Carbonless
Pressure sensitive writing paper that does not use carbon.

Caliper
Paper thickness in thousandths of an inch.

Camera-ready copy
Print ready mechanical art.

Carload
A truck load of paper weighing 40000 pounds.

Case bind
A type of binding used in making hard cover books using glue.

Cast coated
Coated paper with a high gloss reflective finish.

Chrome
A term for a transparency.

Coated paper
A clay coated printing paper with a smooth finish.

Collate
A finishing term for gathering paper in a precise order.

Color bar
A quality control term regarding the spots of ink color on the tail of a sheet.

Color correction
Methods of improving color separations.

Color filter
Filters uses in making color separations, red, blue, green.

Color key
Color proofs in layers of acetate.

Color matching system
A system of formulated ink colors used for communicating color.

Color separations
The process of preparing artwork, photographs, transparencies, or computer generated art for printing by separating into the four primary printing colors.

Comb bind
To plastic comb bind by inserting the comb into punched holes.

Composite film
Combining two or more images on one or more pieces of film.

Continuous-tone copy
Illustrations, photographs or computer files that contain gradient tones from black to white or light to dark.

Contrast
The tonal change in color from light to dark.

Copy
All furnished material or disc used in the production of a printed product.

Cover paper
A heavy printing paper used to cover books, make presentation folders, etc.

Crash number
Numbering paper by pressing an image on the first sheet which is transferred to all parts of the printed set.

Crimping
Puncture marks holding business forms together.

Cromalin
Trade name for DuPont color proofs.

Crop
To cut off parts of a picture or image.

Crop marks
Printed lines showing where to trim a printed sheet.

Crossover
Printing across the gutter or from one page to the facing page of a publication.

Cyan
One of four standard process colors. The blue color.

Densitometer
A quality control devise to measure the density of printing ink.

Density
The degree of color or darkness of an image or photograph.

Diazo
A light sensitive coating used on printing plates.

Die
Metal rule or imaged block used to cut or place an image on paper in the finishing process.

Die cutting
Curing images in or out of paper.

Dot
An element of halftones. Using a loupe you will see that printed pictures are made many dots.

Dot gain or spread
A term used to explain the difference in size between the dot on film v paper.

Double burn
Exposing a plate to multiple images.

Draw-down
A sample of ink and paper used to evaluate ink colors.

Drop-out
Portions of artwork that do not print.

Dummy
A rough layout of a printed piece showing position and finished size.

Duotone
A halftone picture made up of two printed colors.

Dylux
Photographic paper made by DuPont and used for bluelines.

Emboss
Pressing an image into paper so that it will create a raised relief.

Emulsion
Light sensitive coating found on printing plates and film.

Eurobind
A patented method of binding perfect bound books so they will open and lay flatter.

Facsimile transmission
The process of converting graphic images into electronic signals.

Film rip
See Rip film.

Flat
An assembly of negatives taped to masking materials for platemaking.

Flood
To cover a printed page with ink, varnish, or plastic coating.

Flop
The reverse side of an image.

Foil
A metallic or pigmented coating on plastic sheets or rolls used in foil stamping and foil embossing.

Foil emboss
Foil stamping and embossing a image on paper with a die.

Foil stamping
Using a die to place a metallic or pigmented image on paper.

4-color-process
The process of combining four basic colors to create a printed color picture or colors composed from the basic four colors.

French fold
Two folds at right angles to each other.

Galley proof
Text copy before it is put into a mechanical layout or desktop layout.

Gang
Getting the most out of a printing press by using the maximum sheet size to print multiple images or jobs on the same sheet. A way to save money.

Generation
Stages of reproduction from original copy. A first generation reproduction yields the best quality.

Ghost bars
A quality control method used to reduce ghosted image created by heat or chemical contamination.

