Glossary Of Terms

We take great pride in making our clients feel confident about their jobs during the production process. To help you gain a better understanding of what’s happening to your project, we’ve compiled a glossary of terms that we commonly use in our industry.

• AC

  Author's Correction

• Accordion Fold

  A type of paper folding in which each fold runs in the opposite direction to the previous fold creating a pleated or accordion affect.

• Acetate

  A transparent or translucent plastic sheet material of a variety of colors, used as a basis for artwork and overlays.

• Achromatic

  The non-colors... black, white and gray.

• Additive Colors

  In photographic reproduction, the primary colors of red, green and blue which are mixed to form all other colors.

• Air

  Large white areas in a design layout.

• Airbrush

  A compressed air tool that dispenses a fine mist of paint or ink; used in illustration and photo retouching.

• Alignment

  The condition of type and or art materials as they level up on a horizontal or vertical line.

• Alley

  A term for a random, coincidental path or a row of white space within a segment of copy.

• Alphabet Length

  The measured length (in points) of the lowercase alphabet of a certain size and series of type.

• American Paper Institute

  An organization that correlates all paper related information.

• Antigua

  An eleventh century Italian script typeface.

• Arms

  Those elements of letters that branch out from the stem of a letter, such as: "K" and "Y".

• Arrowhead

  A symbol shaped like an arrowhead that is used in illustration to direct a leader line. Reference, leader line

• Artwork

  All illustrated material, ornamentation, photos and charts etc., that is prepared for reproduction.

• Ascender

  Any part of a lower case letter which rises above the main body of the letter such as in "d", "b" and "h".

• Author's Alterations (AA's)

  Changes made after composition stage where customer is responsible for additional charges.

• Azure

  The light blue color used in the nomenclature of "laid" and "wove" papers.

• Back Margin

  A term referring to the margin which lies closest to the back of the book.

• Back To Back

  Print applied to both sides of a sheet of paper.

• Backbone

  That portion of the binding, which connects the front of the book with the back of the book; also called "back".

• Background

  That portion of a photograph or line art drawing that appears furthest from the eye; the surface upon which the main image is superimposed.

• Backslant

  Any type that tilts to the left or backward direction; opposite of italic type.

• Balance

  A term used to describe the aesthetic or harmony of elements, whether they are photos, art or copy, within a layout or design.

• Balloon

  In an illustration, any line which encircles copy, or dialogue.

• Bank Paper

  A thin uncoated stock used for making carbon copies.

• Banker's Flap Envelope

  Also called wallet flap; the wallet flap has more rounded flap edges.

• Banner

  The primary headline usually spanning the entire width of a page.

• Base Line

  This is a term used to describe the imaginary horizontal line upon which stand capitals, lower case letters, punctuation points etc.

• Basic Size

  This term refers to a standard size of paper stock; even though the required size may be smaller or larger.

• Basis Weight

  Basis or basic weight refers to the weight, in pounds, of a ream (500 sheets) of paper cut to a given standard size for that particular paper grade.

• BF

  An abbreviation for boldface, used to determine where boldface copy is to be used. Reference, boldface.

• Binder's Board

  A heavy paperboard with a cloth covering that is used for hardback binding of books.

• Binding

  Various methods of securing folded sections together and or fastening them to a cover, to form single copies of a book.

• Bleed

  Extra ink area that crosses trim line, used to allow for variations that occur when the reproduction is trimmed or die-cut.

• Blind Folio

  Page number not printed on page.

• Blow-up

  Any enlargement of photos, copies or line art.

• Body

  The main shank or portion of the letter character other than the ascenders and descenders.

• Body Size

  The point size of a particular type character.

• Boiler Plate

  Repetitive blocks of type that are picked up and included routinely without recreating them.

• Boldface

  Any type that has a heavier black stroke that makes it more conspicuous.

• Bond

  A grade of durable writing, printing and typing paper that has a standard size of 17x22 inches.

• Bounce 1

  A registration problem, usually on copiers, where the image appears to bounce back and forth. A bounce usually occurs in one direction depending on how the paper is passing through the machine. This is usually accented by card stock (especially if it's over the machine's spec). When a customer refuses a job for whatever reason.

• Brace

  A character " }" used to group lines, or phrases.

• Broad Fold

  A term given to the fold whereby paper is folded with the short side running with the grain.

• Brochure

  A pamphlet that is bound in booklet form.

• Buckle Folder

  A portion of the binding machinery with rollers that fold the paper.

