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We've collected several resources over the years to help you feel comfortable about speaking our language.
We've collected several resources over the years to help you feel comfortable about speaking our language.
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Glossary of Printing Terms
A4 paper - Standard ISO paper size format, measuring 210mm x 297mm.
Bindery - The phase of the print job in which the job is finished - that is, where the printed sheet is manipulated into its final format by such processes as folding, stitching, gluing, and cutting.
Blanket - The blanket is a rubber printing pad which is fixed to the cylinder of an offset printing press. The printing plate transfers ink onto the blanket which, in turn, applies the image to the substrate.
See also: Offset printing, Substrate
Board - Heavier printing paper. The exact grammes per square metre (GSM) that mean a sheet is referred to as board, as opposed to paper, appears to vary between suppliers and printers. Over 200gsm - 300gsm, is a safe starting point.
Coated paper - Printing paper that has been coated with clay to give it a smooth and 'coated' look and feel. Finishes can be gloss, matte and silk, amongst others.
See also: Uncoated paper
Crop marks - Crop marks are are printed cutting lines on a printed sheet of artwork or completed print job. They are there to indicate where the publication should be trimmed.
Collate - The act of gathering sheets together in their correct order.
Color Separation - The division of colors of a continuous tone multicolored original or line copy into basic portions, each of which is to be reproduced by a separate printing plate.
Deboss - Debossing involves pressing an image into the sheet of paper to create an impression. Also known as tooling.
Die cut - Die cutting is the process whereby shapes are cut out of paper, or other substrates. Designers will generally have to specify a cutting grid, in their page layout or vector drawing program, that the printer will use as a guide for making the Die.
Dot gain - Dot gain is where the halftone dots of an image print larger than the size they were on the films or printing plates. This results in some loss of detail. Some degree of dot gain is an unnavoidable part of the printing process and there are settings in a number of desktop publishing tools to allow for this. Adobe Photoshop, in particular, has settings to allow for dot gain under it's color settings preferences.
DPI - is a measure of spatial printing or video resolution, in particular the number of individual dots or pixels within the span of one linear inch (2.54 cm.)
Embossing - In printing terminology, as opposed to the digital simulation of embossing, to emboss is to make a physical impression of a shape into the printing substrate, so that it projects beneath the surface.
Estimate - The estimated cost of a print job. Printers will only ever estimate a job, as the variables involved can be many. However, as long as the designer supplies the finished artwork in the correct format, the print job should not cost more than the estimate.
Finishing - The finishing process is made up of a number of post-press processes that may be applied to a document after the printing job has completed. This includes binding, folding and trimming.
A document which has not been cropped, varnished or bound may be referred to as unfinished.
Foil blocking - Foil stamping, or foil blocking, is a printing process whereby metalic foil is applied to the printing substrate via a heated die.
Bindery - The phase of the print job in which the job is finished - that is, where the printed sheet is manipulated into its final format by such processes as folding, stitching, gluing, and cutting.
Blanket - The blanket is a rubber printing pad which is fixed to the cylinder of an offset printing press. The printing plate transfers ink onto the blanket which, in turn, applies the image to the substrate.
See also: Offset printing, Substrate
Board - Heavier printing paper. The exact grammes per square metre (GSM) that mean a sheet is referred to as board, as opposed to paper, appears to vary between suppliers and printers. Over 200gsm - 300gsm, is a safe starting point.
Coated paper - Printing paper that has been coated with clay to give it a smooth and 'coated' look and feel. Finishes can be gloss, matte and silk, amongst others.
See also: Uncoated paper
Crop marks - Crop marks are are printed cutting lines on a printed sheet of artwork or completed print job. They are there to indicate where the publication should be trimmed.
Collate - The act of gathering sheets together in their correct order.
Color Separation - The division of colors of a continuous tone multicolored original or line copy into basic portions, each of which is to be reproduced by a separate printing plate.
Deboss - Debossing involves pressing an image into the sheet of paper to create an impression. Also known as tooling.
Die cut - Die cutting is the process whereby shapes are cut out of paper, or other substrates. Designers will generally have to specify a cutting grid, in their page layout or vector drawing program, that the printer will use as a guide for making the Die.
Dot gain - Dot gain is where the halftone dots of an image print larger than the size they were on the films or printing plates. This results in some loss of detail. Some degree of dot gain is an unnavoidable part of the printing process and there are settings in a number of desktop publishing tools to allow for this. Adobe Photoshop, in particular, has settings to allow for dot gain under it's color settings preferences.
DPI - is a measure of spatial printing or video resolution, in particular the number of individual dots or pixels within the span of one linear inch (2.54 cm.)
Embossing - In printing terminology, as opposed to the digital simulation of embossing, to emboss is to make a physical impression of a shape into the printing substrate, so that it projects beneath the surface.
Estimate - The estimated cost of a print job. Printers will only ever estimate a job, as the variables involved can be many. However, as long as the designer supplies the finished artwork in the correct format, the print job should not cost more than the estimate.
Finishing - The finishing process is made up of a number of post-press processes that may be applied to a document after the printing job has completed. This includes binding, folding and trimming.
A document which has not been cropped, varnished or bound may be referred to as unfinished.
Foil blocking - Foil stamping, or foil blocking, is a printing process whereby metalic foil is applied to the printing substrate via a heated die.