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Every industry speaks their own language. It is no different with the printing industry. It has been said that if one wants to learn a new subject quickly, then one must first learn to understand the  words and jargons used. The whole idea is to save time and money.     

We have been in the printing industry since 1965. and we think the list below, though not exhaustive, will help in many ways.

For many of you, hiring a advertising agency to handle the printing issues on your behalf is a common proposition. Nevertheless, it is likely that at some time or other, you would wish to handle the job yourself.

Alkaline Paper:          

Permanent papers (PH of 7.5 - 8.2).

Anti offset Powder:  

Powder which creates a gap between sheets of paper to aid in the ink drying process.

Antique Finish:        

In paper, a toothy, open texture, usually giving a hand-crafted look.

Archival:                

 In paper, the stock contains no ground wood or optical brighteners.

Background ink:       

Reflective ink used to print the parts of a document that are not meant to be picked up by a scanner or optical character reader.

Bar Code:     

A system of portraying data in a series of machine-readable lines of varying widths. The "UPC" on consumer items is a bar code. In document management, a bar code is used to encode indexing information. In microfiche, bar codes allow the automatic control of the duplication process, plus contain indexing information. These bar codes usually appear in the last two or three title frames in the first title row of a microfiche.

Base Color:   

A first color used as a background on which other colors are printed.

Basic Size:             

A standard, predetermined size for a particular type of paper.

Basis Weight Scale:  

An instrument used to measure basis weights in paper.

Basis Weight:          

The weight in pounds of a predetermined number of sheets of paper having a specific size for a specific type of paper.

Bi directional Printing:

A typewriter always prints from left to right. So did the early computer printers. That's unidirectional printing. The newer computer printers will print from left to right, drop down a line, then print from right to left. Bidirectional. This increase the printer's speed.

Binders:        

Additives in the paper making process which increase strength and hardness while decreasing surface fuzz.

Binder's Creep:        

The slight but cumulative extension of the edges of each inserted spread or signature beyond the edges of the one that encloses it in a saddle stitch bind.

Binding:         

The fastening of the assembled sheets or signatures along an edge of a publication.

Black and White:     

Originals or reproductions in a single color, as distinguished from multicolor. When color separations are made, the result is four black and white negatives, each representing a process printing color.

Black Printer:

The plate used with the cyan, magenta and yellow plates; often used to enrich the contrast of the final reproduction.

Blade Coating:         

A paper coating method which results in a very smooth surface.

Blanket:       

A fabric coated with natural or synthetic rubber which is clamped around the blanket cylinder and which transfers the ink from the press plate to the paper.

Bleed:

A printed image (graphic) that extends beyond the trim edge of the paper.

Blistering:               

Oval or round bubbles visible on coated web sheets.

Blueline:       

A blue-toned photo print produced from film negatives, which is prepared as a proof to check placement of elements of an image or portion of an image on a layout.

Bottling:       

The process of skewing pages to compensate for paper thickness as it is folded. Primarily used on signatures designed for large web or large sheet-fed presses.

Blow Up:       

A photographic or lithographic term used to explain the enlargement of an original to another larger size.

Brightness:   

In color, the difference in range from white when compared to dark tones and colors. Could also be considered to be contrast. In photography, brightness is dependent upon correct exposure. Overexposures will be very bright but will have lost highlight density details. Underexposures will be very dense and show little brightness. In paper, the reflectance or brilliance of the paper.

Brown stock Washing:

In the chemical pulping operations during the paper making

process, the process of separating fibers after cooking.

Bursting Strength:   

The amount of uniformly applied pressure required to rupture a sheet of paper or corrugated product.

C1S:                     

Describes paper stock that is coated on one side.

C2S:                     

Describes paper stock that is coated on two sides.

Calcium Carbonate:  

In alkaline paper making, the primary filler; limestone or chalk.

Calendaring:  

A buffering process completed during paper manufacturing that polishes the sheet surface making it less prone to printing production difficulties.

Camera Ready Artwork:                

Paste up artwork (mechanical) in which all type is set and sized

correctly and pasted up in correct position. All corrections have been made, all color breaks have been made and is complete in every sense.

Capstan Design:      

In image setters, a system for moving the film or paper past the laser. The alternative is the drum design, in which paper or film is wrapped around a rotating drum.

Capsule Damage:     

Release of chemicals in a CB carbonless form, caused by excess pressure or friction.

Carbonless Paper:    

Chemically coated paper so that duplicate copies can be produced without the use of carbons.

Cast Coated:

Coated paper characterized by a highly polished, mirror-like surface and exceptional smoothness.

CB  (coated back):  

Top sheet in a carbonless form.

CEPS: Color Electronic Prepress System.

A computer based system for the graphics art industry that electronically simulates the traditionally labor intensive or cumbersome tasks associated with page makeup and color image manipulation.

CF (coated front):   

Receiver sheet in a carbonless form.

CFB(coated front & back):

Intermediate sheets in a carbonless form.

Chill Roll:

In Heat-set Web Printing, the refrigerateed roll sets the ink and cools the web.

CMYK:                             

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. The four so-called process colors

Coated Free Sheet:  

A paper containing less than 10% groundwood pulp.

Cold Color:    

In printing and separations, colors which are on the bluish or greenish side.

Commercial Registration:

Color printing on which misregistration is allowable within +/- one row of dots.

Composite:   

The black and white proof of a publication or, for a color publication, one sheet per publication page printed on a color printer.

Contact Print:         

A photographic same size copy made by exposure of a sensitized emulsion in contact with the transparency, negative or positive with the exposing light passing through the master image.

Continuous Tone:    

A photographic image which has not been screened and contains gradient tones from highlight to shadow. The original can be either black and white or color and contain no dots.

Control Strips:         

Series of color bars and percent tints placed just outside final image area; used to help maintain consistency during print runs.

Copy: 

Any furnished material that is to be used in the production of printing.

Crop: 

In order to eliminate portions of the copy, photograph or artwork, crop marks are placed on the original or overlay to indicate which portions are to be eliminated. Careful cropping can save money in the final separation stage because color separations are billed for their final reproduction size on film, not just the portion being used at the printing stage.

