Printing Informations / Glossary

Artwork - All original copy, including type, photos and illustrations, intended for printing. Also called art. Binding - Usually in the book arena, but not exclusively, the joining of leafs or signatures together with either wire, glue or other means. Bleed - Printing that extends to the edge of a sheet or page after trimming. A bleed occurs when your design allows the ink to the very edge of the paper you are printing on. Border - The decorative design or rule surrounding matter on a page. Close Size - This is the  size of your piece that you are printing, before folding. CMYK - Abbreviation for cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), the four process colors. Coated Paper- Paper with an outer layer of coating applied to one or both sides. Coated papers are available in a variety of finishes, like gloss, dull and matte. They tend to have good ink holdout and minimal dot gain, which can be especially important for recreating sharp, bright printed images, black and white halftones, and four color process images. The smooth surface of coated papers also helps to reflect light evenly. Cover - Thick paper that protects a publication and advertises its title. Parts of covers are often described as follows: Cover 1=outside front; Cover 2=inside front; Cover 3=inside back, Cover 4=outside back. Crop Mark - Lines near the edges of an image indicating portions to be reproduced. Also called cut marks and tic marks. Cyan - One of the four process colors. Also known as process blue. Die Cut - To cut irregular shapes in paper or paperboard using a die. Digital Proof - Page proofs produced through electronic memory transferred onto paper via laser or ink-jet. DPI - Considered as "dots per square inch," a measure of output resolution in relationship to printers, imagesetters and monitors. Emboss - To press an image into paper so it lies above the surface. EPS - Encapsulated Post Script, a known file format usually used to transfer post script information from one program to another. Film - The traditional "middle-man" in the process of creating printing plates. Digital files or "stipped" manual pages would first be exposed onto film. The film would then be used to photomechanically create the printing plate. Finishing - (1) Surface characteristics of paper. (2) General term for trimming, folding, binding and all other post press operations. Format - Size, style, shape, layout or organization of a layout or printed product. Four Process Color- Technique of printing that uses black, magenta, cyan and yellow to simulate full-color images. Also called color process printing, full color printing and process printing. Gate Fold - A sheet that folds where both sides fold toward the gutter/center in overlapping layers. Gloss - Consider the light reflecting on various objects in the printing industry (e.g., paper, ink, laminates, UV coating, varnish). Grammage - Basis weight of paper in grams per square meter (gsm). Graphic Design- Arrangement of type and visual elements along with specifications for paper, ink colors and printing processes that, when combined, convey a visual message. Hole - Punching or drilling to allow for insertion to a  binder or other use. . Impression - (1) Referring to an ink color, one impression equals one press sheet passing once through a printing unit. (2) Referring to speed of a press, one impression equals one press sheet passing once through the press. K - Abbreviation for black in four-color process printing. Hence the 'K' in CMYK. Kraft Paper - Strong paper used for wrapping and to make grocery bags and large envelopes. Laminate- A thin transparent plastic sheet (coating) applied to usually a thick material (covers, post cards, etc.) providing protection against liquid and heavy use, and usually accents existing color, providing a glossy (or lens) effect. Landscape - Artist style in which width is greater than height. (Portrait is opposite.) Layout - A sample of the original providing (showing) position of printed work (direction, instructions) needed and desired. Magenta - One of the four process colors. . Masking - To prevent light from reaching part of an image, therefore isolating the remaining part. Also called knock out. Matt Finish - Flat (not glossy) finish on photographic paper or coated printing paper. Mockup - A reproduction of the original printed matter and possibly containing instructions or direction. Offset Printing - Printing technique that transfers ink from a plate to a blanket to paper instead of directly from plate to paper. Opacity - (1) Characteristic of paper or other substrate that prevents printing on one side from showing through the other side. (2) Characteristic of ink that prevents the substrate from showing through. Also known as transparency. Open Size - This is the  size of your piece that you are printing, after unfold. Panel - One page of a brochure, such as one panel of a rack brochure. One panel is on one side of the paper. A letter-folded sheet has six panels, not three. Perfect Bind - To bind sheets that have been ground at the spine and are held to the cover by glue. Also called adhesive bind, cut-back bind, glue bind, paper bind, patent bind, perfecting bind, soft bind and soft cover. Perforating - Taking place on a press or a binder machine, creating a line of small dotted wholes for the purpose of tearing-off a part of a printed matter (usually straight lines, vertical or horizontal). Plate - Piece of paper, metal, plastic or rubber carrying an image to be reproduced using a printing press. Portrait - An art design in which the height is greater than the width. (Opposite of Landscape.) Positive Film - Film that prevents light from passing through images, as compared to negative film that allows light to pass through. Also called knockout film. Prepress - Camera work, color separations, stripping, platemaking and other prepress functions performed by the printer, separator or a service bureau prior to printing. Also called preparation Process Color - The colors used for four-color process printing: yellow, magenta, cyan and black. RGB - Abbreviation for red, green, blue, the additive color primaries. Saddle Stitch - To bind by stapling sheets together where they fold at the spine, as compared to side stitch. Also called pamphlet stitch, saddle wire, stapler bind and stitch bind. Separations - Usually in the four-color process arena, separate film holding qimages of one specific color per piece of film. Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. Can also separate specific PMS colors through film. Template - Concerning a printing project's basic details in regard to its dimensions. A standard layout. Trim Size - The size of the printed material in its finished stage. UV Coating - Liquid applied to a printed sheet, then bonded and cured with ultraviolet light. Watermark - Translucent logo in paper created during manufacturing by slight embossing from a dandy roll while paper is still approximately 90 percent water.

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