Printer Terms and Definitions
A
Acetate- A transparent sheet
placed over originals or artwork, allowing the designer to write instructions
and\or indicate a second color for placement.
Acid-free Paper- Papermade from pulp
containing little or no acid so it resists deterioration from age. Also called
alkaline paper, archival paper, neutral pH paper, permanent paper and thesis
paper.
Acid Resist - An acid-proof protective coating applied to metal plates prior to
etching.
Additive Color - color produced by light falling onto a surface, as compared to
subtractive color. The additive primary colors are red, green and blue.
A4 Paper - ISO paper size 210 x 297mm used for Letterhead.
Against the Grain - At right angles to the grain direction of the paper being
used, as compared to with the grain. Also called across the grain and cross
grain. See also Grain Direction.
Airbrush - Pen-shaped tool that sprays a fine mist of ink or paint to retouch
photos and create continuous-tone illustrations.
Alteration - Any change made by the customer after copy or artwork has been
given to the service bureau, separator or printer. The change could be in copy,
specifications or both. Also called AA, author alteration and customer
alteration.
Anodized Plate - An offset printing plate having a treated surface in order to
reduce wear for extended use.
Anti-offset Powder - Fine powder lightly sprayed over the printed surface of
coated paper as sheets leave a press. Also called dust, offset powder, powder
and spray powder.
Antique Paper - Roughest finish offered on offset paper.
Aqueous Coating - Coating in a water base and applied like ink by a printing
press to protect and enhance the printing underneath.
Artwork All original copy, including
type, photos and illustrations, intended for printing. Also called art.
Author's Alterations (AA's) - At the proofing stage, changes that the client
requests to be made concerning original art provided. AA's are considered an
additional cost to the client usually.
Ai - Adobe Illustrator file format, which is actually a type of Encapsulated
Postscript.
Additive Color - color produced by light falling onto a surface, as compared to
subtractive color. The additive primary colors are red, green and blue.
Adobe Acrobat - A popular software program for the conversion of documents into
the portable document file (PDF) format. Through Acrobat or another PDF, users
can read electronic versions of printed documents that maintain the attributes
(bold and italic type and other formatting choices) assigned to a printed
original.
A4 Paper - ISO paper size 210 x 297mm used for Letterhead.
Against the Grain - At right angles to the grain direction of the paper being
used, as compared to with the grain. Also called across the grain and cross
grain.
Aliasing - A jagged or "staircase" effect in a raster image, caused by an
insufficient number of image samples.
Alpha channel - An eight-bit channel reserved by some image-processing
applications for masking or retaining additional color information.
Alteration - Any change made by the customer after copy or artwork has been
given to the service bureau, separator or printer. The change could be in copy,
specifications or both.
Antique Paper - Roughest finish offered on offset paper.
Aqueous Coating - Coating in a water base and applied like ink by a printing
press to protect and enhance the printing underneath.
Artifact - A visible defect in an electronic image, caused by limitations in the
reproduction process (hardware or software). Aliasing patterns are an example of
artifacts.
Artwork - All original copy, including type, photos and illustrations, intended
for printing. Also called art.
Author's Alterations (AA's) - At the proofing stage, changes the client requests
to be made concerning the original art provided. AA's are considered an
additional cost to the client usually.
Banding- An electronic prepress term
referring to visible steps in shades of a gradient.
Wash Up - To clean ink and fountain solutions from rollers, fountains, screens,
and other press components.
Waste - Unusable paper or paper damage during normal make-ready, printing or
binding operations, as compared to spoilage.
Watermark - Translucent logo in paper created during manufacturing by slight
embossing from a dandy roll while paper is still approximately 90 percent water.
Web Break - Split of the paper as it travels through a web press, causing
operators to rethread the press.
Web Gain - Unacceptable stretching of paper as it passes through the press.
Web Press - Press that prints from rolls of paper, usually cutting it into
sheets after printing. Also called reel-fed press. Web presses come in many
sizes, the most common being mini, half, three quarter (also called 8-pages) and
full (also called 16-pages).
Wet Trap - To print ink or varnish over wet ink, as compared to dry trap.
Window - In a printed product, a die-cut hole revealing an image on the sheet
behind it. (2) On a mechanical, an area that has been marked for placement of a
piece of artwork.
Windows Metafile(WMF) - an intermediate vector file format for Windows programs
to use when interchanging data and, generally speaking, should never be seen
anywhere else.
Wire Side - Side of the paper that rests against The Fourdrinier wire during
papermaking, as compared to felt side.
With the Grain - Parallel to the grain direction of the paper being used, as
compared to against the grain. See also Grain Direction.
Woodfree Paper - Made with chemical pulp only. Paper usually classified as
calendered or supercalendered.
Working Film - Intermediate film that will be copied to make final film after
all corrections are made. Also called buildups.
Wove - Paper manufactured without visible wire marks, usually a fine textured
paper.
Wrong Reading - An image that is backwards when compared to the original. Also
called flopped and reverse reading.
WYSIWYG(what-you-see-is-what-you-get) - Computer screen displays that
approximate the true size and true shape of typographic characters, rules,
tints, and graphics.
WYSIWYP - Short for What You See Is What You Print, and pronounced wizzy-whip,
refers to the ability of a computer system to print colors exactly as they
appear on a monitor. WYSIWYP printing requires a special program, called a color
management system (CMS) to calibrate the monitor and printer.
B
Back Up
(1) To print on the second side of a sheet already printed on one side. (2) To
adjust an image on one side of a sheet so that it aligns back-to-back with an
image on the other side.
Base Art
Copy pasted up on the mounting oard of a mechanical, as compared to overlay art.
Also called base mechanical.
Base Negative
Negative made by photographing base art.
Basic Size
The standard size of sheets of paper used to calculate basis weight in the
United States and Canada.
Basis Weight
In the United States and Canada, the weight, in pounds, of a ream (500 sheets)
of paper cut to the basic size. Also called ream weight and substance weight
(sub weight). In countries using ISO paper sizes, the weight, in grams, of one
square meter of paper. Also called grammage and ream weight.
Bind
Usually in the book arena, but not exclusively, the joining of leafs or
signatures together with either wire, glue or other means.
Bindery
Usually a department within a printing company responsible for collating,
folding and trimming various printing projects.
Blank
Category of paperboard ranging in thickness from 15 to 48 points.
Blanket
Rubber-coated pad, mounted on a cylinder of an offset press, that receives the
inked image from the plate and transfers it to the surface to be printed.
Bleed
Printing that extends to the edge of a sheet or page after trimming.
Blind Folio
A page number not printed on the page. (In the book arena, a blank page
traditionally does not print a page number.)
Blind Image
Image debossed, embossed or stamped, but not printed with ink or foil.
Blocking
Sticking together of printed sheets causing damage when the surfaces are
separated.
Blow-Up
An enlargement, usually used with graphic images or photographs
Blueline
Prepress photographic proof made from stripped negatives where all colors show
as blue images on white paper. Because 'blueline' is a generic term for proofs
made from a variety of materials having identical purposes and similar
appearances, it may also be called a blackprint, blue, blueprint, brownline,
brownprint, diazo, dyeline, ozalid, position proof, silverprint, Dylux and
VanDyke.
Blurb
A description or commentary of an author or book content positioned on the book
jacket.
Board Paper
General term for paper over 110# index, 80# cover or 200 gsm that is commonly
used for products such as file folders, displays and post cards. Also called
paperboard.