Cutoff:         

Measured distance around the blanket cylinder of a web press that establishes the length of repeatability of the image; also a term used to describe the printed product as a sheet or signature in web production.

Cyan:

One of the colored inks used in four-color printing. One of the subtractive process colors; reflects blue and green and absorbs red.

DCS:  

Desktop Color Separation. Developed by Quark. A DCS file is composed of five files. The main file is a composite with pointers to separation files and a low-resolution PICT preview file. There are four separations files, one for each process color.

DDCP:

Direct Digital Color Proofing, a prepress proofing method which creates color proofs without the need for film or plates by using only digital data.

Densitometer:         

In lithography, a reflection densitometer is used to measure the density of the ink colors to determine if they are consistent throughout the run. A transmission densitometer can be used to check reproduction dot sizes in order to maintain quality assurance in color. Both measure optical density and are considerably more sensitive and accurate than is the human eye.

Density:       

A measure of the relative difference between a white area and a toned or black area. Can be applied both to black and white and color. Or the ability of a material to absorb light. It is inversely proportional to the amount of light reflected or transmitted through the sample.

Desktop Publishing:  

The term applied to the creation of printed documents using a PC. The documents may be printed directly from the desktop publishing application software (usually with a desktop laser printer), or prepared for a commercial printing process. Do not confuse with "electronic publishing," which refers to electronically preparing documents which are to be read by electronic means.

Developing agent:     

The chemical in a photographic developer that converts exposed silver halide to visible black metallic silver.

Digital File:    

A art file that resides on disk, usually in a native application format.

Digital Proof:

A proofing system that does not include the use of film. Data is sent to a printer and imaged directly onto a paper-based material. There are several limitations of a digital proof:

1. They do not use the film that will be used to produce plates, and thus are open to interpretation of the output device.

2. Few of these devices print in the same dot pattern as is utilized in the printing process, and

3. The ink utilized in these printers is not representative of the inks used in the printing process and can show a vast color range and density not attainable on a printing press.

Direct Image Film:    

Film that maintains the same polarity _ positive for positive, negative for negative _ as the image which it is duplicating.

Dot:   

The individual element of a halftone. Its size (density) can be related to the density of the original used to produce the halftone dot. The size of the dot is indicated by the percentage of the area it occupies from zero to hundred percent. It may be several shapes including round, square or elliptical.

Dot Etching:  

In lithography, the chemical etching of silver halide halftone emulsions to increase or reduce the amount of color to be produced. Dot-etching negatives increases color; dot-etching positives reduces color.

Dot Gain:      

An increase in the size of halftone dots that may occur as a result of errors or imperfections in any of the steps between screening an image and printing it onto paper. Common causes of mechanical dot gain are incorrect plate exposure, excessive tack or incorrect viscosity of printing ink, excessive ink film thickness, internal reflection of the ink, or too much pressure between the blanket roller and the impression cylinder.

Dot Spread:  

In printing, a defect in which dots print larger than they should, causing darker tones or colors. (See dot gain)

DPI:   

Dots Per Inch. A measurement of output device resolution and quality. Measures the number of dots a printer can print per inch both horizontally and vertically. A 600 dpi printer can print 360,000 (600 by 600) dots on one square inch of paper.

Dummy:        

A preliminary layout showing the position of illustrations and text as they are to appear in the final reproduction. A set of blank pages made up in advance to show the size, shape, color, form and general style of a piece of printing.

Editable PostScript:  

PostScript commands that have been translated into a text file, which can then be changed without the need to use the applications program from which the PostScript file was originally created.

Electrophotographic Printing: 

The technology used in copy machines and laser printers. An electrically charged drum is hit with small beams of light. Wherever the light hits, the drum loses its electrical charge. When toner is applied, it sticks to the non-charged parts of the drum. Paper is then pressed against the drum, and the toner adheres to the paper. The paper is then heated to "set" the toner.

Electrostatic Printing:         

Printing process that uses a special paper which is charged by an electron beam. The toner sticks to the charged areas. Used in large-image plotters.

Elliptical Dot:

Also called a chain dot. Used in a halftone to achieve some of the smoothness of a round dot without sacrificing the sharpness of the square dot. This dot shape improves the gradation of middle tones and especially skin tones. Most useful in reproducing color for cosmetic and fashion illustrations.  

Encapsulated PostScript:

An image description format. EPS translates graphics and text into descriptions to a printer of how to draw them. The font and pictures themselves need not be loaded into the printer; they've been "encapsulated" into the EPS code.

Exposure:     

The step in photographic processes during which light produces an image on the light sensitive film coating.

Film:  

A nega tive or positive, photographic or lithographic record made on a light sensitive material.

Filter: 

In color separations and photography, a colored piece of gelatin used over or between the lens to alter the hue, color or to correct for spectral imbalances.

Fixing:

Chemical action following development to remove unexposed silver halides, to make the image stable and insensitive to further exposure. It must be noted here that if inadequate washing is done after fixing it will accelerate the degeneration of the print or film quality more so than usually occur over a given length of time.

Flat:  

In offset lithography, the assembled composite of negatives or positives, mostly on Mylar, orange vinyl, used for making further composites or plate making. There is one set of flats for each color. Also, a photograph, transparency or halftone that is lacking in contrast.

Fog:                      

In photography, density in a no image area.

Folio:                     

A page number.

Font:

A graphical design applied to all numerals, symbols and characters in the alphabet. A font usually comes in different sizes and provides different styles, such as bold, italic, and underlining for emphasizing text.

Format:         

In printing, the size, style, type, page, margins, printing requirements, etc., of a printed piece.

Frequency:              T

he lines per inch (lpi) in a halftone screen.

Galley Proof:            

A proof of text copy before it is formatted for the page.

Gradation:    

In photographic originals and lithographic reproductions, the range of tones from the brightest highlights to the deepest shadows.

Grain:  

In photography, the grain is the granular particles in photographic emulsion of an original print or negative. The printing process causes the grain to become more apparent than in the original.

Graphics:      

For the purposes of this glossary, graphics are one of the three types of data that can be created, stored retrieved and manipulated (the other two are text and documents). Graphics are basically pictures and drawings, either created by computer or entered into the computer by scanning or photographing. See vector graphics, raster graphics and bit map for more.

