly onto paper.
Line Copy - High contrast images or type without shading which do not require halftone screening.
Lithography - Method of printing using plates whose image areas attract ink and whose non-image areas repel ink. The images are first printed onto a rubber blanket and then offset to paper.
LiveMatter - The vital parts or elements of a printed piece which must not be trimmed off.
Loupe - Lens built into a small stand. Used to inspect copy, film, proofs, plates and printing.
M- The abbreviation for magenta in the four-color process. Also the abbreviation for “one thousand.” Magenta - One of the three subtractive primary colors of process printing. It is commonly called “process red.” Makegood - The rerun of an ad or printed piece by a publisher or printer because of their error.
Makeready - The process of setting up and adjusting a printing press for a particular ink, paper, and set of printing conditions prior to a press run. Also, the paper used during these adjustments.
Margin - The blank space around the image area of a page, also referred to as a gutter.
Master - To etch pits (tracks) into the Glass Master (acts like a negative) from which a CD-ROM “stamper” is made.
Mastering/pressing CD-ROMs - Preparation of compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) discs from customer-supplied materials as alternative or value-added sales opportunity.
Mechanical - Complete pages, with text, line art, and crop marks in position, ready to be photographed or output to film.
Megabyte - Mb or MB. A unit of measure for digital data which is 1024 kilobytes or 1,048,576 bytes.
Metameric Colors - Colors that can change their perceived hue depending on the different lighting conditions.
Midtone - The tonal values of an image that fall midway between the highlight and shadow dots.
Moiré - Objectionable patterns that appear at regular frequencies when two or more screen patterns are placed over one another. May be caused by misalignment, incorrect screen angles, slipping or slurring.
Mottle - Spotty or speckled printing.
Negative - The film image of a completed page from which plates will be burned. The light and dark parts of the image are tonally reversed from the original copy.
Neutral Gray - Any level of gray from white to black with no apparent color cast or hue.
Non-heatset - Web printing process whereby porous paper goes through the press and the ink dries by absorption.
Oblong - A booklet or catalog bound along the shorter dimension.
Off-press Proof - A color proof that is similar in appearance to the finished printed product but is made without the aid of a printing press.
Offset Printing - Usually refers to offset lithography. The image prints by transferring ink from a plate to a rubber blanket that deposits the ink onto the substrate instead of directly from plate to paper.
Opacity - Characteristic of paper or other substrate that prevents print on one side from showing through to the other side. Also, the characteristic of ink that prevents the substrate from showing through.
Optical Gain - An effect caused by printing on a paper on which halftone dots appear larger than actual size, resulting in image degradation.
Outline Halftone - A photo reproduction in which the background around the primary subject has been removed.
Overlay Proof - Color proof which simulates the appearance of the printed piece. It consists of sheets of film dyed or pigmented with the color and image of each plate to be used in the print run. The film is stacked so it is in register and in the order the inks will be printed.
Overprint - To print over an area that has previously been printed.
Overrun - Copies printed and/or bound in excess of the specified quantity.
Packing - Paper used to underlay the image or impression cylinder in letterpress or the plate or blanket in lithography to get the proper squeeze and pressure for printing.
Page - One side of a leaf in a publication.
Page Makeup - The assembly of all elements to make up a page.
Pagination - Numbering pages in order. Also, the process of performing page makeup on a computer.
Palette - The collection of colors or shades available or used in a project, graphic system or program.
Pallet - a low, portable platform on which materials are stacked(see also “Skid”).
Panel - One page of a brochure on one side of the paper. A letter folded sheet has six panels.
Parallel Fold - A folding succession in which all folds are made parallel with each other.
Paste-up - Placing graphics and text in a mechanical either manually or electronically.
PDF - Abbreviation for Portable Document Format, a file format developed by Adobe Systems. PDF is a universal file format that preserves the fonts, images, graphics, and layout of any source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create it. Adobe PDF files are compact and complete, and can be shared, viewed, and printed by anyone with free Adobe Reader software. You can convert any document to Adobe PDF using Adobe Acrobat software products. There are also other vendors, like Global Graphics, who also market their own flavor of PDF.
Perfect Binding - Signatures that are folded and collated on top of one another, as opposed to saddlestitch binding in which the signatures are folded inside one another.
Perfecting Press - Press that prints on both sides of the paper during a single pass.
Pica - Unit of measure commonly used in typesetting and design. A pica is one-sixth of an inch.
Picking - The lifting of the paper surface during printing, leaving unprinted spots in image areas. This occurs when the pulling force (tack) of the ink is greater than the surface strength of the paper.
Pigment - The fine, solid particles used to give color, transparency or opacity to ink.
Piling - The building up or caking of ink on rollers, plates or blankets which will not transfer readily.
