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Glossary of Printing Terms
A
Art paper – see Gloss Paper.
Artwork – all original work, including type, photos and illustrations, intended for printing. Also called art.
B
Backup copy – duplicate of an original made in case of loss or damage of the original.
Banner – large headline, usually across the full width of a page.
Bindery – place where printed products are collated, trimmed, folded and/or bound.
Bleed – printing that extends to the edge of a sheet or page after trimming.
Bond paper – category of paper commonly used for writing, printing and photocopying. It is also called business paper, communication paper, correspondence paper and writing paper. Bond paper is uncoated, sized paper, white or coloured, suitable for writing by both liquid and dry ink pens. It is widely used for stationery print, such as letterheads & complimentary slips.
Bookbinding – is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. It also usually involves attaching covers to the resulting text-block.
Book paper – category of paper suitable for general printing needs. Book paper is mainly divided into 1) Uncoated paper (also called offset paper) and 2) Coated paper, which depending of level of coating is further divided into: gloss (art) paper and silk (matte) paper.
Brochure – www.printinghouse.ie term that outlines a promotional printed material which is folded but not stapled. A4 size print folded in half is called 4p A5 brochure, folded in 3 pieces – 6 page DL, etc.
Booklet – www.printinghouse.ie term that outlines a promotional printed material which is folded and stapled. For example 2 A4 size printed sheets folded and stapled form an 8 page A5 booklet.
C
Caption – identifying or descriptive text accompanying a photograph, illustration, map, chart or other visual element. It is also called cutline, legend and underline.
Card – 1) a small, flat heavy paper or plastic object with text and figures. 2) www.printinghouse.ie term that outlines an inaugural print which is printed on heavy paper – 300 g. and heavier. This may include: Christmas cards, greeting cards, memorial cards, invites, etc.
Character – any letter, numeral, punctuation mark or other alphanumeric symbol.
Clip art – copyright-free drawings available for purchase for unlimited reproduction. It is also called standard artwork.
Concertina Fold – typically simple zig-zag folds with 6 panels and two parallel folds that go in opposite directions. Each panel of the concertina fold is about the same size.
Coated paper – paper with a coating of clay and other substances that improves reflectivity and ink holdout. Coated paper is produced in two major categories of surface shine – gloss (art) and silk (matte).
Composition – 1) In photography – the manner in which an image is arranged and framed to give an overall effect. 2) In typography – the assembly of typographic elements, such as words and paragraphs, into pages ready for printing. 3) In graphic design, the arrangement of type, graphics, and other elements on the page.
Copy – 1) For an editor or typesetter – all written material. 2) For a graphic designer or printer, everything to be printed – art, photographs and graphics, as well as words.
Copyright – ownership of creative work by the writer, photographer or artist who made it or, if work for hire, the organization that paid for it.
Crop marks – lines near the edges of an image indicating portions to be reproduced. Also called cut marks and tick marks.
Crossover – type or art that continues from one page across the gutter to the opposite page. Also called bridge, gutter bleed and gutter jump.
D
Dash – typographic mark that indicates a break between thoughts. An em dash (—) is longer than an en dash (–) and much longer than a hyphen (-).
Docket – a www.printinghouse.ie term that outlines a collated book of self copy sheets usually used for accountancy purposes (invoices, delivery dockets, purchase orders, etc.). Duplicate, triplicate or quadruplicate self copy sheets that share the same number but printed on different colour paper form a set. The docket books are usually printed in books of 50 sets.
Dual-purpose bond paper – bond paper suitable for printing by either lithography (offset) or xerography (photocopy).
E
Element – one part of an image or page. Elements of an image may include subject, background and foreground. Elements of a page may include headlines, body copy and halftones.
Estimate – price that states what a job will probably cost. Also called a quotation. Printers base estimates on specifications provided by customers.
F
Feature – article that provides general knowledge, entertainment, or background on the news. Feature articles are usually longer than news articles.
Finish – 1) Surface characteristics of paper. 2) General term for trimming, folding, binding and all other post press operations.
Finished size – size of product after production is complete, as compared to flat size. Also called trim size. It is opposite to flat size.
Flat size – size of product after printing and trimming, but before folding, as compared to finished size.
Flyer – a www.printinghouse.ie term that outlines a promotional printed material which is neither folded nor stapled. The flyers are usually A6, A5, DL and A4 size, 1 or 2-sided, also one or full colour.
Fold marks – lines on a mechanical, film, printing plate or press sheet indicating where to fold the final product.
Folder – a www.printinghouse.ie term that outlines a folded printed material on heavy paper which has pre-printed flaps that folded form a pocket to hold various documents. It is usually printed slightly bigger than A4 size to comfortably fit A4 sheets inside the pocket. It may also have pre-cut slots for business cards.
