TERM	DEFINITION
A
ACCENT MARKS	Punctuation marks used in many foreign languages to indicate an accent, stress, importance, etc. Accent marks connot be typeset and therefore they must be hand-stripped into position.
ACETATE	A clear transparent sheet used for paste-up and color separation overlays.
ADDITIONAL PASSES	Second (or additional) press run(s) that result if an order cannot be produced in one pass through the press. This can be a result of combining raised and flat printing, using three or more ink colors, etc.
AMPERSAND	"&" - The symbol for "and."
ARTBOARD	Completely camera-ready artwork including typesetting and repoduction proofs of type or hand lettering supplied by the customer.
ARTWORK	Layout supplied by the customer in the form of press-ready negatives, 1-color camera-ready artwork, or 2-color camera-ready artwork, color separated.
ASCENDERS	Lines of lower case type which extend above the body, such as the b, d, f, h, etc.
B
BACKSIDE PRINTING	To print on the back side of a business card, announcement, etc.
BASELINE	The imaginary line on which the bases of letters rest.
BLANK STOCK	Stock on which there is no printing.
BLANKET	Cloth-backed rubber sheet covering a cylinder of an offset press, which receives the inked image from the offset plate and transfers it to the paper.
BLEED	The printed image meets or extends off the edge of the paper.
BLIND EMBOSSING	An imprinting process requiring a die, pressure, and heat. The die is pressed into the back of the paper creating a raised image seen on the front of the paper.
BLOCKING OUT	Eliminating any portion of a piece of art by painting or masking it out on the film or the artwork.
BLOW-UP	Camera enlargement.
BODY TYPE	Type used for the body of stationery, as distinguished from the mainline(s).
BOLD FACE TYPE	A type face that is thick or heavy; designed to draw attention. This sentence is printed in bold face type.
BORDERS	Ornamental strips or a design around the edge of a printed item.
BOTTOM LINE	A rule, line of type, etc. that is positioned at the bottom of a letterhead or envelope.
BULLETS	Solid dot characters used ornamentally and classified by point size. (example)
CALLIGRAPHY	Hand lettering in fine penmanship, produced for decorative purposes by an artist of calligrapher.
CAMERA-READY	A paste-up that has been completely prepared so that it can be photographed to produce a negative. Usually in the form of a black-and-white stat (reproduction), or a velox made from the original, which may or may not be mounted to artboard.
CAPS	Abbreviation for Capital Letters, which are also called Upper Case. THESE ARE CAPITAL LETTERS.
CHARACTER	Any letter, number, punctuation mark or space in printing.
COATED PAPER	Paper manufactured with a smooth glossy or dull finish, accomplished by adding casein satin white, China clay, calcium carbonate, starch, or glue and certain pigments to the paper's surface. Different types exist, such as coated one-side, coated two-sides, machine-coated, cast-coated, dull-coated, enamel finish, etc.
COCKLE	Paper with a ripple finish.
COLOR BREAKDOWN	Term used to describe the separation of colors on a multi-color paste-up.
COLOR SEPARATION	Process in which the negative is opaqued to block out all but one color. The opposite areas are then blocked out on another negative(s) in order to print the other color(s).
CONTACT PRINT	A photographic print made with the negative or positive in contact with sensitized paper. No camera is necessary. Images are reversed, as from negative to positive, and prints can only be the same size as the original.
CROP MARK	Mark used to define the limit of the reproduction area of an illustration and to establish the area of the final image reproduction.
CROPPING	Eliminating edges or portions of artwork and/or photographs that are not desired for reproduction.
D
DECKLE EDGE	An untrimmed "feather edge" featre on a sheet of paper
DE-INKING	Process that removes inks, clays, coatings, binders, and other contaminants from printed and converted waste paper. Printing and writing mills that can de-ink paper are currently limited in the U.S.A. The process produces a liquid effluent waste condition that can be treated effectively with current technology. Likewise, primary and secondary sludge waste is generated, but can be used on farmlands or marketed as compost.
DENSITY	Relative darkness of an image area as seen by the eye. In photography, density is a measure of light-stopping ability or blackening of an image as read on a densitometer.
