The printing industry has its own unique set of terms. Here at Premier Print Group we realized how all of the print jargon can be overwhelming to those who haven't spent decades in the industry. Please, feel free to contact us if you ever have any questions about any of the content below.
Glossary
Accordion fold
- A paper folding style in which each panel is folded in the opposite direction of the previous fold creating a pleated or accordion effect.
Acid-free paper
- A paper containing no acidity or acid producing chemicals. Acid-free paper degrades less over time than acidic papers.
Against the Grain
- At right angles to the grain direction of the paper being used which can adversely affect accurate folding. Also called across the grain and cross grain.
AI (Adobe Illustrator)
- AI is a proprietary vector image format that is based on both the EPS and PDF standards developed by Adobe. Like those formats, AI files are primarily a vector-based format, though they can also include embedded or linked raster images.
Alteration
- Any change made by a customer after copy or artwork has been received by a printer. The change could be in copy, specifications or both. Also called AA or author alteration.
Aqueous Coating
- This clear coating is used to protect printed pieces. It provides a surface that deters dirt and fingerprints. Aqueous coating improves the durability of mailed items as they go through the system. It is aesthetically pleasing by giving a finished look with paper and ink having the same reflective qualities.
Back up
- (1) To print on the second side of a sheet already printed on one side. (2) To adjust an image on one side of a sheet so that it aligns back-to-back with an image on the other side.
Basis weight
- Basis weight refers to the weight, in pounds, of a ream (500 sheets) of paper in a given standard size for that particular paper grade.
Bindery
- A department within a printing company that does the cutting, folding, collating, drilling, binding and other finishing operations used on printing projects.
Binding
- Any method of attaching pages together into a publication. These methods include saddle stitching, perfect binding, coil binding, Wire-O, and case binding.
Blanket
- In offset printing, the rubberized surfaced material secured to a press cylinder onto which ink is transferred from a plate and then in turn is transferred to paper.
Blanket Cylinder
- The blanket cylinder carries an offset rubber blanket, placing it in contact with the inked image on the plate cylinder and then transferring the inked image to paper carried by the impression cylinder.
Bleed
- Any element that extends up to or past the edge of a printed page.
Blind emboss
- The process of creating raised relief images and designs in paper without the addition of ink or foil contributing to the design. The procedure requires the use of two dies: one that is raised and one that is recessed. The dies fit into each other so that when paper is pressed between them with pressure and heat, the raised die forces the stock into the recessed die and creates a permanent embossed impression.
Blueline
- Blueline is a term left over from the days of film used for exposing offset plates. The film was stripped and exposed onto photographic proofing paper prior to making plates. This proofing process has been replaced by digital proofs.
Brightness
- Is the percent of light reflected from a sheet of white paper as measured by a light meter reading.
Bulk
- A term given to paper to describe its thickness relative to its weight.
C1S and C2S
- Acronyms for Coated One Side and Coated Two Sides cover stock. C1S cover stock has a glossy finish on one side and is uncoated or matte coated on the other. C2S cover stock is gloss coated on both sides. Thickness of these stocks is usually between 8pt (.008") and 24pt (.024").
Caliper
- The measurement of the thickness of paper, expressed in thousandths of an inch
Case Bind
- To bind using glue to hold signatures to a case made of binder board covered with fabric, plastic or leather. Also called hard cover.
CASS (Coding Accuracy Support System)
- CASS enables the United States Postal Service to evaluate the accuracy of software that corrects and matches street addresses.
Center spread
- The two pages that face each other in the center of a saddle stitched publication.
Cheshire Labeling
- The industry term for “Peel & Stick” style labels used in the mailing process.
CMYK
- CMYK is the abbreviation for the four primary colors used in four-color process printing consisting of cyan (light blue), magenta (pinkish), yellow, and black. Layering these colors can produce most colors…but not all.
Coated Paper
- Coated paper is paper that has a gloss or satin surface through the addition of a mineral coating. When printing on coated paper, less ink is required and it sits on the surface of the paper and is not absorbed as much as on uncoated papers. This produces a cleaner, sharper image.
