A, B and C Paper Series: These refer to the different industry standards of paper sizes. Most countries follow this system so most paper sizes (e.g., A1, A2, A3, A4, etc.) are universal around the world.
Absorbency: How much liquid the paper can hold. Before you start printing, it’s worth checking the absorbency of your paper. If you use too much ink, the ink will seep through and make the paper look wet.
Accordion fold: A bindery term for two or more parallel folds that result in a sheet that opens like an accordion.
Acetate: A thin and flexible sheet of transparent plastic that’s often used to make overlays.
Adhesives: In print, adhesives are substances which are used to make things stick firmly together.
Aliasing: A defect which occurs when a graphic file does not have enough resolution to reproduce image detail and causes visible jagged lines along the edges.
Anti-aliasing: Technique of filling the edges of an object with pixels to eliminate jagged lines and make it appear smoother
Aqueous Coating: This clear coating is used to protect printed materials. It provides a high-gloss surface that deters dirt and fingerprints.
Art Paper: Paper that has a smooth glossy finish which is made by adding a special coating.
Artwork: The original physical materials, including photos, pictures, graphic images, text and other components needed to produce a printed piece. It also refers to the electronic or digital components needed for preparing a printed piece for production on a press or copier.
Barcodes: A method of representing data in a visual and a machine-readable form of information on a scannable, visual surface.
Bespoke Printing: A technique which isn’t restricted to certain printing products, materials or sizes. The technique is all about meeting a company’s needs to produce something truly unique which can’t be produced elsewhere.
Binding: Fastening sheets or sections into brochures or booklets using wire, thread, glue, staples, etc.
Blanket: The rubberized surfaced material secured onto a cylinder onto which the ink is transferred from the plate and then to the paper.
Bleed: Printing that goes beyond the edge of the final trim size.
Bond paper: Durable and lightweight paper commonly used for letterheads and business stationery.
Border: Margin or line between the image area and the edge of the paper.
Bulk: A term given to paper to describe its thickness relative to its weight.
C1S: Short for coating on one side of paper.
C2S: Short for coating on both sides of paper.
Caliper: Measurement of paper thickness expressed in thousandths of an inch.
Camera-ready copy: Print ready layout of graphic and text
Carbon-Balanced Paper: The simple way to reduce your carbon impact when printing and there’s very little or no cost to the end user.
Chemical Resistance: The extent to which printed materials will resist reacting with chemicals it comes into contact with – ensuring no damage is done.
Chrome: Color transparency
Coating: To reduce the risk of ink smudging after printing, a special liquid coating can be applied to the paper. It’s particularly beneficial for literature prints. To give the paper a smoother finish, a mineral coating is applied.
Collate: To gather sheets or printed signatures together in their correct order.
Color Balance: The relative amounts of process colors used to reproduce an image, either digitally or when printed on a press.
Color Bars: A color test strip that is printed on the waste portion of a press sheet. It helps to monitor and control the quality of the printed material relative to ink density, registration and dot gain.
Color filter: Filters used in color separation
Color key: A printer’s proof made from 4 acetate or transparent films of various colors, one sheet per process color, which when combined simulates the finished product
Color Separation: The processes of separating the primary color components (CMYK) for printing.
Color Sequence: The order in which process inks are printed on a printing press. Also called the color rotation or laydown sequence.
Colorimeter: A light sensitive device used for measuring color with an exact response similar to the human eye.
Comb bind: A method of binding by inserting a plastic comb through holes along the side or edge of a stack of pages
Composite film: Combination of two or more images on one or more films
Computer-to-Plate (CTP): A technology that enables transfer of digital data directly to a metal plate for printing, eliminating the use of conventional films.
Contrast: The degree of tonal separation or gradation in the range from black to white.
Creep: It refers to the moving or shift that happens to the margins in a document when pages are folded during the finishing process of a booklet.
Crop: To reduce the size of an image.
Crop Marks: Small printed lines around the edges of a printed piece indicating where it is to be cut out of the sheet. Sometimes referred to as cut marks.