Graphic Resolution:  

The level of quality of which graphics are printed. The higher the resolution, the better the quality of the printed graphics.

Gray Balance:         

In four-color process printing, proper proportions of the three-process colors (yellow, magenta and cyan) create the appearance of neutral gray with no apparent hue.

Gray Component Replacement (GCR):

A technique for removing some or all of the cyan, magenta and yellow from color separations. If properly executed, the reproduction will appear the same or better than one that used conventional color reproduction without GCR.

Gray scale:   

The spectrum, or range, of shades of black an image has. Scanners' and terminals' gray scales are determined by the number of gray shades, or steps they can recognize and reproduce. A scanner that can only see a gray scale of 16 will not produce as accurate an image as one that distinguishes a gray scale of 256.

Gray Value:   

The number (usually between 0 and 256) that specifies a particular shade of gray.

Gripper Margin:        

The unprintable blank edge on which the paper is gripped as it passes through a printing press. Usually measures a half inch or less.

Gutter:                  

The two inner margins of facing pages of a publication

Hairline:                 

A .25-point rule.

Halftone:       

The production of continuous-tone artwork, such as a photograph, through a screen that converts the image into dots of various sizes. When printed, the dots merge to give an illusion of continuous tone to the naked eye.

Hard Copy:    

 printed paper copy of output in readable form. It is also a transparency film or photograph of an image displayed on the monitor.

High Resolution:        

Basically, any image that is displayed in better quality by increasing the number of dots, or pixels, per inch than normal. Usually refers to better quality computer displays, but can describe printer quality as well. Called hi-res, for short.

HSB: 

Hue Saturation Brightness. To artists, it is an abbreviation for all of a color's characteristics: hue (the pigment); the saturation (the amount of pigment); and brightness (the amount of white included). With the HSB model, all colors can be defined by expressing their levels of hue, saturation and brightness in percentages.

HSL Image:    

A red, green, blue (RGB) image displayed on a video monitor in three channels (hue, saturation, brightness), although only one channel is displayed at a time.

Hue:   

In color, the ability to perceive the main attributes of colors by using the human eye. Sometimes the ability to perceive the correct hues are altered by the lighting, or a room containing other colors, or imperfections or diseases of the eye. Standardization of lighting for viewing color is necessary and will correct many of the problems in hue perception.

Hue Error:      

The difference between the printed color and the ideal color which it is supposed to represent. For example, cyan ink used in four-color process work should ideally reflect all the green and blue frequencies of light that fall on it, while it should absorb all of the red frequencies. In reality, the ink will not achieve this state of perfection.

Illustrator:               

A computer illustration program developed by Adobe Systems, Inc.

Image Resolution:     

The fineness or coarseness of an image as it was digitized, measured as dots-per-inch (DPI).

Imagesetter: 

An imaging device specially applied to create type and graphics. Uses either raster or vector techniques to expose photographic paper or film. Contrasted with a character setter, which creates only alphanumeric characters by exposing paper or film through a mask with the shapes of the letters engraved in it.

Imposition:     

Laying out pages in a press form so that they will be in the correct order after the printed sheet is folded. In color reproduction, laying out originals in position in order that all components of a page can be gang scanned in position in one scan (See gang separation).

Kelvin, 5000 degrees:          

Color temperature is frequently used to describe the color quality of light in terms of degrees of Kelvin. The lower the temperature the more yellow and red are found the higher the temperature and the bluer the light will look. 5000 degrees is an average. It is considered to produce reflected or transmitted colors as close to normal sunlight (as is possible). In the printing and photographic industries, it is used as a normal viewing condition for purposes of standardization industry wide. Fluorescent lights which are 5000 degrees Kelvin with a CRI index of 90 or more are required. 

Keyline:         

A black lined area on a layout or art board indicating a precise area for the placement of a color or black and white reproduction. It is generally noted specifically to use the black line to "trap" the photo to the background or to drop the black line and simply use the key line to create the window for a halftone placement.

Knockout:               

An area on a printer's spot-color overlay in which the overlapping color is deleted so the background color shows through.

Layout:         

The drawing or sketch of a proposed printed piece. In plate making, a sheet indicating the settings or distance between images when step and repeat processes are involved.

Leading:        

Pronounced "ledding". A typesetting term for the distance from baseline to baseline between lines of printed text.

Letter spacing:         

Small amounts of extra space inserted between letters in typeset text, to improve their appearance and readability or to fill out a line.

Line Screen:            

The resolution of a halftone, Expressed in lines per inch.

Line Shot:      

A negative image, photographed from mechanical art, that is used for stripping or scanning.

Line Work:     

Artwork that, unlike a continuous tone image, has no gradations of tone and, therefore, does not require screening for reproduction in print.

Lo-res:          

hort for low resolution. Low quality reproduction because of a small number of dots or lines per inch.

Look Up Table:         

A set of values in tabular form for input or output relationships. Such tables are most often associated with color calibration issues and determining how a color system translates from one color space to another.

Low Key:                 

Describes an image that mainly consists of midtones and shadows.

LPI: Lines per inch.   

Measure of resolution for halftones.

Magenta:      

One of the subtractive primaries the hue of which is used for one of the 4 color process inks. It reflects blue and red light and absorbs green light. Often confused with the additive primary color or red, especially when requesting color corrections.

Magenta Screen:      

A dyed contact screen. Generally only used in black and white reproduction of halftones and not used in color, except in indirect separations.

Mask:  

In color separations, an intermediate lithographic negative or positive used in color correction and employed during the direct screening method. For use in making color corrections, a mask made from rubylith or film is used to alter precise areas of tone or color on litho dupe film.

Match Art:     

n color reproduction most clients ask for match art reproduction. The client submits artwork or photography containing many colors and tones and asks that all colors and tones be reproduced exactly. This however is an unusually difficult task since it is virtually impossible to recreate all colors and tones from only four printing inks: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. It is therefore necessary for clients to pre-visualize how certain colors and tones will render when using process inks and dots created from the continuous tone original.