Body
The main text of work not including the headlines.
Boiler Plate
Blocks of repetitive type used and copied over and over again.
Bond paper
Category of paper commonly used for writing, printing and photocopying. Also
called business paper, communication paper, correspondence paper and writing
paper.
Book Block
Folded signatures gathered, sewn and trimmed, but not yet covered.
Book Paper
Category of paper suitable for books, magazines, catalogs, advertising and
general printing needs. Book paper is divided into uncoated paper (also called
offset paper), coated paper (also called art paper, enamel paper, gloss paper
and slick paper) and text paper.
Border
The decorative design or rule surrounding matter on a page.
Bounce
(1) a repeating registration problem in the printing stage of production. (2)
Customer unhappy with the results of a printing project and refuses to accept
the project.
Bristol Paper
General term referring to paper 6 points or thicker with basis weight between
90# and 200# (200-500 gsm). Used for products such as index cards, file folders
and displays.
Broadside
The term used to indicate work printed on one of a large sheet of paper.
Bromide
A photographic print created on bromide paper.
Broken Carton
Carton of paper from which some of the sheets have been sold. Also called less
carton.
Bronzing
The effect produced by dusting wet ink after printing and using a metallic
powder.
Build a Color
To overlap two or more screen tints to create a new color. Such an overlap is
called a build, color build, stacked screen build or tint build.
Bulk
Thickness of paper relative to its basic weight.
Bullet
A dot or similar marking to emphasize text.
Burst Perfect Bind
To bind by forcing glue into notches along the spines of gathered signatures
before affixing a paper cover. Also called burst bind, notch bind and slotted
bind.
Butt Register
Register where ink colors meet precisely without overlapping or allowing space
between, as compared to lap register. Also called butt fit and kiss register.
Buy Out
To subcontract for a service that is closely related to the business of the
organization. Also called farm out. Work that is bought out or farmed out is
sometimes called outwork or referred to as being out of house.
Basic size - The standard size of sheets of paper used to calculate basis weight
in the United States and Canada.
Basis weight - In the United States and Canada, the weight, in pounds, of a ream
(500 sheets) of paper cut to the basic size. Also called ream weight and
substance weight (sub weight). In countries using ISO paper sizes, the weight,
in grams, of one square meter of paper. Also called grammage and ream weight.
Bind - Usually in the book arena, but not exclusively, the joining of leafs or
signatures together with either wire, glue or other means.
Bindery - Usually a department within a printing company responsible for
collating, folding and trimming various printing projects.
Bitmap - An image represented by an array of picture elements, each of which is
encoded as one or more binary digits.
Blank - Category of paperboard ranging in thickness from 15 to 48 points.
Blanket - Rubber-coated pad, mounted on a cylinder of an offset press, that
receives the inked image from the plate and transfers it to the surface to be
printed.
Bleed - Printing that extends to the edge of a sheet or page after trimming.
Blind image - Image debossed, embossed or stamped, but not printed with ink or
foil.
Body - (1) The printed text of a book not including endpapers or covers. (2) The
size of type from the top of the ascenders to the bottom of the descenders.
Body type - Text set in paragraph or block form, as distinguished from heads and
display type matter.
Boilerplate - Standard text that is stored electronically and can be rearranged
and combined with fresh information to produce new documents.
Blow-up - An enlargement, usually used with graphic images or photographs.
Board paper - General term for paper over 110# index, 80# cover or 200 gsm that
is commonly used for products such as file folders, displays and post cards.
Also called paperboard.
Bond paper - Category of paper commonly used for writing, printing and
photocopying. Also called business paper, communication paper, correspondence
paper and writing paper.
Book paper - Category of paper suitable for books, magazines, catalogs,
advertising and general printing needs. Book paper is divided into uncoated
paper (also called offset paper), coated paper (also called art paper, enamel
paper, gloss paper and slick paper) and text paper.
Border - The decorative design or rule surrounding matter on a page.
Breakacross - A photo or other image that extends across the gutter onto both
pages of the spread. Alternative terms: crossover; reader’s spread.
Brightness - The brilliance or reflectance of paper.
Bristol paper - General term referring to paper 6 points or thicker with basis
weight between 90# and 200# (200-500 gsm). Used for products such as index
cards, file folders and displays.
Broadside - The term used to indicate work printed on one of a large sheet of
paper.
Broken carton - Carton of paper from which some of the sheets have been sold.
Also called less carton.
Build a color - To overlap two or more screen tints to create a new color. Such
an overlap is called a build, color build, stacked screen build or tint build.
Bulk - Thickness of paper relative to its basic weight.
Bullet - A dot or similar marking to emphasize text.
Butt register - Register where ink colors meet precisely without overlapping or
allowing space between, as compared to lap register. Also called butt fit and
kiss register.
Back edge- The left-hand edge of a recto, or right hand edge of a verso. This is
normally the binding edge.
Back lining - A paper or fabric adhering to the backbone or spine in a hard
cover book.
Back Split - Process where the fabricator slits the release liner for easy
removal from the PSA by hand.
Back up - To print on the second side of a sheet already printed on one side.
Such printing is called a backup.
Backbone - The exposed part of a bound volume when shelved. Also called spine
and shelf back.
Backing roll - Cylinder used to support the web as a process is being applied to
the opposite side. Some processes are: brush polishing, coating, and
calendering.
Backing up - Printing the reverse side of a sheet already printed on one side.
Backtrapping - See Piling.
Bad break - In composition, the setting of a hyphenated line as the first line
of a page. Also, starting a page with a "widow".
Baloney Slitting - The common method of slitting pressure sensitive tapes,
producing rolls per step or per cycle. Also referred to as lathe slitting, lever
or single-knife cutting. This process features quick-setup and economical
per-slit cost.
Baltic die boards - Die lumber, usually birch, from the area of the Baltic Sea.
Banding - Method of packaging printed pieces using paper, rubber, or fiberglass
bands.
Bank - One successive row of staggered tabs from first to last position.
Barrier coating - A coating film that prevents or limits the passage of
substances such as: oil, grease, water, or oxygen.
Base - Often used in referring to a full strength ink or toner. Generally refers
to the major ingredient used in a clear lacquer, varnish or ink. May refer to
either the solvent or binder system. A cylinder before it is engraved. Base film
before addition of coating.
Base negative - Negative made from copy pasted to mounting board, not overlays.
Basic size - The one standard size of each grade of paper used to calculate
basis weight.
Basis Weight - Weight in pounds of 500 sheets (a ream) of paper cut to a given
standard size (this is called the basis size, and varies depending on the grade
of paper).
Baud rate - Number of bits of information transmitted per second from one
digital device to another.
Bearers - In photoengraving, the dead metal left on a plate to protect the
printing surface when molding in composition, type-high slugs locked up inside a
chase to protect the printing surface when molding. In presses, the flat
surfaces or rings at the ends of cylinders that come in contact with each other
during printing (on American presses), and serve as a basis for smoothing out
printing thickness. Also die-cutting presses.
Beater-Dyed - The process of using paper pulp, dyed to a match color, to create
colored paper.
Beers Box - A pop-up style box that folds flat.
Beersplex Box - A combination of a Beers box and a simplex box construction.
Bend - Other than straight, to any degree or angle, fold, break, bend, etc.
Benday - Alternate term for Screen tint.
Bender - A bench tool used to form cutting or creasing rule.
Bending dies - Small dies that insert in a bender to produce desired shapes.
