Bindery
A department within a printing company responsible for finishing the product by collating, folding, trimming and binding by saddle stitching/stapling or perfect binding, hence “bindery”.

Blanket
Rubber-coated pad, mounted on a cylinder of an offset press that receives the inked image from the plate and transfers it onto the surface of the paper.

Bleed
Printed area that extends off the trimmed area. As it is not possible to print all the way to the edge of the paper sheet, to achieve this effect it is necessary to print a larger area than is required and trim to size. Typically a designer will allow an extra 3mm of bleed to colour and image areas to allow for variations when trimming.

Blocking
To impress or stamp a design upon a cover and block in or infill with coloured inks, gold leaf or metal foil.

Bond paper
A grade of writing or printing paper where strength, durability and permanence are essential, mainly used for letterheads and business forms.

Bromide
A photographic print created on bromide paper.

Bulk
Thickness of paper relative to its basic weight.

Caliper
Either, thickness of paper or other substrate usually expressed in thousands of a millimetre (microns), thousandths of an inch (mills or points), or pages per centimetre (ppc), pages per inch (ppi), or a device on a sheetfed press that detects double sheets or on a binding machine that detects missing signatures or inserts.

CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory)
In digital pre-press, a laser enclosed optical storage disc that can store 650 Megabytes to over 1 Gigabyte of data on a disc about the size of a traditional 5-inch floppy disc.

Chromalin
A colour proofing system by DuPont. Four separate, extremely thin plastic sheets (one of each colour) are overlaid, producing a colour reproduction of the film separations.

CMYK
Abbreviation for the four process colours - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (Black) used in normal four colour printing to reproduce the necessary range of colours for a photograph or a tint.

Collate
Gathering (assembling) sections in proper sequence for binding.

Cold Set
The process mainly used in newspaper production where ink dries by absorption on uncoated paper on a web press.

Colour Control Bar
Strip of small blocks of colour on a proof or press sheet to help evaluate features such as density and dot gain. Also called colour bar, colour guide and standard offset colour bar.

Colour Separation
The process of separating the colour originals into the primary printing colour components (CMYK).

Compression
A method of reducing a computer file size by saving files to a specific file format (e.g. JPEG and GIF).

Composite Proof
Proof of colour separations in position with graphics and type. Also called final proof or imposition proof.

Continuous Tone
A photographic image that contains gradient tones from black to white.

Contrast
The tonal graduation between the high lights, middle tones and shadows in an original or reproduction.

Cover Stock
A term for paper durable enough to be used as a cover on magazines, catalogues and brochures.

Creep/Creepage
Phenomenon of middle pages of a folded signature extending slightly beyond the outside pages. Also known as feathering, outpush, push out and thrust.

Crop Marks
Indicator marks on artwork to show where an illustration is to be cut or sized. Also known as cut marks and tic marks.

Crossover
Type or art that continues from one page of a book or magazine across a gutter to the opposite page.

CTP
Abbreviation for “Computer to Plate”. The process of producing printer’s plates directly from computer data with no films involved.

Cure
To dry inks, varnishes or other coatings after printing to ensure good adhesion and prevent set-off.

Cut Off
Circumference of the impression cylinder of a web press and therefore the length of the printed sheet that the press cuts off from the roll of paper.

Cyan
The blue colour ink used in four colour printing also known as process blue.

Densitometer
In photography, a photoelectric instrument which measures the density of photographic images, or of colours. In printing, a reflection Densitometer is used to measure and control the density of colour inks on the substrate.

Density
(A) Ink - the relative thickness of a layer of printed ink.
(B) Colour - the relative ability of the colour to absorb light reflected from it or block light passing through it.
(C) Paper - the relative tightness or looseness of fibres.

Density Range
Difference between the darkest and lightest areas of copy. Also known as contrast ratio, copy range and tonal range.

Desktop Publishing (DTP)
Technique of using a personal computer to design images and pages, assemble type and graphics then using a laser printer or imagesetter to output the assembled pages onto paper, film or a printing plate.

Die
Device for cutting, scoring, stamping, embossing and debossing.

Die-cutting
The use of a custom made sharp steel blade cutter to cut out irregular shapes in paper or card.

