View our glossary for definitions of printing, graphic design, and direct mail terms.
– A –
accordion fold – Two or more parallel folds forming alternating peaks and valleys. The result resembles an accordion. Also known as fanfold.
achromatic – Having no color or hue. (black and white or gray.)
acid-free paper – A paper containing no acidity or acid producing chemicals.
additive color process – In color reproduction, a method of creating a color image by mixing red, green, and blue.
additive primaries – The colors red, green, and blue.
additives/modifiers – Substances added to ink to improve the appearance or performance of the printed product (e.g., resistance to abrasion, blocking, or pinholing).
adhesion – Sticking two surfaces together by chemical or mechanical means.
alignment – Positioning type characters and/or graphic elements along a horizontal or vertical line.
analog – A variable signal that is continuous in time and amplitude, as opposed to a digital or discrete signal.
anti-aliasing – The process of averaging between pixels of different colors, resulting in a smoother, blended transition between the two areas. Also known as dithering.
antique finish – Paper with an off-white color and/or rough surface texture.
art – All illustration copy used in preparing a job for printing.
art paper – A paper coated with fine clay to produce a smooth, hard surface which is often used for printing halftones.
assembling – Gathering all the component pages of a book or manual and ordering them in correct sequence for binding. Also known as collating.
– B –
back margin – The space between the edge of the text matter and the fold edge. Also known as binding margin or gutter margin.
back matter – The material printed at the back of a book (e.g., appendix, bibliography, glossary, index, etc). Also known as end matter.
back printing – Printing on the underside of transparent paper or film. Also known as reverse printing.
backbone – The part of a book that connects the front cover with the back cover. Also known as the spine.
background – The area behind the main subject or upon which the main subject is placed.
backing up – Printing the reverse side of a sheet that has already been printed on one side.
backlining – The material that strengthens the back of a book after it has been rounded and backed.
backup – Creating an archive copy of digital information for use in the event that the original information is lost or damaged.
bad break – In composition, ending a page with a single word, a hyphenated word, or the first line of a paragraph; using a hyphenated line of text in the first line of a page; or dividing a word incorrectly.
basic size – In inches, 25X38 for book papers, 20X26 for cover papers, 22.5X28.5 or 22.5X35 for bristol papers, or 25.5X30.5 for index papers.
basis weight – The weight in pounds of a ream of paper cut to the standard size for that grade.
binding margin – The space between the text matter and the fold edge. Also known as back margin and gutter margin.
bitmap – An electronic representation of an image that is produced using dots rather than a mathematical formula.
blanket – In offset printing, a thick rubber-surfaced fabric that is clamped around a press cylinder. The image is transferred from the printing plate to the blanket, and from the blanket to the paper.
bleed – 1. When an image extends completely to the edge of the finished sheet. To produce a finished sheet with a bleed, the image is printed beyond the trim edge of the sheet to ensure that there is no white space along the edge after the printed sheet is trimmed to finished size.
- Adding a small border of the same color to an image detail so the color overlaps a different, adjacent color. The intent is to ensure that no white space is visible where the two colors meet even if there are slight variations in registration (relative horizontal and vertical positioning) of the two colors.
blind embossing – Stamping a design without ink or metallic foil, giving a bas-relief effect.
breakacross – A continuous image that covers two facing pages without any visible gutter between the two pages.
bristol – A heavy, stiff paper used for printing. The paper’s thickness is typically 6 points or more.
burn – In platemaking, a common term used for a plate exposure.
business paper – A general category of paper used for everyday business purposes (e.g., copy paper, bond letterhead paper, etc.).