Bending rules - The process of curving the cutting rule in forming dies to the
shape and dimensions desired.
Bending, Die steels - The process of curving the steel in freehand forming dies
to shape dimensions desired.
Bevels - To form a sloping or slanting edge, container, part, or rules.
Bimetal plate - In lithography, a plate used for long runs in which the printing
image base is usually copper and the non-printing area is aluminum, stainless
steel, or chromium.
Bind - To fasten sheets or signatures and adhere covers with glue, wire, thread,
or by other means.
Binder - The adhesive components of an ink, normally supplied by the resin
formulation; the ink vehicle. In paper, an adhesive component used to cement
inert filler, such as clay, to the sheet or to affix short fibers firmly
(securely) to paper or board stock.
Binder - A book-like device used to hold a quantity of sheets, commonly
loose-leaf paper. Binders can either be temporary or permanent, the former
allowing the easy removal and insertation of sheets, the latter not.
Binder's board - Very stiff paper board used to make covers of case bound books.
Bindery - All work with press sheets other than the actual printing: cutting,
jogging (the process of handing press sheets for form a neater, more even stack
of sheets), collating, folding, and stitching.
Binding slip - A sheet of instructions sent to the bindery with each volume,
specifying the binding requirements for that particular volume.
Binding - Binding and finishing are activities performed on printed material
after printing.
Bit - In computers, the basic unit of digital information; contraction of Binary
digit.
Bit map - In computer imaging, the electronic representative of a page,
indicating the positions of every possible spot (zero or one).
Black liquor - The spent chemicals obtained from the kraft chemical pulping
process.
Black Printer - The plate during the prepress printing process that is used with
the cyan, magenta and yellow printers to enhance the contrast and to emphasize
the neutral tones and detail in the final reproduction shadow areas.
Black-and-white - Originals or reproductions in single color, as distinguished
from multicolor.
Blank - Any die cut, scored, and corner cut section of boxboard in the flat to
be formed into a rigid box or part thereof. Also, a folding carton after cutting
and scoring but before folding and gluing.
Blanket cylinder - Cylinder of a press on which the blanket is mounted.
Blanket - The thick rubber mat on a printing press that transfers ink from the
plate to paper.
Blanking die - This die type is covered here because it employs a form of steel
rule, although it is used to convert metal. Normally, the die is made of two
parts: the top (female) section, of steel rule set into dense material,
sometimes maple plywood; the bottom section (male), a hardened plate which mates
with the inside line of the top section to form a shearing effect on the
materials being cut. This die is also known as a shearing die, stamping die or
metal blanking die.
Bleach manilla lined news - Clean, white top liner containing some ground wood
on chipboard, news bottom liner.
Bleaching - The process of chemically treating pulp fibers to reduce or remove
coloring matter so that the whiteness or brightness of the pulp is increased.
Bleed - A printed color or image that runs off the trimmed edge of the paper,
achieved by printing a larger area and trimming off the excess. The bleed also
refers to the area that will later be trimmed.
Blind emboss - To emboss without added ink or foil the embossed image.
Blind Embossing - Creating a relief impression (pressing artwork onto a surface)
without adding ink, foil or other color. The blind emboss is visible because of
the shadow it casts through a raised image, and in some cases because of a
change in the surface texture of the area.
Blind image - In lithography, an image that has lost its ink receptivity and
fails to print.
Blistering - A defect caused by the development of air pockets in the
paperboard, caused by drying too suddenly on the drying cylinders, or poor ply
adhesion in multiply board.
Block die - Series of blocks of wood that are cut on a table saw to exact sizes
to conform to a pattern. The rule is inserted between these blocks and are held
firm within a metal frame with wedges or quoins.
Blocking - An undesired adhesion between touching layers of material such as
might occur under moderate pressure and/or temperature in storage or use; to the
extent that damage to at least one surface is visible upon their separation.
Blow up - To enlarge photographically. Such an enlargement is called a blowup.
Blueline - Final proof from printer to verify graphic positioning, color breaks,
pagination, and type positioning.
Blushing - A milky, foggy or flat appearance in an ink or coating due to
precipitation or incompatibility of one of the ingredients. Most often caused by
excessive moisture condensations.
Board - A heavy weight, thick sheet of paper or other fiber substances, usually
of a thickness of .0006" or over. The distinction between board and paper is not
definite.
Board Caliper - Refers to the weight of the board.
Board paper - Grade of paper commonly used for file folders, display, and post
cards.
Board, cylinder - Any type of fibreboard or boxboard made on a cylinder machine.
Has a characteristic grain direction.
Board - Alternate term for Mechanical.
Body - In inkmaking, a term referring to the viscosity, or consistency, of an
ink (e.g., an ink with too much body is stiff).
Body Copy - Text or graphics printed other than on tab extensions (i.e. the
"body" of the sheet).
Body type - A type used for the main part or text of a printed piece, as
distinguished from the heading.
Bold-face type - A name given to type that is heavier than the text type with
which it is used.
Bond & carbon - Business form with paper and carbon paper.
Bond paper - A grade of writing or printing paper where strengths, durability,
and permanence are essential requirements; used for letterheads, business forms,
etc.
Bonding - The natural chemical and physical mechanism by which individual fibers
adhere to each other.
Book paper - A general term for coated and uncoated papers. The basic size is 25
x 38.
Bookbinder - Alternate term for Trade bindery.
Box - A complete paper box, including base and lid, or one piece.
Boxboard - Paperboard of sufficient caliper and test to be used in the
manufacturer of paperboard boxes.
Braceless die - Varying interpretations of this term.
Break for color - In artwork and composition, to separate the parts to be
printed in different colors.
Break for color - Also known as a color break. To separate mechanically or by
software the parts to be printed in different colors.
Breaking strength - The ability of a material to resist rupture by tension. (See
also bursting strength)
Bridge - Small areas left uncut in a jig die for purpose of holding the die
together.
Bridger - A bench tool used to remove metal from the steel rule, to pass over
the bridge.
Brightness - In photography, light reflected by the copy. In paper, the
reflectance or brilliance of the paper.
Brilliancy - The intensity, chroma, brightness or apparent strength of a color
to the eye.
Bristol - Type of board paper used for post cards, business cards, and other
heavy-use products.
Brittle paper - A weakened condition of paper due to deterioration caused by
acid, which may cause darkening of the paper.
Broadside - Any printed advertising circular.
Brochure - A pamphlet bound in booklet form.
Broke - Pulp recovered from paperboard trimmings, damaged paperboard, or off
spec product anywhere in the manufacturing process.
Broken carton - Less than one full carton of paper.
Broker - Agent who supplies printing from many printing companies.
Bronzing - Printing with a sizing ink, then applying bronze powder while still
wet to produce a metallic luster.
Brown stock - Brown pulp from the chemical pulping process.
Buckle Folder - A device used in the folding phrase of binding and finishing,
which uses a set of plates (collectively called a folder plate) to force a sheet
to buckle slightly, allowing it to be pulled through a set of folding rollers.
Buckling - The phenomenon when PSA tape ripples and causes an opening or gaps
between layers in the manufacturing process.
Buckram - A heavy-weave cotton base fabric which is pyroxylin-filled and used
for constructing covers.
Bulk pack - To pack printed pieces in boxes without prior wrapping in bundles.
Bulk - Thickness of paper, expressed in thousandths of an inch or the he number
of pages per inch for a given basis weight (PPI).