Coil Binding
- Where a metal or plastic wire is spiraled through pre-punched holes along the side of a stack of paper. Commonly used for reports, proposals and manuals. Documents bound with coil have the ability to lay flat and can rotate 360 degrees. Also called spiral binding.
Cold Set
- Cold set printing is printing that does not use heat to dry freshly printed ink. This is primarily a web press term, as opposed to heat set.
Collate
- A printing term for gathering sheets or signatures in their correct order.
Color Bar
- Strip of small blocks of color on a press sheet that can be scanned to help measure features such as density and dot gain.
Cover Stock
- A generic term describing a heavier type of paper used for printed projects such as the covers of booklets/books, brochures, business cards and postcards.
Coverage
- The extent to which printing ink covers the surface of a printed sheet. Ink coverage is frequently expressed as light, medium or heavy.
Creep
- Phenomenon of middle pages of a folded signature extending slightly beyond outer pages. The cumulative paper thickness occurring in the fold causes the inner sheets to creep out. When the booklet is face trimmed to even up all pages, creep has to be accounted for. Commercial printers generally adjust for creep.
Crop Marks
- Small lines indicating where printed materials will be trimmed. Also called cut marks and tic marks.
Crossover
- Type or art that continues from one page of a book or magazine across the gutter to the opposite page.
Cure
- To dry inks, varnishes or other coatings after printing to ensure good adhesion and prevent setoff. UV inks are dried and cured immediately after printing before
Cyan
- A shade of blue used in four-color process printing. The C in CMYK. Also referred to as process blue.
Dampening
- An essential part of the offset printing process whereby rollers distribute fountain solution to the plate. Only the non-printing areas of the plate are dampened, thereby repelling ink in those areas.
Deboss
- To press an image into paper with a die so it extends below the surface. The opposite of emboss where the image is raised above the paper surface. See emboss.
Densitometer
- An optical device used by printers to measure and control the density of ink or color.
Density
- Density refers to the perceived darkness of a substance, material or image. Differences in density in relation to color are known as gray levels.
Die Cutting
- An automated process, die cutting involves a specially made steel die that cuts paper in unique shapes or angles. Though much more sophisticated, think of a metal cookie cutter pressing through dough against a hard surface.
Digital Printing
- Digital printing doesn’t use plates like offset printing does. A laser writes the image for each color as a pattern of electrostatic charge onto the surface of a highly-polished drum. These tiny points lift powdered dry ink from each color tray and hold it on the surface of the drum. As the paper passes around the drum, the powdered dry ink adheres to the paper with each of the colors being deposited in turn. The sheet then passes through a heated chamber which melts the powdered dry ink and fuses it onto the paper surface.
Digital Proof
- A digital proof can be a PDF or other electronically generated types. Hard copy digital proofs are created by sending files to ink jet type proofing devises. Epson proofers are the most popular by far due to their color accuracy.
Direct to Plate (DTP)
- A printing process that allows artwork to be converted in the computer to a form that bypasses the (former) film stage and goes directly to the printing plate.
Dot Gain
- The concept that ink spreads by different amounts on different types of paper. Usually expressed in percentages.
Dots per inch (DPI)
- A measure of output resolution.
Double Bump
- To print a single image twice in register so it has two layers of ink. Usually done on solid ink areas to increase the smoothness and/or density of the ink.
Double Parallel Fold
- A double parallel fold is folding a sheet of paper in half and then in half again, e.g. an 8.5” x 14” sheet is folded to 8.5” x 7” and then to 8.5” x 3.5” producing 8 panels.
Drill
- The drilling of holes into paper for any purpose including loose leaf binding.
Dry trap varnish
- Gloss or Matte varnish is applied to printed sheets after ink has dried. Generally used for spot accents.
EDDM
- Every Door Direct Mail is a service offered by USPS that enables mailers to reach an audience in specific areas/neighborhoods at lower costs.
Embossing
- The process of creating raised relief images and designs in paper and other materials. The procedure requires the use of two dies: one that is raised and one that is recessed. The dies fit into each other so that when paper is pressed between them using pressure and heat, the raised die forces the stock into the recessed die and creates a permanent embossed impression.
