Capital Printing

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| A |

abrasion resistance The resistance to scratching of a surface of paper by other paper surfaces or other materials.

absorbency The ability of a material to take up moisture.

accordion fold A zigzag type of fold in a sheet of paper where two or more parallel folds open in the manner of an accordion, permitting the paper to be extended to its full breadth with a single pull. Also called a fan fold.

additive primaries In color reproduction, red, green and blue (RGB).

aerate This refers to a manual process whereby an air stream is blown onto paper sheets to create a riffling effect that separates the sheets as they are fed to the printing press.

against the grain Folding or feeding paper at right angles to the grain direction of the paper.

alignment The condition of type and or art materials as they level up on a horizontal or vertical line.

American Paper Institute An organization that correlates all paper related information.

angle bar In "web-fed" printing (printing on rolls of paper as opposed to single sheets), an angle bar is a metal bar that is used to turn paper between two components of the press.

analog color proof Off-press color proof made from separation films.

aqueous coating A water-based coating that is applied at the end of a press run to protect a printed piece against moisture, dirt and scuffing. Often written as "AQ" on a spec sheet.

art paper A paper evenly coated with a fine clay compound, which creates a hard smooth surface on one or both sides.

art work Any materials or images that are prepared for graphic reproduction.

art-lined envelope An envelope that is lined with an extra fine paper; can be colored or patterned.

ascender Any part of a lower case letter, which rises above the main body of the letter such as in "b".

author's alterations (AA's) Changes made after composition stage where customer is responsible for additional charges.

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| B |

back-to-back Print applied to both sides of a sheet of paper.

backbone The back of a bound book connecting the two covers; also called the spine.

backstep marks Marks printed on signatures that indicate where the final fold will occur.

bad break In composition, starting a page or ending a paragraph with a single word, or widow.

balance A term used to describe the aesthetic or harmony of elements, whether they are photos, art or copy, within a layout or design.

banner The primary headline usually spanning the entire width of a page.

barrel fold A folding style where the outer edge of each panel or page is folded in toward the other resulting in six panels or pages. Also called roll fold.

base line This is a term used to describe the imaginary horizontal line upon which stand capitals, lower case letters, punctuation points etc.

basis weight In the U.S. and Canada, the weight, in pounds, of a ream (five hundred sheets) of paper cut to a basic size.

bed The steel flat table of a cylinder printing press upon which the type sits during the printing process.

binder's board A heavy paperboard with a cloth covering that is used for hardback binding of books.

binding Various methods of securing folded sections together and or fastening them to a cover, to form single copies of a book.

bitmap In computerized imaging, the electronic representation of a page, indicating the position of every possible spot (zero to one).

black printer In printing the black plate made to increase contrast of dark tones and make them neutral.

blanket A rubber-coated pad mounted on a cylinder of an offset press that receives the inked image from the plate and transfers it to the paper surface.

blanket-to-blanket press A printing method in which there are two blanket cylinders through which a sheet of paper is passed and printed on both sides.

bleed An extra amount of printed image which extends beyond the trim edge of a sheet or page, used to allow for variations that occur when the reproduction is trimmed or die-cut.

blind emboss Artwork, letters or logotypes that are pressed into paper under pressure using a die.

blind folio Page number not printed on page.

blistering Although seemingly dry, paper does contain approximately 5% moisture. In cases where there is excessive moisture, and the paper is passed through a high heat-drying chamber, the moisture within the paper actually boils and causes a bubble or blistering effect.

blocking The adhesion of one coated sheet to another, causing paper tears or particles of the coating to shed away from the paper surface.

blocking out To mask a section of an art layout before reproduction.

blue-line A photographic contact print made from plate-ready negatives used as a proof to show positioning of images, cropping and page sequence. Also called Dylux or brownline.

body copy The body of written material on a page or document. Also called text.

boldface Type that is darker and heavier than the rest of the text with which it is used.

bolts The edges of folded sheets of paper, which are trimmed off in the final stages of production.

bond paper A grade of writing or printing paper where strength, durability and permanence are essential requirements; used for letterheads, business forms, etc. The basic size is 17x22. Also called writing paper.

book block A term given to the unfinished stage of bookmaking when the pages are folded, gathered and stitched-in but not yet cover bound.