Die-stamping
An intaglio process of printing in which the resultant impression stands out in relief above the surface of the stamped material, either with colours using inks or without colour.

Digital Printing
Whereby information held in a digital form is transferred direct from the computer to the printing press and direct to the paper. This technique is quite similar to a traditional press but the costs are much lower as there is no need for out-putting conventional printing plates and therefore making it ideal for very short runs. Also has the ability for each item to have a different personalised message.

Direct Mail
Includes all direct response advertising communications through mail or other delivery services including: catalogues, cards, letters, brochures, flyers and other promotional items.

Direct Marketing
Any direct communication to a consumer or business recipient that is designed to generate a response in the form of an order (direct order), a request for further information (lead generation), and/or a visit to a store or place of business for the purchase of specific products or services (traffic generation).

Dot Gain
The enlargement of halftone dots on the press resulting in the loss of detail and lowering contrast. Also known as dot growth, dot spread and press gain

Dots Per Inch (dpi)
A linear unit of measurement for input devices such as scanners, display devices such as monitors and output devices such as laser printers and imagesetters.

Double Bump
To print a single image twice so it has two layers of ink.

DPS
Double page spread.

Drawdown
Sample of inks applied to the substrate that has been specified for a job. Also called pulldown.

Drilling
Holes made in pieces of print so typically they can be placed in a binder.

Dummy
A sample of the proposed job made up with the actual material and cut to the correct size to show style, bulk and style of binding etc.

Duotone
An image printed in two colours rather than one (greyscale). Normally, black is used together with a further colour. Duotone is used as an alternative to normal greyscale images as this technique offers a softer and more detailed result.

Duplex Paper
Paper with a different colour or finish on each side.

Embossing
Pressing a pattern into the paper using a raised or etched relief.

Emulsion
Casting of light sensitive chemicals on papers, films, printing plates and stencils.

EPS
“Encapsulated Post Script” A known computer file format usually used to transfer postscript information from one program to another.

Films
Films are produced by an imagesetter from the artwork and in turn used to produce the printing plates by a photochemical process. One separated film is used for each ink colour in four-colour process printing.

Film Gauge
Thickness of the film with the most common gauge for graphic arts film being 0.1mm (0.004inch)

Film Laminate
Thin sheet of plastic bonded to a printed product for protection or to increase gloss.

Final Proof
The last proof before sending material to the printer, showing all corrections.

Finishing
This covers all operations after printing including: folding, creasing, stitching, binding and any hand operations post printing.

Fit
In printing it refers to the registering or exact alignment of two or more printing images with each other. Also known as “register”.

Flexography
Method of printing on a web press using rubber or plastic plates with raised images and is widely used in the packaging industry to print on polythene for bags etc.

Fold Marks
Markings on printed matter indicating where a fold is to occur which is usually located at the top edges.

Folio
Printer’s technical term for the page number.

Font
A set of characters of one specific character set, typeface, size and style.

Form Rollers
The rollers, either inking or dampening, that directly contact the plate on a printing press.

Fountain Solution
Mixture of water and chemicals that dampens a printing plate to prevent non-printing areas from accepting ink.

Four Colour Process Printing
The most common system of producing full colour print. Originally the artwork and originals were separated using filters in a photographic process. Latterly this has been replaced by an electronic process involving a scanner, whereby the image is broken down into the four component colours Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK) and a plate is produced for each colour. Because the inks used are translucent they can be overprinted and combined in a variety of different proportions to produce a wide range of colours. The vast majority of publications such as magazines, catalogues, brochures and books are produced using this method.

Ghosting
Occurs when a ghost image appears in the printed image. It results from inadequacies of the inking system, i.e. uneven ink take-off from the rollers.

Grain Direction
Predominant direction in which fibres in paper become aligned during manufacture on a papermaking machine. They tend to line up in one direction and this produces a preferred direction or grain, along which it is easier to fold, bend or tear the paper. Cut laser sheets generally use long grain paper in which the grain runs parallel to the long side of the paper.

Grammage (gsm)
Basic paper weight is normally measured in grams per square metre (gsm).

Gravure
An intaglio process of printing using metal cylinders etched with millions of tiny wells that hold ink. Gravure is most often used for either very high quality packaging or long run printing like newspaper supplements. The web version is called rotogravure.