Enamel
- Gloss coated text and cover weight paper.
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)
- EPS is used primarily as a vector format but can also include both vector and raster image data. It typically includes a single design element that can be used in a larger design. EPS files are typically created and edited in illustration programs such as Adobe Illustrator.
Facing Pages (Reader’s Spreads)
- Facing pages of a publication are pages built side by side on a computer the way the reader will view the publication, e.g. pages 2 and 3 together facing each other. While convenient during the design stage, printers never want to receive reader spreads, as they impose individual pages electronically.
Fibers
- Papers are made up of fibers that are arranged in a specific direction and density creating a grain direction in a substrate.
Fifth Color
- An ink color added to a printed piece in addition to the standard cyan, magenta, yellow and black used in 4 color process (CMYK) printing. Usually a Pantone spot color.
Film (Obsolete)
- After art boards were completed they were mounted onto a process camera and a negative was created. The resulting film negative was used to expose the art onto a plate that is used on a printing press. This process has been replaced by “computer to plate.”
Flood
- To print a sheet completely with an ink or coating.
Flyleaf
- Leaf, at the front and back of a case bound book that is the one side of the end paper not glued to the case.
Foil Embossing
- Method of printing that releases foil from its backing when stamped with the heated die. The sheet is then embossed with a pattern under it, creating a three dimensional raised area, usually text or an image. Foil is available in many colors, including holographic. Publishers find this technique popular for covers of paper back novels and hard cover book dust jackets. It is also popular for greeting cards.
Foil Stamping
- Method of printing that releases foil from its backing when applied to paper and other substrates using a heated die. Foil is available in many colors, including holographic.
Foldout
- A six-page signature bound into a publication. The foldout page that is folded short to allow for trimming without the fold being cut off. A foldout is often used for a map or chart.
Folio
- A publishing term for the actual page number in a publication.
Four over Four (4/4)
- A job that is printed using 4 color process (CMYK) on the front and back sides of a sheet.
Free sheet
- A free sheet is any paper that is free from wood pulp impurities.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
- File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used for the transfer of computer files between a client and server on a computer network.
Fugitive Glue
- Fugitive glue is a low-tack adhesive that produces a removable, non-permanent joint. Fugitive glues are frequently used for marketing collateral, where one object is glued to another. Other uses include holding mailers closed avoiding the use of wafer seals, and adhering credit cards to carrier sheets.
Fulfillment
- The management of inventory and storage of a customer’s materials until the customer requests delivery in specified quantities to itself or to third parties. Also known as “pick and pack.”
Ganging
- The combining of two or more printing projects or their parts on the same sheet of paper.
Gate Fold
- A document folding technique that uses two parallel folds to create six panels, with three panels on each side of the paper. The left and right panels are half the width of the center panel and fold inward to meet in the middle without overlapping. The gatefold is typically used in brochures to showcase a large interior image with information printed on the side door-like panels.
Gathering
- Assembling sheets of paper or signatures into their proper sequence. See also collate.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
- GIF is a file format for storing graphic images up to 256 colors. It uses a lossless compression method which makes for higher quality output.
Grain
- Paper fibers lie in a similar direction in a sheet of paper. This direction is called the grain. Printing is usually done so that if folding is required, the fold is done parallel to the grain.
Gravure
- Method of printing using metal cylinders etched with tiny wells that hold ink.
Grind Off
- Approximately 1/8 inch (3 mm) along the spine that is ground off gathered signatures before perfect binding.
Gripper
- Edge of a sheet of paper or other substrate held by grippers guiding the sheet into the press.
Gutter
- A gutter is an additional margin on a press sheet designed to allow space for binding or other finishing options such as folding.
Heat Set
- Heat set printing is a web offset term for using a heat source to dry freshly printed ink.
Hickey
- Spot or imperfection in offset printing, most visible in areas of heavy ink coverage, caused by dirt on the plate or blanket. Also called bulls eye and fish eye.
Hinge Score
- A hinge score describes a score place on the covers of perfect bound books. Adhesive used in binding the spine wraps around to the first and last pages of the book. Cover scores run parallel, approximately 1/4” from the spine, to facilitate easy opening.
