Print Glossary
Below is a helpful list of the terms used in design, production and print.
If you have any questions about any print terms or you are unsure which is the best print format for your advertising material, feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help.
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
A paper sizes:
These are the paper sizes used for general printing. The most common being A5 and A4. See our paper sizes chart for more information
Artwork:
The finished layout of a design that includes all text and images and is in the correct form to be sent to print. An abbreviation of artwork which is sometimes seen is a/w.
Author’s/client corrections:
Clients corrections/changes that can be made when spotted at the proofing stage. This is the final stage before print is produced.
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B
B paper sizes:
These are paper sizes which are used for print jobs that are bigger than the standard A sizes. Jobs such as folders with capacity pockets will normally be printed onto a B paper size. See our paper sizes chart for more information.
Binding
Is the different variations that you have when it comes to finishing your print job. You can choose from saddle stitching, perfect binding, thread sewing, wire o binding or loop stitching. All of which you can find more information on here.
Bitmap
A map of binary colour that is made up of many pixels that represent type and images. Due to the fact that a pixel is square then sometimes you may see a jagged imaged instead of a smooth line. This is commonly known as "Bitmapping". Bitmap is most commonly used for photos where as corporate logos and Illustrations are made up from vector files which have a smooth edge.
Bleed
An area of colour or an image that appears right to the edge of a page. The bleed will not appear in the final printed and trimmed document but is needed to allow the printer to cut correctly without losing any information or a white line appearing. When you see and advert in print where colour covers the whole page then this is referred to as a Bleed Ad. See also type area.
Blocking
The process taken to place an impression or stamp onto a particular page (usually the front or back cover). The designated area can be blocked in specific colour inks, gold or metal foil. This process is also known as foil blocking Board. Although some printers terms may differ. Any paper weight over 170gsm is most commonly referred to as a board.
Bulk
This is the total thickness of paper
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C
C size envelopes
These are the paper sizes most commonly used for envelopes. C envelopes are designed to fit A size paper. See our paper sizes chart for more information. We can however design and print envelopes to any bespoke size to fit our design.
Case Binding
This is a book that is bound with a hard cover that is covered by a material. This finish is most often used when producing large books or catalogues. Printed sheets are folded and then collated and sewn by a machine. The edges are then coated with glue, a strip then adheres to the documents spine and then the book is placed into a machine which pastes endpapers and fits these to the hard back cover. Most types of material can be used to cover the hard back including fabric and leather.
CMYK
The 4 colour printing process that is most commonly used to produce all printed literature. CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (K). Some believe that the black is used to avoid confusion with blue or brown but in fact it is used as black is seen as the Key colour when printing in this process. You may also print in special colours (Pantone) or combine the 2 to print in 5 colours or more. Although the cost will rise when doing this, it is particularly good if you have a corporate colour that needs to be consistent across your whole range. See Pantone colours for more information.
Coating
A special coating which is applied to your printed matter to protect it from marking and to enhance the overall look and feel. The main sealers are gloss, matt or silk. Coatings are most commonly used when printing onto a matt or silk coated paper as the chance of these marking is greater than that of a gloss paper. Coating is faster drying than a varnish finish which allows a quicker turnaround when printer your job.
Collating
The arrangement of the final printed sheets into the correct sequence/pages.
Colour separation
When printed, all artwork is separated into it's specific colour breakdown (see CMYK and Pantone). This will be referred to by a printer as "Seps" and a plate is made for each colour that is in turn placed onto a litho press ready to print. This term is not needed when you are printing a job digitally.
Computer to plate
Also referred to as straight to plate. This is the process of producing printer’s plates directly from the computer (CTP). Before hand a printer used to have to produce film to make plates but now days most, if not all printers should have a CTP process. By eliminating the making of plates this has allowed for a big reduction in printing costs. This term is not needed when you are printing a job digitally
Creep
Most common problem when printing a document with a large volume of pages or on a heavy paper weight. The middle pages of a folded section may extend slightly beyond the outside pages.
Crop marks
The thin black marks that are printed on the page to indicate where the paper needs to be cut in order to produce the correct page size.
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D
Deboss
The opposite to emboss. A similar process but this time the area designated is pressed into paper so it lies below the surface. You need to be aware that debossing can leave an imprint on the back of your page.