Matte Finish:  

In printing paper - a dull finish without any gloss or luster. In photography - a color or black and white paper with low gloss or luster which is most ideal for retouching.

Maximum Density:    

The measurement of the blackest or darkest area of an image on film; that is, the area with the maximum ability to stop light.

Mechanical:   

An assembly of type and/or artwork, usually on paper stuck to a sheet of art board.

Memory Colors:        

Colors such as red apples, blue skies, skin tones and green grass. These are the colors most people agree upon for color, density and tone.

Metamerism: 

The tendency for color to shift in hue as it is viewed under different lighting conditions.

Middle Tones:          

The tonal range between highlights and shadows of a photograph or reproduction. Middle tones are very important because they contain the majority of the detail in a reproduction and must remain neutral and in balance in order to match the original.

Minimum Density:      

The measurement of the whitest, or lightest area of an image on film.

MOD: 

Magnetic Optical Disk: 

Storage medium for large amounts of data. MODs with memories of 620 MB and 1.2 GB are common.

Moire: 

In color process printing, the pattern which exists because of one screen angle overprinting another or several other screen angles. Sometimes the moire pattern becomes objectionable because the screen angles are less than 30 degrees, creating an "interference effect." However, the yellow screen in process color is always less than 30 degree angle from other colors but since the yellow dots are virtually invisible to the eye these patterns are unseen.

Multiples:       

Placing more than 1 image of the same product onto a single form.

Mylar: 

In image assembly; a polyester based film specifically suited for stripping film upon because of its mechanical strength and dimensional stability.

Negative:      

In photography, film containing an image in which values of the original are reversed so that the dark areas appear light and vice versa. In lithography; a film containing type or halftones in which the values are reversed, whites are black and blacks are clear film.

Opaque:      

In lithography, to block out areas on a negative that are not wanted on the printing plate. In color reproduction, the blacking out of colors which are not desired in the final reproduction. The material which is used looks brown or black and is applied to the negative surface with a fine brush or pen.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR):

The ability of a scanner with the proper software to capture, recognize and translate printed alpha-numeric characters into machine readable text.

Orientation:   The relative direction of a display or printed page, either horizontal (called "landscape" orientation) or vertical (called "portrait" orientation).

Overprinting   (Double Printing): 

Printing over an area that has already been printed. Often used in color printing in order to enhance a particular color, or contrast and distinguish a particular color from other similar colors. It is used when the normal process color system is unable to discern close color differences, but are required by the customer.

Packing:        

In lithography, the paper used to underlay a blanket, plate or proof to bring the surface to the desired height, the method of adjusting squeeze pressure. The act of inserting the packing material under the blanket or plate.

Page Formats:          

The standardized sizes used across the industry:

Format Inches Metric (mm)  

A3                            11.69 x 16.54 297 x 420     

A4                              8.25 x 11.75   210 x 297     

A5                              5.83 x 8.25     148 x 210     

B5                              6.93 x 9.84     176 x 250     

Executive (Monarch)    7.25 x 10.5     184 x 267     

Legal                          8.50 x 14.0     216 x 356     

Letter                         8.50 x 11.0     216 x 279     

Magazine - Broad       10 x 12            254 x 305     

Magazine - Narrow       8.125 x 10.875         206 x 276     

Magazine - Standard    8.375 x 10.875         213 x 276     

Magazine - Wide          9 x 10.875               229 x 276     

Periodical                  10.25 x 13                 260 x 330     

Tabloid                      11 x 17                      279 x 432     

Page Make Up:         

In stripping, the assembly of all elements to make up a page. In electronic scanning, the assembly of page elements such as type, logos, and color separations in position to compose a complete page with all elements which are then displayed on a video terminal as they will appear in the final reproduction.

Pagination:    

The assignment of page numbers, either manually or electronically, in a document.

Palette:        

The collection of colors, shades, or patterns that can be selected and displayed on a video screen with the aid of a computer and a graphics program.

PANTONE Colors:      

A color system of over 1200 standard colors developed by Pantone, Inc

PDL:                       

Page Description Language.

Peaking:        

A common expression used to describe the electronic manipulation of gray tones to increase contrast in an image.

Photocomposition:    

The manipulation and transfer of graphic images and text, using photographic means, to a light-sensitive paper or film.

Photomechanical:     

This term is used to describe stripping flats which are to be exposed on a printing plate. It can include line negs, film positives, halftones and color separations.

Photoshop:    

An image editing software program created by Adobe Systems, Inc. for the manipulation of digital images.

Phototypesetter:      

Device that uses photographic techniques to reproduce machine-readable text on light-sensitive paper and film.

Pica:  

Unit of measurement used in typography and graphic design. Approximately 1/6 inch.

Pixel:   

An acronym for Picture Element. When an image is defined by many tiny dots, those dots are pixels. A pixel represents the smallest graphic unit of measurement on a screen. The actual size of a pixel is screen-dependent, and varies according to the size of the screen and the resolution being used.

Plot:   

To use vector graphics: that is, to draw images with many straight lines, rather than dots.

Plotter:         

A printer that prints vector graphics, i.e., images created by a series of many straight lines.

PMS:   

Pantone Matching System. A means of describing colors by assigning them numbers.

Point: 

Unit of measurement in typography, approximately 1/72 inch. There are 12 points in a pica.

Polaroid Prints:         

Instant prints, self developing, which are unsuitable for color reproduction.

Poor Trapping:        

In printing, the condition in wet printing lithography when less ink transfers to a previously printed ink than to unprinted paper. The general problem is usually unsuitable ink tack, but can also be affected by the surface of the paper, the pH of the water and alcohol, improper blanket packing, oversensitive plates, ink of poor quality, incorrect ink sequence, etc.

Portrait:                  

A page whose width is shorter than its height.

Positive:       

In photography and lithography, a film or print containing an image in which the light and dark values are the same as the original. The reverse would be a negative.

PostScript:    

Page definition language (PDL) developed by Adobe Systems. When a page of text and/or graphics is saved as a PostScript file, the page is stored as a set of instructions specifying the measurements, typefaces, and graphic shapes that make up the page.

PPD File:        

PostScript Printer Description file. A file that contains information on screen angle, resolution, page size and device-specific information for a file to be printed on a PostScript device.