Holdout
- Holdout refers to the property of ink remaining on the surface of the paper rather than being absorbed into the paper.
Hot melt
- An adhesive used for binding perfect bound books. This adhesive is adequate for books with the body (book block) printed on uncoated papers. Books with the body printed on coated (gloss or satin) paper should always be bound with PUR (polyurethane reactive) adhesive. It is the strongest and most flexible adhesive available.
House stock
- Papers kept in stock by a commercial printer, usually purchased and offered at a slight discount due to volume buying. Also called floor sheet.
Imagesetter
- A computer device that converts digital information to a form that exposes film that facilitates preparing plates printing presses can use. This device has been replaced by platesetters.
Imposition
- Imposition is the electronic placement of pages in their proper position on a press sheet. This applies to multiples of something like postcards that are simply trimmed after printing. It also applies to laying out the pagination for a booklet or book so that when the press sheet is folded the pages are in the correct order and with adequate trim.
Impression
- One impression equals one press sheet passing once through the press.
Indicia
- An indicia is an imprint on a mailing piece (self-mailer, envelope or bound publication). The indicia contains a permit number to communicate to the USPS who will pay for the mailing. There are very strict requirements about indicia content, placement locations, size and design.
Ink Dry Back
- When printed ink colors become lighter or less dense after they have dried on the paper, particularly uncoated sheets. This is almost negated by UV technology since inks are dried and cured almost instantly on the surface of a sheet.
Insert
- A piece of printed material that is inserted into another piece of printed material, such as a magazine or catalog.
Intelligent Mail Barcode
- A 65-bar Postal Service barcode used to sort and track letters and flats. It allows mailers to use a single barcode to participate in multiple programs simultaneously, expands mailers ability to track individual mail pieces, and provides greater mail stream visibility.
Jacket
- A jacket, also called a "dust cover" is the sheet of paper wrapping around a hardbound book cover.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
- JPEG is a file format best used for photo images which must be very small files. JPEG uses lossy compression which means that some image quality is lost, and can never be recovered, when the JPEG data is compressed and saved.
Laminate
- A thin transparent plastic sheet that is applied to a paper stock. Often applied to covers, postcards and menus, etc. Laminate is available in various finishes, the use for each depends on the application.
Landscape
- A document layout where the width is greater than the height. (the opposite of Portrait)
Lay Flat Binding
- A form of perfect binding, with Lay Flat binding the pages of a book (book block) are glued to a strip of gauze. The cover is then glued to only the edges of the spine and not to the actual pages (body) of a perfect bound book. With this method, the perfect bound book can lay flat when open. PUR (polyurethane Reactive) adhesive is used for this binding method. It is the strongest and most flexible adhesive available.
Leading
- Space between lines of type. The distance in points between one baseline and the next.
Leaf
- A sheet of paper bound into a book. A leaf always contains two pages, one on each side of the sheet.
Letter Fold
- Two folds creating three panels that allow a sheet of paper such as a brochure or a letterhead to fit a business envelope. Also called barrel fold and wrap around fold.
Letterpress
- Formerly, letterpress printing produced many copies by repeated direct impression of an inked, raised surface against sheet of paper. This method required forms set with hot metal Linotypes, foundry type, etc. Superseded by offset printing. Letterpresses are now used primarily for die cutting, scoring and perforating.
Line copy
- Any copy, typically type, illustrations and graphs, that is reproduced without the use of halftones or screen tints.
Linen
- A paper finish that emulates the look and texture of linen cloth.
Linescreen
- Images on paper are made by printing tiny dots of ink. These dots fool the eye into thinking there is a photo. Line screen is the measurement of these dots in terms of lines per inch. 150 line has 150 lines (or rows of dots) every inch. The higher the number, the more detail an image can have.
Lithography
- Same as offset printing.
Loupe
- Lens built into a small stand. Used to inspect copy, film, proofs, plates and printing. Also called glass and linen tester.
Mail Anywhere
- Mail Anywhere service allows customers to drop mail using a single (local) mailing permit at any Business Mail Acceptance Unit (BMAU) across the United States, rather than having to open, maintain, and pay fees for permits at multiple locations.