Die–cut
This is the term for a bespoke cut that is applied to your printed document and that is not a normal straight cut. You can cut shapes, holes and other elements into pages but a Die has to be specially made to do this and it will add an extra cost to your print run.
Digital printing
A process where you can print straight from a computer to a digital printer without having to make plates. This is most commonly used for 4 colour (cmyk) jobs that only have a small print run. Due to the fact that very little set up time is needed, this print method has a much quicker turn around time than litho and web printing.
Digital proofing
A proof that is run directly from the digital files that have been supplied to the printer. This is a good method for checking content but if you are printing litho then this is not always the best colour match. If you need a more specific colour proof then this can be supplied in the form of a wet proof but this can be expensive as plates have to be made in order to produce.
Desktop publishing (DTP)
The creation of artwork and print from your computer. DL envelope
A standard envelope size that fits an A4 letter into it by folding into 3 sections. See our paper sizes chart for more information on envelope sizes. DPI
Dots per inch which indicate the resolution of images. The more dots per inch, the higher the resolution of an image. The standard DPI for printed images is 300 and for web/screen it is 72.
Duotone
This is an image that is made up from 2 colours. The colours used are normally special colours (Pantone).
Drilling
Drilling of holes into your printed document which allows you to insert into a binder.
Dummy
There are various degrees of dummies from basic ones we would submit that show you the size and content of what your final job will look like through to printers dummies that can be supplied on the exact stock that we are proposing in order for you to see the bulk and weight. These dummies would not have any printed material on them Encapsulation
Where the printed matter is sealed in a plastic coating providing a rigid, watertight covering.
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E
Embossing
The process used to raise letters or a designated area on the material from which you have already printed on. When an embossing is placed on a material that has not been printed this is known as blind embossing. You need to be aware that embossing can leave an imprint on the inside sheet of your page.
EPS
Encapsulated Postscript File. The file format which can be read across various programs on MAC or PC based computers. Most commonly used in Adobe products.
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F
Finishing
After printing has finished this is the process that includes sealing, folding, trimming and any other specific requirements you have requested.
Flightchecking
The term used when a final check is needed before we allow the file to be printed. All images are checked for quality and colours are checked to make sure they will produce correctly.
Folio
Page numbering
Fonts
A set of letters, numbers and symbols that share a unified design. Also commonly known as a typeface
Four colour process
See the CMYK section
Four-up, three - up, two - up
If a printer says 4-up, 3-up etc then they are referring to the amount of times they will place your artwork onto one printed sheet.
Four back nothing
This is when you are printing four colours on one side of paper only. This can also be referred to as single sided.
(4/0)
Four back one/two/three/four
This is when you are printing four colours on one side and one/two/three/four colours on the reverse.
FTP
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is the standard protocol for transferring files from one persons computer to another. It is part of the TCP/IP protocol suite which is the basic protocol that runs the whole Internet. You use TCP/IP daily by viewing your email, visiting a web page or downloading files. FTP works by one user for example Corona Media uploading a file to an ftp server. Then when the file has finished uploading then the other user (the client) can log on and simply download the file. All that is needed is a secure log in and password.
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G
GSM
The standard term when referring to a paper weight (Grammes per square metre).
Gripper/Grip edge
The device on a printing machine that holds the sheet of paper as it goes through the printing process. A printer may refer to a piece of artwork being to near the grip edge which can cause problems.
Gripper allowance
The distance between the actual printed matter and the gripper edge of the sheet which is held by the gripper and cannot be printed on.
Gutter
This is the distance between the centre spread on a 4 or more page brochure. This is particularly important when print brochures, books or catalogues that are perfect bound as the gutter allowance will need to be greater than that of a stitch finished job to make sure that no important information is lost in the spine.
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H
Nothing listed at present for 'H'
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I
Imposition
The process that a printer will take to make sure that when the printed sheets are folded and collated they will appear in the correct sequence.
Insert
A form of printed material that is inserted loosely into a folder, booklet or other printed matter.
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J
JDF
Job Definition Format. A job ticket with specification details that is assigned to a Hi_Res PDF that is being sent to print.
JPEG
Joint Photographic Experts Group. A file format for an image file that reduces its file size. A very small loss of quality can occur when saving to JPEG.
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K
kiss - cut
A shaped that is cut from a two layered stock that is mostly used when producing stickers that need a peel back area.