Crossover: Printing across the gutter or from one page to the facing page of a publication.
Cure: The process of drying inks or coatings through chemical processes to develop strong adhesion.
Damping: The process where the lithographic plate on a lithography printer has to have water applied before printing.
Deboss: To press an image into paper with a die so it extends below the surface. The opposite of emboss where the image is raised above the paper surface.
Die: Metal plate cut for impressing a design or image on paper
Die-cut: A process of cutting paper in a shape or design using metal dies. The Die is a razor-sharp steel blade that allows multiple pieces of the same shape to be made in an efficient and uniform manner.
Digital Printing: Using lasers, digital printing is a fast-printing method and commonly used in offices and at home. It’s ideal for quick and small-scale jobs.
Dot: The smallest individual element of a halftones; also referred to as a “pixel”
Dot Gain or spread: To print a single area on the sheet twice so it has two layers of ink. Usually done on soild ink areas to increase the smoothness and/or density. It means the spread of ink on paper.
Dots Per Inch (DPI): A measurement of resolution of a screen image or printed image defined by the number of dots that fit horizontally and vertically into one inch.
Double burn: Exposing a printing plate to multiple images
Draw-down: A method of applying a thin coating or ink on paper to roughly determine color
Drop-out: Parts of artwork that are not reproduced
Dummy: Before printing a large quantity, it’s the norm to print a ‘dummy’ to show the customer an example of the finished product as a preliminary layout.
Duotone: A halftone image made up of two colors
Duplexing: The ability of a press to print on both sides of a sheet of paper
Dust Jacket: A detachable outer dust wrapper around the front and back of a book, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations.
Dye-Sublimation: Rather than putting color onto the material, dye-sublimation changes the color of the material instead.
Elasticity: This is the term used for when a printed product doesn’t lose its shape when it’s opened.
Embossing: The molding and reshaping of paper by the use of special metal dies and heat, counter dies and pressure, to produce a raised image on the paper surface.
Emulsion: Photosensitive sensitive coating on printing plates and film.
Encapsulated Postscript File (EPS): An Adobe graphic file format for high resolution images; it translates graphic and text into code that tells a printer to print in the highest resolution possible and also has low resolution view files for quick screen viewing.
Endpapers: Used to protect the valuable text at the beginning and end of a book and quite literally holds the book together.
Feeder: Equipment used to ‘feed’ or supply the paper into the printer in the correct position for printing.
Finishing: The finishing touches of a print (for example, cutting the crop lines and adding protective gloss).
Flexography: A printing method using flexible plates where the image to be printed is higher than the non-printing areas. Flexographic printing uses a flexible relief plate to print and this process prints letters and small texts – popularly used for labels.
Flood: To cover a page completely with ink or varnish
Flop: The backside of an image
Foil: A thin metal applied to paper used in foil stamping and foil embossing
Folds: With fold variations as concertina, gate, closed gate and French, folds can give you different options for presenting your documents.
Font: The font refers to the style of letters used in the print.
Four over Four (4/4): A print job with four color printing on both sides of the paper
Four over One (4/1): A print job with four color printing on the front side and one color (usually black) on the back side
Four over Zero (4/0): A print job with four color printing on the front side and no printing on the back side
Ganging: The combining of two or more different printing projects on the same sheet of paper.
Ghosting: Also known as gloss ghosting. On a printed image, another lighter image in the same print is called ghosting because of the lighter, ghostly finish.
Gloss: Shiny coating applied to paper
Grain: The direction in which the fibers of a paper lie
Graphic Design: The use of visual elements to express a message
Grayscale: Strip of grey values ranging from white to black, it contains shades of grey and is used for reproducing images.
Gripper: Special grips inside printers that hold the paper in place during print.
Guillotine: A sharp blade used to cut and trim printed paper accurately.