– C –
calendaring – The process of making paper smooth during the manufacturing process by pressing it between highly polished metal rollers.
calibration bars – A strip of tones printed on a sheet and used for quality control purposes.
caliper – The measure of a paper’s thickness, usually expressed in thousandths of an inch (mils or points).
calligraphy – A distinctive style of artistic handwriting created by the use of special pen nibs that allow varying thicknesses of a letter’s line elements.
callout – A visual device for associating annotations with an image, layout, illustration, or similar item. Placed outside the margin of the layout, photo, or drawing and connected by a straight line to the feature it describes, a callout is used to emphasize or explain the various elements depicted.
camera-ready art – The final image composition of text, photographs, and other graphic elements laid out in final size, position, and color for reproduction. Camera-ready art is now most commonly created digitally with a computer, but can also be done manually with a pasteup board.
cap height – A measurement from the bottom of a capital letter to its top.
caps – Capital or uppercase letters.
caps, small – Capital or uppercase letters that are about the same height as the lowercase version of the font.
center spread – The two pages that face each other in the center of a book, magazine, or other publication.
choke – Compression of the image of an object without changing its position or shape. The result is similar to removing a thin line from the outer edges of the object. A choke of one or more visual elements may be done during preparation of artwork prior to offset printing to ensure proper trapping.
clip art – Graphic images, designs, and artwork in digital form that can be copied and pasted into a digital document.
collate – Assemble the pages of a document in correct order.
composition – Positioning, formatting or gathering type as part of the layout process prior to printing.
contrast – The tonal gradation between the highlights, mddle tones, and shadows in an original or reproduction.
copy – Any furnished material (text, photos, artwork, etc.) to be used in the production of printing.
copyfitting – Making adjustments to text size, text leading or otherwise editing the text so it fits in a given space.
crop – To eliminate portions of the copy, usually on a photograph.
curl – The distortion of a sheet of paper due to differences in structure or coatings from one side to the other, or to absorption of moisture from an offset press.
cut sheet – Paper cut into standard dimensions (e.g., 8.5×11 inches, 11×17 inches, etc.) from a parent sheet.
cyan – One of the four process colors (CMYK – cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). Cyan is a predominately blue color with some green. Cyan, along with magenta and yellow, is also one of the three subtractive primary colors. CMYK printing is also known as full-color printing.
cylinder press – A printing device where the substrate to be printed is wrapped around a roller and then brought into contact with the inked plate or screen.
– D –
dark spot – An area containing a greater amount of pigment due to a “pooling” effect created by a depression in the substrate.
dash – A horizontal line used as a type character. Dashes are characterized by weight, design, width of image and allotted space, and vertical position (e.g., the em and en dashes).
data compression – A technique to shrink or reduce the size of a data file so it takes up less storage space and is faster to move electronically. Compression is accomplished by removing “blank” spaces and repetitive data and using a mathematical formula to replace them. A compressed file is decompressed before it is used.
data conversion – Changing digital data from one format to another so it can be used in another software application or printed on a specific output device. (e.g., CMYK to RGB, TIF to GIF, MS Word to Postscript, etc.).
data file – Line art, photographs, text and other graphic elements that are maintained as an electronic group.
dead matter – Typeset text or graphics that will not be reused.
debossing – Pressing an image or texture into a substrate. See also: embossing.
decompress – To take a digitally compressed data file and return it to its original state.
definition – The sharpness or clarity of an image. The resolution of a digital image.
degradee – “Fade” in French. A halftone image where the dot size gradually changes from small to large. See also: vignette.
delete – A mark made by a proofreader. The material so marked will be removed or excised.
demand printing – Printing only the amount of material that is needed immediately, rather than printing and storing large quantities from which small quantities are drawn from time to time. Demand printing frequently uses digital printing presses. The higher cost of printing on demand is offset by the savings resulting from eliminated storage and waste costs since large quantities do not need to be stored and out of date stock thrown away. An added benefit of demand printing is the ability to make changes in the printed material more frequently. Other Term: on-demand printing.
densitometer – An instrument used to measure and control the density of color inks on the substrate.
desaturated color – A color that appears too light, faded, or whitewashed.
descender – That part of a lower case letter which extends below the main body, as in “y”.
die-cutting – The process of using sharp steel rules to cut special shapes for labels, boxes, and containers, usually from printed sheets.
digital – The 1/0 (on/off) signals that represent information within computerized systems. See also: analog.
dimensional stability – Ability to maintain size; resistance of paper or film to dimensional change with change in moisture content or relative humidity.
direct mail – Also known as advertising mail, it is the delivery of printed marketing materials and other information to recipients of postal mail.
dithering – 1. The process of averaging between pixels of different colors. The result is a smoother, blended transition between the edge of two areas rather than a distinctly jagged or ‘stair-step’ appearance. See also: anti-aliasing.