Keyline
A border that can be added to images or whole page. If you have a white background appearing on a white page then quite often a keyline will be used to hold the design within the area you have designated.
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L
Laminating
This is a thin plastic coat that is applied to a finished job to give it protection against scuffing or tearing. Lamination can be produced as either Matt or Gloss.
Lithographic (litho) printing
The printing process by which your artwork is etched to a set of plates that sit on a press. The inked image to be printed is transferred to a rubber layer and then it comes into contact with the paper and lays down the inked areas.
Loop Stitching
A similar method to saddle stitching except that the staple is shaped in a semi circular loop that sticks beyond the spine of your print. These loops can then be inserted into a folder that may have other materials and is a nicer way to finish than simple hole punching.
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M
Make-ready
The process taking by a printer/designer to make the approved artwork ready to be printed. See flightchecking)
Machine fold
The process when a machine is used to fold your printed job. When a bespoke fold is needed that a machine cannot handle then this will be referred to as a hand finish, which means it will be finished manually by a person which is more time consuming.
Micrometer
The instrument that measures the thickness of a paper.
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N
Nothing listed at present for 'N'
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O
Overs
Extra copies of a print run that are supplied to the client for there files/records.
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P
Pantone Matching System (PMS)
International colour system for specifying a particular colour that is required. This is also referred to as a spot or special colour as it is an extra to the 4 colour process. A pantone colour that is chosen from a library of swatches is in turn given to a printer who has to mix certain inks to match the exact colour. In theory what you see on your swatch is what you should see when the final job is printed. Although this is an extra print cost it is very beneficial if you are keen to keep a strong corporate identity. By using pantone colours in your corporate logo and all printed literature it allows for a consistency that cannot be met when printing 4 colour process.
Perfect Binding
Perfect binding is a great option for magazines, annual reports, manuals, and product catalogues. All of these materials can be bound from a minimum thickness of around 5mm. The pages are gathered together in the correct sequence, clamped, trimmed and then a neat edge is ready to be glued. One of the benefits of this as opposed to saddle stitching is that the page numbers can be random and do not have to divide into 4. It is advisable not to use anything heavier than 150gsm for a perfect bound finish and also one thing to remember when using this finish is the gutter allowance to make sure no important information is lost (See gutter allowance)
PDF
Portable Document Format. This is now the most common way to supply files to both clients for approval/amendments and also to printers as Hi-resolution artwork files. A PDF can be saved in different variations of resolution that allow the user to determine to some point the file size. All of the elements of the artwork are encapsulated into one simple file that is easy to deliver electronically via either email or by unloading to an ftp site. Although the software to create the PDF is something that needs to be brought. The application needed to read PDF (Acrobat reader) is free and is therefore readily available to download from the Adobe website. Alternatively if you do not have Acrobat reader then you can download by clicking here.
Perforation
A dotted line that is lightly scored into the paper that allows it to be torn off without damaging the rest of the print.
Personalisation
A process when printing that allows you to personalise your message to any name or address.
Printing plate
A metal plate which has the inked images involved in the offset plate lithography printing process. As mentioned previously an important thing to remember when printing litho is that each colour has to have its own printing plate. It is therefore advisable to try and produce your design without to many pantone colours as this will result in a costly print run.
Print run
The number of copies required by the client
Process colours
See CMYK
Proof
A printed sample of the artwork that is ready to be printed. This needs to be checked for errors in text, images and quality of colour reproduction. If you are unsure about colour reproduction then a wet proof can be made at an additional expense (see wet proof)
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Q
Nothing listed at present for 'Q'
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R
Ream
A pack of 500 sheets of paper
Register
The black marks that have a cross and a circle that you see on a printers proof. Each page is laid over the top of each other until these marks are exact and in register. If a page is out of register then you will see certain parts of the colour process as single colours.
Resolution
Image quality is referred to in terms of resolution. This is the number of dots per inch (DPI) or line per inch (LPI) that an image has been designated. Hi Resolution images are regarded to be anything from 300 dpi and above, where as Lo Resolution images start from around 150-72 dpi. Images between these 2 sizes are referred to as Mid Resolution images.
Reversed out
When type or an illustration/logo appears white on a black or colour background.
RGB
Red, Green, Blue - Universal colours that are used in all screen based applications. You do not print in RGB. However all RGB colours can be converted to the 4 colour process or can be matched as near as possible to a pantone colour.