Prepress:       

The preparation work required to turn "camera-ready" artwork into the printing plates needed for mass production, i.e., making negatives, "stripping" or placing the negatives in place, and etching the plates.

Prescan:        

The initial subscan of the scanning process, following the overview scan. The predetermined area is scanned with standardized settings to produce a preview image.

Press Proofs: 

In color reproduction, a proof of a color subject on a printing press, using the same color inks and paper stocks on which the final run will be done on. This proof is done prior to the final reproduction and is the only true and predictable way to show proof of what is contained in the litho films. There is no other proof system that takes into account printing aspects such as absorbency of stock, hue of inks, trap and other printing mechanics which occur on a press.

Primary Colors:         

Additive primaries are red, blue and green. The subtractive primaries are cyan, magenta and yellow. (see additive and subtractive primaries.)

Print Engine: 

Inside a laser printer, the mechanism that uses a laser to create an electrostatic image of a page and transfers it onto a sheet of paper.

Print Quality: 

In paper, the properties of the paper that affect its appearance and the quality of the reproduction.

Printing Dot:   

The smallest graphic element, and the particulate base for all graphic elements when reproduced in print.

Process Colors:        

In printing, the subtractive primary process ink colors are cyan, magenta, yellow plus black in four color process printing.

Process Color Printing:

The recreation of color by combing two or more of the subtractive colors _ cyan, magenta, and yellow, plus black.

Process Printing:      

The printing from a series of two or more plates containing halftones representing process colors in order to produce intermediate colors, shades and tones.

Progressive Proofs     (Progs):

Proofs made from separate plates in process work, usually during a press proof, showing the sequence of printing and the result after each additional color has been applied. Can be used most effectively to determine if any problems exist and can be used on a basis for corrections or future reprinting. There are six two-color combinations plus the four process colors (c&m / c&y / c&k/ m&y / m&k / y&k) and there are three ( k&c&m / k&y&m / k&c&y ) three color combinations.

Proof: 

In graphic arts, a colored material, substrate or dye used to simulate the subtractive printing primaries of cyan, magenta and yellow and also includes black as well as the other colors. The colorants used in these proof materials should render process colors with no apparent hue error. When the proof colors are combined in registration they will show the approximate printing values, colors and hues of how an original will look when printed or compared to how the original looked.

Psychological Aspects of Color:

The sensations of color are hue, saturation and brightness. None of these is directly measurable by the human eye. The eye cannot distinguish component wavelengths in a single color. When two lights of different colors are mixed to produce a third color, no human eye can detect its composite nature. The simple fact is that the sensation of color to one observer can vary and be different to another observer. And in the printing process, the eye cannot measure ink film thickness. That is why densitometers are used to measure ink density.

Quadratone:  

A black-and-white image reproduced through the four-color process in which black is simulated by levels of gray to bring out detail and provide dimension.

Quality Control:       

In printing, the process of taking random samples during the press run to check the consistency of quality. In photography, the viewing of color originals under a color corrected light source to determine if highlights, middle tone and shadows are correct.

Random Proof:         

Also known as a loose-color proof or a scatter proof. A press proof or off-press which is made from just one image, to check its appearance before it is stripped into position with other images in a page layout.

Red:   

An additive primary color the hue of which is created by overprinting equal parts of magenta and yellow which are primary subtractive printing colors.

Register:      

In printing and image assembly, the fitting of two or more images on the same exact spot either on paper or mylar thereby insuring exact alignment with each other.

Repagination:          

The process used to change page numbers in multiple documents, while retaining a uniform format and proper numerical sequence.

Re-Screening Color Separations:

In lithography, the ability to make a color separation from an original which has already been separated and published. There are limitations. Since the same basic screens and screen angles are used, it is necessary to slightly enlarge (104% or greater) or reduce (90% or smaller) in order to reduce or eliminate conflicting screen angles causing a moiré pattern. The further use of a sharp or unsharp masking controls and the use of selective focus may also be necessary.

Resolution:     

Measure of imager output capability, usually expressed in dots per inch (dpi). 2. Measure of halftone quality, usually expressed in lines per inch (lpi).

Retouching (Color):  

The correction or deliberate manipulation of color, tone or detail in an original work of art, photograph or other original which needs correction. Note: retouching materials, especially in photography, must be specifically designed for use on photographic materials such as prints or transparencies. Often when incompatible materials are used, it becomes difficult if not impossible to reproduce a similar or exact color.

RGB: 

Red, Green, Blue.

The primary colors, called "additive" colors, used by color monitor displays and TVs. The combination and intensities of these three colors can represent the whole spectrum.

Right Reading:         

Normal left-to-right image reproduction. Contrast with wrong reading.

RIP:   

Raster Image Processor, the hardware/software which converts data which has been stored in a computer into a series of lines of tiny dots which are output on film or photographic paper. In line work, the dots can be grouped to create solid areas.

Rosette Pattern:      

A screen dot pattern which is formed by printing two or more halftone screens over one another and which have a 30ø or more angle difference between them. Example: a 45 degree, a 75 degree and a 105 degree combination would yield a good three color rosette pattern without an objectionable pattern. When a screen which has less than a 30 degree angle is included, an objectionable pattern develops and can be seen (unless it is used in the yellow printer) this is called a moiré pattern.

Rotation:      

Tilting an image in response to customer requests or to align it with other page elements. Rotating an image that has been transformed into computer data is a time consuming and relatively expensive operation.

Runnability:   

The paper properties that affect the ability of the paper to run on the press. These properties also affect how the inks make contact to the paper, the rate of the absorbency, the trap and the hold out of the ink on paper combination.

Safelights:    

In photography and lithography, the use of special dark room lights for illumination which the materials being used are not sensitive to: Example: orthochromatic film is blue sensitive, therefore red safelights containing no blue spectrum are used.

Saturation:   

In color, the nature of colors in terms of density. A color with heavy saturation will have a higher densitometric values when compared to a color having less saturation and lower densitometric values. In photography, a saturated color original would show colors at their maximum reproduction density without reproduction as a shadow. Color will tend to appear pure in nature when heavy with nature.