- A printing method used by ink jet and other nonimpact printers where colors are produced by mixing colored dots in a more randomized visual pattern.
dot gain – A condition where the size of a halftone dot is increased during the printing process. Frequently caused by ink spreading due to low viscosity or by paper absorption. Other terms: dot spread; ink spread.
duotone – A two color print created from a one color image. Two halftones are created and each printed in a different color. Typically one of the two colors is black. Other term: duograph.
dye sublimation – A photographic looking color print created by heating dyes on the substrate instead of using inks. Often used for proofing.
– E –
edge acuity – The degree to which the edge of an image appears sharp and precise, rather than fuzzy. Uniform ink coverage will positively affect an image’s edge acuity.
edge gilding – The utilization of gold leaf to coat page borders.
edge staining – Using pigment(s) on the finished edge of a document, pamphlet or book.
edit – To alter information in form or substance.
eggshell finish – A rough textured paper.
electronic color correction – Use of a computer system to adjust, change, alter, or manipulate a color image. Examples include changing a CMYK image to RGB or vice-versa, retouching, adjusting color balance or color saturation, or modifying contrast.
electronic composition – Use of a computer system to copyfit and paginate a printing project. The finished project is output on paper or printing plate(s).
em dash – A line the width of a font’s uppercase m.
embossing – Producing a raised surface on a substrate. A metal die is used to press a pattern or image into the material.
en dash – A line the width of a font’s uppercase n.
end matter – The appendix, glossary, index, bibliography, and other material printed at the back of a book. Also known as back matter.
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) – A file format used to transfer graphic images within compatible applications.
Every Door Direct Mail – A type of direct mail from the U.S. Postal Service that is used for saturation delivery to all addresses within selected areas. Names and addresses are not required on the mailpieces and up to 5,000 pieces per day may be delivered to each zip code. EDDM is particularly effective for small businesses trying to reach customers and increase name recognition within a local area.
expanded type – A type whose width is greater than normal.
exposure – In platemaking, the step in which light or other radiant energy produces the image on the photo-sensitive plate material.
– F –
family – The group of typeface variations within a specific design (e.g., Helvetica Regular, Helvetica Italic, Helvetica Bold, Helvetica Bold Italic, etc.).
fanfold – See: accordion fold.
feathering – An imprecise, fuzzy, or rough edge on a printed image. Feathering can be caused by non-uniform ink coverage, unsuitable ink, uneven printing plate contact, or too much ink.
felt side – The top of the paper web formed in the papermaking machine; it is the opposite of the wire side. The felt side is generally smoother and the preferred side for printing
file – A collection of text, graphical, image, sound or other information stored and accessed digitally.
flexography – A printing method using flexible plates where the areas to be inked are higher than the non-printing areas. The inked areas of the plates are then placed in contact with the material to be printed, transferring the ink from the raised areas to the substrate. Rapidly drying inks are normally used with this process.
flush left (or right) – In composition, setting type to line up at the left (or right).
font – A complete assortment of letters, numbers, punctuation marks, etc. of a given size and design.
format – The size, style, margins, printing requirements, etc. of a printed piece.
fountain solution – A solution of water and chemicals used to dampen the offset printing plate and keep non-printing areas from accepting ink.
full bleed – When an image is meant to extend completely to all four edges of the finished sheet. The image is printed beyond the final trim edge of a sheet to ensure that there is no white space at the edge after the substrate on which the image is printed is trimmed to finished size.
