We put together some printing terms for you to have a better understanding of the printing process

Accordion fold: Bindery term, two or more parallel folds which open like an accordion.

Against the grain: At right angles to direction of paper grain.

Author Alteration (AA): Change in copy of specifications after production has begun.

Bindery: The finishing department of a print shop or firm specializing in finishing printed products.

Bleed: Printing that goes to the edge of the sheet after trimming.

Blind embossing: An image pressed into a sheet without ink or foil.

Coated paper: A clay coated printing paper with a smooth finish.

Collate: A finishing term for gathering paper in a precise order.

Color correction: Methods of improving color separations.

Color separations: The process of preparing artwork, photographs, transparencies, or computer generated art for printing by separating into the four primary printing colors.

Continuous-tone copy: Illustrations, photographs or computer files that contain gradient tones from black to white or light to dark.

Copy: All furnished material or disc used in the production of a printed product.

Crop: To cut off parts of a picture or image.

Crop marks: Printed lines showing where to trim a printed sheet.

Die: Metal rule or imaged block used to cut or place an image on paper in the finishing process.

Die cutting: Curing images in or out of paper.

Dot gain or spread: A term used to explain the difference in size between the dot on film v paper.

Dummy: A rough layout of a printed piece showing position and finished size.

Duotone: A halftone picture made up of two printed colors.

Emboss: Pressing an image into paper so that it will create a raised relief.

Flood: To cover a printed page with ink, varnish, or plastic coating.

Foil emboss: Foil stamping and embossing a image on paper with a die.

4-color-process: The process of combining four basic colors to create a printed color picture or colors composed from the basic four colors.

Ghosting: A faint printed image that appears on a printed sheet where it was not intended. More often than not this problem is a function of graphical design. It is hard to tell when or where ghosting will occur. Sometimes you can see the problem developing immediately after printing the sheet, other times the problem occurs while drying. However the problem occurs it is costly to fix, if it can be fixed. Occasionally it can be eliminated by changing the color sequence, the inks, the paper, changing to a press with a drier, printing the problem area in a separate pass through the press or changing the racking (reducing the number of sheets on the drying racks). Since it is a function of graphical design, the buyer pays for the increased cost.

Gloss: A shiny look reflecting light.

Grain: The direction in which the paper fiber lie.

Grippers: The metal fingers on a printing press that hold the paper as it passes through the press.

Hard copy: The output of a computer printer, or typed text sent for typesetting.

Hickey: Reoccurring unplanned spots that appear in the printed image from dust, lint, dried ink.

Image area: Portion of paper on which ink can appear.

Imposition: Positioning printed pages so they will fold in the proper order.

Indicia: Postal information place on a printed product.

Kiss die cut: To cut the top layer of a pressure sensitive sheet and not the backing.

Knock out: To mask out an image.

Laminate: To cover with film, to bond or glue one surface to another.

Makeready: All the activities required to prepare a press for printing.

Matte finish: Dull paper or ink finish.

Moire: Occurs when screen angles are wrong causing odd patterns in photographs.

Offsetting: Using an intermediate surface used to transfer ink. Also, an unpleasant happening when the images of freshly printed sheets transfer images to each other.

Offset paper: Term for uncoated book paper.

Opacity: The amount of show-through on a printed sheet. The more opacity or the thicker the paper the less show-through. (The thicker/heavier the paper the higher the cost.)

Overrun or overs: Copies printed in excess of the specified quantity. (Printing trade terms allow for + - 10 % to represent a completed order.)

Perfect bind: A type of binding that glues the edge of sheets to a cover like a telephone book, Microsoft software manual, or Country Living Magazine.

PMS: The abbreviated name of the Pantone Color Matching System.

PostScript: The computer language most recognized by printing devices.

Process colors: Cyan (blue), magenta (process red), yellow (process yellow), black (process black).

Register: To position print in the proper position in relation to the edge of the sheet and to other printing on the same sheet.

Register marks: Cross-hair lines or marks on film, plates, and paper that guide strippers, platemakers, pressmen, and bindery personnel in processing a print order from start to finish.

Saddle stitch: Binding a booklet or magazine with staples in the seam where it folds.

Score: A crease put on paper to help it fold better.

Self-cover: Using the same paper as the text for the cover.

Side stitch: Binding by stapling along one side of a sheet.

Spine: The binding edge of a book or publication.

Spot varnish: Varnish used to hilight a specific part of the printed sheet.

Stet: A proof mark meaning let the original copy stand.

Transparency: A positive photographic slide on film allowing light to pass through.

Trim marks: Similar to crop or register marks. These marks show where to trim the printed sheet.

Trim size: The final size of one printed image after the last trim is made.

UV coating: Liquid laminate bonded and cured with ultraviolet light. Environmentally friendly.

Varnish: A clear liquid applied to printed surfaces for looks and protection. (UV coating looks better.)

Vignette halftone: A halftone whose background gradually fades to white.

Watermark: A distinctive design created in paper at the time of manufacture that can be easily seen by holding the paper up to a light.

Wire-O binding: A method of wire binding books along the binding edge that will allow the book to lay flat using double loops. See Wire O.

Work and tumble: Printing one side of a sheet and turning it over from the gripper to the tail to print the second side using the same side guide and plate for the second side.

Work and turn: Printing one side of a sheet and turning it over from left to right ussing the same side guides and plate for the second side.