A type of paper folding in which each fold runs in the opposite direction to the previous fold creating a pleated or accordion effect.

A transparent or translucent plastic sheet material of a variety of colors, used as a basis for artwork and overlays.

A water-soluble polymer used in paints to make them dry both tough and flexible.

In photographic reproduction, the primary colors of red, green and blue which are mixed to form all other colors.

Any materials or images that are prepared for graphic reproduction.

All illustrated material, ornamentation, photos and charts etc., that is prepared for reproduction.

Print applied to both sides of a sheet of paper.

Also called wallet flap; the wallet flap has more rounded flap edges.

The primary headline usually spanning the entire width of a page.

Various methods of securing folded sections together and or fastening them to a cover, to form single copies of a book.

Extra ink area that crosses trim line, used to allow for variations that occur when the reproduction is trimmed or die-cut.

A grade of durable writing, printing and typing paper that has a standard size of 17x22 inches.

Any paper that has a mineral coating applied after the paper is made, giving the paper a smoother finish.

To gather sheets or signatures together in their correct order. (see Gather)

When the rubber blanket on a cylinder moves forward due to contact with the plate or paper. Result of added thickness of folded sheets being behind one another in a folded signature. Outer edges of sheets creep away from back most fold as more folded sheets are inserted inside the middle.

To eliminate a portion of the art or copy as indicated by crop marks.

Markings at edges of original or on guide sheet to indicate the area desired in reproduction with negative or plate trimmed (cropped) at the markings.

A process of generating a prepress proof in which paper is electronically exposed to the color separation negatives; the paper is passed through the electrically charged pigmented toners, which adhere electrostatically, resulting in the finished proof.

Paper folding that emulates an accordion or fan, the folds being alternating and parallel.

Type that is quite varied in its use of very thin and very wide strokes.

A cloth conveyor belt that receives papers from the Fourdrinier wire and delivers it to the drier.

The smoother side of paper, usually a soft weave pattern used for book papers.

It is the top side of the sheet in the paper making process that does not lie on the Fourdrinier wire.

A fault in printing where the ink fills in the fine line or halftone dot areas.

Also called wash coat; any thinly coated paper stock.

The surface quality of paper.

Dull - (low gloss) also matte or matte gloss.

A symbol used in printing to indicate the index; seen as a pointing finger on a hand "+".

The registration of items within a given page.

A term given to the lowest temperature of ignitibility of vapors given off by a substance.

In lithography, the assembly of photographic negatives or positives on vinyl acetate for exposure in vacuum frame in contact with sensitized metal press plate.

Paper that is patterned by sizing, and than coated with powders of wool or cotton, (flock).

Also called liquid ink; ink with a low viscosity.

A bound book or booklet etc. having the cover trimmed to the same size as the text.

The results of combining a wet ink pigment with a varnish and having the wet pigment mix or transfer over to the varnish.

Lowering density of an image in a specific area usually to make type more legible while still letting image show through.

Papers that have a surface resembling metal.

Markings at top edges that show where folds should occur.

Machine used to fold signatures down into sections.

Number of page at top or bottom either centered, flushed left or flushed right often with running headline.

The characters which make up a complete typeface and size.

The rollers that come into direct contact with the plate of a printing press.

(old) type matter or type and block with its accompanying spacing material secured in the forme called a chase.

In Binding, the process between folding sheets and casing in, such as rounding and backing, putting on headbands, reinforcing backs, etc.

A machine with a copper wire screen that receives the pulp slurry in the paper making process which will become the final paper sheet.

Any paper that is free from wood pulp impurities.

Folder with printing on one side so that when folded once in each direction, the printing on outside of the folds.

A halo that appears around halftone dots.

Colors that lose tone and permanency when exposed to light.

The slurry mixture of fibers, water, chemicals and pigments, that is delivered to the Fourdrinier machine in the paper making process.

A term for the fibers that project from the paper surface.

(old) flat oblong tray into which composed type matter is put and kept until made up into pages in the forme. Also a similar tray on a slug composing machine which receives the slugs as they are ejected. Also a long column of composed text matter

A proof of text copy before it is pasted into position for printing.

Old term for compositor.