– G –
gang – A grouping of forms arranged to print together with a single impression. Also known as gang printing, gang run, or gang up.
gathering – Assembling all the signatures of a print job in proper sequence.
gigabyte – One thousand megabytes or one million kilobytes or one billion bytes of computer data.
gilding – The application of gold or metallic leaf to a book’s trimmed edges.
gloss – The “shininess” of a material as measured by the amount of light reflected from its surface.
grain direction – The alignment of pulp fibers in the direction of web travel during the production of paper. “Grain-long” is the grain direction paralleling the longer dimension of the sheet. “Grain-short” paper has fibers paralleling the short dimension of the sheet. Paper dimension naming conventions indicate grain direction, in that the second dimension is the grain long dimension (e.g., an 18” X 12” sheet is grain long in the 12” dimension, while a 12” X 18” sheet is grain long in the 18” dimension).
gravure – A printing method that uses ink-filled depressions in a cylinder to deposit ink on a substrate, forming an image. The small depressions, known as “cells”, are etched into the cylinder to form the image. Ink is flooded onto the cylinder and then removed by a blade scraping the cylinder surface. Only the ink in the etched depressions remains and is transferred to the substrate on contact. Also known as rotogravure.
gray scale – Graduated neutral tones used in printing to reflect color differentiation.
gripper edge – The leading edge of paper as it passes through a printing press.
gutter margin – The blank space between the text or printed matter and the binding. Also known as back margin or binding margin.
– H –
hairline register – The precision of alignment between colors meant to touch on a printed piece. The comparison standard is a gap of no more than 0.003 inches or 0.08 mm.
halftone – Using small dots to produce the impression of a continuous-tone image. The effect is achieved by varying the dot size with equal spacing or varying the dot spacing with equal dot size.
halftone tint – A halftone composed of a single dot size (or line width) and frequency, which creates the appearance of a single color or tone.
hue – A particular shade of color determined by the primary light waves reflected from a surface.
hydrophilic – Water receptive; non-image areas on an offset printing plate.
hydrophobic – Water repellent; image areas on an offset printing plate.
hyphenation – The process of dividing a word between syllables when the word must be split between two lines of text.
– I –
ideogram – Pictures used to symbolize an idea. (e.g., using “?” to represent “Need help?” or “Have a question?”)
illustrations – Line art, photos, and other graphic images used in printed material.
image – Line art, paintings, sketches, photos, and other visual representations of a subject matter.
imposition – Collecting and positioning page elements so that after printing, folding, and cutting, the page elements are in proper alignment.
inserting – 1. Nesting signatures inside each other in proper order. 2. In publishing, binding a separately printed page into the book or publication. 3. In direct mail, “stuffing” enclosures into an envelope.
italic – A type style in which the letters are typically slanted 8 to 20 degrees from the vertical, in distinction from upright letters. Italics are often used for special emphasis.
– J –
jacket – The cover surrounding a completed casebound book.
jet black – A reference to the degree of an ink’s or material’s blackness.
job jacket – The documentation detailing the production requirements of an order. In addition to the order specifications and instructions, the documentation may include photographs, hard copy artwork, electronic media containing files, relevant e-mails, etc.
joint – The bendable, hinge-like part of casebook where the cover and spine meet. Also known as hinge.
justification – Adjusting the spacing or hyphenation of words and characters to fill a given line of text from end to end.
justification, vertical – Adjusting the point size of text, or the vertical spacing between lines or elements of type, to fill a given vertical space.
– K –
kerning – The process of changing the horizontal dimension of a type character, or the white space around the character to achieve a desired visual effect.
knockout – White type on a black or dark background. Also known as reverse or dropout.
kraft – A brownish paper made from unbleached sulfate wood pulp, often used for corrugated board and commercial wrapping paper.
