FAQs - Glossary of Printing Terms
Back Up:
Printing the second side of a sheet already printed on one side.
Banding:
A method of packaging printed pieces of paper using rubber, plastic, or paper bands. This term can also be applied to a gradation that "breaks" or does not transition smoothly.
Basis Weight:
Weight in pounds of a ream of paper cut to the basic size for its grade.
Bind:
To fasten sheets or signatures with wire, thread, glue, or by other means.
Bindery:
A department of a print shop or firm specializing in finishing printed products.
Blanket:
The thick rubber mat on a printing press that transfers ink from the plate to paper.
Bleed:
Printing that goes to the edge of the sheet after trimming.
Bond Paper:
Strong durable paper grade used for letterheads.
Break For Color:
Also known as a color break. To separate mechanically or by software the parts to be printed in different colors.
Brightness:
The brilliance or reflectance of paper.
Bulk:
Thickness of paper stock in thousandths of an inch or number of pages per inch.
Bulk Pack:
Boxing printed product without wrapping or banding.
Butt:
Joining images without overlapping.
Caliper:
Paper thickness in thousandths of an inch.
Cast Coated:
Coated paper with a high gloss reflective finishing.
CMYK:
Color value system. CMYK stands for Cyan (Blue); Magenta (Red); Yellow (Yellow); and BlacK (Black). 48HourPrint.com uses these color values in printing customer orders.
Coated Paper:
Clay coated printing paper with a smooth finish.
Collate:
A finishing term for gathering paper in a precise order.
Color Bar:
A quality control term regarding the spots of ink color on the lead edge of a sheet.
Color Correction:
Methods of improving color separations.
Color Matching System:
A system of formulated ink colors used for communicating color also know as pantone matching system.
Color Separations:
The process of preparing artwork, photographs, transparencies, or computer generated art for printing by separating into the four primary printing colors.
Continuous-Tone Copy:
Illustrations, photographs or computer files that contain gradient tones from black to white or light to dark.
Contrast:
The tonal change in color from light to dark.
Copy:
All furnished material or disc used in the production of a printed product.
Cover Paper:
A heavy printing paper used to cover books, make presentation folders, etc.
Crop:
To cut off parts of a picture or image.
Crop Marks:
Printed lines showing where to trim a printed sheet.
Cyan:
One of four standard process colors (Blue).
Densitometer:
A quality control devise to measure the density of printing ink. Also measures Dot Gain; Trap; Hue; and Grayness dot size.
Density:
The degree of an ink color or darkness of an image or photograph.
Die:
Metal rule or imaged block used to cut or place an image on paper in the finishing process.
Die Cutting:
Cutting shapes in or out of paper.
Dot:
An element of halftones. Using a loupe you will see that printed pictures are made up of many dots.
Dot Gain or Spread:
A term used to explain the difference in size between the dot on plate to paper.
DPI:
Dots per inch. 48HourPrint.com requires images to be at least 300DPI to create a print ready file.
Draw Down:
A sample of ink and paper used to evaluate ink colors.
Dummy:
A rough layout of a printed piece showing position and finished size.
Duotone:
A halftone picture made up of two printed colors.
Emulsion:
Light sensitive coating found on printing plates.
Facsimile Transmission:
The process of converting graphic images into electronic signals.
Flood:
To cover a printed page with ink, varnish, or plastic coating.
Flop:
The reverse side of an image.
Four-Color-Process:
The process of combining the four primary colors to create a printed color picture or colors composed from the basic four colors.
French Fold:
Two folds at right angles to each other.
Gang:
Getting the most out of a printing press by using the maximum sheet size to print multiple images or jobs on the same sheet.
Generation:
Stages of reproduction from original copy. A first generation reproduction yields the best quality.
Ghosting:
A faint printed image that appears on a printed sheet where it was not intended. Chemical ghosting occurs when the gasses emitted from the drying ink migrate through the substrate and show as a light image in the opposite side printing. Mechanical ghosting occurs when there is a white shape on the press sheet followed by an heavy solid. This transfers ink to the trailing image creating a ghost effect of the lead image.
Gloss:
A shiny look reflecting light.
Grain:
The direction in which the paper fibers lie.
Grippers:
The metal fingers on a printing press that holds the paper as it passes through the press.
Hairline:
A very thin line or gap about the width of a hair or 1/100-inch.
Halftone:
Converting a continuous tone to dots for printing.
Hard Copy Proof:
A photographic proof used to check position of all image elements.
Hickey:
Reoccurring unplanned spots that appear in the printed image from dust, lint, dried ink.
High-Bulk Paper:
A paper made thicker than its standard basis weight.
Highlight:
The lightest areas in a picture or halftone.
Image Area:
Portion of paper on which ink can appear.
Imaged:
Exposing a printing plate to high intensity light or placing an image on a printing plate by light.
Imposing:
The positioning of jobs on a flat prior to plate making.
Imposition:
Positioning printed pages so they will fold in the proper order.
Impression:
Putting an image on paper.
Indicia:
Postal stamp information place on a printed product for mailing purposes.
Ink Fountain:
The reservoir on a printing press that holds the ink.
Kiss Die Cut:
To cut the top layer of a pressure sensitive sheet and not the backing.
Knock Out:
To mask out an image.
Laid Finish:
Simulating the surface of handmade paper.
Laminate:
To cover with film, to bond or glue one surface to another.
Line Copy:
High contrast copy not requiring a halftone.
Lines Per Inch:
The number of rows of dots per inch in a halftone.
Loupe:
A magnifying glass used to review a printed image and plate.