Group of frames or impositions in the same forme of different jobs arranged and positioned to be printed together.

The bundling of two or more different printing projects on the same sheet of paper.

To assemble or collect sections into single copies of complete books for binding.

Assembling sheets of paper and signatures into their proper sequence; collating.

Image which appears as a lighter area on a subsequent print due to local blanket depressions from previous image areas on a letterpress rotary machine as well as on an offset press.

Marring a print by the placement of an image of work printed on the reverse side which has interfered with its drying so that differences in the trapping frame colors or glass variations are apparent.

Garbage in, garbage out.

Sticking on gold leaf to edges of books with a liquid agent and made permanent with burnishing tools.

A strong transparent paper.

Quick drying oil based inks with low penetration qualities, used on coated stock.

A carved as opposed to scripted typeface.

An orange colored paper with gridlines, used to assemble materials for exposure for platemaking.

An area of image where halftone dots range continuously from one density to another.

Direction of fibers in a sheet of paper governing paper properties such as increased size changes with relative humidity, across the grain, and better folding properties along the grain.

A paper embossed to resemble various textures, such as leather, alligator, wood, etc.

An intaglio or recessed printing process. The recessed areas are like wells that form the image as paper passes through.

A series of metal fingers that hold each sheet of paper as it passes through the various stages of the printing process.

The grippers of the printing press move the paper through the press by holding onto the leading edge of the sheet; this edge is the gripper edge.

Low cost papers such as newsprint made by the mechanical pulping process as opposed to chemical pulping and refining.

The application of gum arabic to the non printing areas of a plate.

Space between pages in the printing frame of a book, or inside margin towards the back or binding edge. The blank space or margin between the type page and the binding of a book.

Printing registration that lies within the range of plus or minus one half row of dots. It is the thinnest of the standard printers' rules.

Tone graduated image composed of varying sized dots or lines, with equidistant centers.

A high finish paper that is ideal for halftone printing.

A sheet of film or glass containing ruled right-angled lines, used to translate the full tone of a photo to the halftone dot image required for printing.

The effect in a photograph where a dot has such a small degree of halation that the dot shows quite sharp.

That space which lies between the top of the printed copy and the trimmed edge.

Imperfections in presswork due to dirt on press, trapping errors, etc.

Paper stock that is comparatively thick in relation to its basis weight.

A halftone that is made utilizing only the highlight tones down through the middle tones.

The highest density of a halftone image.

The lightest tones of a photo, printed halftone or illustration. In the finished halftone, these highlights are represented by the finest dots.

That space on the spine of a case bound book between the block of the book and the case binding.

An adhesive used in the binding process, which requires heat for application.

This is a term that refers to a paper that a printer keeps on hand in his shop.

Inside back cover.

Inside front cover.

That portion of the printing plate that carries the ink and prints on paper.

High resolution, large format device for producing film from electronically generated page layouts.

Arrangement of pages so that they print correctly on a press sheet, and the pages are in proper order when the sheets are folded.

Product resulting from one cycle of printing machine. The pressure of the image carrier, whether it be the type, plate or blanket, when it contacts the paper.

A relatively thick paper stock; basis size---25 1/2 x 30 1/2.

Markings pre-printed on mailing envelopes to replace the stamp.

A term used to denote papers such as janitorial, sanitary or heavy packing papers.

The device which stores and meters ink to the inking rollers.

A quality of paper to be resistant to ink absorption, allowing the ink to dry on the paper surface.

Any threads or filaments which protrude from the main printed letter body of long inks, as seen in newsprint.

The inertial resistance to flow that occurs to ink as soon as it is printed.

A device used to measure the tack of ink.

Extra printed pages inserted loosely into printed pieces.

A proof made by exposing each of the four-color separations to an emulsion layer of primary colors. These emulsion sheets are stacked in register with a white sheet of paper in the background. Types of integral proofs are cromalin, matchprint, ektaflex, and spactraproof.

Extra blank pages inserted loosely into book after printing.

A coated stock finished in mother-of-pearl.

Text that is used to denote emphasis by slanting the type body forward.

The paper cover sometimes called the "dust cover" of a hardbound book.