bounce 1. A registration problem, usually on copiers, where the image appears to bounce back and forth. A bounce usually occurs in one direction depending on how the paper is passing through the machine. This is usually accented by card stock (especially if it's over the machine's spec).
2. When a customer refuses a job for whatever reason.

break for color In layout design, the term for dividing or separating the art and copy elements into single color paste-up sheets.

bristol board A board paper of various thickness; having a smooth finish and used for printing and drawing.

broad fold A term given to the fold whereby paper is folded with the short side running with the grain.

brochure A pamphlet that is bound in booklet form.

buckle folder A portion of the binding machinery with rollers that fold the paper.

bulk 1. A term given to paper to describe its thickness relative to its weight.
2. A term used to define the number of pages per inch of a book relative to its given basis weight.

burn A term used in plate making to describe the amount of plate exposure time.

burnish A term used for the process of "rubbing down" lines and dots on a printing plate, which darkens those rubbed areas.

burnishing Creating a polished finish on paper by rubbing with stone or hand smoothing a surface.

burst binding A binding technique that entails nicking the backfold in short lengths during the folding process, which allows glue to reach each individual leaf and create a strong bond.

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| C |

cadmium yellow A pigment made from cadmium sulfide and cadmium selenide.

calendar board A strong paperboard used for calendars and displays.

calendar rolls A set or stack of horizontal cast-iron rolls at the end of a paper machine. The paper is passed between the rolls to increase the smoothness and gloss of its surface.

caliper The thickness of paper, usually expressed in thousandths of an inch (mils).

caps & small caps Two sizes of capital letters made in one size of type.

carbon black A pigment made of elemental carbon and ash.

case The stiff covers of a hardbound book.

case binding Books bound using hard board (case) covers.

catching up A term to describe that period of the printing process where the non-image areas can take on ink or debris.

chalking A term used to describe the quality of print on paper where the absorption of the paper is so great that it breaks up the ink image creating loose pigment dust.

chrome green The resulting ink pigment attained from the mixture of chrome yellow and iron blue.

chrome yellow A lead chromate yellow ink pigment.

circular screen A screen that utilizes a concentric circle pattern as opposed to dots used for halftones and allows the platemaker to set exact screen angles.

CMYK A method of representing color based on the standard printing ink colors of cyan, yellow, magenta and black.

coarse screen Halftone screens commonly used in newsprint; up to 85 lines per inch.

coated paper Paper having a surface coating which produces a smooth finish. Surfaces vary from eggshell to glossy.

cold-set inks A variety of inks that are in solid form originally but are melted in a hot press and then solidify when they contact paper.

collate The gathering of sheets or signatures together in their correct order.

color correction Any method used to improve color rendition.

color strength A term referring to the relative amount of pigmentation in an ink.

color separation The process of separating color originals into the primary printing color components in negative or positive form.

commercial register Color registration measured within plus or minus one row of dots.

composition The assembly of characters into words, lines and paragraphs of text or body matter for reproduction by printing.

condensed type A narrow, elongated type face.

contact print A print made from contact of a sensitive surface to a negative or positive photograph.

continuous tone Image made of non-discernable picture elements, which give appearance of continuous spectrum of grey values or tones.

contrast The tonal gradation between the highlights, middle tones and shadows.

copy Refers to any typewritten material, art, photos etc., to be used for the printing process.

cover A term describing a general type of paper used for the covers of books, pamphlets etc.

cracking A term used when delamination occurs.

creep When the rubber blanket on a cylinder moves forward due to contact with the plate or paper. Often this results from added thickness of folded sheets being behind one another in a folded signature. Outer edges of sheets creep away from the back most fold as more folded sheets are inserted inside the middle.

crop To eliminate a portion of the art or copy as indicated by crop marks.

crop mark Markings on guide sheets or originals that indicate the desired area to be trimmed. Also called trim marks.

crossover When a printed area on a two-page bound spread crosses over the gutter.

curl Not lying flat and tending to form into cylindrical or wavy shapes. A term to describe the differences of either side of a sheet relative to coatings, absorbency etc.. The concave side is the curl side.

cut-off A term used in web press printing to describe the point at which a sheet of paper is cut from the roll. Usually this dimension is equal to the circumference of the cylinder.

cutter Machine for accurately cutting stacks of paper to desired dimensions. Can also be used to crease, or trim out final bound books' top size (soft cover).

cyan A shade of blue used in the four-color process; it reflects blue and green and absorbs red.

cylinder gap The gap in the cylinders of a press where the grippers or blanket clamps are housed.

