This Glossary of Direct Marketing Printing Terms will help you before and during the time you're dealing with a printer. Many times experts in a certain field will use words and terms the rest of us don't understand. When you don't understand a word or term, you don't have all the information you need to make a wise decision.
Knowing specialty words and terms beforehand will also help you communicate what you want done. Or, it will give you new ideas of what "could be" done.
Absorption: In paper, the property which causes it to take up liquids or vapors in contact with it.
Additional Color: Color added to the four primary colors for printing, used in direct tint.
Additive Primaries: Red, green and blue are the primary colors of light from which all other colors can be made.
Affixing: Attachment of at least one separate piece to another with an adhesive.
Against The Grain: Folding or feeding paper at right angles to the grain direction of the paper.
Aliasing: Visibly jagged steps along angled or object edges, due to sharp tonal contrasts between pixels.
Alterations: Changes made in text copy or art after a job has been set in type or shot and proofs have been pulled for checking. These are not due to typographer's error, and thus are chargeable to the customer.
Application File Format: When a document is created using desktop publishing software, the resulting files or files are typically saved to the computer's hard disk. This file is said to be in an Application File Format. This format is unique to the software used and enables the user to continue to work with the document.
Apron: White space added to margins of text area on a page to accommodate a foldout.
Aqueous Coating: A water-based coating applied after printing to provide a high-gloss surface that is resistant to dirt.
Archive: When referring to electronic archiving, it means the ability to electronically store documents for future electronic, on-demand printing. The files are commonly stored in a print ready format and are not accessible for editing. Changes to the stored document can be incorporated by replacing pages or entire sections with updated pages.
Artwork: Illustrations, drawings, photographs, renderings, paintings, sketches, or copy of any kind - except text copy - that is being prepared or used for reproduction.
B:
Bangtail Envelope: An envelope that serves a promotional purpose via an extra flap that holds product information and/or an order form. Often used in credit cart statements, premium notices, and the like. It is also referred to as a wallet flap envelope.
Bindery: The facility that binds together books, magazines, or pamphlets. "Binding,” means wiring with staples; sewing or plasticizing depending on thickness and appearance desired.
Bindery Operations: Operations normally performed after press operations. Such operations may include punching, fastening, drilling, folding, trimming, slitting, numbering and affixing.
Bind-In: A promotional piece that includes a business reply card or order form. Typically on postcard stock, (usually with a caliper of .007"), this piece is bound into a magazine with the response portion perforated for easy removal.
Bit Depth: The number of bits used to represent each pixel in an image to determine its color or tone.
Bit Map: In computer imaging, the electronic representation of a page, indicating the position of every possible spot (zero or none).
Bitmapped (Rasterized) Image: A graphic or character represented by pixels or dots that display the graphic's light or dark spots arranged horizontally and vertically. Each pixel is indicated as a 1 (dark spot) or a 0 (light spot) to the computer in binary code.
Black Point: A reference point that defines the darkest area in an image, causing all other areas to be adjusted accordingly.
Blanket: A covering on the printing cylinder of an offset press. The blanket receives the impression from the plate and transfers it to the paper. Since the blanket acts as a transfer agent, it will have a "mirror" image of the images on the plate and substrate.
Blanket-to-Blanket press: In offset printing, a configuration in which a continuous web of paper is fed between two blanket cylinders, printing both sides at once. Also called a perfecting press.
Bleed: That part of the image which extends beyond the trim-line of the page (i.e., the printed matter designed to run off the edge of the paper). Illustrations which spread to the edge of the page and allow no margins are described as bled-off.
Blow-In: A promotional piece inserted between the pages of a magazine and held in place by the pressure of the pages. Because this piece is not bound in the book, it gets the reader's immediate attention by falling out as soon as the publication is opened.
Blow Up: A photographic enlargement.
Blueline: A print made from stripped-up negatives on special light-sensitive paper, used as a proof to check position of image elements.
Bond: A grade of durable writing, printing and typing paper that is erasable and somewhat rigid.
Bottom Printing: Printing on the underside of translucent film or paper, so the design reads through the top.
Bowe Cutter: Receives continuous forms in either roll or boxed form and cuts them into single forms for processing in the folder. This cutter has the ability to communicate with the Laser Printer to detect web movement. The Bowe Cutter can accommodate web widths up to 18 inches.