DESCENDERS	The lines of lower case type which extend below the base line, such as g, j, p, q, and y.
DIE CUTTING	Process of cutting irregular or regular designs in paper or other similar materials with a sharp printing die. Pressure is applied from the die against the paper to force it through the paper. Die cutting is performed on a letterpress or die cutting press.
DIES	Tools used for cutting out, forming or stamping material. In embossing processes, a die is used to impress a design into the paper, creating a raised image seen on the front of the paper.
DINGBATS	Typographic decorations.
DOUBLE BURN	Process of "burning" multiple images on a printing plate from one or more negatives.
DOUBLE RUN	Running the stock through the press more than once, requiring additional time and more than one plate; also known as an additional pass.
DOWNSETTING	Process of putting copy into the next smallest point size in order to make it fit into a given space.
DUPLEX PAPER	Two papers which are laminated together to produce the same or different color(s) or finish(es) on each side.
DUMMY	A preliminary drawing, layout, or paste-up showing the position of illustrations, text, etc., as they are to appear in the final printing, but without all the details of illustration and copy.

TERM	DEFINITION
E
EMBOSSING	The pressing of a textured design right into the paper, introducing a third dimension without the use of ink; used interchangeably with the term "blind embossing".
ENGRAVING	Imprinting process by which lettering or artwork is etched into the surface of a copper or steel plate. The plate is inked and wiped clean, leaving ink in the incisions of the plate. The paper is then placed on the plate and the press pushes the paper into the incisions of the plate, transferring the ink and creating a fine raised image.
ENLARGEMENT	Process by which original artwork or lettering is proportionally made larger to fill an area of printing.
ENVELOPE FLAP IMPRINTING	The placement of a return address on the envelope flap, rather than on the standard left corner.
F
FACE	Term used to designate one style of type from another. This designation is also used to describe boldface.
FLAT PRINTING	An imprinting process sometimes called lithography or offset printing. Flat printing is the process of applying the ink to the paper, leaving just the printed image.
FLOP	To turn an image over and make it face the opposite direction.
FLUSH LEFT (OR RIGHT)	Composition style in which type is set to line up at the left (or right). The term "flush left and right" is sometimes used to specify that the composition is to be set "justified".
FOIL EMBOSSING	An imprinting process that uses two dies, pressure and heat. With pressure, heat and one die, foil is stamped onto the paper creating a flat foil image. Then, with the second die in another pass, the foil area is embossed in register creating a raised image.
FOIL STAMPING	An imprinting process that uses a die, pressure and heat to stamp foil onto the paper. Foil stamping is flat, and there is no "bump" or "raise" to the foil stamped area. Foil stamping should not be used in laser printers, because the intensity of the heat of a laser printer can sometimes cause the foil to release from the paper and may ruin the printer.
FONT	Complete alphabet of any one type face in a given point size - upper case, lower case, numerals, punctuation marks, etc.
G
GALLEY PROOF	Preliminary reproduction of composition for the purpose of checking spelling, spacing, etc. prior to paste-up or makeup. May be made on a photocopier or from phototypesetting or direct composition. In the case of hot metal type, the reproduction is made on a proof press by inking the type metal.
GANG RUN	Printing of an assortment of jobs of the same size at the same time by assembling them on one press plate per color. A process used primarily on business card orders.
GOLDENROD	Masking sheet paper that is orange or yellow. It is used by the stripping department to position negatives in correct alignment for burning the plate for printing.
GRAIN	Direction of the main fibers of the paper. The grain results in a stiffer feel one way than the other. Binding edges and folds should be parallel to the grain, as a smoother and more even fold results when the paper is folded with the grain. Grain can be determined by hand folding the paper. Grain of specific products is determined by the converter.
GRIPPER MARGIN	The unprintable blank edge of paper where the press grippers clap on the edge of the sheet as it is pulled through the press. Usually the gripper margin is 3/8", but this varies by press.
H
HAIRLINE REGISTRATION	Where two color areas match precisely, touch, or overlap.