Bump exposure - In photography, an exposure in halftone photography, especially
with contact screens, in which the screen is removed for a short time. It
increases highlight contrast and drops out the dots in the whites.
Burn - In platemaking, a common term used for a plate exposure. In photography,
to give extra exposure to a specific area of a print.
Burnish - To smooth and seal by rubbing elements. adhered to a mechanical.
Burst perfect bind - To bind by forcing glue into notches in spines of
signatures, and then adhering a paper cover.
Bursting strength - Resistance of paper to rupture under pressure, as indicated
in pounds per square inch on a Mullen or "pop" tester.
Butt fit - Ink colors overlapped only a hairline so they appear perfectly
butted.
Butt Splice - A splice made by joining tape end-to-end without a space nor any
overlapping. A thin single coated tape centered on both sides usually assembles
the splice.
Butt to rule - Any subject matter that is to fit directly against a printing
rule.
Butt - To join without overlapping or space between.
Butt-Cutting - Die cutting process where a kiss cut is performed, but no matrix
is created. The parts are directly next to each other. Products are usually
square or rectangular shaped on a roll or pad.
Buyout - Subcontracted service.
Byte - In computers, a unit of digital information, equivalent to one character
or 8 to 32 bits.
C
C1S and C2S
Abbreviations for coated one side and coated two sides.
Calender
To make the surface of paper smooth by pressing it between rollers during
manufacturing.
Caliper
(1) Thickness of paper or other substrate expressed in thousandths of an inch
(mils or points), pages per inch (ppi), thousandths of a millimeter (microns) or
pages per centimeter (ppc). (2) Device on a sheetfed press that detects double
sheets or on a binding machine that detects missing signatures or inserts.
Camera-ready Copy
Mechanicals, photographs and art fully prepared for reproduction according to
the technical requirements of the printing process being used. Also called
finished art and reproduction copy.
Camera Service
Business using a process camera to make photostats, halftones, plates and other
elements for printing. Also called prep service and trade camera service.
Carbonless Paper
Paper coated with chemicals that enable transfer of images from one sheet to
another with pressure from writing or typing.
Carload
Selling unit of paper that may weigh anywhere from 20,000 to 100,000 pounds
(9,090 to 45, 454 kilos), depending on which mill or merchant uses the term.
Abbreviated CL.
Carton
Selling unit of paper weighing approximately 150 pounds (60 kilos). A carton can
contain anywhere from 500 to 5,000 sheets, depending on the size of sheets and
their basis weight.
Case
Covers and spine that, as a unit, enclose the pages of a casebound book.
Case Bind
To bind using glue to hold signatures to a case made of binder board covered
with fabric, plastic or leather. Also called cloth bind, edition bind, hard bind
and hard cover.
Cast-coated Paper
High gloss, coated paper made by pressing the paper against a polished, hot,
metal drum while the coating is still wet.
Catalog Paper
Coated paper rated #4 or #5 with basis weight from 35# to 50# (50 to 75 gsm)
commonly used for catalogs and magazines.
Chain Dot
(1) Alternate term for elliptical dot, so called because midtone dots touch at
two points, so look like links in a chain. (2) Generic term for any midtone dots
whose corners touch.
Chain Lines
(1) Widely spaced lines in laid paper. (2) Blemishes on printed images caused by
tracking.
Chalking
Deterioration of a printed image caused by ink that absorbs into paper too fast
or has long exposure to sun, and wind making printed images look dusty. Also
called crocking.
Check Copy
(1) Production copy of a publication verified by the customer as printed,
finished and bound correctly. (2) One set of gathered book signatures approved
by the customer as ready for binding.
Choke
Technique of slightly reducing the size of an image to create a hairline trap or
to outline. Also called shrink and skinny.
Chrome
Strength of a color as compared to how close it seems to neutral gray. Also
called depth, intensity, purity and saturation.
Close Up
A mark used to indicate closing space between characters or words. Usually used
in proofing stages.
CMYK
Abbreviation for cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), the four process colors.
Coarse Screen
Halftone screen with ruling of 65, 85 or 100 lines per inch (26, 34 or 40 lines
centimeter).
Coated Paper
Paper with a coating of clay and other substances that improves reflectivity and
ink holdout. Mills produce coated paper in the four major categories cast,
gloss, dull and matte.
Collate
To organize printed matter in a specific order as requested.
Collating Marks
Mostly in the book arena, specific marks on the back of signatures indicating
exact position in the collating stage.
Color Balance
Refers to amounts of process colors that simulate the colors of the original
scene or photograph.
Color Blanks
Press sheets printed with photos or illustrations, but without type. Also called
shells.
Color Break
In multicolor printing, the point, line or space at which one ink color stops
and another begins. Also called break for color.
Color Cast
Unwanted color affecting an entire image or portion of an image.
Color Control Bar
Strip of small blocks of color on a proof or press sheet to help evaluate
features such as density and dot gain. Also called color bar, color guide and
standard offset color bar.
Color Correct
To adjust the relationship among the process colors to achieve desirable colors.
Color Curves
Instructions in computer software that allow users to change or correct colors.
Also called HLS and HVS tables.
Color Electronic Prepress System
Computer, scanner, printer and other hardware and software designed for image
assembly, color correction, retouching and output onto proofing materials, film
or printing plates. Abbreviated CEPS.
Color Gamut
The entire range of hues possible to reproduce using a specific device, such as
a computer screen, or system, such as four-color process printing.
Color Key
Brand name for an overlay color proof. Sometimes used as a generic term for any
overlay color proof.
Color Model
Way of categorizing and describing the infinite array of colors found in nature.
Color Separation
(1) Technique of using a camera, scanner or computer to divide continuous-tone
color images into four halftone negatives. (2) The product resulting from color
separating and subsequent four-color process printing. Also called separation.
Color Sequence
Order in which inks are printed. Also called laydown sequence and rotation.
Color Shift
Change in image color resulting from changes in register, ink densities or dot
gain during four-color process printing.
Color Transparency
Film (transparent) used as art to perform color separations.
Comb Bind
To bind by inserting the teeth of a flexible plastic comb through holes punched
along the edge of a stack of paper. Also called plastic bind and GBC bind (a
brand name).
Commercial Printer
Printer producing a wide range of products such as announcements, brochures,
posters, booklets, stationery, business forms, books and magazines. Also called
job printer because each job is different.
Complementary Flat(s)
The second or additional flat(s) used when making composite film or for two or
more burns on one printing plate.
Composite Art
Mechanical on which copy for reproduction in all colors appears on only one
surface, not separated onto overlays. Composite art has a tissue overlay with
instructions that indicate color breaks.
Composite Film
Film made by combining images from two or more pieces of working film onto one
film for making one plate.
Composite Proof
Proof of color separations in position with graphics and type. Also called final
proof, imposition proof and stripping proof.
Composition
(1) In typography, the assembly of typographic elements, such as words and
paragraphs, into pages ready for printing. (2) In graphic design, the
arrangement of type, graphics and other elements on the page.
Comprehensive Dummy
Simulation of a printed piece complete with type, graphics and colors. Also
called color comprehensive and comp.
Condition
To keep paper in the pressroom for a few hours or days before printing so that
its moisture level and temperature equal that in the pressroom. Also called
cure, mature and season.
Contact Platemaker
Device with lights, timing mechanism and vacuum frame used to make contact
prints, duplicate film, proofs and plates. Also called platemaker and vacuum
frame.