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| D |

dahlgren A dampening system for printing presses which utilizes more alcohol (25%) and less water; this greatly reduces the amount of paper that is spoiled.

dampening An essential part of the printing process whereby cloth covered rubber rollers distributes the dampening solution to the plate.

dandy roll During the paper making process while the paper is still 90% water, it passes over a wire mesh cylinder (dandy roll), which imparts surface textures on the paper such as wove or laid. This is also the stage where the watermark is put onto the paper.

deckle edge The rough or feathered edge of paper when left untrimmed.

densitometer An optical device used by printers and photographers to measure and control the density of color.

density 1. The lay of paper fibers relative to tightness or looseness which affects the bulk, the absorbency and the finish of the paper. 2. The degree of tone, weight of darkness or color within a photo or reproduction; measurable by the densitometer. Reference, densitometer.

descender A term that describes that portion of lower case letters which extends below the main body of the letter, as in "p".

die Design, letters or shapes, cut into metal (mostly brass) for stamping book covers or embossing. A mtal stamp engraved and used for impressing an image or design.

die cutting 1. A method of using sharp steel ruled stamps or rollers to cut various shapes i.e. labels, boxes, image shapes, either post press or in line. 2. The process of cutting paper in a shape or design by the use of a wooden die or block in which steel rules are positioned in the shape of the desired pattern.

die stamping An intaglio process for printing from images engraved into copper or steel plates.

digital proof Color separation data is digitally stored and then exposed to color photographic paper creating a picture of the final product before it is actually printed.

dimensional stability The qualities of paper to stabilize its original size when undergoing pressure or exposed to moisture.

direct screen halftone A color separation process using a halftone negative made by direct contact with the halftone screen.

display type Any type that stands out from the rest of the type on a page which attracts attention of the reader.

distribution rollers In the printing process, the rubber coated rollers responsible for the distribution of ink from the fountain to the ink drum.

dot The smallest individual element of a halftone.

dot gain Darkening of halftone image due to ink absorption in paper causing halftone dots to enlarge. Term used to describe the occurrence whereby dots are printing larger than they should.

draw-down A method used by ink makers to determine the color, quality and tone of ink. It entails the drawing of a spatula over a drop of ink, spreading it flat over the paper.

drier A term that describes any additives in ink that encourages the drying process.

drill The actual drilling of holes into paper for ring or comb binding.

drop folio Page number printed at foot of page.

drop shadow A shadow image placed strategically behind an image to create the affect of the image lifting off the page.

dry mount Pasting with heat sensitive adhesives.

dry offset Process in which a metal plate is etched to a depth of 0.15 mm (0.006 in), making a right-reading relief plate, printed on the offset blanket and then to the paper without the use of water.

ductor roller The roller between the inking and the dampening rollers.

dull finish Any matte finished paper.

dummy A term used to describe the preliminary assemblage of copy and art elements to be reproduced in the desired finished product; also called a comp.

duotone Color reproduction from monochrome original. Keyplate usually printed in dark color for detail, second plate printed in light flat tints. A two-color halftone reproduction generated from a one-color photo.

duplex paper Paper which has a different color or finish on each side.

dye-based ink Any ink that acquires its color by the use of aniline pigments or dyes.

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| E |

eggshell finish The finish of paper surface that resembles an eggshell achieved by omitting the calendar process.

electronic composition The assembly of characters into words, lines and paragraphs of text or body matter with graphic elements in page layout form in digital format for reproduction by printing.

elliptical dot Halftone screens in which the dots are actually elongated to produce improved middle tones.

embossing Impressing an image in relief to achieve a raised surface; either overprinting ink or on blank paper (called blind embossing).

enamel A term applied to a coated paper or to a coating material on a paper.

endsheet Attaching the final sheet of a signature of a book to the binding.

english finish A grade of uncoated book paper with a smoother, more uniform surface than machine finish.

engraving A printing process whereby images such as copy or art are etched onto a plate. When ink is applied, these etched areas act as small wells to hold the ink; paper is forced against this die and the ink is lifted out of the etched areas creating raised images on the paper.

estimate The form used by the printer to calculate the project for the print buyer. This form contains the basic parameters of the project including size, quantity, colors, bleeds, photos etc.

expanded type Type with width greater than normal producing a rectangular effect.

exposure That stage of the photographic process where the image is produced on the light sensitive coating.