Ghosting
A faint printed image that appears on a printed sheet where it was not intended. More often than not this problem is a function of graphical design. It is hard to tell when or where ghosting will occur. Sometimes you can see the problem developing immediately after printing the sheet, other times the problem occurs while drying. However the problem occurs it is costly to fix, if it can be fixed. Occasionally it can be eliminated by changing the color sequence, the inks, the paper, changing to a press with a drier, printing the problem area in a separate pass through the press or changing the racking (reducing the number of sheets on the drying racks). Since it is a function of graphical design, the buyer pays for the increased cost.

Gloss
A shiny look reflecting light.

Grain
The direction in which the paper fiber lie.

Grippers
The metal fingers on a printing press that hold the paper as it passes through the press.

Hairline
A very thin line or gap about the width of a hair or 1/100 inch.

Halftone
Converting a continuous tone to dots for printing.

Hard copy
The output of a computer printer, or typed text sent for typesetting.

Hickey
Reoccurring unplanned spots that appear in the printed image from dust, lint, dried ink.

High-bulk paper
A paper made thicker than its standard basis weight.

Highlight
The lightest areas in a picture or halftone.

Image area
Portion of paper on which ink can appear.

Imposition
Positioning printed pages so they will fold in the proper order.

Impression
Putting an image on paper.

Imprint
Adding copy to a previously printed page.

Indicia
Postal information place on a printed product.

Ink fountain
The reservoir on a printing press that hold the ink.

Keylines
Lines on mechanical art that show position of photographs or illustrations.

Kiss die cut
To cut the top layer of a pressure sensitive sheet and not the backing.

Knock out
To mask out an image.

Laid finish
Simulating the surface of handmade paper.

Laminate
To cover with film, to bond or glue one surface to another.

Layflat
See Eurobind.

Line copy
High contrast copy not requiring a halftone.

Lines per inch
The number of rows of dots per inch in a halftone.

Loupe
A magnifying glass used to review a printed image, plate and position film.

Magenta
Process red, one of the basic colors in process color.

Makeready
All the activities required to prepare a press for printing.

Marginal words
Call outs for directions on various parts of a business form.

Mask
Blocking light from reaching parts of a printing plate.

Matchprint
Trade name for 3M integral color proof.

Matte finish
Dull paper or ink finish.

Mechanical
Camera ready art all contained on one board.

Mechanical separation
Mechanical art overlay for each color to be printed.

Micrometer
Instrument used to measure the thickness of different papers.

Middle tones
The tones in a photograph that are approximately half as dark as the shadow area.

Moire
Occurs when screen angles are wrong causing odd patterns in photographs.

Negative
The image on film that makes the white areas of originals black and black areas white.

Non-reproducing blue
A blue color the camera cannot see. Used in marking up artwork.

Offsetting
Using an intermediate surface used to transfer ink. Also, an unpleasant happening when the images of freshly printed sheets transfer images to each other.

Offset paper
Term for uncoated book paper.

Ok sheet
Final approved color inking sheet before production begins.

Opacity
The amount of show-through on a printed sheet. The more opacity or the thicker the paper the less show-through. (The thicker/heavier the paper the higher the cost.)

Outline halftone
Removing the background of a picture or silhouetting an image in a picture.

Overlay
The transparent cover sheet on artwork often used for instructions.

Overrun or overs
Copies printed in excess of the specified quantity. (Printing trade terms allow for + - 10 % to represent a completed order.)

Page count
Total number of pages in a book including blanks.

Pattern carbon
Special carbon paper used in business forms that only transfers in certain areas.

Perfect bind
A type of binding that glues the edge of sheets to a cover like a telephone book, Microsoft software manual, or Country Living Magazine.

Perfecting press
A sheet fed printing press that prints both sides of a sheet in one pass.

Pica
Unit of measure in typesetting. One pica = 1/6 inch.

Picking
Printers nightmare that occurs as the surface of a sheet lifts off during printing. Generally a paper manufactures quality control problem.

Pin register
A standard used to fit film to film and film to plates and plates to press to assure the proper registration of printer colors.

Plate gap
Gripper space. The area where the grippers hold the sheet as it passes through the press.

PMS
The abbreviated name of the Pantone Color Matching System.