Continuous-tone Copy
All photographs and those illustrations having a range of shades not made up of
dots, as compared to line copy or halftones. Abbreviated contone.
Contrast
The degree of tones in an image ranging from highlight to shadow.
Converter
Business that makes products such as boxes, bags, envelopes and displays.
Copyboard
Surface or frame on a process camera that holds copy in position to be
photographed.
Cover
Thick paper that protects a publication and advertises its title. Parts of
covers are often described as follows: Cover 1=outside front; Cover 2=inside
front; Cover 3=inside back, Cover 4=outside back.
Coverage
Extent to which ink covers the surface of a substrate. Ink coverage is usually
expressed as light, medium or heavy.
Cover Paper
Category of thick paper used for products such as posters, menus, folders and
covers of paperback books.
Crash
Coarse cloth embedded in the glue along the spine of a book to increase strength
of binding. Also called gauze, mull and scrim.
Creep
Phenomenon of middle pages of a folded signature extending slightly beyond
outside pages. Also called feathering, outpush, push out and thrust. See also
Shingling.
Crop Marks
Lines near the edges of an image indicating portions to be reproduced. Also
called cut marks and tic marks.
Crossover
Type or art that continues from one page of a book or magazine across the gutter
to the opposite page. Also called bridge, gutter bleed and gutter jump.
Cure
To dry inks, varnishes or other coatings after printing to ensure good adhesion
and prevent setoff.
Customer Service Representative
Employee of a printer, service bureau, separator or other business who
coordinates projects and keeps customers informed. Abbreviated CSR.
Cutoff
Circumference of the impression cylinder of a web press, therefore also the
length of the printed sheet that the press cuts from the roll of paper.
Cut Sizes
Paper sizes used with office machines and small presses.
Cutting Machine
A machine that cuts stacks of paper to desired sizes. The machine can also be
used in scoring or creasing.
Cutting Die
Usually a custom ordered item to trim specific and unusual sized printing
projects.
CWT
Abbreviation for hundredweight using the Roman numeral C=100.
Cyan
One of the four process colors. Also known as process blue.
C1S and C2S - Abbreviations for coated one side and coated two sides.
Calender - To make the surface of paper smooth by pressing it between rollers
during manufacturing.
Calibrate - To adjust the scale on a measuring instrument such as a densitometer
to a standard for specific conditions.
Calibration - A process by which a scanner, monitor, or output device is
adjusted to provide a more accurate display and reproduction of images.
Caliper - (1)Thickness of paper or other substrate expressed in thousandths of
an inch (mils or points), pages per inch (ppi), thousandths of a millimeter
(microns) or pages per centimeter (ppc). (2) Device on a sheetfed press that
detects double sheets or on a binding machine that detects missing signatures or
inserts.
Callout - A portion of text, usually duplicated from accompanying text,
enlarged, and set off in quotes and/or a box to draw attention to what surrounds
it.
Camera-ready - Photographs and artwork fully prepared for reproduction according
to the technical requirements of the printing process being used. Also called
finished art and reproduction copy.
camera service. Business using a process camera to make Photostats, halftones,
plates and other elements for printing. Also called prep service and trade
camera service.
Cast-coated paper - High gloss, coated paper made by pressing the paper against
a polished, hot, metal drum while the coating is still wet.
Chain lines - (1) Widely spaced lines in laid paper. (2) Blemishes on printed
images caused by tracking.
chalking. Deterioration of a printed image caused by ink that absorbs into paper
too fast or has long exposure to sun, and wind making printed images look dusty.
Also called crocking.
Choke - Technique of slightly reducing the size of an image to create a hairline
trap or to outline. Also called shrink and skinny.
Cloning - A retouching function available on a color imaging system or in an
image-editing program. It is normally used to remove image defects by replacing
pixels in the defective areas with duplicate pixels from adjacent, non-defective
areas. It can also be used to duplicate sections of an image. Alternative term:
pixel swapping.
Close up - A mark used to indicate closing space between characters or words.
Usually used in proofing stages.
CMYK - Abbreviation for cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), the four process
colors.
Coarse screen - Halftone screen with ruling of 65, 85 or 100 lines per inch (26,
34 or 40 lines centimeter).
Coated paper - Paper with a coating of clay and other substances that improves
reflectivity and ink holdout. Mills produce coated paper in the four major
categories cast, gloss, dull and matte.
Collate - To organize printed matter in a specific order as requested.
Color balance - Refers to amounts of process colors that simulate the colors of
the original scene or photograph.
Color break - In multicolor printing, the point, line or space at which one ink
color stops and another begins. Also called break for color.
Color cast - Unwanted color affecting an entire image or portion of an image.
Color control bar - Strip of small blocks of color on a proof or press sheet to
help evaluate features such as density and dot gain. Also called color bar,
color guide and standard offset color bar.
Color correct - To adjust the relationship among the process colors to achieve
desirable colors.
Color curves - Instructions in computer software that allow users to change or
correct colors.
Color electronic prepress system - Computer, scanner, printer and other hardware
and software designed for image assembly, color correction, retouching and
output onto proofing materials, film or printing plates. Abbreviated CEPS.
Color gamut - The entire range of hues possible to reproduce using a specific
device, such as a computer screen, or system, such as four-color process
printing.
Color key - Brand name for an overlay color proof. Sometimes used as a generic
term for any overlay color proof.
Color model - Way of categorizing and describing the infinite array of colors
found in nature.
Color separation - (1) Technique of using a camera, scanner or computer to
divide continuous-tone color images into four halftone negatives. (2) The
product resulting from color separating and subsequent four-color process
printing. Also called separation.
Color sequence - Order in which inks are printed. Also called laydown sequence
and rotation.
Color shift - Change in image color resulting from changes in register, ink
densities or dot gain during four-color process printing.
Color transparency - Film (transparent) used as art to perform color
separations.
Commercial printer - Printer producing a wide range of products such as
announcements, brochures, posters, booklets, stationery, business forms, books
and magazines. Also called job printer because each job is different.
Composite art - Mechanical on which copy for reproduction in all colors appears
on only one surface, not separated onto overlays.
Composite art has a tissue overlay with instructions that indicate color breaks.
Composite proof - Proof of color separations in position with graphics and type.
Also called final proof, imposition proof and stripping proof.
Composition - (1) In typography, the assembly of typographic elements, such as
words and paragraphs, into pages ready for printing. (2) In graphic design, the
arrangement of type, graphics and other elements on the page.
Comp dummy - Simulation of a printed piece complete with type, graphics and
colors.
Condition - To keep paper in the pressroom for a few hours or days before
printing so that its moisture level and temperature equal that in the pressroom.
Also called cure, mature and season.
Continuous-tone copy - All photographs and those illustrations having a range of
shades not made up of dots, as compared to line copy or halftones. Abbreviated
contone.
Contrast - The degree of tones in an image ranging from highlight to shadow.
Conversion - The process of preparing documents, capturing, and indexing current
files for use on an imaging system.
Converter - Business that makes products such as boxes, bags, envelopes and
displays.
Copy fitting - Adjusting copy to the allotted space, by editing the text or
changing the type size and leading.
Coverage - Extent to which ink covers the surface of a substrate. Ink coverage
is usually expressed as light, medium or heavy.
Cover paper - Category of thick paper used for products such as posters, menus,
folders and covers of paperback books.
Creep - The slight but cumulative extension of the edges of each inserted spread
or signature beyond the edges of the signature that encloses it. This results in
progressively smaller trim size on the inside pages. Alternative terms: push
out; shingling; binder’s creep.