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| F |

F&G A term in the binding process referring to folding and gathering.

felt finish The smoother side of paper, usually a soft weave pattern used for book papers.

filling in A fault in printing where the ink fills in the fine line or halftone dot areas.

finish Surface characteristics of paper. Examples of finishes include laid, linen and vellum.

finishing line An assemblage of equipment at the delivery end of the press which can include such machinery as Print-On Unit Printing, Die-Cut Unit, Pocket Gluer Folder, Portable Glue Unit/Hot Melt Gluing, and Rotary Cutter (see individual definitions for these items).

fit The registration of items within a given page.

fluid ink Also called liquid ink; ink with a low viscosity.

flush left (or right) in composition type set to line up at the left (or right). The page is said to be set flush left or right. See also rag right, rag left.

flushed pigment The results of combining a wet ink pigment with a varnish and having the wet pigment mix or transfer over to the varnish.

fogging back Lowering density of an image in a specific area usually to make type more legible while still letting image show through.

foils Papers that have a surface resembling metal.

fold marks Markings at top edges that show where folds should occur.

folder Machine used to fold signatures down into sections.

folio or page number Number of page at top or bottom either centered, flushed left or flushed right often with running headline.

font The characters, which make up a complete typeface.

form rollers The rollers that come into direct contact with the plate of a printing press.

FPO (For Position Only or For Placement Only) Typically a low-resolution image temporarily placed in a digital document to be replaced later with a high resolution image.

free sheet Any paper that is free from wood pulp impurities.

french fold Multiple fold where the paper is first folded in half in one direction, then folded in half again, perpendicular to the first fold.

fringe A halo that appears around halftone dots.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) A method of transferring files from one computer to another by telecommunication.

fugitive inks Colors that lose tone and permanency when exposed to light.

fulfillment (n) A product delivery system in which orders are assembled, sorted and shipped based upon specific customer information.

fuzz A term for the fibers that project from the paper surface.

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| G |

ganging The bundling of two or more different printing projects on the same sheet of paper, "ganging up a sheet."

gather To assemble or collect sections into single copies of complete books for binding.

gathering Assembling sheets of paper and signatures into their proper sequence; collating.

ghosting 1. Image which appears as a lighter area on a subsequent print due to local blanket depressions from previous image areas on a letterpress rotary machine as well as on an offset press. 2. Marring a print by the placement of an image of work printed on the reverse side which has interfered with its drying so that differences in the trapping frame colors or glass variations are apparent.

gilding Sticking on gold leaf to edges of books with a liquid agent and made permanent with burnishing tools.

glassine A strong transparent paper.

gloss ink Quick drying oil based inks with low penetration qualities, used on coated stock.

goldenrod An orange colored paper with gridlines, used to assemble materials for exposure for platemaking.

graduated screen An area of image where halftone dots range continuously from one density to another.

grain Direction of fibers in a sheet of paper that correlated with the direction in which the paper is made on a paper machine.

grained paper A paper embossed to resemble various textures, such as leather, alligator, wood, etc.

gravure An intaglio or recessed printing process. The recessed areas are like wells that form the image as paper passes through.

gripper A series of metal fingers that hold each sheet of paper as it passes through the various stages of the printing process.

gripper edge The leading edge of a sheet of paper that is held by grippers as the paper is moved through the printing press.

gumming The application of gum arabic to the non printing areas of a plate.

gutter 1. Space between pages in the printing frame of a book, or inside margin towards the binding edge. 2. The blank space or margin between the type page and the binding of a book.