Magenta
- One of the four process colors, or CMYK, the M is for magenta. Magenta is a predominately red color with some blue. Magenta, cyan and yellow are also the three subtractive primary colors.
Make-ready
- Activities required to set up a press or other machine to function for a specific printing or bindery job, as compared to production run.
Matte Finish
- A matte finish, referring to papers and coatings, is flat or dull.
NCOA (National Change Of Address)
- NCOA provides a mailing list correction service for a list that will be used for the preparation of a mailing. This is a secure dataset of approximately 160 million permanent change-of-address records consisting of the names and addresses of individuals, families and businesses who have filed a change-of-address with the USPS.
Nested
- Refers to signatures assembled inside one another in sequence.
Offset Printing
- Offset printing is a print method that transfers ink from a plate to a blanket and then to paper, as opposed to directly from a plate to the paper. Offset Printing is the most commonly used method in commercial printing.
Offset paper
- A term commonly used for uncoated book paper.
Opacity
- (1) Characteristic of paper or other substrate that prevents printing on one side from showing through the other side. (2) Characteristic of ink that prevents the substrate from showing through.
Over Run
- Additional printed matter beyond quantity ordered. Billable overage policy varies among companies in the printing industry.
Page
- A page is one side of a sheet of paper (leaf), whether printed or not.
Page Numbering
- The cover of a “self-cover” booklet is page 1, inside the cover is page 2, and so on. The cover of a “plus-cover” booklet is usually not numbered; page 1 is the first interior page.
Pagination
- Pagination is the sequence of numbers assigned to pages in a book or other publication.
Pantone Matching System
- Pantone Formula Guides contain 1,867 solid (spot) Pantone Matching System colors for printing ink on paper. The system provides formulas for mixing standard colors to arrive at desired colors. Deviations from standard formulas are available on special request. The correct trade name of the colors is Pantone colors, no longer PMS colors.
Paper weight
- The measurement is based on the weight of a ream (500 sheets) of paper in its basis size. This is a confusing system so here’s a quick example: 80# gloss text has a basis size of 25” x 38”. 80# gloss cover has a basis size of 20” x 26”. Because of the much smaller basis size for the cover, the sheet is heavier (and thicker) than the 80# gloss text.
Parallel Fold
- Method of folding. One parallel folds a sheet of paper in half and produces 4 panels, two parallel folds to a sheet will produce 6 panels, etc.
PDF (Portable Document Format)
- PDF captures formatting information from a variety of desktop publishing applications, making it possible to forward formatted documents and have them appear on a commercial printer’s monitors and printing devices as they were intended.
Perf
- Short for Perforation or Perforating. A process that places tiny holes in paper making it easier to tear.
Perfect Binding
- A binding process where the pages of a book are held together and bound to a cover by a flexible adhesive. Often referred to as paperback books.
Perfecting Press
- Press that prints on both sides of the paper during a single pass.
Pica
- Picas have been a standard unit of measurement used in typesetting and design for centuries. A pica is just under 1/6 inch, and 6 picas are equal to .996264 inch. There are 12 points per pica, or 72 points per inch. All of the commonly used design applications support both picas and inches.
Pick and Pack
- The process by which a fulfillment company will gather the contents of an order and assemble them into packaging for shipment.
Plate
- A plate in the offset printing process is a thin aluminum surface which has been laser exposed from digital files. Once mounted on the press, the exposed image picks up ink from the ink distribution rollers. The unexposed surface is dampened to repel ink by a dampening system. Ink is transferred from the plate to a blanket surface which transfer ink to paper or other substrate.
Plus Cover
- Plus Cover booklets have a heavier cover than the text stock. Page counts are referenced as the number of text pages plus the four page cover, e.g. 24 pages plus cover.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
- PNG is a more powerful alternative to the GIF file format,. PNGs are not restricted to the 256 color limitation of GIF files and have better compression. A PNG file can be saved with a transparent background which allows it to be placed on top of another image without an outlining white box.
Point
- A point is a standard unit of measurement used in typesetting and design. It is 1/12 of a pica and is used to designate type size and leading. (See pica).