Pixel - Abbreviation for picture element. The separate elements of a bitmapped image on a video monitor or hardcopy output.
Pixel Swapping - A CEPS technique to exchange pixels from one area of a picture for pixels in another area. Example: a window may be removed from a brick building if one area of the brick wall is placed in that area of the picture. Using this technique, blemishes can be removed and objects can be added to the reproduction.
PMS - Acronym for Pantone Matching System®, a set of preprinted color patches used to choose and communicate color so exact matches can be obtained.
Point - Unit of measurement commonly used to specify type sizes. There are 12 points in a pica and 72 points in an inch.
Porosity - The property of paper that allows the permeation of air, an important factor in ink penetration.
Position Proof - A color proof that is made to verify that all the elements of the reproduction (text, graphics and pictures) are in the correct position and are in register with each other.
Preflight - Procedures used by a printing company to make sure that a customer’s digital files are correctly prepared for production.
Pre-master - To format a data file into the ISO 9660 format (which is the International Standard for CD-ROM), before the mastering process. The data file is then provided to the party responsible for the mastering process (see also “Master”).
Prepress - Camera work, color separating, stripping, platemaking, and other functions performed by the printer, separator or service bureau prior to the actual printing.
Prepress Proof - Any color proof made using inkjet, toner, dyes or overlays.
Press Check - When a customer is at the printing press in order to approve the job as it is printed.
Press Proof - A proof made on press using the ink and paper specified for the job.
Press Run - The actual running of the press to print the job following makeready. Also, the number of copies of a publication printed.
Price Break - Quantity at which unit cost of paper or printing drops.
Primary Colors - The colorants of a system used to reproduce the colors for the entire reproduction. Cyan, magenta, and yellow are subtractive primary colors while red, green, and blue are additive primary colors.
Printer’s Spread - Two facing pages in the order they will be printed, e.g. pages 1 and 4 and also 2 and 3 will be keylined together for a fourpage brochure.
Process Colors - The three colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow) plus black that are used in full-color printing.
Process Color Separation - In order to print full-color images, it is necessary to prepare four separate films or file records for each of the process colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). When the colors are overprinted, they combine to render a wide range of color. CMYK produces the widest range of color with the fewest inks when printing.
Process Inks - The ink colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow used to print color reproductions.
Progressive Proof - A set of proofs made with ink on paper from the actual plates to show the sequence of printing and the result after each additional color is applied. Also called progs.
Quadratone - Halftone image created by overprinting four different halftone screens of the same image with different tonal values.
Quartertone - Those dot percentages that are near the 25 percent printing dot size.
Quarto - Sheet folded twice, making pages one-fourth the size of the original sheet. A quarto makes an 8-page signature.
Quotation - Price offered by a printer to produce a specific job.
Ragged - Type that is not justified either on the right or left side.
Rag Paper - Paper containing a minimum of 25 percent rag or cotton fiber pulp.
Random Proof - A color proof consisting of many images ganged on one substrate and randomly positioned with no relation to the final page imposition. This is a cost-effective way to verify the correctness of completed scans prior to further stripping and color correction work. Also called scatter proof.
Raster - To convert mathematical and digital information into a series of dots by an imagesetter or recorder as digital data that will be used for output.
Reader’s Spread - Keylines of two facing pages in correct numerical order, e.g., pages 2 and 3.
Ream - 500 sheets of printing paper. Stacks and skids of paper often include slips of paper (ream markers) marking the division of the stack into reams.
Reflective Copy - Any painting, artwork or photograph (not a transparency) that reflects light off its surface.
RegisterMarks - Crosses or other designs that are placed outside the image area of a proof and press sheet to prevent elements of the job from being misaligned.
Registration - The correct positioning of one color over another during the printing process.
Relief Printing - Printing method whose image carriers are surfaces with two levels having inked areas higher than non-inked areas. Types include block printing, flexography, and letterpress.
Remote proofing - Digital transmission of a proof to a remote office or customer location for output and evaluation at the remote site.
Replicate - In the manufacturing of a CD-ROM, to mold the actual disc by injecting molten polycarbonate into the mold cavity (stamper), then quickly cool the plastic to harden it, a process which takes less than 15 seconds. After replication of the disc, art is printed onto the non-data side of the disc via screen process or offset printing.
Reprint - An ad which is printed and then sent to a magazine for insertion. Also refers to a reprint of ads supplied by the publication before the publication is issued.
Resolution - Sharpness of an image. Also quantification of laser print quality using number of dots or pixels per inch.
Reverse - Type, graphic or illustration produced by printing ink around its outline, thus allowing the underlying color or paper to show through and form the image. The image “reverses out” of the ink color. Also called knock out or liftout.
RGB - Red, green, and blue. The additive primaries which are used in video monitors.