Scale Compression:  

The shortening of the tonal scale used in conventional lithographic processes to compensate the ink and paper press gains often found in the printing process. It can also effectively lighten a dark original when scanning. This scale compensation always takes place, we don't have any choice, it is part of the color reproduction process.

Scaling:        

Determining the proper size of an image to be produced (or reduced/enlarged). It is important that both directions be scaled in order to ensure proper fit in the final reproduction.

Screen Angles:        

In lithography, it is necessary to rotate the angles of the screens in order to create a rosette pattern. Using a horizontal line as a base plane, the first angle would be found at 45 degree angle from the base, 75 degrees would be the next, 90 degrees and finally 105 degrees.

Screen Ruling:         

The number of lines or dots per inch in both directions on a contact screen to make halftones or separations. Screen rulings are available from 65 lines per inch to 200 lines per inch. For color separations, however, it is best to use 150 line screens for best press control and visual resolution.

Shadow:       

The darkest parts of a photograph, which receive little or no light, represented in a halftone by the largest dots and greatest printing density. In photography, it is extremely important not to include an significant information in the shadow area because when separations are made, the tones and ranges of the original are compressed, making it difficult or impossible to maintain shadow details having no contrast.

Signature:    

In printing, the name given to a printed sheet which is to be folded. In stripping, the name given to the stripped flats to be printed and folded.

Skew:

To slant a selected item in any direction; used in graphics and desktop publishing.

Soft Dot:      

In lithography, a dot is called "soft" when a halation or fringe around the dot is evident or excessive. On the other hand the reverse would be true if the dot had little or no fringe noticeable and the dot is very sharp, this would be considered a "hard" dot. A hard dot can be made by etching or contact work.

Spectralphotometer:

The basic tool of color measurement, the spectralphotometer splits color into individual color components, which are then described in units of measurement.

Spectrum:    

The complete range of colors in light in a rainbow, from short wavelengths (ultraviolet) to long wavelengths (infrared) red.

Spot Color:   

A specific color in a design, usually designated to be printed with a specific matching ink, rather than through process CMYK printing.

Spread:        

In lithographic image assembly, the use of exposure manipulation in order to alter the size of the original mask (enlarge slightly) so it will trap against a positive (reverse) of the mask so that a slight overlapping of the two images is the result.

Square Dot:  

Differs from an elliptical dot in that the dots have a square appearance instead of round or elongated. Best used for commercial web printing.

Staging:       

Often called stopping out, in color correction it is the application of opaque to litho negatives, or the application of special mastoid material to protect areas in the negatives (or positives) in order to prevent reduction of dot sizes during etching.

Standard Screen Angles:

45 degrees, 75 degrees, 90 degrees and 105 degrees. Screen angles vary 30 degrees from one to another except for the yellow printer which will always be at 90 degrees. This angle causes an objectionable moiré but is not apparent because the human eye is not sensitive to the yellow dot information, only its hue and chroma.

Stripping:     

In offset-lithography, the positioning of negatives (or positives) on a flat (Mylar, plastic, rubylith, etc.) prior to plate making. 

SWOP:         

Specifications for Web Offset Publications. A standard set of specifications for color separations, proofs, and printing to encourage uniform standards in the industry.

Tack:

In printing inks, the property of cohesion between particles; the pulling power or separation force of ink in its transfer from a press blanket to its intended printing surface. A tacky ink has high separation forces and can cause surface picking or splitting of weak papers. A lack of tack has very little ability to transfer properly from blanket to paper because it has a low adhesion tendency, this affects trap.

Template:     

A dummy publication that acts as a model for the structure and general layout of another publication.

Three Quarter Tones:         

A neutral gray area on a reproduction scale located between the middle tones and the shadow.

Thumbnail:              

A miniature copy of a page.

TIFF:

Tag Image File Format. A document format developed by Aldus, Microsoft and leading scanner vendors as a standard for bitmapped graphics, including scanned images.

Tiling:

Reproducing oversize artwork or documents by breaking the image area into parts (called tiles). Adjacent tiles repeat a small portion of the image, and they may contain crop marks as well. The repeated portion of the image (the overlap) and the crop marks aid in reconstructing the overall image from the tiles.

Tints:

Various even tones (strengths) of a solid color. Created by the use of photomechanical tints usually available in percentages of 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 95% screen tints from various manufacturers. Sometimes referred to as Bendays.

Tissue Overlay:       

A thin, translucent paper placed over artwork (mostly mechanical) for protection; used to indicate color breaks, position of halftones and color separations and areas on color originals which need color correction.

Tonal Merge:

In photography, colors, textures, shapes, and details which are recorded and compressed in a shadow area which merge and record as shadows. If these details are important they should have enough light placed upon them so they render as middle tones and not shadows. In color separations, similar colors, tones and areas which when separated, reproduce as like tones, especially in shadow areas where there are little or no tonal differences. If the details which already have tonal merges are necessary in the final reproduction, it is highly recommended to go back and re-photograph or go to the added expense of overprinting a 5th color. (See Overprinting.)

Tone Reproduction:  

The contrast of an original must adjust during color reproduction to conform to the ranges of the halftone screens from 1% to 100%. It is virtually impossible to print densities more than 100% and tones less than 2 or 3% will have no detail. This is one of the most difficult limitations of the printing process to understand or accept.

Toner:         

A dry ink powder which has been electrically charged. Used in printers, fax machines and copiers. Generally, the image is translated into bit mapped charges of the opposite polarity on a special drum in the printer. The toner is attracted to the charged areas, where it is transferred to paper. The toner is then "set", usually by heat.

Transparency:         

A film-based positive image that is viewed and reproduced through transmitted light.

Transparent Copy:   

In photography, illustrative copy such as a color transparency, through which light must pass in order for it to be seen or reproduced. Transparencies generally produce better than reflective art (color prints) because they contain a larger tonal range and more overall density.

Trapping:      

The ability to print wet ink film over previously printed ink. Wet trapping is dependent upon several press and paper conditions including hardness and holdout of the paper, tack of the inks, and general condition of the rollers, cylinders and blankets on the press. Dry trapping is printing wet ink over dry ink. Improper trapping will cause color changes.