A number assigned to a printing project used for record keeping and job tracking. Also used to retrieve old jobs for reprints or reworking by customer.

To vibrate a stack of finished pages so that they are tightly aligned for final trimming.

Vibrating, sloping platform that evens up the edges of stacks of paper.

The narrowing of space between two letters so that they become closer and take up less space on the page.

The printing plate that is used as a guide for the other plates in the color printing process; it usually has the most detail.

The use of symbols, usually letters, to code copy that will appear on a dummy.

Lines that are drawn on artwork that indicate the exact placement, shape and size of elements including halftones, illustrations etc.

A delicate printed impression, just heavy enough to be seen.

A coarse unbleached paper used for printing and industrial products.

A clear gloss coating applied to printed material for strength, appearance and protection.

A parallel lined paper that has a handmade look.

A paper cutting technique whereby laser technology is utilized to cut away certain unmasked areas of the paper. The cutting is a result of the exposure of the paper to the laser ray, which actually evaporates the paper.

Edge of a sheet of paper being fed into a printing press.

A rendition that shows the placement of all the elements, roughs, thumbnails etc., of the final printed piece before it goes to print.

The dots or dashes used in type to guide the eye from one set of type to the next.

Space between lines of type; the distance in points between one baseline and the next.

One of a number of folds (each containing two pages) which comprises a book or manuscript.

A metal die, either (flat, or embossed), created from the image or copy, which is then heated to a specific temperature which allows the transfer of a film of pigmented polyester to the paper.

A stiff heavy business paper generally used for keeping records.

The optimum length of a filament of ink.

Printing that utilizes inked raised surfaces to create the image.

The addition of space between typeset letters.

Any copy that can be reproduced without the use of halftone screens.

A paper that emulates the look and texture of linen cloth.

A paper that is coated with a special water-resistant material which is able to withstand the lithographic process.

The process of printing that utilizes flat inked surfaces to create the printed images.

A personalized type or design symbol for a company or product.

The actual weight of 1000 sheets of any given size of paper.

Paper that has had a coating applied to either one or two of its sides during the papermaking process.

An alternate term for grain direction.

A paper finish that results from the interaction of the paper with the Fourdrinier process as opposed to post machine embossing. Reference, Fourdrinier

Black pigments containing black iron oxides, used for magnetic ink character recognition.

Process of adjusting final plate on the press to fine tune or modify plate surface.

Imprinted space around edge of page.

To write up instructions, as on a dummy.

The blocking out of a portion of the printing plate during the exposure process.

A photo negative or positive used in the color separation process to color correct. Reference, PRINTING, mask.

Photographic proof made from all color flats and form composite proof showing color quality as well as accuracy, layout, and imposition before plates are made.

A coated paper finish that goes through minimal calendaring. Reference, calendaring.

The width of type as measured in picas. Reference, picas.

A term used to describe finished artwork that is camera ready for reproduction, including all type, photos, illustrations etc.

A group of ZIP codes usually in close proximity defining a large metropolitan area (e.g. New York City or Los Angeles).

Commonly taken as the area between highlight and shadow area of a subject's face in halftone image.

An undesirable halftone pattern produced by the incorrect angles of overprinting halftone screens.

A cotton fabric used on the dampening rollers of a printing press.

An ink pigment made from precipitating lead molybdate, lead sulfate and lead chromate.

A term used to describe spotty or uneven ink absorption.

Coarse muslin glue placed on the back of book or pads for strengthening.

A specific test of tensile paper strength; an important factor if web presses are used for printing.

A term to describe papers that have a color similar to that of wood; also called cream, off-white or ivory.

Film that contains the same images as the original print, except that all colors and shades are reversed. Reference, positive.

A light, low cost groundwood paper made especially for newspapers. Reference, groundwood.

When the basis weight of paper differs from the actual weight, the term nominal weight is used.

When two sheet passes on a press are misaligned.

Outside back cover.

Outside front cover.

A term used to describe printed books, catalogs etc., that are bound on their shorter side; also referred to as album bound.

Any papers made outside the US and Canada.

The most commonly used printing method, whereby the printed material does not receive the ink directly from the printing plate but from an intermediary cylinder called a blanket which receives the ink from the plate and transfers it to the paper.