• Bulk

  A term used to define the number of pages per inch of a book relative to its given basis weight.

• Bulk

  A term given to paper to describe its thickness relative to its weight.

• Bullet

  A boldface square or dot used before a sentence to emphasize its importance.

• Burst Binding

  A binding technique that entails nicking the backfold in short lengths during the folding process, which allows glue to reach each individual leaf and create a strong bond.

• Caliper

  The measurement of thickness of paper expressed in thousandths of an inch or mils.

• Cap Line

  An imaginary horizontal line running across the tops of capital letters.

• Caps & Lower Case

  Instructions in the typesetting process that indicate the use of a capital letter to start a sentence and the rest of the letters in lower case.

• Caps & Small Caps

  Two sizes of capital letters made in one size of type.

• Chancery Italic

  A 13th century handwriting style which is the roots of italic design.

• Coated Stock

  Any paper that has a mineral coating applied after the paper is made, giving the paper a smoother finish.

• Cold Color

  Any color that moves toward the blue side in the color spectrum.

• Collate

  To gather sheets or signatures together in their correct order. (see Gather)

• Column Gutter

  Space between two or more columns of type on one page.

• Composition

  The assembly of characters into words, lines and paragraphs of text or body matter for reproduction by printing.

• Condensed Type

  A narrow, elongated type face.

• Continuous Tone

  Image made of non-discernable picture elements which give appearance of continuous spectrum of grey values or tones.

• Contrast

  The degree of tonal separation or gradation in the range from black to white.

• Copy

  Refers to any typewritten material, art, photos etc., to be used for the printing process.

• Corner Marks

  Marks on a final printed sheet that indicate the trim lines or register indicators.

• Cover

  A term describing a general type of papers used for the covers of books, pamphlets etc.

• Crop

  To eliminate a portion of the art or copy as indicated by crop marks.

• Crop Mark

  Markings at edges of original or on guide sheet to indicate the area desired in reproduction with negative or plate trimmed (cropped) at the markings.

• Cross-over

  Elements that cross page boundaries and land on two consecutive pages (usually rules).

• Crossmarks

  Marks of fine lines, which intersect to indicate accurate alignment of art elements.

• Crossover

  A term used to describe the effect of ink from an image, rule or line art on one printed page, which carries over to another page of a bound work.

• Curl

  Not lying flat and tending to form into cylindrical or wavy shapes. A term to describe the differences of either side of a sheet relative to coatings, absorbency etc.; the concave side is the curl side.

• Cutter

  Machine for accurately cutting stacks of paper to desired dimensions...can also be used to crease. Also trims out final bound books' top size (soft cover).

• Cyan

  A shade of blue used in the four-color process; it reflects blue and green and absorbs red.

• Deckle Edge

  The rough or feathered edge of paper when left untrimmed.

• Delete

  An instruction given to remove an element from a layout.

• Demy

  A term that describes a standard sized printing paper measuring 17.5 x 22.5 in.

• Density

  The degree of tone, weight of darkness or color within a photo or reproduction; measurable by the densitometer. Reference, densitometer.

• Descender

  A term that describes that portion of lower case letters which extends below the main body of the letter, as in "p".

• Diploma

  A fine paper made specifically for the printing of diplomas, certificates and documents.

• Display Type

  Any type that stands out from the rest of the type on a page which attracts attention of the reader.

• Dog Ear

  Occurs when you fold into a fold (such as a letter fold). At the side of one of the creases you get an indentation. It may look like a small inverted triangle.

• Dot

  The smallest individual element of a halftone.

• Drill

  The actual drilling of holes into paper for ring or comb binding.

• Drop Folio

  Page number printed at foot of page.

• Drop Shadow

  A shadow image placed strategically behind an image to create the affect of the image lifting off the page.

• Enamel

  A term that describes a glossy coating on paper.

• Estimate

  The form used by the printer to calculate the project for the print buyer. This form contains the basic parameters of the project including size, quantity, colors, bleeds, photos etc.

• Expanded Type

  Type with width greater than normal producing a rectangular effect.

• Fan Fold

  Paper folding that emulates an accordion or fan, the folds being alternating and parallel.

• Fat Face

  Type that is quite varied in its use of very thin and very wide strokes.

• Finish

  The surface quality of paper.

• Flush Cover

  A bound book or booklet etc. having the cover trimmed to the same size as the text.

• Fogging Back

  Lowering density of an image in a specific area usually to make type more legible while still letting image show through.

