Back to Back
Print applied to both sides of a sheet of paper. Blanket
On offset presses a fabric-reinforcement sheet of rubber to transfer the impression from the plate onto the paper. Bleed
Extra ink area that crosses trim line, used to allow for variations that occur when the reproduction is trimmed or die-cut. CMYK
The 4-color printing process which consists of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, & blacK. Caliper
The measurement of thickness of paper expressed in thousandths of an inch or mils. Camera Ready
A term given to any copy, artwork ect, that is prepared for photographic reproduction. Collate
To gather sheets or signatures together in their correct order. (see gather) Color Bars
This term refers to a color test strip, which is printed on the waste portion of a press sheet. It is a standardized (GATF-Graphic Arts Technical Foundation) process which allows a pressman to determine the quality of the printed material relative to ink density, registration, and dot gain. It also includes the Star Target, which is a similar system designed to detect inking problems. Color Separating
The process of separating the primary color components for printing. Composition
The assembly of characters into words, lines and paragraphs of text or body matter for reproduction by printing. Crop
eliminate a portion of the art, or copy, as indicated by crop marks. Crossover
A term used to describe the effect of ink from an image, rule or line art on one printed page, which carries over to another page of a bound work. Cutting Die
Sharp edged device, usually made of steel, to cut paper, cardboard, ect, on a printing press. Densitometer
An optical device used by printers and photographers to measure and control the density of color. Density
The degree of tone, weight of darkness or color within a photo or reproduction; measurable by the densitometer. Reference, densitometer. Die Cutting
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. The process of cutting paper in a shape or design by the use of a wooden die or block in which are positioned steel rules in the shape of the desired pattern. Die Stamping
An intaglio process for printing from images engraved into copper or steel plates. Dog Ear
Occurs when you fold into a fold (such as a letter fold). At the side of one of the creases you get an indentation. It may look like a small inverted triangle. 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. Terms 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. Dull Finish
Any matte finished paper. Duotone
Color reproduction from monochrome original. Keyplate usually printed in dark color for detail, second plate in light flat tints. A two-color halftone reproduction generated from a one-color photo. Elliptical Dot
Halftone screens in which the dots are actually elongated to produce improved middle tones. Embossing
To raise in relief a design or letters already printed on a card stock or heavy paper by an unlinked block or die. In rubber and plastic plate making the process is usually done by heat. Ganging
The bundling of two or more different printing projects on the same sheet of paper. Gather
To assemble or collect sections into single copies of complete books for binding. Ghosting
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. 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 governing paper properties such as increased size changes with relative humidity, across the grain, and better folding properties along the grain. Grayscale
A printing process that replaces all colors with different levels of black. 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 grippers of the printing press move the paper through the press by holding onto the leading edge of the sheet; this edge is the gripper edge. Gutter
Space between pages in the printing frame of a book, or inside margin towards the back or binding edge. A blank space, or margin, between the type page and the binding of a book. 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. Hard Dot
The effect in a photograph where a dot has such a small degree of halation that the dot shows quite sharp. Hickies
Imperfections in presswork due to dirt on press, trapping errors, etc. House Sheet
This is a term that refers to a paper that a printer keeps on hand in his shop. 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
Arrangement of pages so that they print correctly on a press sheet and the pages are in proper order when the sheets are folded. Impression
Product resulting from one cycle of printing machine. The pressure of the image carrier, whether it be the type, plate, or blanket when it contacts the paper. Ink Holdout
A quality of paper to be resistant to ink absorption, allowing the ink to dry on the paper surface. Jog
To vibrate a stack of finished pages so that they are tightly aligned for final trimming. Jogger
Vibrating, sloping platform that evens up the edges of stacks of paper. Kerning