A complex offset process involving multiple transfers between the gravure plate, the plate cylinder and a solid rubber plate.

Indirect printing method in which the inked image on the press-plate is first printed onto a rubber blanket, then in turn offsets the inked impression on to the sheet of paper.

A term for uncoated book paper.

A light bond paper used for typing and used with carbon paper because of its thinness.

Quality of papers that defines its opaqueness or ability to prevent two-sided printing from showing through.

A quality of paper that allows relatively little light to pass through.

Ink that completely covers any ink under itself.

Any light sensitive surfaces that are not sensitive to red.

Surplus of copies printed.

A cover of a book that extends over the trimmed signatures it contains.

A transparent sheet placed over artwork, in register with the work it covers; this is used to call out other color components of the work, instructions or corrections.

A process of proof making whereby the color separations are individually exposed to light sensitive film. This film is then set in registration with a piece of white paper in the background.

Any printing that is done on an area that has already been printed.

Type that is set in excess of the allotted space.

Photomechanical transfer.

One side of a leaf.

The assemblage of all the necessary elements required to complete a page.

Proofs made up from pages.

Films or other photographic materials that are sensitive to all colors.

Any paper with a thickness (caliper) of 12 points (.3mm) or more.

A high-grade soft paper used for personal stationery because it accepts handwriting well.

A hard finished paper that emulates animal skin; used for documents, such as awards, that require writing by hand.

A sheet that is larger than the cut stock of the same paper.

Any of a variety of compounds used in enhancing the drying properties of printing inks.

An ink having a high level of viscosity.

Preparation of positive materials into a layout for photographing to film negatives.

Delamination.

Markings usually dotted lines at edges showing where perforations should occur.

A term used to describe the binding process where the signatures of a book are held together by a flexible adhesive.

Binding process where backs of sections are cut off, roughened and glued together, and rung in a cover.

Printing both sides of the paper (or other material) on the same pass through the printing machine.

A printing press that prints on both sides of the page in a single pass.

Punching small holes or slits in a sheet of paper or cardboard to facilitate tearing along a desired line.

A blue red pigment used mostly in news inks; not a good ink for lithographers as it bleeds in alcohol and water.

Making printing plates by exposure of line and halftone negatives on sensitized metal, converting the image into an acid resist, and etching the print to the relief required for letterpress printing.

The platemaking process where plates are coated with photosensitive coatings and exposed to photo negatives or positives.

A photographic print creating an image using photography and electrostatic processes; also called a stat.

The main pigment in the manufacture of cyan ink.

Standard of measurement, 1/6 inch. 1 pica = 12 points 72 points = 1 inch

When the tack of ink is stronger than the surface strength of the paper, some lifting of the paper surface occurs; this is referred to as picking.

An occurrence in printing whereby the tack of ink pulls fibers or coating off the paper surface, leaving spots on the printed surface.

A build up of pigment or paper coatings onto the plate, blankets or rollers.

Using metal pins fitted into preset holes of copy sheets, films, plates and presses that will assure the proper registration.

Failure of printed ink to form a completely continuous film, visible in the form of small holes in the printed areas.

A method of binding books whereby holes are drilled on the side closest the spine, and a plastic grasping device is inserted to hold the pages together.

An ink additive that adds flexibility, softness and adhesion.

Reproduction of type or cuts in metal, plastic, rubber, or other material, to form a plate bearing a relief, planographic or intaglio printing surface.

The cylinder on a printing press on which the plate is mounted.

Any bond, cover or bristol stock with an extremely smooth finish achieved by calendaring.

Making a printing plate from a film or flat including preparation of the plate surface, sensitizing, exposing through the flat, developing or processing, and finishing.

A measurement unit equal to 1/72 of an inch. 12 points to a pica, 72 points to an inch.

Film that contains an image with the same tonal values as the original; opposite of a negative.

Pixels per inch.

Any paper that is considered better than #1 by its manufacturer.

A plate that has been treated with light sensitive coatings by the manufacturer.

Actual press sheet to show image, tone values and colors as well as imposition of frame or press-plate.

In printing the four primary colors are cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow and black.

The quality of papers to show reproduced printed images.