• Fold Marks

  Markings at top edges that show where folds should occur.

• Folder

  Machine used to fold signatures down into sections.

• Folio or Page Number

  Number of page at top or bottom either centered, flushed left or flushed right often with running headline.

• Font

  The characters which make up a complete typeface and size.

• Fuzz

  A term for the fibers that project from the paper surface.

• Goldenrod

  An orange colored paper with gridlines, used to assemble materials for exposure for platemaking.

• Grain

  Direction of fibers in a sheet of paper governing paper properties such as increased size changes with relative humidity, across the grain, and better folding properties along the grain.

• Gutter

  Space between pages in the printing frame of a book, or inside margin towards the back or binding edge. The blank space or margin between the type page and the binding of a book.

• Hairline register

  Printing registration that lies within the range of plus or minus one half row of dots. It is the thinnest of the standard printers' rules.

• Halftone

  Tone graduated image composed of varying sized dots or lines, with equidistant centers.

• Head Margin

  That space which lies between the top of the printed copy and the trimmed edge.

• High Bulk Paper

  Paper stock that is comparatively thick in relation to its basis weight.

• IBC

  Inside back cover.

• IFC

  Inside front cover.

• Imposition

  Arrangement of pages so that they print in the proper order.

• Impression

  Product resulting from one cycle of printing machine.

• Index Bristol

  A relatively thick paper stock; basis size---25 1/2 x 30 1/2.

• Indicia

  Markings pre-printed on mailing envelopes to replace the stamp.

• Inserts

  Extra printed pages inserted loosely into printed pieces.

• Interleaves

  Extra blank pages inserted loosely into book after printing.

• Italic

  Text that is used to denote emphasis by slanting the type body forward.

• Job Number

  A number assigned to a printing project used for record keeping and job tracking. Also used to retrieve old jobs for reprints or reworking by customer.

• Jog

  To vibrate a stack of finished pages so that they are tightly aligned for final trimming.

• Jogger

  Vibrating, sloping platform that evens up the edges of stacks of paper.

• Kerning

  The narrowing of space between two letters so that they become closer and take up less space on the page.

• Layout

  A rendition that shows the placement of all the elements, roughs, thumbnails etc., of the final printed piece before it goes to print.

• Leading

  Space between lines of type; the distance in points between one baseline and the next.

• Linen

  A paper that emulates the look and texture of linen cloth.

• M weight

  The actual weight of 1000 sheets of any given size of paper.

• Machine Coated

  Paper that has had a coating applied to either one or two of its sides during the papermaking process.

• Machine Direction

  An alternate term for grain direction.

• Margin

  Imprinted space around edge of page.

• Mark-up

  To write up instructions, as on a dummy.

• Midtone Dot

  Commonly taken as the area between highlight and shadow area of a subject's face in halftone image.

• Natural

  A term to describe papers that have a color similar to that of wood; also called cream, off-white or ivory.

• Nominal Weight

  When the basis weight of paper differs from the actual weight, the term nominal weight is used.

• OBC

  Outside back cover.

• Oblong

  A term used to describe printed books, catalogs etc., that are bound on their shorter side; also referred to as album bound.

• OFC

  Outside front cover.

• Off-shore Paper

  Any papers made outside the US and Canada.

• Offset

  The most commonly used printing method, whereby the printed material does not receive the ink directly from the printing plate but from an intermediary cylinder called a blanket which receives the ink from the plate and transfers it to the paper.

• Offset Paper

  A term for uncoated book paper.

• Onionskin

  A light bond paper used for typing and used with carbon paper because of its thinness.

• Opacity

  Quality of papers that defines its opaqueness or ability to prevent two-sided printing from showing through.

• Opaque

  A quality of paper that allows relatively little light to pass through.

• Over Run

  Surplus of copies printed.

• Overhang Cover

  A cover of a book that extends over the trimmed signatures it contains.

• Overlay

  A transparent sheet placed over artwork, in register with the work it covers; this is used to call out other color components of the work, instructions or corrections.

• Overprinting

  Any printing that is done on an area that has already been printed.

• Overset

  Type that is set in excess of the allotted space.

• Parchment

  A hard finished paper that emulates animal skin; used for documents, such as awards, that require writing by hand.

• Parent Sheet

  A sheet that is larger than the cut stock of the same paper.

• Perf Marks

  Markings usually dotted lines at edges showing where perforations should occur.

• Perfect

  A term used to describe the binding process where the signatures of a book are held together by a flexible adhesive.