The narrowing of space between two letters so that they become closer and take up less space on the page. Keyline
Lines that are drawn on artwork that indicate the exact placement, shape and size of elements including halftones, illustrations, ect. Kiss Impression
A delicate printed impression, just heavy enough to be seen. Kraft
A coarse unbleached paper used for printing and industrial products. Laid Finish
A parallel lined paper that has a handmade look. Layout
A rendition that shows the placement of all the elements, roughs, thumbnails, ect, of the final printed piece before it goes to print. Linen
A paper that emulates the look and texture of linen cloth. Lithography
The process of printing that utilizes flat inked surfaces to create the printed images. M Weight
The actual weight of 1000 sheets of any given size of paper. Make Ready
Process of adjusting final plate on the press to fine tune or modify plate surface. Match Print
Photographic proof made from all color flats and form composites proof showing color quality as well as accuracy, layout, and imposition before plates are made. Matte Finish
A coated paper finish that goes through minimal calendaring. Reference, calendaring. Moire
An undesirable halftone pattern produced by the incorrect angles of overprinting halftone screens. Mottle
A term used to describe spotty or uneven ink absorption. Natural
A term to describe papers that have a color similar to that of wood; also called cream, off-white, or ivory. Negative
Film that contains the same images as the original print, except that all colors and shades are reversed. Reference, positive. Newsprint
A light, low cost ground wood paper made especially for newspapers. Reference, ground wood. 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. Offset Lithography
Indirect printing method in which the inked image on the press-plate is first printed onto a rubber blanket, then in turn offsets the inked impression on to the sheet of paper. Offset Paper
A term for uncoated book paper. Onionskin
A light bond paper used for typing and used with carbon paper because of its thinness. Opacity
Quality of papers that defines its opaqueness or ability to prevent two-sided printing from showing through. Opaque
A quality of paper that allows relatively little light to pass through. Opaque Ink
Ink that completely covers any ink under itself. Over Run
Surplus of copies printed. Overprinting
Any printing that is done on an area that has already been printed. PMT
Photomechanical transfer. Parchment
A hard finished paper that emulates animal skin; used for documents, such as awards, that require writing by hand. Perf Marks
Markings usually dotted lines at edges showing where perforations should occur. Perfect Binding
Binding process where backs of sections are cut off, roughened and glued together, and rung in a cover. Perfecting
Printing both sides of the paper (or other material) on the same pass through the printing machine. Perforating
Punching small holes or slits in a sheet of paper or cardboard to facilitate tearing along a desired line. Picking (1)
When the tack of ink is stronger than the surface strength of the paper, some lifting of the paper surface occurs; this is referred to as picking. Picking (2)
An occurrence in printing whereby the tack of ink pulls fibers or coating off the paper surface, leaving spots on the printed surface. Plate Cylinder
The cylinder on a printing press which the plate is mounted. Point
A measurement unit equal to 1/72 of an inch, 12 points to a pica, 72 points to an inch. Positive
Film that contains an image with the same tonal values as the original; opposite of a negative. Premium
Any paper that is considered better that #1 by its manufacturer. Press-Proof
Actual press sheet to show image, tone values and colors as well as impositions of frame or press-plate. Process Inks
Printing inks, usually in sets of four colors. The most frequent combination is yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, which are printed, one over another in that order, to obtain a colored print with the desired hues, whites, blacks, and grays. Process Printing
Printing from two or more halftones to produce intermediate colors and shades. Progressive Proofs
Any proofs made from the separate plates of a multi-plate-printing project. Proof
An impression from composed type or blocks, taken for checking and correction, from a lithographic plate to check accuracy of layout, type matter, tone and color reproduction. RGB
The values that a monitor uses - Red, Green, Blue. Rag Paper
Papers with a complete or partial content of cotton fibers. Ream
500 sheets of paper. Reducer
Any substance that softens and reduces the tack of ink. Register
The arrangement of two or more images in exact alignment with each other. Register Marks
Any cross marks or other symbols used on layout to assure proper registration. Right Angle Fold