Two consecutive pages as they appear on a flat or signature.

Printing inks, usually in sets of four colors. The most frequent combination is yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, which are printed, one over another in that order, to obtain a colored print with the desired hues, whites, blacks, and grays.

A high quality specialty lens made for line art, halftone and color photography.

Printing from two or more half tones to produce intermediate colors and shades.

Any proofs made from the separate plates of a multi-plate-printing project.

Impression from composed type or blocks, taken for checking and correction, from a lithographic plate to check accuracy of layout, type matter, tone and color reproduction.

Guide sheet for the positioning of type, blocks, etc.

Papers with a complete or partial content of cotton fibers.

The term given to right-justified type that is uneven on the left.

The term given to left-justified type that is uneven on the right.

A thick, coated paper used for signs; usually waterproof.

Two consecutive pages as they appear in printed piece.

500 sheets of paper.

The odd numbered pages (right hand side) of books.

A common pigment for paste and liquid red inks.

Any substance that softens and reduces the tack of ink.

The master roll of paper as it comes off the papermaking machine. It is in its original width and is then cut into smaller rolls.

The arrangement of two or more images in exact alignment with each other.

Any crossmarks or other symbols used on layout to assure proper registration.

A term that denotes folds that are 90 degrees to each other.

A web press printing process where the roll of paper is printed and stored on a roll to be shipped.

That stage of printed ink where the maximum dryness is achieved, and the ink will not smudge.

A pigment somewhat redder than true magenta.

A term given to copy that accommodates the lines of a picture or other image or copy.

A term used to describe how well a paper runs on a printing press.

A title at the top of a page that appears on all pages of a book or chapter of a book.

Stitching where the wire staples pass through the spine from the outside and are clinched in the center. Only used with folded sections, either single sections or two or more sections inset to form a single section.

A paper that shows sign of erasure so that it cannot be altered or tampered with easily.

A smooth delicately embossed finished paper with sheen.

The enlargement or reduction of an image or copy to fit a specific area.

Impressions or cuts in flat material to facilitate bending or tearing.

The placement of halftone screens to avoid unwanted moire patterns. Frequently used angles are black 45deg, magenta 75deg, yellow 90deg, and cyan 105deg.

A measurement equaling the number of lines or dots per inch on a halftone screen.

A photo print made by using a halftone negative; also called a velox.

Unwanted ink marks in the non-image area.

A cover made out of the same paper stock as the internal sheets.

The lowest density of a halftone image.

To decrease the dot size of the halftone which in turn decreases the color strength.

The printing of two different images on two different sides of a sheet of paper by turning the page over after the first side is printed and using the same gripper and side guides.

Ink that is smooth and creamy but does not flow freely.

A problem that occurs when the printing on one side of a sheet is seen from the other side.

The guides on the sides of the sheet fed press that position the sheet sideways as the paper is led towards the front guides.

Stitching where the wire staples pass through the pile of sections or leaves gathered upon each other and are clinched on the underside.

Printed sheet (or its flat) that consists of a number of pages of a book, placed so that they will fold and bind together as a section of a book. The printed sheet after folding.

A halftone with the background screen removed.

Reference, brownline proof.

A term to describe the process of cutting of printed sheets by the cutting wheels of a printing press.

That quality of paper defined by its levelness which allows for pressure consistency in printing, assuring uniformity of print.

An excessively large halo around a dot in a photograph that causes a fringe that diminishes the dot intensity.

Back edge of a book.

A binding whereby a wire or plastic is spiraled through holes punched along the binding side.

Small area printed in a second color.

A film image that is larger than the original image to accommodate ink trapping. Reference, trapping

To bind a series of pages with wire staples such that staples enter from the front and back simultaneously, neither side being long enough to exit the opposite side.

The quality of paper to maintain its original size when it undergoes pressure and moisture changes.

A process of cutting many sheets from the same parent sheet in which the smaller sheets have different grain directions; also called dutch or bastard cutting.

The Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, GATF has established various quality control images; the star target appears along with the color bar and helps the pressman detect any irregularity in the ink spread. Reference, Color Bars

A device on a printing press that minimizes the amount of static build up on paper as it passes through the press.