Right-angle Fold - A folding succession in which each succeeding fold is made at right angles to the preceding one.
Right Reading - Copy that reads correctly in the language in which it is written. Also describes a photo whose orientation looks like the original image.
RIP - Abbreviation for raster image processing, a hardware and/or software system that translates page description commands into bitmaps for output.
Rosette Pattern - The desirable minute circle of dots that is formed when two or more process color screens are overprinted at their appropriate angle, screen ruling, and dot shape.
RRED - Right reading, emulsion side down.
Rule - A straight line of any thickness or a line used as a graphic element to separate or organize copy.
Run Around - Type that is made to fit around a picture or art.
Run of Paper (ROP) - Printing full color in newspaper but using the same paper and press as the balance of the newspaper. Or, Run of Press, which means to print an ad using a color that already appears on the same signature.
Saddlestitched - A form of binding that uses staple-shaped wires through the gutter fold; also called saddle-wired.
Sans Serif Type - Any type style that does not have cross strokes on the ends of the letters.
Scale - Calculate the amount a photo or an image object is to be reduced or enlarged.
Scanner - Electronic device used to digitize an image.
Score - To compress paper along a straight line so it folds more easily and accurately.
Screen Angles - Angles at which the halftone screens are placed with relation to one another to avoid undesirable moiré pattern. The most common angles are black 45°, magenta 75°, yellow 90° and cyan 105°.
Screen Printing - Method of printing by using a squeegee to force ink through an assembly of mesh fabric and a stencil.
Screen Ruling - Sometimes confused with resolution, screen ruling is the number of printing dots per inch or per millimeter on the exposed film. The screen ruling is a critical factor in determining the resolution need. The finer the screen ruling, the higher the resolution needs to be, due to the amount of information required to generate the printing dots.
Screen Tint - A halftone screen pattern of all the same size dots that creates an even tone.
Selective Binding - Placing signatures or inserts in magazines and catalogs according to demographic or geographic guidelines.
Self Cover - A cover made from the same paper as the inside text pages.
Serif Type - Any type style that has cross strokes on the ends of the letters.
Service Bureau - A business that provides manipulation and output of digital files, usually to a PostScript imagesetter.
Set-off - Ink from a printed sheet rubs off or marks the next sheet as it is being delivered. Also called offset.
Shadow - The darkest areas of an image or photograph; represented as the largest dots in a halftone.
Sharpen - Reducing the dot size in halftones or separations.
Sheetfed Press - A printing press that uses sheets of paper, rather than a continuous paper roll or web.
Sheetwise - To print one side of a sheet of paper with one form or plate, then turn the sheet over and print the other side with another form using the same gripper and side guide.
Shingling - A technique used to compensate for creep. The page width on a page is gradually narrowed from the outside pages to the middle pages of the signature.
Show-through - The undesirable condition in which the printing on the reverse side of a sheet can be seen through the sheet under normal lighting conditions.
Side Stitch - To bind by stapling through all sheets along one edge.
Signature - A group of pages brought together into proper sequential order and alignment after it has been folded.
Silhouette Halftone - A halftone with all of the background removed.
Sizing - Treatment of paper which gives it resistance to the penetration of liquids (particularly water) or vapors.
Skid - Wooden platform that supports piles of paper during shipping and storage. Skids usually accommodate from 2500 to 4000 pounds of paper (see also “Pallet”).
Slit - To cut printed sheets or webs into two or more sections by means of cutting wheels on a press or folder.
Slur - A smearing of ink that occurs in printing when there isn’t enough pressure on the blanket.
Soft Proof - A proof that is viewed on a color-calibrated video monitor as opposed to a hard proof on paper.
Solid - Any area of the sheet receiving 100 percent ink coverage.
Spine - The back of a bound book connecting the two covers. Also called backbone.
Spiral Bind - To bind using a spiral of continuous wire or plastic looped through holes. Also called coil bind.
Split Run - Different images, such as advertisements, printed or bound in different editions of a publication. Also, two or more binding methods used on the same print run.
Spooler - A device by which a computer can store data and feed it gradually to an external device, such as a printer, which is operating more slowly than the computer.
Spot Color - Individual color or colors that are utilized to highlight illustrations or type. Spot color is frequently printed with non-process color inks, although process inks can be used.
Spot Varnish - Varnish applied only to certain portions of a sheet to highlight those areas.
Spread - Two facing pages. Also, as part of spreads and chokes, spread is an image trapping technique meaning a slight photographic enlargement or spreading of the image that will print within the choked image. This combination of reducing the opening and enlarging the image creates a slight overlap when the images ultimately print, eliminating unwanted white spaces or gaps between the two images or image and background.
Square Halftone - A halftone that has four right-angle corners.