Folding – www.printinghouse.ie offers three types of folding brochures. These depend on type of folding the paper: Roll (Spiral) Folding, Concertina (Zig Zag) Folding, Gate Folding.
Font – complete assortment of upper and lowercase characters, numerals, punctuation and other symbols of one typeface. A font is a concept, not a physical object. Fonts can be held in the storage or memory of a computer, on sheets of transfer lettering, on film, or in job cases holding metal type.
Footer – information, such as page number or chapter title, that appears at the bottom of every page.
Format – 1) Paper format or paper size, the size and shape of paper. 2) Is the part of graphic design that deals in the arrangement and style treatment of elements (content) on a page.
Freelancer – professional, such as writer or photographer, who is self-employed, thus free to accept work from many clients. Also called contract artist.
G
Gate Fold – there are two parallel folds. The left and right edges of the paper fold and meet in the middle, without overlapping, along a centre fold. The outer panels are usually 2 mm to 4 mm smaller than the inner panels to allow for proper folding and nesting.
Gloss Paper (finish) – paper with a coating that reflects light well, as compared to matte-coated paper. It is also called art paper. The colour printed on gloss paper is usually brighter and shinier rather than on silk paper, although the reflection of light makes the text difficult to read. Handling of glossy paper is important as the paper can quickly and easily be marred by fingerprints and dirt.
Graphic design – arrangement of type and visual elements along with specifications for paper, ink colors and printing processes that, when combined, convey a visual message.
Graphic designer – professional, who designs, plans and may coordinate production of a printed piece.
Graphics – visual elements that supplement type to make printed messages clearer or more interesting.
Grid – 1) Pattern of lines representing the layout of a newsletter. A grid may be imaginary, or it may be printed on paper or displayed on a computer screen. 2) Pattern of non-printing guidelines on a paste-up board or computer screen. Grids help align and organize copy.
Gutter – line or fold at which facing pages meet.
H
Halftone – a photograph or an illustration that has been converted into dots for reproduction.
Hard proof – proof on paper or other substrate, as compared to a soft proof.
Header – information, such as page number or chapter title, that appears at the top of every page of a newsletter.
I
Image – type, illustration or other original as it has been reproduced on computer screen, film, printing plate or paper.
Imposition – arrangement of pages on mechanicals or flats so they will appear in proper sequence after press sheets are folded and bound.
Imprint – to print new copy on a previously printed sheet. Match or concert tickets may be printed using imprint method by overprinting particular event information on pre-printed tickets.
In-house – refers to an activity, such as graphic design or printing, performed within an organization, not purchased from outsiders.
Issue date – year, month or date on which a newsletter was mailed or released.
J
K
Keylines – lines on a mechanical or negative showing the exact size, shape and location of photographs or other graphic elements. Folder keyline is used to make die-knife to cut the folder flaps as they were designed.
L
Laser printer – device using a laser beam and xerography to reproduce type, graphics and halftone dots.
Layout – sketch or plan of how a page or sheet will look when printed.
Legible – referring to type having sufficient contrast with its background so readers can easily perceive the characters, as compared to readable.
Letter fold – two folds creating three panels that allow a sheet of letterhead to fit a business envelop. It is also called a DL fold A standard A4 sheet folder in three panels is called 6 page DL Brochure.
Logo – abbreviation for logotype, an artistic assembly of type and art into a distinctive symbol unique to an organization, business or product.
M
Matte finish – flat (not glossy) finish on photographic paper or coated printing paper.
Matte Paper – see Silk Paper.
Multicolor printing – printing in more than one ink color (but not four-color process). Also called polychrome printing.
N
Newsletter – short, usually informal periodical presenting of specialized information to a limited audience.
O
Offset printing – is a commonly used printing technique where the inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface.
Overprint – to print one image over a previously printed image, such as printing type over a screen tint.
P
Page – one side of a leaf in a newsletter. One sheet folded in half yields four pages. An eight-page signature has four pages printed on each side of the sheet.
Page count – total number of pages that a newsletter has.
PANTONE – colors Brand name of colors in the PANTONE Matching System.
Paper Folding – see Folding
Paper Size – www.printinghouse.ie uses International System of Units (SI system) standard sizes. These sizes are:
A0 – 840 x 1188 mm
A1 – 594 x 840 mm
A2 – 420 x 594 mm
A3 – 297 x 420 mm
A4 – 210 x 297 mm
A5 – 148 x 210 mm
A6 – 105 x148 mm
DL – 210 x 99 mm
Paper Weight (Paper density) – of a type of paper or cardboard is the mass of the product per unit of area. Expressed in grams per square metre (g/m²), paper density is also known as grammage. www.printinghouse.ie offers three main paper weights that differ in features and in price: 100 g/m2, 150 g/m2 (default), 250 g./m2. Some prints are printed on paper with specific weight. i.e.: cards – on 300 g paper, business cards – on 350 g. paper
Posters – www.printinghouse.ie term that outlines print material printed on A3 or bigger paper size.