Poly Bag
- A clear, sealed plastic bag that contains printed material typically to be mailed. This protects the contents in the mail and allows other items to be included with the mailing.
Portrait
- A document layout in which the height is greater than the width. (the opposite of Landscape)
Post-Consumer Waste (PCW)
- Post-consumer materials used in the manufacture of recycled fiber include office paper, cardboard, newspapers and magazines.
PostScript
- PostScript is a programming language that describes the appearance of a printed page. Developed by Adobe in 1985, it is an industry standard for printing and imaging. PostScript describes the text and graphic elements on a page to a printer or imagesetter.
PPI (Pages per inch)
- PPI is used by printers and publishers to determine the overall thickness of a book. This is useful in determining spine size. PPI is calculated based on paper thickness.
Press Check
- Press checks are performed when a client visits a printing company to view actual printed sheets of their project before a full production press run is started.
Press Proof
- Printed sample made on the press and substrate that a project will be printed on to show exactly how it will actually print using the paper, ink and plates to be used for the final press run.
Print-on-Demand (POD)
- Print-on-Demand is a printing technology in which documents, books and other materials are not printed until needed. This process allows the economical printing of single copies or small quantities. POD is generally associated with digital printing.
Printer’s Spreads
- Printer spreads are pages of a book laid out side by side as a printer would lay them out. An example would be the first and last pages, the second and next to last pages of a book laid out side by side. Today’s printers impose pages electronically and want to receive single pages, not spreads.
Process Color
- Process color printing, also known as 4-color and full color, uses 4 colors of ink: Cyan (blue), Magenta (pinkish purple), Yellow, and Black (CMYK).
Proof
- Test sheet made to reveal errors or flaws, predict results on press and record how a printing job is intended to appear when finished.
PUR Binding
- Polyurethane Reactive (PUR) adhesive is a superior adhesive for binding perfect bound books. While hot melt adhesive is acceptable for books printed on uncoated papers, PUR is necessary for holding books together where the body is printed on coated papers. After the book block is shaved and roughed up on the binding edge the cover is attached with adhesive and the other three edges are trimmed to size.
pURL (Personalized URLs)
- A digital printing application that allows you create a separate URL for each person you’re targeting – perhaps in a marketing campaign.
Reader’s Spreads
- Reader’s spreads are two facing pages such as pages 2 and 3. While designers like the convenience of creating documents in reader’s spreads, printers want to receive single pages, not spreads.
Ream
- A ream of paper is 500 sheets. The ream is used to determine a paper’s weight in its basis size.
Recto
- Recto is a publishing term that refers to right hand pages in a book, and are usually odd number pages.
Register
- Register refers to the arrangement of two or more printed images in exact alignment with one another. It also refers to the consistent position of images on press sheets.
Resolution
- PPI vs. DPI —an important distinction. PPI refers to the number of pixels per inch (ppi). The higher the number, the more detail an image can have. A computer monitor shows images at 72 ppi. Commercial printers require images to be 300 dpi (dots per inch) for best results. To achieve 300 dpi, an 8 x 10 photo would have to be 2,400 x 3,000 pixels.
Reticulating varnish/UV (AKA chemical embossing)
- The process of laying down a special dull/matte varnish everywhere that isn’t to be highlighted with high gloss UV coating. Flood gloss UV coating is immediately applied over the entire sheet while varnish is wet. All surfaces not covered with varnish show as high gloss UV while varnished areas remain dull/matte. A chemical reaction occurs when UV is applied over the wet varnished areas to give a pleasing texture of micro-beads.
RGB
- The color space of Red, Green and Blue which computers use to display images on your screen. An RGB computer file must be translated into CMYK color space in order to be printed accurately.
Score
- To compress paper along a straight line so it folds more easily and accurately. Also called channel score and crease.
Saddle Stitching
- Saddle stitching is a binding method and the industry term for stapling along the fold.
Self-Cover
- Self-Cover refers to a booklet where the cover is included in the page count. All pages of the booklet are printed on the same weight paper. (See Plus Cover)
Self-Mailer
- A printed item that is mailed without an envelope, for instance, a postcard, marketing mailer, etc.