Standard Viewing Condition - An area surrounded by a neutral gray and illuminated by a light source of 5000K both for viewing transparencies and reflection prints. Large format transparencies should be surrounded by approximately 2-4 inches or 5-10 centimeters of white surround and should not be viewed with a dark surround.
Step-and-repeat - The procedure of exposing an image repeatedly in different places on the printing plate.
Stochastic Screening - A digital screening process that converts images into very small dots (14-40 microns) of equal size and variable spacing.
Stripping - The process of manually creating composite films and fully imposed flats for platemaking. Most of this work is now done electronically, bypassing the traditional artisan.
Substrate - Any surface on which printing is done.
Supercalender - A finishing device consisting of alternate metal and resilient rollers used to produce a smooth, thin sheet of paper.
SWOP - Abbreviation for the revised Specifications for Web-Offset Publications; a set of specifications for color separation films, files, and color proofing to insure the consistency of the printed color.
Tack - The amount of stickiness in printing inks that makes them adhere to the substrate while minimizing dot gain. Too much tack can cause surface picking.
Tear Sheet - Actual ad removed from a publication and sent to the advertiser, often with the invoice.
Terabyte - Tb or TB. Equal to approximately one billion kilobytes and often used to measure optical disk storage capacity.
Text - The body matter of a page or book as distinguished from the heading and art.
Thermography - A method of printing in which the image is coated with a resin which, when heated, results in the image being raised off the surface of the paper.
TIFF - Tagged Image File Format. A graphics and page layout file format for desktop computers. Used as an intermediary file format for both color and black and white images. TIFF is used to transfer documents between different applications and computer platforms.
Tile - A method used when a page is too large to be output in its entirety by the output device. The page is divided into pieces that allow for overlap so that it can be reassembled as a whole.
Tint - A solid color reduced either by screening or by adding white ink.
Also, a halftone of a specified dot percentage, but less than 100%.
Tonal Compression - The reduction of an original’s tonal range to a tonal range achievable though the reproduction process.
Tonal Range - The difference between the darkest shadow and brightest highlight in an image or printed reproduction.
Tone - The character of a color, its quality or lightness.
Tooth - A characteristic of paper, a slightly rough finish, which permits it to take ink readily.
Trade Shop - Service bureau, printer or bindery working primarily for other graphic arts professionals, not for the general public.
Transparency - Positive photographic image on film allowing light to pass through.
Transparent Ink - A printing ink which does not conceal the color beneath. Process inks are transparent so that they will blend to form other colors.
Trapping - A method of overlapping adjoining colors or inks that helps minimize the possibility of a fine white line appearing between two colors, caused by misregistration of color negatives.
Also, the ability to print a wet ink film over previously printed ink.
Trim - To cut the excess paper from the edges of a publication after it has been printed and bound.
Trim Marks - Marks on the outside of a keyline to indicate where the piece is to be cut.
Undercolor Addition (UCA) - A technique used to add cyan, magenta, and yellow printing dots in dark neutral areas of the reproduction to give them more density.
Undercolor Removal (UCR) - The technique of reducing the cyan, magenta, and yellow content in neutral areas of the reproduction and replacing them with black ink so the reproduction will appear normal but will use less ink to facilitate ink trapping.
Unit - One inking, plate, and impression station on a press.
A four-color press has four units.
UV Coating - Liquid applied to a printed sheet, then bonded and cured with ultraviolet light.
Value - The degree in a color or gray that varies from light to dark.
Variable Data - Any specific data that is not part of a page design and that varies from form to form or page to page.
Variable Data Printing - Digitally printing a file where each successive image may be different.
Variable Data Software - In printing, specifically digital printing, computer applications (either standalone or incorporated into prepress or printing systems) used to customize output. In other words, such software allows different data to be printed on successive pages utilizing a common page layout format.
Varnish - A thin, protective liquid coating applied to the printed sheet for protection or appearance.
Vignette - An illustration in which the background fades gradually away until it blends into the unprinted paper.
Virgin Paper - Paper made exclusively of new pulp from trees or cotton. No recycled materials are included.
Waterless Lithography - Water-free offset lithographic capability on a sheetfed or web press that allows ultrafine reproduction and improved, almost continuous-looking halftones.
Watermark - Translucent image in paper created during manufacture by slight embossing while paper is still approximately 90 percent water.
Web Press - A printing press that prints on paper from a continuous roll (web) and outputs it onto another roll, as a folded signature or as cut sheets.
Work and Tumble - To print one side of a sheet of paper, then turn the sheet over from gripper to back using the same side guide and plate to print the second side.
Work and Turn - To print one side of a sheet of paper, then turn the sheet over from left to right and print the second side. The same gripper and plate are used for printing both sides.