Heat-set Web
Web press equipped with a gas oven to dry the ink on coated (glossy) papers.

Hexachrome
A proprietary separation process developed by Pantone that uses 6 colours instead of 4 colours.

Hickey
In offset lithography, spots or imperfections in the printing caused by dirt on the press, dried ink skin, paper particles etc.

High-Fidelity Colour
Colour reproduced using six, eight or twelve colour separations instead of the usual four colour process.

Hinged Cover
Perfect bound cover scored 3mm from the spine so the cover folds at the hinge instead of along the edge of the spine.

Imposition
The order in which pages of a printed product are placed so that they appear in the right order after folding.

Impression Cylinder
In printing, the cylinder on a printing press against which the paper picks up the impression from the ink plate in direct printing or the blanket in offset printing.

Insert
Leaflet or other printed material inserted loose in a publication or mailing package.

Inserter
Mailing equipment that inserts letters into envelopes.

Inset
Leaflet or other printed material bound in with the pages of a publication rather than loosely inserted.

Intaglio
A printing process where the image is engraved below the surface of the printing plate thus having two surface levels with inked areas lower than non-inked areas. Gravure and engraving are the most common forms of intaglio. Also known as recess printing.

Interleaving
Introducing alternate sheets of blank paper between the printed sheets as they come off the press to prevent set off.

Iris Proof
A high quality inkjet proof used for checking colour etc.

ISDN
“Integrated Services Digital Network” a high-speed method of transferring electronic files.

Laminate
A thin transparent sheet (coating) is applied to usually a thick stock (covers, post cards, etc) providing protection against liquid and heavy use, and usually accents existing colour providing a glossy effect but can also come in a matt finish.

Landscape
The orientation of the page so the long edge is along the bottom and is sometimes referred to as horizontal. The opposite to portrait.

Letterpress
Method of printing from raised surfaces, either from metal type or plates whose surfaces have been etched away from the image areas.

Layout
A drawing or sketch of a proposed printed piece. In platemaking, a sheet indicating the settings for a step-and-repeat machine.

Lithography
By far the most common process used in commercial printing. This method of printing uses plates whose image areas attract ink and whose non-image area repels ink. Non-image areas may be coated with water to repel the oily ink or may have a surface, such as silicon, that repels ink.

Loupe
Lens built into a small stand that is used to inspect copy, films, proofs, plates and printing. Also known as glass and linen tester.

Make-Ready
All preparatory work done before running a press.

Moiré
In four colour printing, an undesirable screen pattern resulting when halftones and screen tints are made with improperly aligned screen angles (a clash of dot patterns when two or more screens are used), or when a pattern in a photo, such as plaid, interfaces with a halftone dot pattern.

Opacity
The property of paper or other substrate to block the transmission of light and the amount of ink showing through the sheet.

Overprint
Printing on a piece that already has been printed.

Overs
A quantity of printed material in excess of the net amount ordered and normally charged at the run-on rate.

Pantone Matching System (PMS)
A colour scale used to precisely match colours for printing inks with each “special/spot” colour having a specific coded number indicating instruction for mixing inks. The system provides an accurate method for the selection, presentation, specification, communication, reproduction, matching and control of colour and is ideal for maintaining corporate colours, logos, type, borders, backgrounds and other graphics.

PDF (Portable Document Format)
A standard computer file format developed by Adobe, which is widely regarded as the industry standard for saving files in an acceptable stable format.

Perfect Binding
A type of binding whereby the pages have been ground at the spine and are held to the cover by glue. Many magazines, catalogues and most paperback books are perfect bound.

Perfecting
Printing both sides of the sheet in one pass through the press. (Duplex printing)

Perforate
To cut or punch a line of small holes within a portion of printed material to facilitate the tearing out of that section.

Picking
Phenomenon whereby the ink pulls bits of the coating or fibre away from the surface of the paper as it travels through the printing press, thus leaving unprinted spots in the image area.

Pixel (Picture Element)
A dot made by a computer, scanner or other digital device.

Portrait
The orientation of the page so the short edge is along the bottom and is sometimes referred to as the vertical. The opposite to landscape.