PostScript – brand name for a page description language used in laser printers and imagesetters. Supported by both IBM and Macintosh. Its device independence allows the same PS file to be output on different printing devices.
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.
Proofread – to examine a manuscript or proof for errors in writing or typesetting.
Publisher – 1) Person or organization that coordinates creation, design, production and distribution of newsletters. 2) Chief executive officer or owner of a publishing company.
Q
Quick printing – printing using small sheet-fed presses, called duplicators, using cut sizes of bond and offset paper. Paper, plastic or rubber plates are made directly from camera-ready copy; as compared to metal plates for commercial printing that require making film first.
Quotation – price offered by a printer to produce a specific job, thus alternate for estimate. The quoted price is the printer's side of the contract based on specifications from the customer.
R
Resolution – sharpness of an image on film, paper, computer screen, disk, tape or other medium.
Reverse – type, graphic or illustration reproduced by printing ink around its outline, thus allowing the underlying color or paper to show through and form the image. Also called knockout and liftout. The image "reverses out" of the ink color.
Rights – conditions and terms of a licensing agreement between a copyright owner and a publisher.
Roll Folding – a piece of paper folded that has two or more parallel folds that fold in on each other. It may fold in from the left or right. To allow proper nesting of panels that fold in, inside panels are usually incrementally smaller than outer panels with the inside end panel being the smallest. A standard 6 page DL is a classic example of Roll Folding.
Rough layout – sketch giving a general idea of size and placement of text and graphics in the final product. Also called esquisse and rough.
S
Saddle stitch – to bind by stapling sheets together where they fold at the spine
Scanner – electronic device used to scan an image.
Scoring – involves creating a line or depression in the paper that will help create a nice even crease when folding the card. This technique is most often used when working with cardstock or other thick paper. Scoring is usually done with special machines.
Screen (Silk) Printing – a printing method where a squeegee is used to force ink through a mesh fabric that has a stenciled image area that allows the ink to pass through the mesh to create the image.
Silk Paper – unlike Glossy Paper, silk paper produces nice quality prints but does not have that vibrant colour finish. Matte paper is not vulnerable to being marred by fingerprints and it produces a non-glare photo.
Smooth finish – the most level finish offered on offset paper.
Soft copy – copy viewed on a computer screen, as compared to hard copy.
Specifications – complete and precisely written description of features of a printing job, such as type size and leading, paper grade and quantity, printing quality or binding method. Abbreviated specs. Specifications can include the following: type specs define typeface, size, line measure, indentations, headlines, and other features of typography. Printing specs concentrate on press work, such as quantities, ink colors and dot gains, but often include prepress, paper and finishing. Finishing specs tell folding requirements and trim size.
Spine – the back of a bound book connecting the two covers; also called backbone.
Spiral Folding – see Roll Folding.
Spiral Wire (Binding) – a type of mechanical binding using a continuous wire of corkscrew or spring-coil form run through round holes punched into the binding edge.
Spread – 1) Two pages that face each other and are designed as one visual or production unit. 2) Layout of several photos, especially on facing pages.
Stationery – www.printinghouse.ie term that outlines basic company identity documents: Letterhead, Continuation Sheets and Compliment Slips. Business cards may also be referred as Stationery but because of great diversity and popularity business cards in this website are presented individually.
Style – copyediting rules for treatment of such matters as modes of address, titles and numerals.
T
Template – pattern used to draw illustrations, make page formats, or lay out press sheets. A template may be a physical object that guides a pencil, an underlay for a light table, or a computer file with present formats or outlines for the final printed piece.
Terms and conditions – specifics of an order for printing that a printer and a customer make part of their contract.
Text – main portion of type on a page, as opposed to such elements as headlines and captions.
Ticket – www.printinghouse.ie term that outlines DL size print primarily used for matches, sport and other events. To this ticket numbering and slip perforating is applied to the tickets.
Type – letters, numerals, punctuation marks and other symbols produced by a machine and that will be reproduced by printing.
Type family – group of typefaces with similar letter forms and an unique name such as ‘Garamond’. Type family also includes all weights and styles, such as light, semibold and bold italic. Also called family of type.
Typography – 1) The art and science of composing type to make it legible, readable and pleasing. 2) The arrangement of type on a page.
U
Uncoated paper – paper that has not been coated with clay. Also called offset paper.
Unit cost – the cost of one item in a print run. Unit cost is computed by dividing the total cost of the printing job variable costs plus fixed costs - by the quantity of products delivered.
V
W
White space – an area of a printed piece that does not contain images or type. Also called negative space.
X
X height – vertical height of a lowercase x in a typeface. X height varies from one typeface to another. Also called body height.
Z
Zig Zag Folding – see Concertina Folding.