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| H |

hairline register Printing registration that lies within the range of plus or minus one half row of dots. It is the thinnest of the standard printers' rules.

halftone Tone graduated image composed of varying sized dots or lines, with equidistant centers.

halftone paper A high finish paper that is ideal for halftone printing.

halftone screen A sheet of film or glass containing ruled right-angled lines, used to translate the full tone of a photo to the halftone dot image required for printing.

hard copy The permanent visual record of the output of a computer or printer.

hard proof A proof on paper or other substrate as distinguished from a soft proof, which is an image on a screen.

head margin The white space above the first line on a page.

hickeys Spots or imperfections in the printing due to dirt on press, paper particles, etc.

high bulk paper Paper stock that is comparatively thick in relation to its basis weight.

high key halftone A halftone that is made utilizing only the highlight tones down through the middle tones.

highlight dot The highest density of a halftone image.

highlights The lightest tones of a photo, printed halftone or illustration. In the finished halftone, these highlights are represented by the finest dots.

hollow That space on the spine of a case bound book between the block of the book and the case binding.

hot melt An adhesive used in the binding process, which requires heat for application.

house sheet This is a term that refers to a paper that a printer keeps on hand in the shop.

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| I |

IBC Inside back cover.

IFC Inside front cover.

image area That portion of the printing plate that carries the ink and prints on paper.

image setter High resolution, large format device for producing film from electronically generated page layouts.

imposition The positioning of pages on a signature so that after printing, folding and cutting all pages will appear in the proper sequence.

impression cylinder The cylinder on a printing press against which the paper picks up the impression from the inked plate in direct printing, or the blanket in offset printing.

indicia Markings pre-printed on mailing envelopes to replace the stamp.

ink fountain The device which stores and supplies ink to the inking rollers.

ink holdout A quality of paper to be resistant to ink absorption, allowing the ink to dry on the paper surface.

ink mist Fine threads of ink that form during the printing process and form a messy cloud of ink filaments around the press that settle on the press equipment and paper; also called ink flying. Long ink that flows easily over the printing rollers and is used in newspaper printing tends to generate these threads more than other inks.

ink setting The inertial resistance to flow that occurs to ink as soon as it is printed.

inkometer A device used to measure the tack of ink.

inline finishing A process by which additional operations may be done to a print job, such as gluing, die cutting, perforating, and/or folding; made possible by attaching a "finishing line" at the delivery end of the press.

insert A printed piece prepared for insertion into a publication or another printed piece.

integral proof A proof made by exposing each of the four-color separations to an emulsion layer of primary colors. These emulsion sheets are stacked in register with a white sheet of paper in the background. Types of integral proofs are cromalin, matchprint, ektaflex, and spactraproof.

iridescent paper A coated stock finished in mother-of-pearl.

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| J |

jacket The paper cover sometimes called the "dust cover" of a hardbound book.

job number A number assigned to a printing project used for record keeping and job tracking. Also used to retrieve old jobs for reprints or reworking by customer.

jog To align sheets of paper into a compact pile.

justify In composition, to space out lines uniformly to the correct length.

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| K |

kerning Adjusting the amount of space between letters or characters so that letter spacing appears to be in balance.

kiss die cut A process used for peel-off labels where a die cut is made through the face materials but not the backing.

kraft Strong paper made from unbleached wood pulp that is often used for paper bags and wrapping paper.

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| L |

lacquer A clear gloss coating applied to printed material for strength, appearance and protection.

laid paper Paper with a pattern of parallel lines at equal distance, giving a ribbed effect.

laser engraving A paper cutting technique whereby laser technology is utilized to cut away certain unmasked areas of the paper. The cutting is a result of the exposure of the paper to the laser ray, which actually evaporates the paper.

layout A rendition that shows the placement of all the elements, roughs, thumbnails etc., of the final printed piece before it goes to print.

leading The amount of vertical space between lines of type, usually measured in points.

leaf A unit generally comprising of two printed, black or illustrated pages of a book, one on each side.

letterpress Printing that utilizes inked raised surfaces to create the image.

letterspacing Modifying the distance between the letters in a word. Also called tracking or kerning.

line copy Any copy that can be reproduced without the use of halftone screens.

linen paper A paper that emulates the look and texture of linen cloth.

logotype (or logo) The name of a company or product in a special design used as a trademark in advertising.

low-res (low resolution) A digital image with a resolution of 100 dpi or less.

LPI (lines per inch) A means of measuring the fineness of a halftone screen by measuring the number of dots per inch.