– L –
lacquer – A solvent-based solution containing modifying agents that gives a glossy, durable finish when applied to a substrate.
lamination – A plastic film bonded by heat and pressure to a printed sheet for protection or appearance.
leading (pronounced ledding) – The distance between lines of type measured in points.
letter fold – Folding a printed piece horizontally at least twice, in the same vertical direction, thereby capturing the first fold in the second.
letterpress – A printing method where the areas to be inked are higher than the non-printing areas. The inked areas are then placed in contact with the material to be printed, transferring the ink from the raised areas to the substrate. A similar technique is used with rubber stamps. See also: Flexography; relief plate; relief printing.
line art – A drawing rendered in only 100% black and 100% white, with no gray areas. (e.g., black lines drawn on white substrate).
lithography – A printing technique where the printing plate’s image area is specially treated to accept only ink and the non-image area is specially treated to only accept water. See also: offset printing.
live matter – Refers to the type characters of a piece to be printed.
loupe – An optical device containing a precision ruler used to observe very small details.
lowercase – A term applied to letters of the alphabet that are not capitalized.
– M –
machine direction – 1. The direction the paper web moved through the papermaking machine. The paper’s grain direction is the same as the machine direction. 2. The direction that a sheet of paper or envelope moves through a printing press, bindery equipment, or mailing machine.
magenta – One of the four process colors, CMYK, with M standing for magenta. Magenta is a predominately red color with some blue. Magenta, together with cyan and yellow, is also one of the three subtractive primary colors. CMYK printing is also known as full-color printing. See also: process colors, subtractive primaries.
magnifier – An optical device used to observe very small details. Used for quality control.
makeready – All work done to set up a press for printing.
marketing materials – Printed pieces such as brochures, flyers, product sheets, catalogs, postcards, newsletters, business cards, and posters used to promote a business. Marketing materials may be delivered via direct mail, in-person during a sales call, at point-of-sale, or by other methods.
mechanical – See pasteup.
mesh marks – A pattern of crosshatching visible in the dried ink of a screen printed piece. The condition may be caused by high viscosity ink that does not spread out properly or by the ink being pulled away as the screen is lifted off the printed surface.
midtone – Those tones falling between halftone shadows and halftone highlights. Other Term: middletones.
multi-color press – Two or more self-contained single color printing stations that are joined sequentially to produce multiple colors on a sheet of paper in a single pass.
Mylar® – A registered tradename of Du Pont’s clear polyester film. This durable film is used for covering index tab extensions to increase durability.
– N –
negative – A photographic plate or film where the image’s color, black and white, or continuous tone areas are reversed from the original (e.g., black is white, white is black).
newsprint – Paper created specifically for newspapers.
neutral – A color without hue (e.g., black or white or shades of gray).
non-image area – The areas of a printed piece that are not printed. During the printing process, the nonimage area does not receive ink or toner.
non-process printing – Using an ink of the same color as the specified color (spot color), rather than achieving the specified color by overlapping process colors. See also: process colors.
numbering – Sequentially printed numbers.
– O –
object-oriented – Used to describe an image created by the use of a mathematical equation using x-y coordinates rather than a bitmap image (which is created using dots). An object-oriented image can be printed at any size without a loss of resolution. In contrast, a bitmap image will lose resolution when printed at larger sizes. See also: bitmap; line art; raster; vectors.
oblique – Literally, “at an angle” or “slanted”. A font that has been electronically altered to produce an italic effect.
ochre – A naturally occurring yellowish pigment composed of iron and clay.
offset – Ink that is unintentionally transferred from the printed substrate to the back of the sheet above it as the pieces are stacked in a pile.
offset gravure – An indirect printing technique that re-deposits ink from a gravure cylinder to a rubber coated cylinder which then applies the ink to the final substrate. See also: gravure, offset printing.
offset lithography – An indirect printing technique that re-deposits ink from a specially treated printing plate cylinder to a rubber coated cylinder which then applies the ink to the final substrate. The printing plate’s image area accepts only ink and the non-image area only accepts water. See also: dry offset; gravure; lithography; offset gravure.
offset printing – An indirect printing technique that re-deposits ink from a printing plate cylinder to a rubber coated cylinder which then applies the ink to the final substrate. See also: gravure, offset gravure.