Trim Marks:   

Guides that show where a document will be cut to fit the specifications of a final printed product.

Tritone:                 

An image reproduced using three colors.

Unit:   

In multicolor printing presses, refers to the combination of inking, plate and impression operations to print a single color. A four color press has four printing units each with its own inking, plate and impression functions.

Value:          

A density or numeric assignment of a color, tone or density made by direct comparison or by use of a densitometer. Color printing values range from 2% minimum controllable dot to 98% maximum controllable dot. Values in color can be pre-selected for density, hue and depth by using a process printing guide. This is an excellent way to pre-visualize how a particular color may be expected to reproduce on a printing press.

Vector:        

Images defined by sets of straight lines, defined by the locations of the end points. At larger magnifications, curves may appear jagged. This condition is call aliasing.

Vector Font:

A series of dots connected by lines that can be scaled to different sizes. Also known as stroke fonts.

Vignette:      

An illustration in which the background fades gradually away until it blends into the unprinted paper.

Warm Color:  

In printing or color separations, a color which has a reddish or yellowish cast. By using a color print viewing filter set, a more desirable color may be selected if a color correction is necessary.

Web:  

A roll of paper used in web or rotary printing.

Web Press:   

A press which prints from rolls (or webs) of paper, as this type of press differs when compared to a sheet-fed press.

Yellow:         

One of the subtractive primaries the hue of which is used for one of the four color process inks. It reflects red and green light and absorbs blue light.  

About Paper

GRADE: Fine papers are differentiated from each other by their grade. Different grades are distinguished from each other on the basis of their content, appearance, manufacturing history, and/or their end use.  

COTTON FIBER: Cotton is a natural fiber and is one of the strongest and most durable fibers known to man. Papers manufactured of cotton fiber will last longer and hold up better under repeated handling and variant environmental conditions than paper made from wood pulp. Generally, given reasonable care, a customer can expect one year of usable life for every 1% of cotton contained in the sheet. Typically cotton fiber papers are made of either all cotton fiber (100% cotton) or a blend of cotton and wood pulp. The most common blend is made of 25% cotton and 75% wood pulp. Other blends include 50% and 75% cotton fiber the balance of each being made up from wood pulp.  RAG: The term “rag” is often used interchangeably with “cotton fiber content” and harkens to a period of time when paper was actually made using cotton rags which were cleaned and then broken down into fibers which were then used to manufacture paper. In a sense it could be stated that the fine paper business has been engaged in recycling materials for production since its very beginning. Today paper is no longer made from rags and the term “rag” is falling in disfavor by the industry in lieu of the phrase “cotton fiber content”.  

SULFITE: Wood pulp is processed into sulfite which is then used to manufacture various grades of paper. It is more economical than cotton fiber; however, it also is less durable and more acidic than cotton fiber. There are different grades of sulfite depending upon how much processing has gone into making the pulp. Processing would include breaking the fiber down to very fine pieces and bleaching the natural color out of the wood to attain a high level of whiteness. The very best grade of sulfite is known as a #1 sulfite.  Of all the wood pulp papers, only paper made of #1 sulfite is considered a “fine” paper and can be identified with a watermark.  

ACID FREE FORMULATION: Paper which has no acid or residual acid-producing chemicals is called “acid free”. Papers that are “acid free” will resist yellowing and disintegration longer than sheets that are not acid free. This is particularly true as the percent of wood pulp in paper relative to the amount of cotton increases. Paper with a ph factor of “7” or higher is considered acid free.  

SIZING: All cotton fiber paper is sized at some point in the manufacturing process. Sizing is a starch. Cotton fiber is absorbent. Without sizing, ink when applied to the surface of the sheet will bleed through the fibers causing a blurred look. Size seals the fibers and helps control the degree of ink penetration into the paper. Sizing also contributes to the crisp, unique feel of cotton fiber papers.  How the sizing is introduced to the paper will affect the finished characteristics of the sheet. Sizing is typically introduced at one of three points during the manufacturing process: at the wet end, in line, or tub-sized.  Sizing introduced at the wet end means that the sizing is added to the mix at the beginning of the manufacturing process so it is permeated throughout the sheet. This is desirable for economy and also for fine papers which will ultimately be used in high speed copy machines and laser printers. In line sizing means that the size is applied to the surface of the finished sheet in line after the paper has been manufactured but before it is dried and calendered. Tub-sizing is the most expensive process. The paper is first manufactured without sizing. Next it is run through a “tub” of liquid size and then dried in an air-drier. Because of this second step, tub-sized sheets will have an extra crisp feel that is often associated with the “unique” quality of fine papers. 

SUBSTANCE WEIGHT OR BASIS WEIGHT: Fine papers are manufactured in various weights, commonly 32, 24, 20, 16 and 9 (also known as onionskin) pound weights. The substance weight of fine writing paper is determined by the weight of 500 sheets of the standard 17 x 22 inch parent size. If the paper has been manufactured to a 20 pound specification, 500 sheets will weigh 20 pounds. Four reams of 8.5 x 11 inch paper can be cut from each parent. Therefore, a ream of 8.5 x 11 paper will weigh 5 pounds. The most common paper weights today are 20 and 24 pound.  As a general rule, the correct weight of a matching envelope should be one step heavier than the paper up to 20 pound stock. For example, the proper envelope to use with 20 pound paper would be an envelope made from 24 pound stock. For paper that has a basis weight of 24 pound and higher, the correct envelope is one of equal weight to the paper.  Onionskin is a very lightweight paper (9 pound) that was used primarily for copies of an original typed document. It is available in either a cockle or smooth finish. Today, onionskin is used primarily for overseas (airmail) correspondence. It also is used as a cover sheet for a variety of presentations.  

A4 METRIC PAPER: The metric system of measurement for paper is used primarily throughout the world, with notable exceptions being the United States, Canada and Mexico. Paper-size measured metrically uses the unit "millimeter," with 25.4mm equaling one inch. The International Standards Organization (ISO) sets forth in its document ISO 216 a series of (metric) paper sizes, each element having a length-to-width ratio of 1.414. A most commonly used size is A4, which measures 210mm x 297mm. The substance weight or basis weight of paper measured metrically uses the unit "grams," with the weight stated as "grams per square meter," or g/m2.