Bristols: Solid or laminated heavyweight printing papers made to a thickness of .006" or higher. Often used for posters, folders, business and social announcements, etc., requiring repeated handling.
Bulk: The degree of thickness of paper. In book printing, the number of pages per inch for a given basis weight.
Burn: In platemaking, a common term used for a plate exposure.
Burster: Bursts the perforation apart so as to allow for finishing operation such as slitting and folding. The Burster can slit the web in half to deliver two-up forms as well as trim off the pin feeds.
Bursting: Process of mechanically separating continuous forms at the perforation. Pinfeeds are often removed during this bursting process.
C:
C1S: Paper coated on one side.
C2S: Paper coated on both sides.
Calendered paper: calendering is the process of smoothing the surface of the paper by pressing it between rollers. Uncalendered papers — those not made smooth by calendering — have a less smooth texture.
Cast Coated: Coated paper with a surface similar to that of a glossy photograph.
Center Spread: The exact middle spread of a bound catalog, magazine, or book. Center spreads are also called naturals.
Chad: Waste that remains when line hole (pinfeed) punches do not cut completely through the paper. CHAD, sometimes called hanging punches, can cause both impact and laser printers to malfunction.
Cheshire Labels: Mailing labels prepared for use with automatic labeling machines. The machine affixes the labels individually to the mailing envelope, letter, or order form.
Chop-And-Nest: A technique for manufacturing two or more components of a direct mail package by folding and cutting a single sheet of paper.
Clipping: The conversion of all tones lighter than a specified grey level to white, or darker than a specified grey level to black, causing loss of detail. This also applies to individual channels in a color image.
Coated: Term used to describe paper or board that has a top layer of china clay (a mineral) to give a smooth finish. Coated stock reproduces a sharper dot that uncoated substrates (i.e., paper) and usually has a higher level of gloss. Glossy magazines, for example, are printed on coated paper. Also known as enamel paper or surface paper.
Coated Paper: Paper to which a coating of clay or other material has been applied, causing ink to rest on the surface of the paper. Printed images appear more brilliant on coated paper; these papers offer a good choice for reproducing halftones and are ideal for four-color process printing.
Coated Dull Paper: Emboss-finished coated paper that has also gone through a supercalendering process; exhibits low gloss and high ink holdout. Used for jobs that require high-quality color reproduction with minimal paper gloss.
Coated Gloss Paper: Coated paper that has been supercalendered to enhance surface gloss and ink holdout. Provides excellent reproductions of halftone and colors.
Coated Matte Paper: Paper that is prime coated in the size press of the paper machine, but not supercalendered. Lithographic reproduction is superior to that of uncoated papers, yet paper is glare-free and handles like uncoated paper on the press.
Cold Color: In printing, a color with a bluish cast.
Cold-Set Ink: A solid ink that, when used on a "hot press" (one that has a heated cylinder), melts into a liquid that then solidifies on contact with the paper.
Collate: To organize, gather and assemble the various parts of a printed piece or business form.
Color Cast: An overall color imbalance in an image, as if viewed through a colored filter.
Color Correction: Any method such as masking, dot-etching, re-etching and scanning, or editing used to improve color rendition.
Color Separation: The translation of an original photograph or other artwork into separate plates for four-color printing.
Color Separations: Color process printing uses four colors: (1) cyan; (2) yellow; (3) magenta; and (4) black {also known as CYMK}. These print as tiny dots of solid color, which combine to give the full color range of the original. The copy is broken down into the process colors by photographic or electronic color separation. In separation, the original copy is photographed four times using colored filters, to produce a different separation negative for each color.
Color Swatch: A series of color guides, which may be graded in a standardized fashion as in the Pantone matching system.
Color Transparency: A positive photographic image protected by a transparent cover.
Comprehensive Layout: Also called a "comp," this is a layout for a prospective printed piece that is complete enough to order finished illustrations and photography and to set type by.
Corner Card: The imprint of the sender; return address on an outer envelope or catalog, which may include the logo and/or slogan of the firm.
Cost Per Thousand (CPM): Total cost of mailing or ad divided by the number of thousands mailed.
Compression: The reduction in size of an image file.
Continuous Tone: A photographic image, which contains gradient tones from black to white.