on-demand printing – See demand printing.
opacity – That property of paper which minimizes the show-through of printing from the back side or the next sheet.
orientation – Printing in the direction of a sheet’s long or short edge. Printing parallel to the sheet’s long edge is called landscape (horizontal sheet orientation). Printing in the direction of the sheet’s short edge is called portrait (vertical sheet orientation).
orphan – A single line of text at the bottom or top of a page or column. The text is either the first line or the last line of a paragraph, respectively. See also: bad break; widow.
overtrapping – Applying too much color on top of another in the process printing method. See also: hairline register; trapping.
– P –
pagination – 1. The page makeup process for a multiple page document. 2. The process of numbering or creating individual pages.
pasteup – Manually pasting the type, photographs, line art, and other elements of an image to a board. Referred to as camera ready, this paste-up board is then photographed to create film negatives or positives. Now rarely used with the advent of computerized design software. Alternative terms: mechanical; photomechanical.
platemaking – Creating a printing plate that is completely prepared for use on the press. The process starts with a blank plate, which is then exposed to the image and developed.
point size – The height of a typeface. A point equals 0.0138 inches. Other Term: type size.
porosity – The property of paper that allows the permeation of air, an important factor in ink penetration.
PostScript – A tradename of Adobe Systems, Inc. for its page description language. This language translates a digital image file from a word processing application, for example, into a language a compatible printer or other device can use to create its output. See also: imagesetter; page description language; raster; raster image processor; vectors.
press proof – In color reproduction, a proof of a color subject made on a printing press, in advance of the production run.
process colors – The three subtractive primary colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow) plus black. Also known as CMYK. CMYK printing is also known as full-color printing.
pull sheets – Random sheets removed from the stack of printed output and used for quality control.
pulp – The fibrous cellulose produced by mechanical or chemical means that is used for making paper.
– Q –
quarter binding – Using one material for a book’s front and back covers and a different material for its spine (e.g., cloth covers with leather spine).
quarto – Folding a paper into four leaves, thus forming eight pages. This method can be used to form brochures or booklets.
quick response (QR) code – A specific matrix barcode that is readable by smartphones, dedicated QR code readers, and certain other equipment. The code typically consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background, although other colors may also be used in place of black. The encoded information is most commonly a URL, although it may be text or other data. QR codes are used to link printed materials (such as direct mail marketing materials) and online content.
– R –
ragged left – In typesetting, type that is justified on the right margin and ragged on the left.
ragged right – In typesetting, type that is justified on the left margin and ragged on the right.
raster image processor (RIP) – In digital imaging, a combination of computer software and hardware that controls the printing process by calculating the bit maps of images and instructing the printing device to create the images.
reader’s spread – See spread.
recto – An open book’s right page. See also verso.
register – In printing, fitting of two or more printing images in exact alignment with each other.
registration marks – Small printed marks used to ensure the proper alignment of two or more different printed colors on the same sheet. Registration marks can also be used to ensure proper positioning of embossing, foil stamping, and other processes. Other Term: register marks.
relief plate – A printing plate where the areas to be inked are higher than the non-printing areas. See also: flexography; letterpress; relief plate; relief printing.
relief printing – A method of printing where the areas to be inked are higher than the non-printing areas. The inked areas are then placed in contact with the material to be printed, transferring the ink from the raised areas to the substrate. See also: flexography; letterpress; relief plate; relief printing.
reproduction – Creating an exact duplicate of an original using a photographic method.
reverse – See knockout.