The Benefits of Cotton fiber papers are distinct. Paper made from cotton fiber has an easily identifiable crisp feel like that of money (the primary ingredient of currency is cotton fiber). Touch it... snap it... rattle it... no other paper compares.     

A watermark symbolizes quality. Most watermarks in cotton fiber papers indicate the brand and percent of cotton fiber in the sheet. A watermark is visible when the paper is held to the light. Many world currencies are watermarked with portraits of famous people.  Cotton linters are used to make paper. Linters are short fibers stripped from the cotton seed before the seed is squeezed to make cotton seed oil. Linters are identified by government recycling standards as recycled fiber. The short fiber provides a rich appearance and a consistent line formation, giving clarity to the watermark. Colors are richer on cotton. Colors appear richer and deeper on fabrics woven from cotton or wool compared with gaudy synthetics. The same holds true of color on cotton fiber paper. The quality of paper used for letterheads and legal documents  has been paper made from cotton fiber... 100% cotton fiber for executive letterheads and legal documents and 25% cotton fiber for corporate letterheads and general business correspondence, presentations, financial statements, etc.  

Papyrus: Developed in Egypt around 2000 B.C. The Papyrus plant is a smooth-stemmed reed that grows along the Nile to heights of 10 to 15 feet. Papyrus was very useful in Egyptian society and could be used to make many things, one of which was the paper like material we now call Papyrus.  Papyrus as a material on which to write was made by first stripping the outer stem away from the plant. The inner material was separated and laid side by side on a hard surface. Then another layer was laid over the first in the opposite direction, dampened and then pressed for many hours with a heavy weight. The finished product was then rubbed with a piece of ivory or a stone until the desired finish was obtained and dried. Using the same process, single sheets could be fastened together to form rolls. Papyrus was very durable and thousands of ancient rolls can be still be viewed in museums today.   

Parchment: It is thought that various forms of parchment were in use as early as 1500 B.C. Parchment originally was made from the flesh side of animal skins. The skins were cooked in lime, stretched on a frame, scraped smooth to the desired thickness, sprinkled with chalk, rubbed smooth with a pumice stone and then dried. (The finishing process smoothed and softened the leather as well as improved on the color of the finished product.) Parchment is still used for some diplomas and public documents. However, most of what is called Parchment paper today is regular paper manufactured to emulate the look of real parchment. Other papers are given the name “parchment” to denote their high quality.  

Vellum: Unlike parchment, vellum was made using the entire skin of the animal and therefore was less expensive than parchment. Vellum can be distinguished from parchment by the presence of grain and hair marks on one side of the skin. 

FINE PAPER: A class of paper grades ranging from 100% cotton on the high side to #1 sulfite (the best processed wood pulp grade) on the low side. This class of paper, by industry standard, is identified by the presence of a watermark.  

WATERMARK:  The watermark is a sign of quality. It assures the user that the paper is a fine paper. The watermark generally will identify the manufacturer, the brand name and the amount of cotton fiber, if any, in the sheet. Through the use of a special roller called a “dandy roll”, the watermark is impressed inside the paper early in the manufacturing process.  In addition to its importance as a sign of quality, the watermark also helps the user identify the correct side and position of the paper on which to print. Fine papers have a right side and a wrong side as well as a top and a bottom. The correct position of the paper can be determined by holding it up to the light. The proper side on which to print is the one from where the watermark can be read correctly while looking through the paper.  A watermark may be centered on each sheet or it can be what is known as a “floating” mark. A centered (localized) watermark has an appealing look, but is expensive to manufacture. A floating mark is more common. A floating mark may be centered, but more commonly will appear in various positions from sheet to sheet.  

DATE CODE: Many watermarks contain a date code. A date code is a special marker incorporated into the watermark. The position of the mark is usually changed annually and legal records are kept documenting the date and its exact location. The purpose of the date code is to protect the integrity of the document that is printed on the paper from fraud.  

BOND PAPER: The term “bond” has no actual meaning in the manufacturing process. The term comes from WW I when war bonds were printed on cotton fiber papers that were extensively watermarked. The extensive watermark was used to protect buyers from bonds sold by counterfeiters (the first safety paper). Following the war, people who wanted a good quality paper would ask for paper like that “bond” paper. Thus, the term has become associated with high quality and generally when used by the end user means the user wants to buy a “Fine Paper” product.  

PLEADING PAPER: Also known as Ruled and Numbered paper, pleading paper is used in the legal community and refers to paper that has been pre-printed with a single ruled line 3/8” in from the right edge of the paper and a double ruled line 1 1/2 inches in from the left edge of the paper. Also, each row going down the left margin is numbered. On 8.5 inch x 11 inch paper, the rows are numbered 1-28 or 1-25 depending on local requirements.  

FINISH: A wide-ranging term which generally refers to the final surface characteristics of a sheet after the manufacturing process is complete. The most common finishes are: 

Cockle: A cockle finish is a puckered finish produced by uneven shrinkage during the drying process. Generally, papers that have a cockle finish have been air-dried. Because of the extensive use of laser and ink jet printers, very few papers are now being made with a heavy cockle finish.  

Smooth: A paper with a smooth finish is one that has no specially manufactured texture. Other terms for paper with a smooth finish include: “regular” and “wove”. 

Laid: This is a textured finish. Papers made with a laid finish are made to emulate paper as it looked when it was first invented. Laid is a textured finish consisting of a horizontal textured pattern and a vertical pattern known as “chain lines”. The texture is created by using a dandy roll to impress the pattern into the paper along with the watermark at the wet end of the manufacturing process. 

Linen: Linen is a textured finish applied to paper by an embossing process done after the paper has been manufactured that has the look and feel of linen fabric. Generally, a linen finish is a very subtle texture that performs well in many laser and ink jet printers.  Other: Other less common finishes include “Vellum”, “Parchment”, “Eggshell”, and Antique.       

For your next print or new media project, contact us at Sun Printers Sdn Bhd. 

Tel: +604-2817563 Fax: +604-2811771 Email: Sales@Sun-Printers.Com

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