Contra Vision: A print substrate whose panels typically provide one-way vision, see-through graphic advertisements and signs.
Copy: The written advertising message to be displayed on the advertising piece.
Corrugated: Board composed of one or several fluted paper sheets glued between or on one more flat facings.
Counter Dispenser: Advertising material placed on the counter with on its front side several products exposed to the consumer for self-service, contrary to a stocking material where the products are placed at the back side of the display and thus on the seller's side.
Cover Papers: Paper used for catalog, brochure, or booklet covers, or as a vehicle for such items as menus, folders, and posters. Used when substantial bulk is required for printed material. Special characteristics include dimensional stability, uniform printing surface, good folding qualities, and durability. Well-suited for scoring, die-cutting, embossing, and stamping. Standard basis weights for cover paper are based on the weight of 500 sheets in the basic 20" x 26" size. Standard cover weights are 50, 65, 80, 100, and 130lbs.
Coverage: Extent to which ink covers the substrate (paper). Ink coverage is usually expressed in percentage terms.
Creasing: Partial shaping of cardboard through stamping to allow it to fold.
Cromalin: A type of color proof, produced from color separated film, used to give an indication to the client of how the full-color print job will look.
Crop: To eliminate portions of the copy, usually on a photograph or plate, indicated on the original by crop marks.
Crop Marks: In design, the lines drawn on an overlay or in the margins of an illustration to define the portion of the image that will appear in the reproduction. Cropping: Trimming or masking sections of the artwork that are not required to be printed.
Crossover: An image that continues from one page of a publication across the gutter to the opposite page.
Curl: A waviness or rolling effect that sometimes occurs at the edge of a paper sheet. It is usually associated with the improper moisture balance within the sheet, or uneven drying when the orientation with the sheet, improper refining of pulp or mechanical stresses during manufacture or printing.
Cutting or Creasing: An operation carried out on a special finishing machine when special shapes need to be cut and creased. For each job, a form is made up to shape with cutting and/or creasing rules to the required design.
Cyan: One of the four process colors; also known as process blue.
CYMK: The process colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black which are combined in varying amounts to represent colors in an original image. K is used for Black to avoid confusion with Blue. D:
Dandy Roll: A hollow wire-covered roll that rides on the paper machine wire and compacts the newly-formed web to improve its formation and impart a watermark or special finish to the paper.
Debossing: Same as embossing, but a recessed image is produced.
Deckle Edge: The untrimmed, feather edge created at the outer edge of a moving web of paper during manufacture.
Density: The degree of darkness (light absorption or opacity) of a photographic image.
Density: The degree of opacity of a light absorbing filter, pigment or exposed photographic emulsion.
Descender: That part of a lower case letter which extends below the main body, as in "p,"
Descreening: Removal of halftone dot patterns during or after scanning printed matter by defocusing the image.
Die: A tool made from steel and wood used for cutting irregular shapes from paper or board. Also called a form.
Die-Cutting: Process of cutting special shapes from printed sheets by pressure and with thin steel blades so that part of the sheet is excised. Used to achieve visual and functional special effects in printed material. Usually done on a relatively strong, heavy paper stock, though die-cutting is sometimes done on lighter weight papers.
Die Stamping: A printing technique that uses a die to emboss a relief image onto a surface. Ink or metallic foil is generally used to add color, but if not the surface is said to be blind-stamped. Also known as relief stamping.
Die Press: A machine that is used to die cut or emboss a shape into paper or board.
Digital Color Proof: A color proof produced from digital data without the need for separation films.
Direct Halftone: A halftone reproduction made by actually photographing the actual object rather than a picture of the object. This type of halftone produces the highest quality reproduction.
Direct-To-Plate: Direct exposure of image data onto printing plates, without the intermediate use of film.
Direct-To-Press: Elimination of intermediate film and printing plates by the direct transfer of image data to printing cylinders in the press.
Document Reader: An OCR (Optical Character Recognition) device that reads one or several lines of data when the document is moved past one or more read heads.
Dot: The individual element of a halftone.
Dot Gain or Spread: In printing, a defect in which dots print larger than they should, causing darker tones or stronger colors.
DPI: Acronym for "Dots Per Inch". A 300 DPI printer, for instance is capable of printing 300 dots across and 300 down within one inch square. DPI is a measurement of resolution for scanning, displaying, or printing.