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| M |

M weight The actual weight of 1000 sheets of any given size of paper.

machine coated Paper that has had a coating applied to either one or two of its sides during the papermaking process.

machine direction Same as grain direction in paper.

makeready Process of adjusting final plate on the press to fine tune or modify plate surface.

margin White space at the top, bottom and to the left and right of a body of type.

mark-up To write up instructions, as on a dummy.

mask A means of isolating a portion of an image from its surrounding area so that it becomes a silhouette or outline image.

match color Flat ink colors that are matched to swatches. Also called spot color.

matchprint A digitial proof that uses toner to replicate the process colors. Matchprints are close to cromalin color accuracy but are markedly less expensive.

matte A flat, non glossy, finish on a paper or photograph.

mechanical A term used to describe finished artwork that is camera ready for reproduction, including all type, photos, illustrations etc.

midtone dot Commonly taken as the area between highlight and shadow area of a subject's face in halftone image.

Moiré An undesirable pattern in printed halftones caused by improperly aligned screens.

mottle A term used to describe spotty or uneven ink absorption.

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| N |

nested signature Where signatures are assembled inside one another before binding.

newsprint A light, low cost ground wood paper made especially for newspapers.

nominal weight When the basis weight of paper differs from the actual weight, the term nominal weight is used.

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| O |

OA of Register When two sheet passes on a press are misaligned.

OBC Outside back cover.

OFC Outside front cover.

off-shore paper Any papers made outside the US and Canada.

offset The most commonly used printing method, whereby the printed material does not receive the ink directly from the printing plate but from an intermediary cylinder called a blanket, which receives the ink from the plate and transfers it to the paper.

onionskin A light bond paper used for typing and used with carbon paper because of its thinness.

opacity The property of paper that prevents printing on one side from showing through on another.

opaque ink Ink that completely covers any ink under itself.

overrun Excess production to compensate for spoilage, future requests for materials, and other unanticipated needs.

overhang cover A cover of a book that extends over the trimmed signatures it contains.

overlay A transparent sheet placed over artwork, in register with the work it covers; this is used to call out other color components of the work, instructions or corrections.

overprinting Any printing that is done on an area that has already been printed.

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| P |

page One side of a leaf.

page makeup The assemblage of all the necessary elements required to complete a page.

page proofs Proofs made up from pages.

paperboard Index stock over 110# and cover stock over 80# or 200 gsm commonly used in packaging. Also called board paper.

parchment A hard finished paper that emulates animal skin; used for documents, such as awards, that require writing by hand.

parent sheet A sheet that is larger than the cut stock of the same paper.

paste drier Any of a variety of compounds used in enhancing the drying properties of printing inks.

paste ink An ink having a high level of viscosity.

perf marks Markings, usually dotted lines at edges, showing where perforations should occur.

perfect binding A method of binding magazines, books and other publications in which the signatures are glued to the cover and held together with a strip of adhesive.

perfecting Printing both sides of the paper (or other material) on the same pass through the printing machine.

perfecting press A printing press that prints on both sides of the page in a single pass.

perforating Punching small holes or slits in a sheet of paper or cardboard to facilitate tearing along a desired line.

phthalocyanine The main pigment in the manufacture of cyan ink.

pica Standard of measurement, 1/6 inch. 1 pica = 12 points 72 points = 1 inch

picking An occurrence in printing whereby the tack of ink pulls fibers or coating off the paper surface, leaving spots on the printed surface.

piling A build up of pigment or paper coatings onto the plate, blankets or rollers.

pin register Using metal pins fitted into preset holes of copy sheets, films, plates and presses that will assure the proper registration.

pinholing Failure of printed ink to form a completely continuous film, visible in the form of small holes in the printed areas.

plastic comb A method of binding books whereby holes are drilled on the side closest the spine, and a plastic grasping device is inserted to hold the pages together.

plasticizer An ink additive that adds flexibility, softness and adhesion.

plate Reproduction of type or cuts in metal, plastic, rubber, or other material, to form a plate bearing a relief, planographic or intaglio printing surface.

plate cylinder The cylinder on a printing press on which the plate is mounted.

plate finish Any bond, cover or bristol stock with an extremely smooth finish achieved by calendaring.

platemaking Making a printing plate from a film or flat including preparation of the plate surface, sensitizing, exposing through the flat, developing or processing, and finishing.

PMS Stands for Pantone Matching System, a means of specifying match or spot colors and their ink formulations.

point A measurement unit equal to 1/72 of an inch. 12 points to a pica, 72 points to an inch.