Prepress
Those steps needed to transform the finished original copy into the printing plates or other forms needed for reproduction.

Process Colours (Inks)
Black and three primary colours-Cyan (blue), Magenta (red) and yellow into which full-colour artwork is separated before printing. (CMYK)

Progressives
A set of proofs that show the different inks separately and combined in various permutations.

Proof
Working copy used for review and approval.

Ream
500 sheets of paper.

Reel
Term used for continuous rolls of printing paper.

Reel width
Side to side measurement of a reel/roll of paper.

Register
When printing with two or more colours it is necessary to align the different plates (register). On the edge of an untrimmed sheet you will see small target shapes called register marks that are used for accurate positioning. A printed piece that is (out of register) will have an unfocussed look.

Resolution
In electronic imaging, the qualification of printout quality using the number of dots per inch (dpi).

Rotogravure
The web version of gravure (see gravure for a full explanation).

Rotary trimming
A way of trimming the product as it goes through the end of the press.

Run-on
Often when a printed price is quoted it is given as a figure for the basic quantity as specified in the brief. A run-on is also quoted for additional copies that may be required. For example the price may be for 5,000 copies at £200 with £18.00 for a 500 run-on. This enables you to calculate a range of prices for different quantities without the need to have the job re-quoted.

Scanner
A device for turning a piece of artwork into a digital form. Transparencies, prints and illustrations are scanned so that they can be accessed by software designed for image manipulation and page make-up.

Score or Crease
To partially cut/crease with a rule into heavy paper or board to break the grain enabling easier folding and avoid cracking.

Screen Angles
In colour reproduction, angles at which the halftone screens are placed in relation to one another to avoid undesirable moiré patterns. A typical set of screen angles often used could be black 45 degrees, magenta 75 degrees, yellow 90 degrees and cyan 105 degrees.

Screen Printing
A method of printing often called silk screen printing from the material formally used for the screen. This is a process where the ink is transferred to the printing surface by being squeezed by a squeegee through a fine fabric sheet stretched on a frame and the screen carries a stencil, which defines the image area. Screen printing is most suitable for short runs and is usually used for large poster work and display material. It really comes into its own when printing on unusual surfaces such as clothing or plastic objects.

Section (Signature)
A folded sheet, which is assembled sometimes with others to make up a brochure, magazine etc. For example an A2 sheet will provide a section of 8 x A4 pages when folded twice. A 20-page brochure would therefore require 2 x 8-page (8pp) sections and 1 x 4-page (4pp) section. These sections are then bound together by saddle stitching and larger numbers of pages (paginations) are sometimes perfect bound.

Selective Binding
Placing sections (signatures) or inserts in magazines or catalogues according to demographic or geographic profile. Triggered by personal data thus making it more interesting and relevant to the recipient.

Self Cover
A publication only using text paper stock throughout.

Set-off
Undesirable transfer of wet ink from the top of one sheet to the underside of another as they lie in the delivery stack of a press. (See also “Interleaving”)

Sheet Fed
A printing press whereby the paper is fed into the press in single sheets, as opposed to paper on a roll (web fed press).

Simplex
Printing on one side of the sheet of paper as it goes through the press (opposite to duplex).

Spot/Special Colour
Any area of colour that is not printed out of four colour process set (CMYK), coloured areas using self-coloured inks i.e. Pantone inks as referred to earlier.

Stock
A general term for paper or board that is to be used as a printed surface.

Substrate
Any surface or material that is to be printed on.

Trim Size
Finished size of a printed piece after the waste is trimmed away.

Two Colour Press
A printing press that prints two colours in one pass through the machine, however it is possible to print four colour process by printing cyan and magenta together then changing the plates send the sheet through again to print the yellow and black.

UV Inks
Solventless inks that are cured by using UV radiation. They are extensively used in screen printing, narrow web letterpress and flexography printing.

Vignette
Decorative design, tint or illustration that gradually and smoothly fades to white.

Web Press
A fast printing press that uses paper supplied on reels or rolls and tends to be used for relatively long runs, high volume work like newspapers. A heatset version equipped with a gas oven is normally used for printing on coated papers for products such as magazines, brochures, catalogues and inserts etc.