Dropout Halftone: A halftone in which the fine screen for the white areas has been removed for greater contrast. It is also called a highlight halftone.
Dummy: A preliminary or "mock-up" layout showing the position of illustrations and text as they are to appear in the final reproduction. A set of blank pages made up in advance to show the size, shape, form, weight, readability and general style of a piece of printing.
Duotone: A two-color halftone reproduction from a one-color photograph. Two plates are combined to create a piece of art with a darker and lighter shade of ink.
Dupe: To create an identical duplicate of an original piece of film.
Duplex Paper: Paper or board with a different color or finish on each side. Usually produced by pasting two sheets of paper together.
Dylux: Dupont trade name for photographic paper used to make blueline proofs.
E:
Embossing: A process performed after printing that uses a metal die, heat, pressure, and a counter die to reshape a printing surface, creating a raised image (artwork or typography) in relief. Done either as overprinting or on blank paper (called blind embossing). An especially effective technique when used with textured and embossed paper finishes.
Emulsion: A light-sensitive coating on film or stencils.
Enamel Paper: Alternate term for coated paper with gloss finish.
EPS: Encapsulated PostScript. A file format often used for images generated in object-orientated drawing applications like "Illustrator" or "Freehand" and for scanned images.
F:
Felt Finish: A finish created at the wet end of the paper machine using woven wool and synthetic felts with distinctive patterns to create a similar texture on the finished sheets. These papers exhibit excellent opacity and are strong enough for use with special procedures such as stamping and embossing. They are well-suited for jobs with large non-printed areas that display their interesting texture. Care should be taken when specifying halftones on felt-finished papers; they tend to absorb ink, and tonal areas may be lost.
Four-Color Process: Also full-color process. Indicates the four color plates commonly used in color printing.
G:
Gang Run: Running some related or similar print jobs together to save money and time.
Ghosting: Phenomenon of a faint image on a printed sheet where it was not intended to appear.
Gutter: The inside margins of facing pages.
H:
Halftone: A plate, printed piece, or process involving the shooting of artwork through a lined screen which breaks up the art into a dot pattern.
Half Web: Web press whose width and cutoff allow printing eight 8.5" x 11" pages on one press sheet.
Heat-Set Web: Web press equipped with an oven to make ink dry faster, thus able to print coated paper.
Hickies: Marks on printed material caused by dirt or foreign material during the printing process. May appear on all pieces, or just on a few samples.
House Sheet: General-use paper ordered in large quantities and kept in stock by a printer.
I:
Ink Absorption: Extent and rate of penetration by printing ink through the surface of a paper. Influences ink drying time and degree of ink holdout. Inks printed on uncoated text papers dry by ink absorption.
Ink Holdout: Degree to which a paper surface resists penetration of ink. An inked image printed on paper with a high degree of ink holdout will dry by oxidation rather than by absorption. Coated papers tend to exhibit a high degree of ink holdout.
J:
Job Estimate: Documentation indicating the price of a specific printing job; given to printing customers before a job is run. Also referred to as a job quote.
Job Ticket: A comprehensive job information form containing all pertinent job requirements including size, run, paper, color, etc.
JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group. An organization that has defined various file compression techniques.
Justification: The alignment of text in a paragraph so that the margins are all straight on the right side, or the left side, or both. (Right Justification, Left Justification, Justified)
K:
Keyline: This is the guide used in making plates and printing a piece--a diagram of copy and art for reproduction. (See mechanical)
Key Plate: In process color printing, it is the plate with the most detail. The other plates must be registered to the key plate.
Kromekote: A trade name of Champion Paper Company for a very glossy, coated paper stock.
L:
Label: A piece of paper (may be pressure-sensitive or not) that carries the name and address (and possibly a code) of a prospect or previous buyer. It is affixed to an order form, letter, or outer envelope for mailing purposes.
Laid Finish: Paper finish exhibiting a ribbed appearance produced by the use of side-by-side wires on the dandy roll. These papers should be printed with copy parallel to the laid lines to facilitate printing. Laid-finished papers are well-suited to the reproduction of line art, or when an old-fashioned effect is desired.
Layout: A rendering of a proposed printed piece, indicating positions for headings, copy, art, and borders. May also indicate color treatments.
