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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
Thermography - Thermography is a printing technique that reproduces the effect of raised lettering, similar to embossing. The effect is produced using special inks and by drying the inks at the same time as applying a powdered resin.The document is then heated so that the ink and powder mixture melts and produces a raised waxy appearance.
Trim marks - Trim marks are thin horizontal and vertical lines marked on a sheet of printed paper which indicate where the document needs to be guillotined.
Uncoated paper - Paper that has not been coated with clay to give it a shiny, or 'coated' finish.
UV coating - A UV varnish is a shiny coating that is applied to the printed sheet and fixed with an ultraviolet light. It can be used to cover the complete sheet of paper, or just applied to areas of the printed sheet, such as photographs.
Varnish - A matt or gloss liquid varnish, sometimes applied as a spray, to seal a printed substrate. Can be used either on the cover of a publication to finish it, or as a spot varnish on images or to seal pages that have been printed with a heavy coating of ink.
Vellum - Vellum is a textured and bulky paper stock, generally used for book covers. Vellum can also be used to refer to heavy translucent drawing paper.
Web printing process - Web printing doesn't use sheets of paper. Instead, large rolls of paper are fed through a printing press. Generally only economic for large print runs, such as newspapers and some mass distribution magazines.
Work and Turn - When passing a sheet of paper through a printing machine, using the same plate to print one side of the sheet before turning the paper over and printing the other side with the same printing plate and gripper edge.
Work and Tumble - a method of printing where pages are again imposed together. The sheet is then printed on one side with the sheet being turned or tumbled from front to rear to print the opposite side.
Washup - Cleaning the the ink out of the printing cylinders of a printing press.
WYSIWYG - What-you-see-is-what-you-get (pronounced "wizzywig") - used to describe systems that preview full pages on the screen with text and graphics. The term can however be a little misleading due to difference in the resolution of the computer screen and that of the page printer.
X-hight - the height of a letter excluding the ascenders and descenders; eg 'x', which is also height of the main body.
Xeragraphy - a photocopying/printing process in which the image is formed using the electrostatic charge principle. The toner replaces ink and can be dry or liquid. Once formed, the image is sealed by heat. Most laser printers currently use this method of printing.
Trim marks - Trim marks are thin horizontal and vertical lines marked on a sheet of printed paper which indicate where the document needs to be guillotined.
Uncoated paper - Paper that has not been coated with clay to give it a shiny, or 'coated' finish.
UV coating - A UV varnish is a shiny coating that is applied to the printed sheet and fixed with an ultraviolet light. It can be used to cover the complete sheet of paper, or just applied to areas of the printed sheet, such as photographs.
Varnish - A matt or gloss liquid varnish, sometimes applied as a spray, to seal a printed substrate. Can be used either on the cover of a publication to finish it, or as a spot varnish on images or to seal pages that have been printed with a heavy coating of ink.
Vellum - Vellum is a textured and bulky paper stock, generally used for book covers. Vellum can also be used to refer to heavy translucent drawing paper.
Web printing process - Web printing doesn't use sheets of paper. Instead, large rolls of paper are fed through a printing press. Generally only economic for large print runs, such as newspapers and some mass distribution magazines.
Work and Turn - When passing a sheet of paper through a printing machine, using the same plate to print one side of the sheet before turning the paper over and printing the other side with the same printing plate and gripper edge.
Work and Tumble - a method of printing where pages are again imposed together. The sheet is then printed on one side with the sheet being turned or tumbled from front to rear to print the opposite side.
Washup - Cleaning the the ink out of the printing cylinders of a printing press.
WYSIWYG - What-you-see-is-what-you-get (pronounced "wizzywig") - used to describe systems that preview full pages on the screen with text and graphics. The term can however be a little misleading due to difference in the resolution of the computer screen and that of the page printer.
X-hight - the height of a letter excluding the ascenders and descenders; eg 'x', which is also height of the main body.
Xeragraphy - a photocopying/printing process in which the image is formed using the electrostatic charge principle. The toner replaces ink and can be dry or liquid. Once formed, the image is sealed by heat. Most laser printers currently use this method of printing.