– S –
scaling – Determining the proper size of an image to be reduced or enlarged to fit an area.
serif – The short cross-lines at the ends of the main strokes of many letters in some type faces.
show-through – The undesirable condition in which the printing on the reverse side of a sheet can be seen through the sheet under normal lighting conditions.
side guide – On sheetfed presses, a guide on the feed board to position the sheet sideways as it feeds into the front guides before entering the impression cylinder.
small caps – An alphabet of small capital letters available in most roman type faces approximately the size of the lower case letters. Used in combination with larger capital letters.
spectrum – All the colors of the rainbow created by passing sunlight or white light through a prism. See visible spectrum; white light.
spiral binding – A book bound with filaments (usually plastic) in spiral form inserted through holes punched along the binding side. Other Term: coil binding.
spread – 1. An image that covers two pages that face each other in a book or publication. Other terms: crossover; reader’s spread. See also: breakacross.
- Moving the edges of a line image outward a little to overlap a color. Other term: fatty. See also: bleed; choke; registration; trapping.
standard mail – A class of direct mail from the U.S. Postal Service that is used for printed material such as postcards, flyers, newsletters, and catalogs, as well as packages. There is a minimum quantity of 200 pieces or 50 pounds. Postage prices are lower than first class mail because mailers do some of the work the Postal Service would usually do, as part of their mailing services. Delivery times are also typically slower than first class mail.
substrate – The material on which printed images or coatings are applied (e.g., cloth, film, foil, paper, etc.).
– T –
transverse direction – The direction that is 90 degrees to the direction that a sheet of paper or envelope moves through a printing press, bindery equipment, or mailing machine.
trapping – Overlapping one color over a different, adjacent color (without creating a third color). The intention is to ensure that no white space is visible where the two colors meet even if there are slight variations in registration (x-y positioning) of the two colors. See also: bleed; choke; spread.
type size – See point size.
– U –
ultraviolet inks – Ink that cures when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. Other Term: UV ink.
unbleached – A light brown paper produced from unbleached pulp.
uncoated – A paper without a mineral coating.
undercolor – The cyan, magenta, or yellow used in dark tones in process printing.
underexposure – A photosensitive material that has received too little light resulting in a dark print lacking detail.
undertone – The color of an ink or film due to light reflecting through it from the substrate. (e.g., uhe substrate may make the ink color appear lighter or darker, or offshade.).
undertrapping – The unwanted appearance of white space between two adjacent colors. An inadequate or insufficient amount of applied trapping. See trapping.
unit set – 1. The height of a typeface measured in units rather than points. See also: point size. 2. A multilayer form containing a carbon paper leaf or a NCR layer.
uppercase – Capital letters of the alphabet, or those characters created by pressing the computer keyboard “shift” key in combination with another key. See also: lowercase.
uv inks – See ultraviolet ink.
– V –
variable data printing (vdp) – A process often used to create personalized letters or billing statements where standard text and images are combined with changeable data unique to each recipient (e.g., name, address, etc.). A form of mass customization that uses a standard template into which unique data is inserted on a page by page basis.
varnish – 1. A solvent based resin coating applied to paper for appearance enhancement and durability. 2. A major ink ingredient.
vector file – A digital file containing a vector image. See vectors.
vectors – Mathematical equations using x-y coordinates to describe an image and its position on a page. The vector image is typically created with an illustration application on a personal computer. The file is then fed as a PostScript or other page descriptor language to a raster image processor that translates the information into a format appropriate for the imagesetter output device. See also: bitmap; imagesetter; line art; object-oriented; PostScript.
vellum – A fine, smooth, off-white translucent material used for printing.
verso – The opposite side (e.g., a page’s back side, a book’s back cover, etc.). See also: recto.
vignette – An image where a color gradually fades into the nonprinting areas. See also: degradee.
vignetted dots – Dots that gradually fade from edge to center.
virgin fiber – A material used to make paper that has not been recycled from previous paper or other materials.
visible spectrum – All colors visible to the unaided human eye. See spectrum; white light.
viscosity – A measure of a liquid’s resistance to flowing. Used as a product specification for coatings, inks, glues, etc.