Linen Finish: Embossed pattern on a paper surface resembling the look and feel of linen cloth. Usually manufactured with engraved embossing rolls.
Lithography: A printing process using plates made from photographs. Offset lithography is simply called "offset" in most cases.
Live Area: Portion of a computer printed form designated for the message being given (such as sales promotion information). Alternate term for image area.
Lockup: The space required to mount the printing plate on a rotary press. This is a non-print area and is typically 3/8" to 1/2". Check with your vendor to determine the lockup for a specific press.
M:
Magenta: One of the four process colors; also known as process red.
Match: Personalized items which must go together in a mailing package. A typical match mailing refers to a personalized closed-face envelope containing a personalized letter.
Matchprint: 3M trade name for integral color proof.
Matte Finish: Slightly dull finish on coated lightly calendered paper.
Moire: Undesirable pattern in halftones and screen tints made with improperly aligned screens.
Mottle: Spotty, uneven ink coverage especially noticeable in large solids.
N:
Negative: A reverse photographic image on film or paper in which the dark areas appear light and the light areas appear dark.
Noise: In the scanning context, this refers to random, incorrectly read pixel values, normally due to electrical interference or device instability.
Non-Lossy: Image compression without loss of quality.
Non-Read: In optical scanning, a term referring to information that is intended to be ignored by the scanning device but can be read by the human eye. Non-read information located in the scan area of a form must be printed in a colour that is highly reflective to the scanner while still offering sufficient contrast for human reading. However, non-read information located outside the scan area of a form may be printed in a machine readable color.
Non-Reflective Inks: Inks that present sufficient contrast with the background color of the paper to be read by an optical scanning device. When viewed by optical scanners, these inks reflect relatively little light (and thus appear black to the mechanism), so the scanner recognizes these areas as marks or characters and converts them to machine language. Also called "read inks" or "scan inks".
O:
Offset: A commercial form of lithographic printing, which transfers ink from a plate onto a rubber surface and then to the paper.
Offset Paper: A type of paper suited to offset lithography. Usually refers to a lower grade of off-set lithography paper, as opposed to more expensive coated stock.
Out of Register: When colors which are to be printed right over one another are not in alignment. This results in "hanging" dot patterns.
P:
Page Proof: A proof of the printed product as it will finally appear. Page proofs are usually created after galley proofs have been corrected.
Perfecting Press: Press capable of printing both sides of the paper during a single pass.
Picking: Undesirable phenomenon of bits of fiber or coating coming loose from paper during printing.
PMS Colors: Standard, numbered shades and colors which are available to printers pre-mixed. May be selected when a specific background or accent color is desired.
PMT: Abbreviation for photomechanical transfer, a Kodak trade name for a process used to make positive paper prints of line copy and halftones.
Press Check: Event at which test sheets are examined before production run is authorized to begin.
Press Proof: A proof made on a regular press after color separations are complete to check color before full run is made.
Pressure-Sensitive Labels: Also called peel-off labels. These are addressed labels often used where one label needs to serve both the addressing and return function. May be removed from the outside of a catalog or envelope, and placed on the ordering device.
Process Colors: The colors needed for four-color process printing: yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.
Process Printing: A system where a color image is separated into different color values (cyan, magenta, yellow and black or CMYK) by the use of filters and screens and then transferred to printing plates and printed on a printing press, reproducing the original color image.
Q:
QuarkXPress: A page layout application produced by Quark.
Quotation: A statement of price, terms of sale, and description of goods or services offered by a vendor to a prospective client.
R:
Ready for Press: A machine signed acceptance of a proof before the start of the actual printing.
Register: For the printed reproduction of work, all four process colors must be "in register" -- i.e., they must fit together perfectly. It is easy to tell if print is out of register by looking at the edge of the image through a magnifying glass. If you see a line of cyan, magenta, yellow, or black dots, that color is out of register.
Register (Registration) Marks: In production, marks placed on a printed piece to assist in the proper positioning of a production operation (such as punching, perforating, or folding). In the graphic arts, register marks are target marks or "bull's eyes" placed on camera copy to assist in registration.
Register Sheet: A sheet used to obtain correct position and register when printing.
Registration: In printing, registration refers to the alignment of printed images.
Resolution: The measure of detail in an image.