PPI Pixels per inch.

premium Any paper that is considered better than #1 by its manufacturer.

prepress Preparing a job for printing. Includes producing negatives from supplied artwork, platemaking, and/or readying the press for a production run.

press-proof Actual press sheet to show image, tone values and colors as well as imposition of frame or press-plate.

primary colors In printing the four primary colors are cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow and black.

printers spreads Pages that are set up so they are positioned exactly where they will be when a publication is folded and printed.

printability The quality of papers to show reproduced printed images.

process inks (or color) The inks used in four-color process printing. Ink colors consist of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

process lens A high quality specialty lens made for line art, halftone and color photography.

process printing Printing from two or more half tones to produce intermediate colors and shades.

proof A test sheet made to represent how a final printed product will look so that flaws may be corrected before the piece is printed.

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| Q |

quadratone Halftone comprising of four colors, usually to create a rich tonal range but not comprising of the four process colors (cyan, yellow, magenta and black).

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| R |

rag paper Papers with a complete or partial content of cotton fibers.

rag left The term given to right-justified type that is uneven on the left.

rag right The term given to left-justified type that is uneven on the right.

reader's spreads Pages that are set up as they will be read (left- and right-hand pages side by side).

ream Five hundred sheets of paper.

reducer Any substance that softens and reduces the tack of ink.

reel The master roll of paper as it comes off the papermaking machine. It is in its original width and is then cut into smaller rolls.

register The arrangement of two or more images in exact alignment with each other.

register marks Any crossmarks or other symbols used on layout to assure proper registration.

roll to roll A web press printing process where the roll of paper is printed and stored on a roll to be shipped.

rub proof The stage of printed ink where the maximum dryness is achieved, and the ink will not smudge.

rubine A pigment somewhat redder than true magenta.

run-around A term given to copy that accommodates the lines of a picture or other image or copy.

runability A term used to describe how well a paper runs on a printing press.

running head A title at the top of a page that appears on all pages of a book or chapter of a book.

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| S |

saddle stitch A method of binding by stitching through the centerfold of nested signatures.

safety paper A paper that shows signs of erasure so that it cannot be altered or tampered with easily.

satin finish A smooth delicately embossed finished paper with sheen.

scaling The enlargement or reduction of an image or copy to fit a specific area.

score A crease or impression made in the paper along a straight line so it folds more easily or accurately.

screen angles The placement of halftone screens to avoid unwanted moire patterns. Frequently used angles are black 45deg, magenta 75deg, yellow 90deg, and cyan 105deg.

screen ruling Number of rows or lines of dots per inch in a screen for making a screen tint or halftone. Also called line count, screen frequency, screen size or screen value.

self cover A cover made out of the same paper stock as the internal sheets.

shadow dot The lowest density of a halftone image.

sharpen To decrease the dot size of the halftone which in turn decreases the color strength.

sheetfed A printing process utilizing sheets of paper rather than rolls.

sheetwise The printing of two different images on two different sides of a sheet of paper by turning the page over after the first side is printed and using the same gripper and side guides.

short ink Ink that is smooth and creamy but does not flow freely.

show through Areas where an image printed on one side of a sheet can be seen on the opposite side. Show through occurs when the paper is too think for the ink application.

side guide The guides on the sides of the sheet fed press that position the sheet sideways as the paper is led towards the front guides.

side stitching To bind by stapling through pages along one edge. Also called side wiring.

signature (section) Printed sheet (or its flat) that consists of a number of pages of a book, placed so that they will fold and bind together as a section of a book. The printed sheet after folding.

silhouette halftone A halftone with the background screen removed, usually through masking. Also called outline halftone.

smoothness The quality of paper defined by its levelness which allows for pressure consistency in printing, assuring uniformity of print.

soft dot An excessively large halo around a dot in a photograph that causes a fringe that diminishes the dot intensity.

spine Back edge of a book.

spiral bind A binding whereby wire or plastic is spiraled through holes punched along the binding side.

spot color Flat ink colors that are matched to swatches. Also called match color.

spoilage Paper that is recycled as a result of on-press mistakes and accidents.

spread Slightly enlarging an image to create a trap.

stability The quality of paper to maintain its original size when it undergoes pressure and moisture changes.

stagger cutting A process of cutting many sheets from the same parent sheet in which the smaller sheets have different grain directions; also called dutch or bastard cutting.

static neutralizer A device on a printing press that minimizes the amount of static build up on paper as it passes through the press.

step and repeat A process of generating multiple exposures by taking an image and stepping it according to a predetermined layout.

stet A proofreader's symbol that is usually written in the copy margin, that indicates that the copy, which was marked for correction, should be left as it was.

stock A term for unprinted paper or other material to be printed.

supercalender Paper that has passed through metal and fiber rollers to produce a smooth, glossy finish.

synthetic papers Any petroleum based waterproof papers with a high tensile strength.