PMT
Abbreviated name for photomechanical transfer. Often used to make position prints.

Point
For paper, a unit of thickness equaling 1/1000 inch. for typesetting, a unit of height equaling 1/72 inch.

PostScript
The computer language most recognized by printing devices.

Press number
A method of numbering manufacturing business forms or tickets.

Pressure-sensitive paper
Paper material with self sticking adhesive covered by a backing sheet.

Process blue
The blue or cyan color in process printing.

Process colors
Cyan (blue), magenta (process red), yellow (process yellow), black (process black).

Ragged left
Type that is justified to the right margin and the line lengths vary on the left.

Ragged right
Type that is justified to the left margin and the line lengths vary on the right.

Ream
Five hundred sheets of paper.

Recto
Right-hand page of an open book.

Reflective copy
Copy that is not transparent.

Register
To position print in the proper position in relation to the edge of the sheet and to other printing on the same sheet.

Register marks
Cross-hair lines or marks on film, plates, and paper that guide strippers, platemakers, pressmen, and bindery personnel in processing a print order from start to finish.

Reverse
The opposite of what you see. Printing the background of an image. For example; type your name on a piece of paper. The reverse of this would be a black piece of paper with a white name.

Rip film
A method of making printing negatives from PostScript files created by desktop publishing.

Saddle stitch
Binding a booklet or magazine with staples in the seam where it folds.

Scanner
Device used to make color separations, halftones, duo tones and tri tones. Also a device used to scan art, pictures or drawings in desktop publishing.

Score
A crease put on paper to help it fold better.

Screen angles
Frequently a desktop publishers nightmare. The angles at which halftone, duo tones, tri tones, and color separation printing films are placed to make them look right.

Self-cover
Using the same paper as the text for the cover.

Shadow
The darkest areas of a photograph.

Show-through
Printing on one side of a sheet that can be seen on the other side of the sheet.

Side guide
The mechanical register unit on a printing press that positions a sheet from the side.

Side stitch
Binding by stapling along one side of a sheet.

Signature
A sheet of printed pages which when folded become a part of a book or publication.

Silhouette halftone
A term used for an outline halftone.

Skid
A pallet used for a pile of cut sheets.

Specifications
A precise description of a print order.

Spine
The binding edge of a book or publication.

Split fountain
Putting more than one ink in a printing fountain to achieve special color affects.

Spoilage
Planned paper waste for all printing operations.

Spot varnish
Varnish used to hilight a specific part of the printed sheet.

Stamping
Term for foil stamping.

Stat
Term for inexpensive print of line copy or halftone.

Step-and-repeat
A procedure for placing the same image on plates in multiple places.

Stet
A proof mark meaning let the original copy stand.

Stock
The material to be printed.

Stripping
The positioning of film on a flat prior to platemaking.

Substance weight
A term of basis weight when referring to bond papers.

Substrate
Any surface on which printing is done.

Text paper
Grades of uncoated paper with textured surfaces.

Tints
A shade of a single color or combined colors.

Tissue overlay
Usually a thin transparent paper placed over artwork for protection uses for marking color breaks and other printer instructions.

Transfer tape
A peel and stick tape used in business forms.

Transparency
A positive photographic slide on film allowing light to pass through.

Transparent copy
A film that light must pass through for it to be seen or reproduced.

Transparent ink
A printing ink that does not conceal the color under it.

Trapping
The ability to print one ink over the other.

Trim marks
Similar to crop or register marks. These marks show where to trim the printed sheet.

Trim size
The final size of one printed image after the last trim is made.

Under-run
Production of fewer copies than ordered. See over run.

Up
Printing two or three up means printing multiple copies of the same image on the same sheet.

UV coating
Liquid laminate bonded and cured with ultraviolet light. Environmentally friendly.

Varnish
A clear liquid applied to printed surfaces for looks and protection. (UV coating looks better.)

Verso
The left hand page of an open book.

Vignette halftone
A halftone whose background gradually fades to white.