Crop - To opaque, mask, mark, cut, or trim an illustration or other reproduction
to fit a designated area.
Cropping - (1) Indicating what portion of the copy is to be included in the
final reproduction. (2) Trimming unwanted areas of a photograph film or print.
Crop marks - Lines near the edges of an image indicating portions to be
reproduced. Also called cut marks and tic marks.
Crossover - Type or art that continues from one page of a book or magazine
across the gutter to the opposite page. Also called bridge, gutter bleed and
gutter jump.
Cure - To dry inks, varnishes or other coatings after printing to ensure good
adhesion and prevent setoff.
Customer service representative - Employee of a printer, service bureau,
separator or other business who coordinates projects and keeps customers
informed. Abbreviated CSR.
Cut sizes - Paper sizes used with office machines and small presses.
Cyan - One of the four process colors. Also known as process blue.
C print - Color photographic print made from a negative on Kodak C Print paper.
C1S - Paper coated on one side.
C2S - Paper coated on both sides.
CAD/CAM - An acronym for Computer Assisted Design/Computer Assisted Makeup or
Manufacturing.
Cady tester - A machine used to test the bursting strength of paper, paperboard
or fibreboard. (See mullen and bursting strength)
Calender rolls - A set or stack or horizontal cast-iron rolls at the end of a
paper machine. The paper is passed between the rolls to increase the smoothness
and gloss of its surface.
Calendered paper - Paper with a smooth finish produced by its being passed
through the calender of a papermaking machine.
Calendering - The process of finishing a sheet of dry paper by pressing it
between a set of chilled metal rollers, generally at the end of a papermaking
machine. The paper passes through these rollers to increase the smoothness and
gloss of its surface.
Caliper - The thickness of a single sheet of paper (or plastic) under specific
conditions. The measurement is made with a micrometer, expressed in thousandths
of an inch (mils or points).
Camera service - Business using a process camera to make PMTS, halftone
negatives, printing plates, etc.
Camera-ready - Copy which is ready for photography.
Camera-ready artwork - Artwork (an image or text) ready for photography.
Camera-ready copy - Mechanicals, photographs, and art fully prepared to be
photographed for platemaking according to the technical requirements of either
quick or commercial printing.
Caps and small caps - Two sizes of capital letters made in one size of type,
commonly used in most roman type faces.
Carbonless - Pressure sensitive writing paper that does not use carbon.
Cardboard - General term for stiff, bulky paper such as index, tag, or bristol.
Carload - A truck load of paper weighing 40,000 pounds.
Carrier - Double-coated tapes have a thin "carrier" of film to which one or two
types of PSA adhesive is coated to each side.
Carton - Folding paper box.
Case - In bookbinding, the covers of a hard-bound book.
Case bind - To bind by gluing signatures to a case made of binder's board
covered with fabric, plastic, or leather, yielding hard cover books.
Casing-in - The process of putting a volume that has received all of the binding
or rebinding operations, into its cover or case.
Cast coated - Coated paper dried under pressure against a polished cylinder to
produce a high-gloss enamel finish.
Catalyst - A substance which alters (initiates or accelerates) the velocity of a
reaction between two or more substances without changing itself in chemical
composition.
Catching up - In lithography, a term which indicates that the non-image areas of
a press plate are taking ink or scumming.
Caustic - Alkaline having a corrosive action.
CCD - Acronym for Charge Couple Device. An electronic scanning device used in
imaging systems.
CD-ROM - Acronym for Compact Disc-Read-Only Memory. A CD-ROM drive uses the CD
format as a computer storage medium.
Cell - In gravure printing, the small etched depression (representing one
halftone dot) in the surface of the gravure cylinder that carries the ink.
Center marks - Lines on a mechanical, negative, plate, or press sheet indicating
the center of a layout.
Center spread - The two center pages of a signature.
CEPS - Abbreviation for color electronic prepress systems, a high-end,
computer-based system that is used to color correct scanned images and assemble
image elements into final pages.
Chalking - In printing, a term which refers to improper drying of ink. Pigment
dusts off because the vehicle has been absorbed too rapidly into the paper.
Character generation - The production of typographic images using font master
data. Generated to screens or output devices.
Chase - A rectangular metal frame in which type and plates are locked up for
letterpress. A metal frame holds a block type die together under pressure.
Checking - A defect resulting from excessive decurling.
Chemical pulp - In papermaking, treatment of ground wood chips with chemicals to
remove impurities such as lignin, resins and gums. There are two types, sulfite
and sulfate.
Chemistry - In photography and platemaking, a term used to describe the
composition of processing solutions.
Child Proof Stitches - A method of stitches in which they are turned in down the
center spread.
Chipboard - Paperboard used in making rigid boxes. Made in varying densities
according to desired smoothness from reclaimed paper fibre to give high
stiffness and internal strength for scoring.
Chokes and spreads - Overlap of overprinting images to avoid color or white
fringes or borders around image detail. Called trapping in digital imaging
systems.
Chopper knives - Steel rule in a die to cut up scrap in smaller pieces.
Choppers - Cutting rule in dies for the purpose of cutting the waste into
smaller pieces to facilitate self-stripping and to make smaller pieces of waste
to accommodate the waste removal system.
Chroma - The optical measurement of color saturation and/or intensity.
Chromalin proof - A 4-color proofing system. It is made with four process color
toners, plus layers of photo polymer. Laminated into 1 piece, Chromalin is a
DuPont trade name.
Chrome - Alternate term for Transparency.
Circular screen - A circular-shaped halftone screen which enables the camera
operator to obtain halftones without disturbing the copy.
Clarification - The removal of suspended solids by settling process solutions.
Clay coated box board - A one side coated board (white) with good fold and
scoring quality used for rigid and folding boxes. Coating provides satisfactory
printing surface, a smooth flexible sheet for good bend at score line.
Cleat bind - Alternate term for Side stitch.
Clicker block - Anvil surface of wood to cut against.
Clicker pad - Disposable anvil surface of various materials.
Clicker press - Generic term now referring to all swing arm diecutting presses
used in much of the soft goods converting areas.
Cling - Tendency of adjacent materials to adhere to each other, as in blocking,
except that the surfaces can be separated without any visible damage. A slight
noise, referred as kiss noise, may occur upon separation.
Clip art - High-contrast drawings printed on white, glossy paper and made to be
cut out and pasted to a mechanical.
Clip Seal / Wafer Seal -
Closed loop system - In printing, a completely automatic control system.
Closed time - Time the glue joint is under compression while the adhesive is
setting.
CMYK - Acronym for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black–subtractive primary colors.
Printing colors for process color reproduction.
Coarse screen - Screen with ruling of less than 133 lines per inch.
Coated Paper - Paper with a surface treated with clay or some other pigment and
adhesive material to improve the surface in terms of printing quality. The
coated finish may be dull, matte or gloss. Coated papers are generally available
in white or natural (off-white).
Coating - In platemaking, the light-sensitive polymer or mixture applied to a
metal plate. In printing, an emulsion, varnish or lacquer over a printed surface
to protect it.
Coating, heat seal - A coating applied to a substrate capable of sealing to
another material by heat and dwell time.
Coating, thermoplastic - A material applied to a substrate which is heat
sealable.
Cobb test - A method of measuring the water receptivity of sized paperboard by
determining the weight of liquid absorbed into the surface over a specified
period of time.
