Glossary

The fixing of a material, either paper or cloth, to the back of a book before it is bound. Reference: case binding.

A term referring to the margin which lies closest to the back of the book.

The collation of book signatures according to reference marks which are printed on the back fold of each section.

Print applied to both sides of a sheet of paper.

That portion of the binding, which connects the front of the book with the back of the book; also called “back”.

That portion of a photograph or line art drawing that appears furthest from the eye; the surface upon which the main image is superimposed.

A term used to describe the aesthetic or harmony of elements, whether they are photos, art or copy, within a layout or design.

A thin uncoated stock used for making carbon copies.

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 design or base relief impression that is made without using inks or metal foils.

Embossed forms that are not inked, or gold leafed.

Page number not printed on page.

A term given to the fold whereby paper is folded with the short side running with the grain.

A pamphlet that is bound in booklet form.

A binding technique that entails nicking the back fold in short lengths during the folding process, which allows glue to reach each individual leaf and create a strong bond.

A term given to any copy, artwork etc., that is prepared for photographic reproduction.

Instructions in the typesetting process that indicate the use of a capital letter to start a sentence and the rest of the letters in lower case.

Two sizes of capital letters made in one size of type.

The stiff covers of a hardbound book.

Books bound using hard board (case) covers.

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

Any color that moves toward the blue side in the color spectrum.

To gather sheets or signatures together in their correct order.

The processes of separating the primary color components for printing.

Transparent film containing a positive photographic color image.

The assembly of characters into words, lines and paragraphs of text or body matter for reproduction by printing.

A narrow, elongated type face.

Image made of non-discernible picture elements which give appearance of continuous spectrum of grey values or tones.

The degree of tonal separation or gradation in the range from black to white.

Refers to any typewritten material, art, photos etc., to be used for the printing process.

A board upon which the copy is pasted for the purpose of photographing.

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.

Machine for accurately cutting stacks of paper to desired dimensions…can also be used to crease. Also trims out final bound books’ top size (soft cover).

Sharp edged device, usually made of steel, to cut paper, cardboard, etc., on a printing press.

The rough or feathered edge of paper when left untrimmed.

Design, letters or shapes, cut into metal (mostly brass) for stamping book covers or embossing. An engraved stamp used for impressing an image or design.

A method of using sharp steel ruled stamps or rollers to cut various shapes i.e. labels, boxes, image shapes, either post press or in line. The process of cutting paper in a shape or design by the use of a wooden die or block in which are positioned steel rules in the shape of the desired pattern.

Color separation data is digitally stored and then exposed to color photographic paper creating a picture of the final product before it is actually printed.

A shadow image placed strategically behind an image to create the affect of the image lifting off the page.

Any matte finished paper.

Paper which has a different color or finish on each side.

The assembly of characters into words, lines and paragraphs of text or body matter with graphic elements in page layout form in digital format for reproduction by printing.

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.

A method of paper finishing whereby a pattern is pressed into the paper when it is dry.

To raise in relief a design or letters already printed on card stock or heavy paper by an uninked block or die. In rubber and plastic plate making the process is usually done by heat.

A light sensitive substance used as a coating for film; made from a silver halide compound. This side should face the lens when the film is exposed.

Attaching the final sheet of a signature of a book to the binding.

A printing process whereby images such as copy or art are etched onto a plate. When ink is applied, these etched areas act as small wells to hold the ink; paper is forced against this die and the ink is lifted out of the etched areas creating raised images on the paper.

The form used by the printer to calculate the project for the print buyer. This form contains the basic parameters of the project including size, quantity, colors, bleeds, photos etc.

That stage of the photographic process where the image is produced on the light sensitive coating.

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

The surface quality of paper.

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

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.

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

Group of frames or impositions in the same form 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 paper making 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.

Imprinted space around edge of page.

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

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 ground wood paper made especially for newspapers.

Outside back cover.

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

Outside front cover.

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.

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

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.

Type that is set in excess of the allotted space.

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

Proofs made up from pages.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Taken for checking and correction, to check accuracy of layout, type matter, tone and color reproduction.

Two consecutive pages as they appear in printed piece.

500 sheets of paper.

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 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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Any petroleum based waterproof papers with a high tensile strength.

The adhesive quality of inks.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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