A process of generating multiple exposures by taking an image and stepping it according to a predetermined layout.

A proofreader's symbol that is usually written in the copy margin, that indicates that the copy, which was marked for correction, should be left as it was.

A term for unprinted paper or other material to be printed.

To add an element, such as copy that is shot separately, and then stripped into place on a goldenrod flat.

Originally, the removal of the photographic emulsion with its image from individual negatives and combining them in position on a glass plate. Now the use of stripfilm materials, and the cutting, attachment, and other operations for assembling. The positioning of positives and negatives on the flat before proceeding to platemaking.

Impressing book covers, etc., by means of hot die, brass types or blocks.

A machine procedure that produces a high finished paper surface that is extremely smooth and exceptional for printing.

Any petroleum based waterproof papers with a high tensile strength.

The adhesive quality of inks.

A dense, strong paper stock.

A paper's ability to withstand pressure.

A high quality printing paper.

A printing process whereby slow drying ink is applied to paper and while the ink is still wet, it is lightly dusted with a resinous powder. The paper then passes through a heat chamber where the powder melts and fuses with the ink to produce a raised surface.

A slower drier that dries the ink throughout without forming a hard crust.

Envelopes used mostly for theater tickets, with no other particular usage.

A halftone screen that contains all the same sized dots.

A bright white pigment (opaque) used for printing on metal and flexible packaging.

A red pigment with poor bleed resistance.

The rough surfaced finish of papers such as vellum or antique.

Inks that do not block out the colored inks that they print over, but instead blend with them to create intermediate colors.

The process of printing wet ink over printed ink which may be wet or dry.

Marks placed on the sheet to indicate where to cut the page.

Fourdrinier papermaking machines with two wires, instead of a wire and felt side. This assures higher quality when two sides are used for printing.

The difference in feel and appearance of either side of a sheet of paper due to the papermaking process having a felt and wire side.

Papers that are not smoothed by going through the calendaring process.

A term used to describe how many similar sheets can be produced on a larger sheet; two up, four up, etc.

A term given to books bound on the longer dimension.

Also called a contact frame; used in the platemaking process to hold materials in tight contact during exposure.

Brown print

A clear shiny ink used to add gloss to printed pieces. The primary component of the ink vehicle. Reference, vehicle.

A combination of varnish, waxes, dryers etc., that contain the pigment of inks and control the flow, the drying and the adhesion of the pigments to the printed surface.

A finish of paper that is rough, bulky and has a degree of tooth.

A term given to papers that are coated with an adhesive and then flock dusted.

A photographic print which is made from a negative.

A term given to the left-hand or even-numbered pages of a book.

Fade to white or small decorative design or illustration. A photo or illustration etc., in which the tones fade gradually away until they blend with the surface they are printed on.

An abbreviation for work and back. Reference, sheetwise.

An abbreviation for work and turn.

A term given to the occurrence of plate deterioration of the image area during the printing process; usually occurs on long runs.

The procedure of cleaning a particular ink from all of the printing elements (rollers, plate, ink fountain etc.) of a press.

A translucent logo that is embossed during the papermaking process while the paper slurry is on the dandy roll. Reference, dandy roll

The roll of paper that is used in web or rotary printing.

A tear in a web roll during the printing process.

Cylinder printing machine in which the paper is fed from a continuous reel, as opposed to sheet fed.

The term given to the tension or pull exerted by the web press on the web roll.

A soft paper that is thick and holds up well under embossing.

The ability of an ink film to accept subsequent ink films.

A single word or two left at the end of a paragraph, or a part of a sentence ending a paragraph, which loops over to the next page and stands alone. Also, the last sentence of a paragraph which contains only one or two short words.

A plate on which is wiped a light sensitive coating by a coating device; usually the first step in this type of platemaking.

That side of the paper which lies on the wire screen side of the papermaking machine.

To fasten together sheets, signatures, or sections with wire staples. 3 methods... saddle stitching, side stitching, and stabbing.

A smooth paper made on finely textured wire that gives the paper a gentle patterned finish.

The unevenly dried surface of printed inks.

Another name for bond paper.

Papers made to reproduce well in copy machines and laser printers.

The actual amount of force needed to start an ink flowing.