Cockling - A rippling effect given to the surface of a sheet of paper which has
not been properly dried. Moisture pickup of the sheet can also cause the
cockling or wavy edge.
Cohesion - The attractive force that internally binds a material.
Cold color - In printing, a color with a bluish cast.
Cold set adhesive - A liquid adhesive, used in carton forming, which when
applied dewaters through the substrate, dries, and bonds to the substrate.
Collate - A finishing term for gathering paper in a precise order.
Collateral - Ad agency term for printed pieces, such as brochures and annual
reports, that are not directly involved in advertising.
Collating Marks - In printing, a set of numbered symbols that are printed on the
folded edge of press signatures as a means of indicating the proper collating or
gathering sequence.
Collation - Gathering of individual tabs into sequentially ordered sets.
Collotype - Method of printing continuous tones using a plate coated with
gelatin.
Color balance - The correct combination of cyan, magenta and yellow to (1)
reproduce a photograph without a color cast, (2) produce a neutral gray, or (3)
reproduce the colors in the original scene or object.
Color bar - A series of solid rectangles on a film which are shot on each plate.
These are used to set and control ink densities on press.
Color break - In multicolor printing, the point or line at which one ink color
stops and another begins.
Color Control Bars - A film test printed or exposed onto a film or substrate to
produce an assortment of measurable color and gray patches that are used to
measure and control the printing process.
Color correct - To retouch or enhance color separation negatives.
Color correction - The process, in four-color separations, of adjusting the
color values to achieve a more pleasing or accurate image.
Color density - Optical density (or hue saturation) of a particular color.
Color filter - A sheet of dyed glass, gelatin or plastic, or dyed gelatin
cemented between glass plates, used in photography to absorb certain colors and
transmit others. The filters used for color separation are blue, green and red.
Color Key - 3M trade name for overlay color proof.
Color Matching Systems - A method of specifying a specific, standard color by
means of numbered color samples available in swatchbooks. Pantone and Toyo are
two commonly used color matching systems.
Color process - Alternate term for 4-color process printing.
Color proofs - See off-press proofs, progressive proofs.
Color separations - The process of preparing artwork, photographs,
transparencies, or computer generated art for printing by separating into the
four primary printing colors.
Color swatch - Sample of an ink color.
Color transparency - A full-color photographic positive on transparent film.
Also called a chrome.
Color wheel - Diagrammatic arrangement of primary and secondary colors used as a
visual aid in determining relationship and harmony among colors.
Coloured stitches - Coloured stitching is a stitch with coloured wire.
Comb bind - To bind by inserting teeth of a flexible plastic comb through holes
in a stack of paper.
Combination jig/block die - Contains both jigsawed areas and block sawed.
Combination plate - In photoengraving, halftone and line work combined on one
plate; etched for both halftones and line depth.
Commercial artist - Artist whose work is planned for reproduction by printing.
Commercial register - Color printing on which the misregister allowable is
within ± one row of dots.
Common impression cylinder press - In flexography, letter-press and lithography,
a press with a number of printing units around a large impression cylinder.
Comp - Short for Comprehensive dummy.
Composite - A single negative made from a series of exposures on 1 piece of
film.
Composite film - Graphic arts negative made by combining two or more images.
Composite proof - Proof of color separations in position with graphics and type.
Comprehensive dummy - A detailed dummy or sketch of a design, intended to give a
client or the printer a clear sense of how the finished publication will or
should look when reproduced. Desktop publishing systems can easily create comps
using low-resolution black and white or color printers. Every job submitted for
printing must be accompanied with a color-broken comprehensive clearly
indicating color breaks.
Computerized composition - Unjustified type is produced on a keyboard and
subsequently run through a computer which makes line-end, hyphenation and other
typographical decisions. Sometimes, a computer-produced second tape is then used
as input for photosetting (or linecasting) equipment.
Condensed type - A narrow or slender type face.
Conditioning - Exposure of paperboard to accurately controlled and specified
atmospheric conditions, so that its moisture content reaches equilibrium with
the surrounding atmosphere.
Conductivity - A property of fountain solutions that must be controlled along
with pH.
Conglomerate die - A die utilizing more than one die type in it to allow for
greater wear resistance, etc. at a given point. This die type is usually
employed in the plastics trades for trimming contoured, vacuum-formed parts.
Consignment memo - Alternate term for photographer's Delivery memo.
Consistency - Property of a material which is evidenced by its resistance to
flow. The general body characteristics of an ink, for example, viscosity;
uniformity mostly used to describe the rheological property of an ink, such as
"thick", "thin" and "buttery". In paper making, percentage, by weight, of fiber
in pulp slurry.
Contact - A photographic conversion of a positive to a negative or vice versa.
Contact print - A photographic print made from a negative or positive in contact
with sensitized paper, film or printing plate.
Contact screen - A halftone screen on film having a dot structure of graded
density, used in vacuum contact with the photographic film to produce halftone.
Contact sheet - Alternate term for Proof sheet.
Containerboard - The fabricated material from which containers are manufactured.
A general term applied both to solid fibreboard and corrugated fibreboard.
Continuous-tone copy - Illustrations, photographs or computer files that contain
gradient tones from black to white or light to dark.
Contract Proof - A color proof that represents an agreement between the printer
and the client regarding exactly how the printed product will appear.
Contrast - The tonal graduation between the highlights, middle tones and shadows
in an original or reproduction.
Converter - Business that combines printed sheets with other materials to make
boxes, displays, etc.
Copolymer - Polymer produced from a combination of two or more monomers. See
Polymer.
Copy - Any furnished material (typewritten manuscript, pictures, artwork, etc..)
to be used in the production of printing.
Copy preparation - In typesetting, marking up manuscript and specifying type. In
pasteup and printing, making mechanicals and writing instructions to ensure
proper placement and handling of copy.
Copyboard - A frame that holds original copy while it is being photographed on
the camera.
Copyfitting - In composition, the calculation of how much space a given amount
of copy will take up in a given size and typeface. Also, the adjusting of the
type size to make it fit in a given amount of space.
Copyright - Ownership of creative work by the writer, photographer, or artist
who made it.
Copywriter - Person who writes copy for advertising.
Corner marks - Lines on a mechanical, negative, plate, or press sheet showing
the corners of a page or finished piece.
Corrosion - Deterioration of a material by chemical action, usually as a result
of galvanic, acid or alkali action of oxidation.
Corrugated board, double wall - A container board consisting of two fluted
members and three liners combined in the following sequence: facing (liner),
fluted member, center liner, fluted member, facing (liner).
Corrugated board, double-faced - A container board consisting of a fluted inner
member glued between two facings or liners. Used in making corrugated fibreboard
boxes and products.
Corrugated board, single-faced - A container board consisting of a fluted member
glued to one facing permitting free bending in one direction. Used for wrapping
and cushioning.
Corrugated medium - The container board, usually .009 inch thick, used as the
fluted member of corrugated fibreboard.
Corrugated - Characteristic of board for boxes made by sandwiching fluted kraft
paper between sheets of paper or cardboard.
Cotton content paper - Paper made from cotton fibers rather than wood pulp.
Counter - The press board or other kind of cardboard that is glued into the
outside of the jacket into which scores are cut.
Cover paper - A general term applied to a great variety of papers used for the
outside covers of catalogs, brochures, booklets, and similar pieces.
Crash number - Numbering paper by pressing an image on the first sheet which is
transferred to all parts of the printed set.