– W –
warm color – A red tone rather than a blue tone. Orange, red, and yellow are generally considered to be “warm” colors.
washup – The process of cleaning the rollers, plates, and the ink fountain of a printing press.
wash marks – An uneven or lighter density on a print’s leading edge created when the printing plate has too much water. Other Term: water streaks.
water finish – A gloss created on paper by applying water to the paper web as it passes through rollers that “iron” and compress the paper fibers.
water-based ink – An ink that uses water as the drying agent rather than a solvent.
watermark – A translucent mark or image that is pressed into fine paper during the papermaking process and which is visible when the paper is held up to a light.
web – A roll of paper or other material that is fed by rollers through a printing or converting process.
web offset – A continuous band of substrate fed from a wound roll through an offset printing press.
web press – A rotary press that prints on a continuous web, or ribbon, of paper fed from a roll and threaded through the press..
webfed – A printing press that uses a web, not cut sheets.
wedding paper – An elegant, refined paper with minimum glare.
weight – See: basis weight.
weight (character) – A description of typographic forms or variations (e.g., light, regular, bold, extra bold).
what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) – Used when a computer application shows an image’s position, size, elements, etc. on screen as it will be printed.
white – A combination of all the color wave lengths. A color visually equivalent to natural sunlight. See also: white light.
white light – Natural sunlight or light created by combining equal portions of each light wavelength from 400 to 700 nm. See spectrum; visible spectrum.
white space – That part of an image that is free of text or images.
widow – A word, partial word or short line of text at the end of a paragraph, or a single line of text at the top of a page. See also: bad break; orphan.
wood cut – A printing method that uses a carved wood block or surface as the printing plate. The non-image areas are carved away, and ink is applied to the remaining raised areas. Other Term: wood engraving.
wood free – Paper made without groundwood or mechanical pulp. Other Term: groundwood free.
wood type – Letters carved into blocks of wood. See also: wood cut.
word processor – A software application used to create text documents (e.g., Microsoft Word).
word wrap – The process by which a computer application automatically moves a word to the next line down when the available line space for text has been used up. This occurs without the person using the application pressing the “return” key. This feature can also create problems for those printing someone else’s file, since the words may also automatically “shift” when opened on a machine other than the one that created the document. As a result, some words may move to a location that is unacceptable to the original document’s creator. This is why printers request a PDF file whenever possible.
work and tumble – To print one side of a sheet of paper, then turn it over from gripper to back and print the second side using the same plate and side guide. This can be an efficient method of printing certain jobs, as only one plate and set-up are required.
work and turn – To print one side of a sheet of paper, then turn it over from left to right and print the second side using the same gripper and plate but opposite side guide. This can be an efficient method of printing certain jobs, as only one plate and set-up are required.
wove paper – Paper having a uniform unlined surface and a soft, smooth finish.
– X –
x-coordinate – A specific point on the horizontal axis of a grid, scale, or page dimension. See also: y-coordinate.
xerography – An imaging method that electrostatically charges ink toner particles, which are attracted to areas of the paper that have been given an electrical charge. The dry toner is then heat fused to the paper, forming an image.
x-height – The height of a type character that has no ascenders or descenders (e.g., a, c, e, m, o, x, and z.). Typically the height of x and z are used as representatives of a type face family’s x-height. Other term: z-height.
x-line – The horizontal line that would indicate the top of non-ascender, lowercase letters such as a, c, e, m, o, p, x, y, and z. Other term: mean line.
x-y coordinates – A mathematical description of an element’s position on a page.
– Y –
y-coordinate – A specific point on the vertical axis of a grid, scale, or page dimension. See also: x-coordinate.
yellow – One of the four process colors, CMYK, with Y standing for yellow. Yellow, together with cyan and magenta, is also one of the three subtractive primary colors. CMYK printing is also known as full-color printing. See also: process colors, subtractive primaries.
– Z –
zinc oxide – A white, opaque inorganic compound often used in ink, paint, and coatings to increase whiteness and/or opacity.
zinc yellow – A zinc chromate pigment which is yellow in appearance.
zip sorting – To sort, group, and bundle mail by zip code. This is often done as part of direct mail processing to obtain discounted postage rates.
zoom – To enlarge.