A term that denotes folds that are 90 degrees to each other. Run ability
A term used to describe how well a paper runs on a printing press. Saddle Stitching
Stitching where the wire staples pass through the spine from the outside, and are clinched in the center. Only used with folded sections, either single sections or two or more sections inset to form a single section. Satin Finish
A smooth delicately embossed finished paper with sheen. Score
Impressions or cuts in flat material to facilitate bending or tearing. Screen Angles:
The placement of halftone screens to avoid unwanted moiré patterns. Frequently used angles are black 45deg, magenta 75deg, yellow 90deg, and cyan 105deg. Screen Ruling
A measurement equaling the number of lines or dots per inch on a halftone screen. Scum
Unwanted ink marks in the non-image area. Self Cover
A cover made out of the same paper stock as the internal sheets. Sharpen
To decrease the dot size of the halftone which in turn decreases the color strength. Sheet wise
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. Show Through
A problem that occurs when the printing on one side of a sheet is seen from the other side. Side Guide
The guides on the sides of the sheet fed press that position the sheet sideways as the paper is let towards the front guide. Side Stitching
Stitching where the wire staples pass through the pile of sections of leaves gathered upon each other and are clinched on the underside. 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. Slitting
A term to describe the process of cutting of printed sheets by the cutting wheels of a printing press. Smoothness
That quality of paper defined by its levelness which allows for pressure consistency in printing, assuring uniformity of print. Sort 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 a wire or plastic is spiraled through holes punched along the binding side. Spot Color
Small area printed in a second color. Spread
A film image that is larger than the original image to accommodate ink trapping. Reference, trapping. 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. Star Target
The Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, GATF has established various quality control images; the star target appears along with the color bar and helps the pressman detect any irregularity in the ink spread. Reference, Color Bars. Step and Repeat
A process of generating multiple exposures by taking an image and stepping it according to a predetermined layout. Stock
A term for unprinted paper or other material to be printed. Strip-In
To add an element, such as copy that is shot separately, and then stripped into place on a goldenrod flat. Super Calendaring
A machine procedure that produces a high finished paper surface that is extremely smooth and exceptional for printing. Synthetic Papers
Any petroleum based waterproof papers with a high tensile strength. Tack
The adhesive quality of inks. Tag
A dense, strong paper stock. Text
A high quality printing paper. Thermography
A printing process whereby slow drying ink is applied to paper and while the ink is still wet, it is lightly dusted with a resinous powder. The paper then passes through a heat chamber where the powder melts and fuses with the ink to produce a raised surface. Tint
A halftone screen that contains all the same sized dots. Tooth
The rough surfaced finish of papers such as vellum or antique. Transparent
Inks that do not block out the colored inks that they print over, but instead blend with them to create intermediate colors. Trapping
The process of printing wet ink over printed ink which may be wet or dry. Trim Marks
Marks placed on the sheet to indicate where to cut the page. Uncalendared
Papers that are not smoothed by going through the calendaring process. Up
A term used to describe how many similar sheets can by produced on a larger sheet; two up, four up, ect. Vandyke
Brown print. Varnish
A clear shiny ink used to add gloss to printed pieces. The primary component of the ink vehicle. Vellum
A finish of paper that is rough, bulky and has a degree of tooth. Velox
A photographic print which is made from a negative. 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. W&B
An abbreviation for work and back. Reference, sheet wise. W&T
An abbreviation for work and turn. Walk-off
A term given to the occurrence of plate deterioration of the image area during the printing process; usually occurs on long runs. Wash-up
The procedure of cleaning a particular ink from all of the printing elements (rollers, plate, ink fountain, ect.) 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 Wet Trapping
The ability of an ink film to accept subsequent ink films. Wire Stitching or Stapling
To fasten together sheets, signatures, or sections with wire staples. 3 methods…saddle stitching, side stitching, and stabbing. Wove
A smooth paper made on finely textured wire, which gives the paper a gentle, patterned finish. |
