Printing Glossary

This glossary of printing terms was created by the talented and dedicated professionals that make the PacBlue Printing Team. We believe it might help you when placing your printing order or working with a creative design team. 

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

A

Accordion fold
A term used in the binding process when two or more parallel folds open like an accordion.

Air
Amount of white space in a layout.

Align
To line up type or graphic material, using a base or vertical line as a reference guide.

Alteration
Change in copy of specifications after production has begun.

Artwork
A general term used to describe photographs, drawings, paintings, hand lettering, and the like prepared to illustrate printed matter.

Author's corrections (ACs)
Corrections; and knowing who generated them is important. Also known as "AC's". ACs refers to changes or addition in copy after it has been typeset.

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B

Back up
Printing the second side of a sheet already printed on one side.

Banner
As opposed to a large printed poster, this term refers to a large headline or title extending across the full page width.

Bind
To secure sheets with staples, thread, glue or using other means.

Bindery
The department of a print shop or firm specializing in binding and finishing printed products.

Bleed
An extra amount of printed image which extends beyond the trim edge of the page.

Blind embossing
Pressing an image into paper without using ink or foil. Generally, this creates an uplifted image.

Blueline
A photographic proof that is used to check position of all image elements.

Bond paper
Strong durable paper grade used for letterheads and business forms.

Brightness
The reflectiveness or brightness of paper.

Bulk packing
Packaging printed materials without wrapping or banding.

Burn
Exposing a printing plate to high intensity light.

Butt
Butting images together, or joining them without overlapping.

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C

Camera-ready copy
Artwork or pasted-up material that is ready for production.

Caption
Also called a cutline. Text that identifies a picture.

Chrome
A term for a transparency.

CMYK
CMYK stands for Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and Black. 'K' represents black rather than 'B' so that it isn't confused with blue. CMYK is the standard for full colour printing.

Coated paper
A clay-coated printing paper with a smooth finish. Surfaces vary from eggshell to glossy.

Collate
A finishing term for organizing paper or pages in a specific order.

Colour bar
A quality control term that refers to the spots of ink Colour on the tail of a sheet.

Colour correction
A process that occurs to improve Colour separations.

Colour key
Colour proofs that are done in layers, so that each one can be checked overlaying the others.

Colour matching system
A system of formulated ink Colours used for communicating Colour.

Colour separations
The process of preparing artwork for printing by separating into the four primary printing Colours.

Comb bind
A comb-like plastic binding inserted into punched holes.

Composite film
Combining two or more images on one or more pieces of film.

Contrast
The tonal change in Colour from light to dark.

Copy
Content that is used to produce the printed project.

Cover paper
A heavy printing paper.

Crop
To edit off parts of a picture or image.

Crop marks
Printed lines showing where to trim a printed sheet.

Crossover
Printing across the gutter or from one page to the facing page of a publication.

Cyan
One of four standard process Colours. The blue Colour.

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D

Density
The degree of Colour 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
The process of using sharp steel rules to cut special shapes for labels, boxes and containers, from printed sheets.

Dot
An element of halftones. Using a loupe you will see that printed pictures are made many dots.

Dots per inch (dpi)
DPI stands for dots per inch. The more dots per inch, the higher quality your image will be. Don't go higher than 300-400 dpi though because more dpi also means bigger files and longer transfer time. Also stay away from under 300 dpi. Images found online are commonly viewed at 72 dpi, and they aren't meant to be printed. For optimum results, make sure your image is at 300 dpi resolution.

Dummy
A rough layout of a printed piece showing final size and image and copy locations.

Duotone
A half-tone picture made up of two printed Colours.

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E

Emboss
Pressing an image into paper so that it will create a raised relief.

Emulsion
Light sensitive coating found on printing plates and film.

F

Flop
The reverse side of an image.

Foil
A metallic or pigmented coating on plastic sheets or rolls used in foil stamping and foil embossing.

FTP
File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, allows computers to speak to each other. FTP is used to make files available for transfer over the Internet. Anyone with access to the internet can use FTP. In some cases you may need network access and/or username and password information. The primary benefit of FTP, as opposed to E-Mail, is the size/speed at which files can be sent and received.

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G

Galley proof
Text copy, usually for proofing, prior to it being put into a mechanical layout or desktop layout.

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.

Gloss
A shiny look reflecting light.

Grain
The direction of the paper fibers.

Grippers
The metal fingers on a printing press that hold the paper as it passes through the press.