HALFTONE	Reproduction of a photograph or other original subject having highlights, shadows, and intermediate tones. The various tones are obtained by breaking up the image into a graduated series of dots by placing a cross-ruled glass screen between the camera lens and the film, or a contact screen on the film.
HOT TYPE	Type produced by casting from hot material.
I
IMPRINT	To add information to a preprinted sheet. Commonly used on business card masters.
ITALIC	A letter that slopes to the right. This sentence is printed in italic.
INK	Pigmented liquid or paste used for writing or printing. Available in standard colors and customer specified ink colors, which are any specific ink number requested from an established source system such as The Pantone Matching System (Pantone Inc.'s check-standard trademark for color reproduction and color reporduction materials). Laser inks are specially formulated to withstand the extreme heat generated by laser printers, and are available in standard colors and specified colors.

 

TERM	DEFINITION
N
NEGATIVE	Photographic image of original copy on film in which the relationship of left and right, light and shade, or reversed from those of the original subject. Positive prints are made from negatives.
NON-PHOTO BLUE	A light blue ink or lead that will not record on photosensitive materials used for lithography.
O
OFFSET	The picking up of ink traces on the back of sheets when they are running on the press. Can be caused by running too much ink, running gloss paper with special spray accessories, etc.
OFFSET BLANKET	The rubber cover of the cylinder on the press that receives the lithographic image from the plate and transfers it to the paper.
OFFSET PRESS	Press that is designed to print from a smooth-surfaced plate using the principle that grease (ink) and water do not mix. The ink picks up on the printing area of the plate, but dampener rollers that contact the plate prevent the ink from adhering to the non-printing area.
ONE-UP	Printing one copy of an item at a time. Large presses using larger plates my print two-up or more.
OPACITY	Quality of paper that prevents the printed image from showing through from one side to the other. This term is also used to describe the density of material.
OPAQUING	Retouching blemishes or imperfections on film so they don't appear on the printing plate when the negative is exposed to it.
OPEN FLAP ON ENVELOPE	A procedure used to prevent blind embossing, foil embossing, or engraving in the upper left corner of the envelope from showing through on the back flap. The flap is opened prior to engraving or embossing, so the impression does not show through. The flap is then reclosed.
OPTICAL CENTER	The visual center of the page, in distinction from the mechanical center. The optical center is the area just above the mechanical center of a page.
ORDER FORM	An ordering device for the items to be printed. Please use a separate order form for each item. Print your copy clearly and correctly, and fill in all information requested. Call our attention to unusual spellings of names like "Jon" or "Elisabeth," marking them "OK." Be sure to indicate capital letters and spacing clearly. Specify quantity, size, paper stock and color, process and ink color. Also specify a typestyle number and stock are number when applicable. If submitting a sample, please specify whether we can substitute our own typestyle and paper, or if it must be matched exactly. If you need order forms, please contact Customer Service.
OVER SIZED BUSINESS CARDS	Business cards other than the standard size of 3 1/2" x 2". If your order calls for a business card to be smaller or larger, it will have to be run by itself and specially cut.
OVERLAY	A separate acetate or transparent sheet with an image, separated by each color to be printed, placed in position over the base paste-up. A tissue placed over a paste-up indicating special instructions, color breaks, etc., is also commonly referred to as an overlay.
OVERPRINTING	Printing on an area that has already been printing.
P
PMT	Another term for "Stat."
PADDING	The process of binding sheets together in a pad with a liquid adhesive. This compound, when dry, holds the group of sheets together, yet allows the removal of single sheets. A typical product of padding is a notepad.
PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM	A system used for mixing and matching ink colors and identifying them by number.
PASTE-UP	A process of positioning and attaching copy elements to a base sheet. As a noun, "paste-up" is the finished product of the graphic artist and is a camera-ready unit used for reproduction.
PEN-AND-INK	An illustration in pen and ink created to be reproduced as line copy.
PERMA RAISED	A special thermography process designed to withstand the extreme heat produced by laser printers and copy machines. Perma Raised requires no curing time and is guaranteed to be heat-resistant and melt-proof.