Crash printing - Letterpress printing on carbon or carbonless forms so image
prints simultaneously on all sheets in the set.
Crawling - That property of a coating or ink in which the wetting of the surface
is very poor, causing the film to contract into drops, leaving a discontinuous
covering.
Creasibility - Physical property paperboard that allows a carton to be folded
along the score or crease line.
Creasing rules - The rules that crease the sheet. They may be of varying widths
to best suit the thickness of the stock being creased.
Creasing -
Creep - In offset, the forward movement of a blanket during printing. Can also
apply to the movement of the packing under the plate or blanket during printing.
Crimping - Puncture marks holding business forms together.
Crinkle - Wrinkly/wad film severely to determine ink flexibility.
Cromalin - DuPont trade name for integral color proof.
Crop - To eliminate portions of the copy, usually on a photograph or plate,
indicated on the originals by cropmarks.
Crop marks - Printed lines showing where to trim a printed sheet.
Cross direction - In paper, the direction across the grain. Paper is weaker and
more sensitive to changes in relative humidity in the cross direction than the
grain direction.
Crossline screen (glass screen) - In halftone photography, a grid pattern with
opaque lines crossing each other at right angles, thus forming transparent
squares or "screen apertures".
Crosslinkers - Additive used to complete a chemical reaction; used in
paperboard, also with coatings, ink, etc.
Crossmarks - See register marks.
Crossover - Two page spread where image crosses over both pages.
Crystallization - A condition in which a dried ink film repels a subsequent ink
or coating which must be printed on to it. This word has an entirely different
meaning in chemistry.
CTP - Acronym for computer-to-plate.
Curl - The tendency of a sheet of paper to roll into the form of a cylinder. It
is caused by the inequality in water content or stress levels between the two
sides of the paper. Wet Curl is the result of application of water to the paper
surface, as in lithographic printing. Atmospheric (Dry) Curl is the result of
the exchange of water vapor between paper and air of higher or lower relative
humidity. Mechanical Curl is the result of mechanical stresses on the paper,
other than that of swelling or shrinkage, due to moisture.
Curtain coater - A machine that creates a vertical "curtain" of liquid coating
material. A constant stream that falls from a coating head. Board passing under
the curtain will be covered by the coating. The amount of coating to be applied
is regulated by the thickness of the curtain and speed at which the board passes
through it.
Curved die boards - Used for rotary dies, usually hard-wood plywood.
Curved plate - In letterpress, an electrotype or stereotype which is precurved
to fit the cylinder of a rotary press.
Curved rotary rule - Used vertically on a curved die board cutting corrugated.
Furnished 45° or 90°, relative to shaft center lines.
Custom Embroidery - See Embroidery.
Cut - In letterpress, a photoengraving of any kind. Number of tab positions in a
bank (example - 1/5 cut = 5 tabs of equal size completing a bank.
Cut creaser - A machine used in production of folding cartons. It uses steel
rule dies with sharp knives to cut through the board: dull knives to crease
board along fold lines.
Cut flush - The cover is trimmed after binding so that its edges are even with
the edges of the leaves.
Cut stock - Paper distributor term for paper 11 x 17 or smaller.
Cut-AWL saw - A commercial machine that is commonly used in the production of
rotary dies. A curved base is used in this application.
Cutoff - The circumference of the impression cylinder of a web press, therefore
also the length of the sheet the press will cut from the roll of paper.
Cutscore - In die-cutting, a sharp-edged knife, usually several thousandths of
an inch lower than the cutting rules in a die, made to cut part way into the
paper or board for folding purposes. Cutting knives or rule that cut only
partially through the stock for purposes of bending. Used only where creases are
not desired.
Cutter - A term used to describe a bench tool used to cut steel rule.
Cutting die - Term covering total family of numerous types of "cutting dies".
Cutting head - Generic form of numerous definitions.
Cutting knives - The sharp, steel rule that cuts the sheets of material. This
rule is usually hardened, whereas a softer rule is needed for curves.
Cutting scores - Cutting the scores in the counter into which the creasing rules
must register to make the proper creases for folding.
CWT - Paper distributor abbreviation for 100 pounds.
Cyan - Hue of a subtractive primary and a 4-color process ink. It reflects or
transmits blue and green light and absorbs red light.
Cylinder - In flexography, for no particular reason, most rollers in the
printing presses are called rolls with the exception of that upon which the
rubber plates are mounted, and the one which receives the impression, and these
are usually referred to as cylinders, e.g.: plate cylinders or impression
cylinder.
Cylinder gap - In printing presses, the gap or space in the cylinders of a press
where the mechanism for plate (or blanket), clamps and gripper (sheetfed) is
housed.
Cylinder liner - Container board made on cylinder machines from blends of virgin
pulp and paper fibers reworked from various grades of paper stock. The sheet is
formed on a series of rotating cylinders.
Cylinder press - A rotary printing press utilizing curved plates.
D
Data Compression
Technique of reducing the amount of storage required to hold a digital file to
reduce the disk space the file requires and allow it to be processed or
transmitted more quickly.
Deboss
To press an image into paper so it lies below the surface. Also called tool.
Deckle Edge
Edge of paper left ragged as it comes from the papermaking machine instead of
being cleanly cut. Also called feather edge.
Densitometer
Instrument used to measure density. Reflection densitometers measure light
reflected from paper and other surfaces; transmission densitometers measure
light transmitted through film and other materials.
Density
(1) Regarding ink, the relative thickness of a layer of printed ink. (2)
Regarding color, the relative ability of a color to absorb light reflected from
it or block light passing through it. (3) Regarding paper, the relative
tightness or looseness of fibers.
Density Range
Difference between the darkest and lightest areas of copy. Also called contrast
ratio, copy range and tonal range.
Desktop Publishing
Technique of using a personal computer to design images and pages, and assemble
type and graphics, then using a laser printer or imagesetter to output the
assembled pages onto paper, film or printing plate. Abbreviated DTP.
Device Independent Colors
Hules identified by wavelength or by their place in systems such as developed by
CIE. 'Device independent' means a color can be described and specified without
regard to whether it is reproduced using ink, projected light, photographic
chemistry or any other method.
Die
Device for cutting, scoring, stamping, embossing and debossing.
Die Cut
To cut irregular shapes in paper or paperboard using a die.
Digital Proofing
Page proofs produced through electronic memory transferred onto paper via laser
or ink-jet.
Diffusion Transfer
Chemical process of reproducing line copy and making halftone positives ready
for paste-up.
Digital Dot
Dot created by a computer and printed out by a laser printer or imagesetter.
Digital dots are uniform in size, as compared to halftone dots that vary in
size.
Direct Digital Color Proof
Color proof made by a laser, ink jet printer or other computer-controlled device
without needing to make separation films first. Abbreviated DDCP.
Dog Ear
A letter fold at the side of one of the creases, an indentation occurs.
Dot Gain
Phenomenon of halftone dots printing larger on paper than they are on films or
plates, reducing detail and lowering contrast. Also called dot growth, dot
spread and press gain.
Dot Size
Relative size of halftone dots as compared to dots of the screen ruling being
used. There is no unit of measurement to express dot size. Dots are too large,
too small or correct only in comparison to what the viewer finds attractive.
Dots-per-inch
Measure of resolution of input devices such as scanners, display devices such as
monitors, and output devices such as laser printers, imagesetters and monitors.
Abbreviated DPI. Also called dot pitch.
Double Black Duotone
Duotone pr