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H

Hairline
A very thin line, border or gap about the width of a hair or 1/100 inch.

Halftone
Converting a continuous tone to dots for printing.

Hard copy
The output of a computer printer, or typed text sent for typesetting.

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I

Image area
Portion of paper on which ink can appear.

Imprint
Adding copy to a previously printed page.

Indicia
Postal information place on a printed product.

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K

Keylines
Lines on mechanical art that show position of photographs or illustrations.

Knock out
To mask out an image.

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L

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, plate and position film.

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M

Magenta
Process red, one of the basic Colours in process Colour.

Make-ready
All the activities required to prepare a press for printing.

Mask
Blocking light from reaching parts of a printing plate.

Matte finish
Dull paper or ink finish, without gloss or lustre.

Mechanical
Camera ready art all contained on one board.

Mechanical separation
Mechanical art overlay for each Colour to be printed.

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N

Negative
The image on film that makes the white areas of originals black and black areas white.

Non-reproducing blue
A blue Colour the camera cannot see. Used in marking up artwork.

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O

Offset paper
Term for uncoated book paper.

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).

Overlay
The transparent cover sheet on artwork often used for instructions.

Overrun
Excess printed copies.

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P

Perfect bind
A type of binding that glues the edge of sheets to a cover.

Pica
Unit of measure in typesetting. One pica = 1/6 inch.

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 Colour Matching System.

PMT
Abbreviated name for photomechanical transfer. Often used to make position prints.

Press number
A method of numbering manufacturing business forms or tickets.

Pressure-sensitive paper
Paper material with self sticking adhesive covered by a backing sheet.

Process blue
The blue or cyan Colour in process printing.

Process Colours
Cyan (blue), magenta (process red), yellow (process yellow), black (process black).

Process Printing
The printing from a series of two or more halftone plates to produce intermediate colours and shades.

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R

Ragged left
Type that is justified to the right margin and the line lengths vary on the left.

Ragged right
Type that is justified to the left margin and the line lengths vary on the right.

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 film, plates, and paper that guide strippers, platemakers, pressmen, and bindery personnel in processing a print order from start to finish.

Resolution
The quantification of printout quality using the number of dots per inch.

Reverse
The opposite of what you see. Printing the background of an image. For example; type your name on a piece of paper. The reverse of this would be a black piece of paper with a white name.

RGB
Red, Green, Blue - additive primary Colours.

Right-angle fold
A term used for two or more folds that are at 90 degree angles to each other.

Rip film
A method of making printing negatives from PostScript files created by desktop publishing.

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S

Saddle stitch
Binding a booklet or magazine with staples in the seam where it folds.

Scanner
Device used to make Colour 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.

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 stitch
Binding by stapling along one side of a sheet.

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.

Spot varnish
Varnish used to hilight a specific part of the printed sheet.

Stamping
Term for foil stamping.

Stet
A proof mark meaning let the original copy stand.

Stock
The material to be printed.

Stripping
The positioning of film on a flat prior to platemaking.

Substance weight
A term of basis weight when referring to bond papers.

Substrate
Any surface on which printing is done.

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T

Text paper
Grades of uncoated paper with textured surfaces.

Tints
A shade of a single Colour or combined Colours.

Tissue overlay
Usually a thin transparent paper placed over artwork for protection uses for marking Colour breaks and other printer instructions.

Transfer tape
A peel and stick tape used in business forms.

Transparency
A positive photographic slide on film 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 Colour 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.

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U

Under-run
Production of fewer copies than ordered. See over run.

Up
Printing two or three up means printing multiple copies of the same image on the same sheet.

UV coating
Liquid laminate bonded and cured with ultraviolet light. Environmentally friendly.

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V

Varnish
A clear liquid applied to printed surfaces for looks and protection (UV coating looks better).

Verso
The left hand page of an open book.

Vignette halftone
A halftone whose background gradually fades to white.

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W

Washup
Removing printing ink from a press, washing the rollers and blanket. Certain ink Colours require multiple washups 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.

Web
A roll of printing paper.

Web press
The name of a type of presses that print from rolls of paper.

Wire O
A bindery trade name for mechanical binding using double loops of wire through a hole.

Wire-O binding
A method of wire binding books along the binding edge that will allow the book to lay flat using double loops. See Wire O.

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.

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If there are any other terms you don't understand, please don't hesitate to ask! We are here to help.