PHANTOM	An image created by putting a negative with the desired percentage of ton behind the negative when burning the plate, resulting in a tinted image behind the main copy. Phantoms are also known as "screen tints."
PHOTO SEAL	A small reproduction of a color photograph with an adhesive backing that can be used to personalize business cards and announcements.
PHOTOCOMPOSITION	A method used to set type on photographic paper.
PICA	A typographical unit of measurement equal to 12 points or about 1/6 of an inch.
PLATE	A sheet of metal that is exposed in the plate burner with a negative. The image to be inked is burned onto the plate from a negative.
PLATEMAKER UNIT	Vacuum frame with a rubber blanket and glass to hold the negative and plate in contact for exposure from a light source.
POINT	Typographical unit of measurement equal to 0.01384 inch, or approximately 1/72 of an inch.
POSITIVE	A photographic image on paper or film that corresponds to the original subject in all details.
POST-CONSUMER WASTE	Recovered paper materials generated by a business or consumer that have served their intended end uses, and have been separated or diverted from solid waste for the purpose of collection and recycling. These paper materials generally require de-inking before processing. Some examples of waste generated from retail stores, offices, buildings, homes, etc. include items such as office paper, used corrugated boxes, old newspapers, old magazines, and used cordage.
PRE-CONSUMER WASTE	Dry paper generated in the paper making process but never reaching the consumer, such as butt rolls, rejected unused stock, envelope cuttings, bindery trimmings, and paper waste resulting from printing. This waste can be mill broke or paper waste returned to the mill as pulp substitutes.
PRESS SHEET	The size of the sheet of paper that will be used on the printing press.
PROOFREADER'S MARKS	Symbols and abbreviations used to indicate changes, errors, alterations, etc. on proofs of composition and paste-up materials.
PROOFREADING	The procedure of checking composed material against job tickets for the purpose of locating errors in composition before paste-up or printing.
PROOFS	Black-and-white photocopies of the typeset composition used to mark corrections. Proofs are not supplied unless requested.
PROPORTION SCALE	A tool for scaling art to determine calculations of enlargements and reductions.
R
RAISED PRINTING	Also known as thermography, a process by which a special powder is applied to the ink after the ink has been applied to the paper. The paper is then run through a heated dryer which causes the ink to bubble and "raise."
REAM	500 sheets of paper.
REAM WEIGHT	The weight of one ream of paper according to the size and basic weight of paper. One ream of 60 basic book paper, 25" x 38", is 60 pounds.
RECYCLABLE PAPER	Any paper separated at its point of discard or removed from the solid waste stream for use as a new material in the manufacturing of a new product. The only material that can be de-inked is recyclable, often called "waste paper."
RECYCLED PAPER	Any paper made from pulp with varying percentages of waste paper and virgin wood fiber. Some desirable characteristics are more opacity, density, and flexibility or suppleness. In the case of cotton content paper (rag), the cotton linter content (short strands that cling to the cotton seeds) is considered recycled waste material, and includes materials like garment trimmings.
REDUCTION	The process by which original artwork or lettering is proportionally made smaller to fit in an area of printing.
REGISTER MARKS	Marks placed on paste-ups and overlays so negatives can be positioned for perfect alignment.
REGISTRATION	Two or more ink colors or processes are placed so they are 1/8" or less apart, or requiring exact placement or alignment of a piece of artwork, border, ornament or rule, regardless of how far apart they are. Two Ink Registration occurs between two raised printed ink colors or two flat printed ink colors, requiring only one pass on the press. Multi-Process Registration means that the printed item must be passed through the press more than one time. An exact alignment is required for the second and subsequent passes.
RERUN	Any printing after the first pass through the press.
REVERSE	Image in which the black (or color) and white areas are exchanged with those of the original subject, but the relationship of left to right is the same as in the original subject. Generally, a white image on a black background.
RULES	Horizontal or vertical lines, of various widths and designs. Rules are often used to create borders or lines between sections of copy.
RULING PEN	A tool with an adjustable tip used to rule straight or curved lines. Ruling pens are usually associated with drafting sets.

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