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| T |

tack The adhesive quality of inks.

tensile strength A paper's ability to withstand pressure.

text The body of written material on a page or document. Also called body copy.

text paper Fine printing paper with a basis weight or grammage that falls in between cover and writing or bond weights.

thermography A method of printing where a raised impression is created by heat curing a blend of ink and resin.

tint See value.

titanium oxide A bright white pigment (opaque) used for printing on metal and flexible packaging.

tooth The rough surfaced finish of papers such as vellum or antique.

transparent ink Inks that allow for blending through overlapping colors. Example four-color process inks

trap Printing one ink over another so there is a slight overlap of the colors in porder to prevent a colorless gap between adjacent colors if they are slightly off register.

trim marks Markings on guide sheets or originals that indicate the desired area to be trimmed. Also called crop marks.

tri-tone A halftone made from three colors.

two-sidedness The difference in feel and appearance of either side of a sheet of paper due to the papermaking process having a felt and wire side.

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| U |

uncoated paper Paper that has not been coated with clay.

uncalendared Papers that are not smoothed by going through the calendering process.

up A term used to describe how many similar sheets can be produced on a larger sheet; two up, four up, etc.

upright A term given to books bound on the longer dimension.

UV or ultraviolet coating Liquid applied to a sheet of paper that has heat cured with ultraviolet light, resulting in a hard, durable finish.

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| V |

vacuum frame A devise used in the platemaking process to hold materials in tight contact during exposure, also called a contact frame.

value The lightness or darkness of a color. Darker values where black is added are called shades. Lighter values where white is added are called tints or pastels.

varnish Coating applied to paper to give it a dull or glossy finish or to provide protection against scuffing and fingerprints.

vellum A finish of paper that is rough, bulky and has a degree of tooth.

velour paper A term given to papers that are coated with an adhesive and then flock dusted.

verso A term given to the left-hand or even-numbered pages of a book.

vignette Fade to white or small decorative design or illustration. A photo or illustration etc., in which the tones fade gradually away until they blend with the surface they are printed on.

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| W |

W&B An abbreviation for work and back. Reference, sheetwise.

walk-off A term given to the occurrence of plate deterioration of the image area during the printing process; usually occurs on long runs.

washup The procedure of cleaning a particular ink from all of the printing elements (rollers, plate, ink fountain etc.) of a press.

watermark A translucent logo that is embossed during the papermaking process while the paper slurry is on the dandy roll. Reference, dandy roll.

web The roll of paper that is used in web or rotary printing.

web break A tear in a web roll during the printing process.

web press Cylinder printing machine in which the paper is fed from a continuous reel, as opposed to sheet fed.

web tension The term given to the tension or pull exerted by the web press on the web roll.

wedding paper A soft paper that is thick and holds up well under embossing.

wet trapping The ability of an ink film to accept subsequent ink films.

widow A single word or two left at the end of a paragraph, or a part of a sentence ending a paragraph, which loops over to the next page and stands alone. Also, the last sentence of a paragraph which contains only one or two short words.

wipe on plate A plate on which is wiped a light sensitive coating by a coating device; usually the first step in this type of platemaking.

wire side That side of the paper which lies on the wire screen side of the papermaking machine.

wove A smooth paper made on finely textured wire that gives the paper a gentle patterned finish.

wrinkles The unevenly dried surface of printed inks.

writing paper A grade of writing or printing paper where strength, durability and permanence are essential requirements; used for letterheads, business forms, etc. The basic size is 17x22. Also called bond paper.

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| X |

xerographic paper Papers made to reproduce well in copy machines and laser printers

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| Y |

yield value The actual amount of force needed to start an ink flowing.

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| Z |

No definitions are available.

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We take great pride in helping our clients understand what is happening to their project as well as feeling more confident during the production process. To help you gain a better understanding of what's happening to your project, we've compiled a glossary of terms that are commonly used in our industry.

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