Sheet-fed Printing
- A printing method in which the printing press uses large, pre-cut paper. Sheet-fed presses are known for producing higher quality than web (roll fed) presses.
Signature
- Sheet of printed paper that is folded one or more times to become a single unit of several pages in multiples of 4, such as an 8-page, 12-page, 16-page signature. Signatures are collected in their proper sequence (called ‘gathering’), bound and trimmed to produce a finished publication.
Smoothness
- The smoothness of paper relates to the quality of the paper and is defined by the levelness that allows for consistency in printing. The higher the smoothness of a paper the higher the uniformity in the print output.
Spiral Binding
- Where a metal or plastic wire is spiraled through pre-punched holes along the side of a stack of paper. Commonly used for reports, proposals and manuals. Documents bound with coil have the ability to lay flat and can rotate 360 degrees. Also called Coil binding.
Spot Color
- The addition of a Pantone color to a printed piece, often in addition to CMYK.
Stock
- A printer’s term for paper or other substrate on which a project is to be printed.
Storefront (also Branded Storefront)
- A storefront is a fully integrated ecommerce solution that allows the acquisition of branded merchandise such as literature, apparel, and promotional materials. Users include customers, dealers, distributors, franchisees, remote sales force and others. Print-on-demand features include pre-approved templates for easy user personalization.
Strike through varnish/UV
- This process is the same as reticulating varnish/UV, except the surface remains smooth. The process of laying down a special dull/matte varnish everywhere that doesn’t want to be highlighted with high gloss UV coating. Flood gloss UV coating is immediately applied over the entire sheet. All surfaces not covered with varnish show as high gloss UV while varnished areas remain dull/matte.
Substrate
- A term used to describe the base material upon which images will be printed, generally paper, synthetic paper, or plastics.
Textured UV
- Flood coated with UV that has a fine grit added to take on the feel of fine sandpaper.
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
- TIFF is an industry standard designed for handling raster or bitmapped images. It is among the highest quality graphic formats available. TIFF files can be saved in a variety of color formats and in various forms of compression. TIFFs use lossless compression to maintain image integrity and clarity.
Tip-on or Tip-in
- The process of inserting something into a magazine (such as a subscription card, booklet, CD, decal, etc.) by gluing, stapling or blowing-in (not attached).
Trapping
- The micro-overlapping of one color over a different, adjacent color to ensure that no white space is visible where the two colors meet.
Trim Size
- The size of the printed material in its finished stage.
Uncoated Paper
- Uncoated paper has no coating to keep ink from being absorbed into the sheet. Its surface is similar to copier/printer paper.
Up
- A term used to describe how many individual pieces can be printed on a larger sheet of paper. Examples of up include two up, four up, etc.
USPS
- United States Postal Service
UV Coating
- A high-gloss clear coating applied to a printed sheet of paper, then bonded and cured with ultraviolet light. Often used on booklet and book covers, brochures, postcards and more.
UV Printing
- An offset printing process using specially formulated inks that, when applied to paper, are dried and cured immediately when exposed to high-intensity ultraviolet light.
Variable Data Printing (VDP)
- Variable data printing is a type of printing on a digital press in which on-page elements like graphics, text, or images are changed from one printed piece to the next. This is accomplished in real-time without stopping the press.
Varnish
- A clear coating added to printed material as a protective layer for improved scuff resistance and often higher gloss.
Verso
- A publishing term that refers to left hand pages in a book and are usually even number pages.
Web Printing
- A type of offset printing that uses papers supplied on large rolls, as opposed to sheets.
Weight (of paper)
- Basis weight refers to the weight in pounds of 500 sheet of paper in its basis size.
Wire-O Binding
- A continuous double series of wire loops run through punched slots along the binding side of a booklet.
With the Grain
- Parallel to the grain direction of the paper being used, as compared to against the grain.
Yellow
- One of the four process colors of ink, or CMYK. The Y is for yellow.
Zip file
- A zip file is a compressed file format that archives one or more files into a smaller file size. This makes it take up less hard drive space and takes less time to transfer files via FTP sites.