RIP
Raster Image Processor. A processor which converts files into a format ready for printing.
Kindly term to someone who has popped their clogs!
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S
Saddle Stitching
This is the most common form of finishing that you will see. Wire staples normally placed in 2 positions hold the pages together. The staple is pushed through the pages to the centre spread where it is then folded to hold the pages in position. One of the drawbacks with saddle stitching is that your pages have to be in denominations of 4 ie a double sided spread. You can start at 8 pages and range up to around 72 pages where after it would be advisable to perfect bind. However if you look at our printing illustrations you will see that a way round this is to introduce a roll fold to your artwork to allow the use of an extra 2 pages.
Scanner
A machine which takes colour transparencies or hard copy from a printed material and scans it to produce an electronic file to your computer. Scans can be made in Hi or Lo Resolution.
Sealer
An alternative name for coating
Self- cover
This is when the same paper stock that is used inside the printed material is the same as that used for the cover.
Set off
When wet ink transfers itself from one sheet to another to cause a mark that is not wanted.
Sheet fed press
The printing machine is fed by a pack of single sheeted paper that is lifted by a mechanism into the rollers. This allows for heavier paper and paper of all different styles to be fed through the machine and is by far the most common way to print through a litho press.
Show through
This is when you can see the print on one side of you paper through the reverse of the other. One way to solve this problem is to print on a heavier/thicker stock.
Shrink wrapping
A method of wrapping the printed material. A plastic is placed around the item that is then heated until it shrinks to fit tightly to the printed matter.
Solid colour
A colour that is 100% and appears without any tint.
Special colour
See Pantone matching System
Spread
When you view two pages together to see how they would appear in print. This is known as spreads to view. However when you receive a proof from a printer this will have normally been imposed (see imposition) and this is commonly known as printers spreads.
Spot colour
Same as special colour. See Pantone matching System.
Stet
A Latin word (meaning "let it stand") used by proofreaders/editors to instruct the typesetter to disregard a change that had previously been marked
Stock
The paper, card or board that you are referring to that will be printed on.
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T
Thread Sewn
Similar to perfect binding but has more durability.
Tint
A percentage shade of a specified colour or image. can be anything from 1% to 99%
TIFF
Tagged Image File Format. A file type that is more widely used on Macs than PCs and in print rather than Web. When saving an image as a tiff you get a better on screen preview and less data loss
Text
The pages that make up a book but do not include the cover. Most large brochures will have a different weight of paper on the cover than the text. Therefore when specifying a print you will often see the term 4 page cover xx page text.
Trapping
The process of overlapping adjacent colours to eliminate any problems that could arise if they were mis-registered and to make sure that no lines are visible. Applies more to litho printing than digital.
Typesetting
An old term for artworking where somebody is setting the type on a page to create a brochure etc..
Typo
A typographical error which means there is a a mistake in the copy.
Type area
The area on a page for which you are allowed to use. Best example is an advert is a magazine. If you have booked a type area ad then it will have to appear within the margins of that page and at the size you have been specified. If you have booked a bleed advert then your design can increase right to the edge of the page.
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U
UV
Also known as spot UV due to the fact that it is set up as a single solid colour when submitting for print. A UV is a special varnish which is applied to a printed job to enhance its appearance. A gloss UV Varnish is commonly used and this gives a shiny effect. A UV is most commonly used to lift an image or a logo from of the page but it can be applied to any element. It is advisable to avoid very thin lines though as these are hard to match and can result in the UV missing the designated area.
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V
Visual
Similar to a dummy but used in terms to show a rough preliminary layout that indicates the general design and positioning of all of the elements on the pages
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W
Web fed press
These presses are fed by paper from a reel as opposed to paper from separate sheets. Due to the fact that the paper is supplied in very big rolls the stock is usually very limited and the weight of paper is nit very thick. This option is usually used on jobs that have a lot of pages or are a very large print run.
Wire-o Binding
Most commonly used to bind reference books, reports, proposals, and calendars. The pages are punched by a special machine and then a looped wire is placed through the holes. The wire is then pressed together to clam shut to avoid pages from falling out. Once the pages have been bound they can be turned in a 360 degree motion making it easy to hold and write on.
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X,Y,Z
Nothing listed at present, please return soon
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