• Perfect Binding

  Binding process where backs of sections are cut off, roughened and glued together, and rung in a cover.

• Perforating

  Punching small holes or slits in a sheet of paper or cardboard to facilitate tearing along a desired line.

• Pica

  Standard of measurement, 1/6 inch. 1 pica = 12 points 72 points = 1 inch

• Pin Register

  Using metal pins fitted into preset holes of copy sheets, films, plates and presses that will assure the proper registration.

• Plastic Comb

  A method of binding books whereby holes are drilled on the side closest the spine, and a plastic grasping device is inserted to hold the pages together.

• Point

  A measurement unit equal to 1/72 of an inch. 12 points to a pica, 72 points to an inch.

• Ppi

  Pixels per inch.

• Premium

  Any paper that is considered better than #1 by its manufacturer.

• Primary Colors

  In printing the four primary colors are cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow and black.

• Printability

  The quality of papers to show reproduced printed images.

• Proof

  Impression from composed type or blocks, taken to check accuracy of layout, type matter, tone and color reproduction.

• Ragged Left

  The term given to right-justified type that is uneven on the left.

• Ragged Right

  The term given to left-justified type that is uneven on the right.

• Ream

  500 sheets of paper.

• Recto

  The odd numbered pages (right hand side) of books.

• Register

  The arrangement of two or more images in exact alignment with each other.

• Register Marks

  Any crossmarks or other symbols used on layout to assure proper registration.

• Right Angle Fold

  A term that denotes folds that are 90 degrees to each other.

• Run-Around

  A term given to copy that accommodates the lines of a picture or other image or copy.

• Runability

  A term used to describe how well a paper runs on a printing press.

• Running Head

  A title at the top of a page that appears on all pages of a book or chapter of a book.

• Saddle Stitching

  Stitching where the wire staples pass through the spine from the outside and are clinched in the center. Only used with folded sections, either single sections or two or more sections inset to form a single section.

• Satin Finish

  A smooth delicately embossed finished paper with sheen.

• Scaling

  The enlargement or reduction of an image or copy to fit a specific area.

• Score

  Impressions or cuts in flat material to facilitate bending or tearing.

• Self Cover

  A cover made out of the same paper stock as the internal sheets.

• Sharpen

  To decrease the dot size of the halftone which in turn decreases the color strength.

• Show Through

  A problem that occurs when the printing on one side of a sheet is seen from the other side.

• Signature (Section)

  Printed sheet (or its flat) that consists of a number of pages of a book, placed so that they will fold and bind together as a section of a book. The printed sheet after folding.

• Spine

  Back edge of a book.

• Spiral Bind

  A binding whereby a wire or plastic is spiraled through holes punched along the binding side.

• Step And Repeat

  A process of generating multiple exposures by taking an image and stepping it according to a predetermined layout.

• Stet

  A proofreader's symbol that is usually written in the copy margin, that indicates that the copy, which was marked for correction, should be left as it was.

• Stock

  A term for unprinted paper or other material to be printed.

• Tensile Strength

  A paper's ability to withstand pressure.

• Text

  A high quality printing paper.

• Tooth

  The rough surfaced finish of papers such as vellum or antique.

• Transparent

  Inks that do not block out the colored inks that they print over, but instead blend with them to create intermediate colors.

• Trim Marks

  Marks placed on the sheet to indicate where to cut the page.

• Up

  A term used to describe how many similar sheets can be produced on a larger sheet; two up, four up, etc.

• Vellum

  A finish of paper that is rough, bulky and has a degree of tooth.

• Velour Paper

  A term given to papers that are coated with an adhesive and then flock dusted.

• W&B

  An abbreviation for work and back. Reference, sheetwise.

• W&T

  An abbreviation for work and turn.

• Watermark

  A translucent logo that is embossed during the papermaking process while the paper slurry is on the dandy roll. Reference, dandy roll

• Widow

  A single word or two left at the end of a paragraph, or a part of a sentence ending a paragraph, which loops over to the next page and stands alone. Also, the last sentence of a paragraph which contains only one or two short words.

• Wire Stitching Or Stapling

  To fasten together sheets, signatures, or sections with wire staples. 3 methods... saddle stitching, side stitching, and stabbing.

• Wove

  A smooth paper made on finely textured wire that gives the paper a gentle patterned finish.

• Writing Paper

  Another name for bond paper.

• Xerographic Paper

  Papers made to reproduce well in copy machines and laser printers.