Magenta:
One of the four basic primary colors (Red).
Makeready:
All the activities required to prepare a press for printing.
Matte Finish:
Dull paper or ink finish.
Micrometer:
Instrument used to measure the thickness of different papers.
Middle Tones:
The tones in a photograph that are approximately half as dark as the shadow area.
Moiré:
Occurs when screen angles are wrong causing odd patterns in photographs.
Negative:
The image on film that makes the white areas of originals black and black areas white.
Offsetting:
An intermediate surface used to transfer ink. Also, an unpleasant happening when the images of freshly printed sheets transfer images to each other.
Offset Paper:
Term for uncoated book paper.
OK Sheet:
Final approved color-inking sheet before production begins.
Opacity:
The amount of show-through on a printed sheet. The more opacity or the thicker the paper the less show-through. The thicker/heavier the paper the higher the cost.
Outline Halftone:
Removing the background of a picture or silhouetting an image in a picture.
Overrun or Overs:
Copies printed in excess of the specified quantity. Printing trade terms allow for + - 10 % to represent a completed order.
Page Count:
Total number of pages in a book including blanks.
Perfect Bind:
A type of binding that glues the edge of sheets to a cover like a telephone book, software manual, or magazine.
Perfecting Press:
A sheet fed printing press that prints both sides of a sheet in one pass.
Picking:
Occurs as the surface of a sheet lifts off during printing.
Plate Gap:
Gripper space. The area where the grippers hold the sheet as it passes through the press.
PMS:
The abbreviated name of the Pantone Color Matching System.
Point:
For paper, a unit of thickness equaling 1/1000 inch. For typesetting, a unit of height equaling 1/72 inch.
PostScript:
The computer language most recognized by printing devices.
Pressure-Sensitive Paper:
Paper material with self sticking adhesive covered by a backing sheet.
Process Blue:
The blue or cyan color in process printing.
Process Colors:
Cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow (yellow), and black (black).
Ragged Left:
Type that is justified to the right margin and the line lengths vary on the left.
Rasterize:
Flattens the layers of an image in a print file.
Ream:
Five hundred sheets of paper.
Reflective Copy:
Copy that is not transparent.
Register:
To position print in the proper position in relation to the edge of the sheet and to other printing on the same sheet.
Register Marks:
Cross-hair lines or marks on plates and paper that guide strippers, platemakers, pressmen, and bindery personnel in processing a print order from start to finish.
RGB:
A color value system. RGB stands for Red; Green; and Blue. 48HourPrint.com converts all submitted RGB files into CMYK.
Rip Film:
A method of making printing negatives from PostScript files created by desktop publishing. RIP equals Raster Image Processing of files to print.
Saddle Stitch:
Binding a booklet or magazine with stitches in the seam where it folds.
Scanner:
Device used to make color separations, halftones, duo tones and tri tones. Also a device used to scan art, pictures or drawings in desktop publishing.
Score:
A crease put on paper to help it fold better.
Screen Angles:
The angles at which halftone, duo tones, tri tones, and color separation printing films are placed to make them look right.
Self-Cover:
Using the same paper as the text for the cover.
Shadow:
The darkest areas of a photograph.
Show-Through:
Printing on one side of a sheet that can be seen on the other side of the sheet.
Side Guide:
The mechanical register unit on a printing press that positions a sheet from the side.
Side Stitch:
Binding by stitching along one side of a sheet.
Signature:
A sheet of printed pages which when folded become a part of a book or publication.
Silhouette Halftone:
A term used for an outline halftone.
Skid:
A pallet used for a pile of cut sheets.
Specifications:
A precise description of a print order.
Spine:
The binding edge of a book or publication.
Spoilage:
Planned paper waste for all printing operations.
Spot Varnish:
Varnish used to highlight a specific part of the printed sheet.
Step Sheets:
Paper sheets that are all different sizes and when placed together they diminish in size by an inch per sheet to make the appearance of “stepped sheets.”
Stock:
The material to be printed.
Substrate:
Any surface on which printing is done.
Text Paper:
Grades of uncoated paper with textured surfaces.
Tints:
A shade of a single color or combined colors.
Transparency:
A positive photographic slide allowing light to pass through.
Transparent Copy:
A film that light must pass through for it to be seen or reproduced.
Transparent Ink:
A printing ink that does not conceal the color under it.
Trapping:
The ability to print one ink over the other.
Trim Marks:
Similar to crop or register marks. These marks show where to trim the printed sheet.
Trim Size:
The final size of one printed image after the last trim is made.
Under-Run:
Production of fewer copies than ordered.
U.V. Coating:
Liquid laminate bonded and cured with ultraviolet light.
Varnish:
A clear liquid applied to printed surfaces for looks and protection.
Vector:
Two-dimensional artwork such as Illustrator; Free Hand; & Corel Draw. More editable, it can resize shapes.
Vignette Halftone:
A halftone whose background gradually fades to white or black.
Wash-Up:
Removing printing ink from a press, washing the rollers and blanket. Certain ink colors require multiple wash-ups to avoid ink and chemical contamination.
Waste:
A term for planned spoilage.
Watermark:
A distinctive design created in paper at the time of manufacture that can be easily seen by holding the paper up to a light.
With The Grain:
Folding or feeding paper into the press or folder parallel to the grain of the paper.
Work and Tumble:
Printing one side of a sheet and turning it over from the gripper to the tail to print the second side using the same side guide and plate for the second side.
Work and Turn:
Printing one side of a sheet and turning it over from left to right using the same side guides and plate for the second side.
Wove Paper:
A paper having a uniform unlined surface with a smooth finish.