Halftone: Using small dots to produce the impression of a continuous-tone image. The effect is achieved by varying the dot size and the number of dots per square inch. Hardness: This is a term used for when the quality or the condition of a printed product remains ‘hard.’ So, the quality doesn’t deteriorate the more it’s used.
Hickey: An accidental imperfection mark that appears on a finished printing product; it may be caused by dust or issues with the ink.
Imposition: The arrangement of pages in a sequence which reads consecutively when the printed sheet is folded.
Impression: The pressure of a printing press on paper; image caused by pressure of a press plate on paper
Indicia: An image and/or text pre-printed on mailing envelopes in place of a stamp.
Ink Set-Off: Ink that is unintentionally transferred from a printed sheet to the back of the sheet above it when the materials have been printed and are stacked in a pile.
Interleaves: Printed pages loosely inserted in a publication, typically blank.
Jog: To vibrate a stack of finished pages so that they are tightly aligned for final trimming or binding.
Kerning: The narrowing of space between two letters so that they become closer and take up less space on the page.
Keyline: An outline drawing to show the exact size and position of an artwork.
LED UV: LED UV is a print technique which provides a high-end finish. Inks are mixed to perfection and pressed onto the stock (paper, card, etc.). This then gets blasted under LED lights to dry it quickly. This helps keep colors sharper and speeds up the whole printing process.
Line copy: Any copy that can be reproduced without the use of a halftone screen.
Lines per inch (LPI): The number of lines of dots per inch in a halftone screen; the higher the LPI., the sharper the image.
Lithography: The process of printing that utilizes flat or curved inked surfaces to create the printed images.
Lock Bound: Often used for publications that need to be durable, an adhesive it pushed between the perforations during the binding process. it’s a stronger way to bound a book to ensure longevity.
Logotype: A personalized type or design symbol for a company or product.
Lux Paper: A stock which suits classic products. This material is an ultra-thick, triple-layered card which features a signature-colored core running through the center layer.
Metallic Ink: Made with powdered metal or pigments that reflect to make text look metallic. The most common colors used are silver and gold.
Monochrome: An image in black and white or varying tones of only one color (for example, different shades of green – green, lime, pear, pine, etc.)
Negative: A film in which the white areas of the original image appear black and the black areas appear white.
Opacity: Quality of papers that defines its opaqueness or ability to prevent two-sided printing from showing through.
Offset Lithography or Offset Printing: A common printing process in which the image to be printed is transferred from a metal plate to a rubber blanket onto paper.
Offsetting: Transfer of ink or impression from one page to the opposite page.
Original: Before you can start any printing work, the printing press will need the ‘original’ – which is the original image you wish to produce.
Overprinting: Any printing that is done on an area that has already been printed.
Overrun: Production of larger quantities than ordered.
Pantone Color: A universal color language that designers, printing companies and brand owners use. This helps the right color to be achieved again and again.
Paper-Over-Board: These are hardcovers that take a more designed approach, allowing for more creativity when it comes to textures and illustrations.
Perforation: Process of making holes or a series of cuts to make tearing or folding easy.
PPI: Pages or pixels per inch.
Print Blemishing: If printed using an unsuitable or outdated printing technique, materials can feature small marks of flaws which spoils the overall appearance or quality.
Process Colors: The process colors are cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The printer combines these base colors to create different colors.
Proofing: The best way to avoid expensive mistakes in printing. It’s important to pay close attention to the proofs you receive to ensure the design, copy and color has no errors.
PUR Binding: This refers to a softcover book binding method that uses Polyurethane Reactive (PUR) adhesive, which creates clean and perfect edges.
Raster: To render an image, pixel by pixel, vertically and horizontally.
Raster Image Processor (RIP): A device that translates data into dots or pixels
Ream: 500 sheets of paper.
Reel: A continuous length of paper wrapped around a cylinder is commonly referred to as a reel of paper.
Register: Any crossmarks or other symbols used on a press sheet to assure proper registration.
Resolution: Refers to the number of pixels an image expressed in pixels per inch (ppi) or dots per inch (dpi); the higher the number, the sharper the image.