RGB: Red, Green Blue. The colors used to create the image on VDU screens. Most scanners capture their image in RGB values, necessitating the conversion of the image to CYMK values for reproduction.
RIP: RIP stands for Raster Image Format and is a print ready file format. This means that the files to be printed have been converted, through any number of steps, from their Application File Format into a format that can be understood by the printer.
Roll-to-Roll Printing: Rewinding a continuous printed web onto another roll.
Rotary Press: Any printing press in which the printing surface is on a rotating cylinder. Paper can be delivered to rotary presses in either sheet or web form.
Rough: Quick sketch of a project.
Run On: Sheets printed in addition to the basic quantity.
S:
Self-Mailer: A one-piece direct mail item (not a catalog), that is not mailed in an envelope.
Sheet Fed: A press that prints on sheets of paper fed into the press one at a time. Usually used for smaller quantity or higher quality printing.
Smith Format: A form design that allows for two computer personalized pages in a six page letter. Accomplished by collating two continuous sheets of different widths. Example: Part 1 = 9.5" x 11" printing 3/2 on 60lb. white offset and Part 2 = 18" x 11" printing 2/2 on 60lb. ivory offset with both parts glued in the left margin.
Spot Varnish: Varnish applied to portions of a sheet.
Stock: A term for unprinted paper.
Supercalendered paper: Calendered groundwood paper made using alternating chrome and fiber rollers that makes a very smooth, thin sheet of paper is known as supercalendered paper. Supercalendered paper is typically used for magazines, catalogs, and directories.
T:
Text Papers: General term used to describe papers with fine or specialty textures used for printing. Usually made from chemical wood pulp, sometimes with cotton fiber content. Used to give dimension and texture to printed jobs. Care should be taken to match the texture of the paper with printing requirements; many uncoated text papers tend to absorb ink, affecting the reproduction of halftones. Finishes include felt, laid, linen, vellum, embossed, and antique. Standard basis weights for text paper are based on 500 sheets cut to a basis size of 25" x 38". Standard text weights are 60, 70, 80, and 100lb.
Thumbnails: Miniature layout sketches used to give a general idea of what a direct-mail piece would look like.
Two-Up Form: Same printed image side by side stepped in even spacing left to right. Example: an 8.5" x 11" letter stepped 2-up would measure 17" x 11".
U: Uncoated: Term used to describe paper or board that does not have a top layer of china clay (mineral).
Unit: In multicolor presses, refers to the combination of inking, plate and impression operations to print each other. OPCO's 4-color Heidelberg press has 4 printing units each with its own inking, plate and impression functions.
Up: In printing, two-up, three-up, four-up, etc. refers to imposition of material to be printed on a larger size sheet to take advantage of full press capacity.
USM: Unsharp masking. A process used to sharpen images.
UV coating: Coating employed after printing through ultra-violet radiation. Generally glossy, but also available with matte finish. Has a plastic-like feel and appearance.
V:
Varnish: Varnish or lacquer applied to printed matter to improve its appearance or possibly to increase its durability. Not as strong or glossy as lamination or UV coating.
Vellum Finish: Glare-free paper finish with a high degree of "tooth"--the ability to take pencil or crayon marks. An absorbent and fast-drying paper, ideal for jobs requiring no pattern background and little surface texture. Well-suited for halftone reproductions.
Velox: A reproduction of an original piece of art or a photo. May be line, halftone, or a combination.
Vignette: An illustration in which the background fades gradually away until it blends into the unprinted paper.
W:
Warm Color: In printing, a color with a yellowish or reddish cast.
Wash-Up: The process of cleaning the press, rollers, plate and ink fountain when changing ink colors on the press.
Web (Printing) Press: A rotary printing press that uses continuous paper from a large roll that is fed through a series of rollers (cylinders) on which the plates are mounted. The impression from the plate is offset onto a blanket before being printed onto the paper. Used for larger quantity printing.
Web Offset: A rotary printing press that uses continuous reel-fed paper "web" where the impression (image) from the plate is offset onto a blanket (usually rubber) before being printed onto the paper. There are three main systems: blanket to blanket; three-cylinder systems; and satellite or planetary systems.
WYSIWYG: An acronym for "What You See Is What You Get", or the same image on the computer screen as on the laser print.