RGB: The color space of Red, Green and Blue which computers use to display images on your screen. An RGB computer file must be translated into CMYK to be printed accurately.
Rotogravure Printing: This printing process uses an engraved rotating roll that rolls the image onto the paper. Rotogravure is used for printing magazines and newspapers.
Ruleup: A map or drawing showing how a printing job must be imposed with a specific press and sheet size; also called Press Layout
Runnability: How quickly a printer can ‘run’ without making any mistakes is often referred to as a printer’s runnability.
Satin Finish: A smooth and soft finish over the paper.
Scanner: An instrument used to make color separations; also an instrument to scan images or photos in desktop publishing
Score: A mark or crease pressed on paper to make folding easier
Scoring: To crease paper with a metal rule for the purpose of making folding easier.
Scratch Resistance: Depending on the technique used, it can be difficult to scratch or cause damage to products because the physical properties will have been dramatically improved.
Screen Printing: With screen printing, a fine mesh is used to transfer an image onto another material. It’s useful for printing logos onto clothes and printing fabric banners.
Silk Paper: Silk paper is a stock which has a low surface sheen and provides excellent ink-to-paper contrast. Colors appear a lot brighter and more defined when printed on, making it a better choice for readability.
Solvent Evaporation: During a drying process, the liquid parts of the ink evaporate depending on the print technology used. If solvents are evaporated, the pigments remain in place.
Spot Color: This is achieved by actually mixing ink into the desired color you want in your print project, as opposed to using the CMYK process to achieve it.
Spot Varnish: A way of highlighting a certain area of a page by selectively applying a varnish to it.
Stock: A term for unprinted material. This is what’s receiving your printed images and content. It can be paper, card, foil or whatever. It can also massively alter the impact of printed pieces.
Tagged Image File Format (.TIFF): A standard graphic image file format often used for storing high resolution images that can easily handle up to 24 bits of photographic image color.
Thread-sewn: A very strong binding which ideal for high-quality, long-lasting publications and those that need to be opened flat, without splitting along the spine.
Tint: A halftone screen that contains all the same sized dots, or a diluted variation of a full strength color.
Transparency: This refers to images or text that aren’t completely opaque. Just make sure to flatten your transparency and spot color to CMYK to avoid issues when printing.
Trim: This is the line cut to produce the finished size. The trim cuts through the bleed area to ensure a continuous and sharp edge around a design.
Typesetting: To arrange or layout artwork and text for printing
Typo: A spelling mistake in the printed text material.
Typography: Everything related to the text on the printed product. Your printer will want to know the layout of your text, along with color and style.
Uncoated: Paper with no treatment or coating on the surfaceProduction of fewer copies than ordered by customer
UV coating: Liquid glossy coating applied to paper’s surface and cured with ultraviolet light
UV Light: UV light is a form of radiation which isn’t visible to the human eye, it’s in an invisible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. In LED UV printing technology, this light is what instantly dries the ink.
UV Curing: A drying method which uses light instead of heat. It’s a photochemical process where the high-intensity UV light instantly cures or dries inks, coatings and adhesives.
UV Varnish: A thin coating which is applied to a printed sheet for protection and appearance. It’s dried immediately by UV light.
Varnish: A clear coating added to printed material as a protective layer for improved scuff resistance and usually higher gloss.
Vignette: A photo or illustration, in which the tones fade gradually away until they blend with the background they are printed on.
Watermark: A translucent mark or image that is embossed during the papermaking process, or printed onto paper, which is visible when the paper is held up to the light.
Web: The roll of printing paper used in web or rotary printing.
Web press: A printing press that prints on rolls of paper passed through the press in one continuous piece, as opposed to individual sheets of paper.
Work and Tumble: The process of printing one side of the paper and then turning the paper over to print the other side. The paper has to be precisely aligned to ensure continuity and accuracy.
Work and Turn: A printing production format that has the front and back of a printed piece on one side of the paper, that is then printed the same on the back side, producing two copies of the piece.
