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Glossary ACID-FREE PAPER > Paper manufactured in a neutral or slightly alkaline pH environment to prevent the internal chemical deterioration of paper over time. ACTUAL WEIGHT > The true weight of any volume of paper, which is used to determine both a paper's purchase price and shipping costs. AQUEOUS COATING > A water-based coating, applied after printing either in-line or off-press, to help prevent ink from rubbing off. Unlike UV coating or a varnish, aqueous coating will also accept ink jet printing. ARCHIVAL PAPER > These are alkaline papers that will not deteriorate over time. National standards for permanence dictate that archival papers must be acid free and alkaline with a pH of 7.5 to 8.5, include 2% calcium carbonate as an alkaline reserve, and not contain groundwood or unbleached wood fiber. BACKING UP > Printing the back or reverse side of a sheet that has already been printed on one side. BLEED > An image or printed color that extends to the trimmed edges of a page. Bleeding one or more edges usually increases the amount of paper needed and the cost of print production. BLIND EMBOSS > An embossed (raised) letter or image presented without the use on ink or foil. BONDING STRENGTH > The ability for paper fibers to bond to one another. The stronger the bonding, the less likely the fibers are to "pick" or come loose on press. Bonding strength not only affects runnability, it is essential for smooth scoring, folding and special techniques such as engraving and thermography. BRIGHTNESS > The percentage of light in a narrow spectral range reflected from the surface of a sheet of paper. Brightness is not necessarily related to the whiteness of the sheet, but refers to the amount of light reflected back to the viewer. Bright sheets illuminate transparent printing inks and provide cleaner, crisper colors CALIPER > A measure of paper thickness expressed in units of a thousandth of an inch. Caliper is an important indication of a sheet's uniformity, which is important for consistency on press and in the bindery. COLOR SEPARATION > The process of separating full-color artwork or transparencies into the four primary printing ink colors of magenta (red), cyan (blue), yellow and black by using Various photographic/scanning methods. Today separations are typically made using electronic laser scanners. COMPREHENSIVE (COMP) > A full-size mockup of the proposed design, showing layouts of images and type, as well as use of color and paper. CONTRAST > The tonal gradation between highlights and shadows in an image. High contrast features extreme light and dark areas. CURL > The curling that sometimes occurs along the edges of a sheet when the paper is exposed to extreme humidity changes or other physical stresses. This tendency is less likely in papers with recycled content because the paper fibers are shorter. DEBOSSING > The opposite of embossing. Instead of a raised image, letters or images are depressed into a sheet with a die. DIE-CUTTING > Using a metal-edged die or laser, shapes are cut into paper. This may be for the purpose of creating a decorative pattern or for functional needs such as making a pocket folder. DOT COMPENSATION > Coated and uncoated papers tend to absorb ink in different degrees. To adjust for these varying absorption levels, printers alter the size of the dots in halftones and four-color images to compensate for dot gain. DOT GAIN > The tendency for the dots of halftones and four-color images to print larger than they are on the film or plate. Printers adjust for dot compensation based on the type of paper selected to make sure images don't look distorted. DPI (DOTS PER INCH) > In lithography, the number of dots that fit horizontally and vertically into a one-inch measure. Generally, the higher the dpi, the sharper the printed image. DUST > Loose flecks of fiber, filler and/or coating on the paper that sometimes sticks to the printing blanket and prevents ink from reaching the paper surface. ELECTRONIC PRINTING > Photocopiers, ink jet and laser printers and other printing methods that create images using electrostatic charges or ink sprays rather than a printing plate. EMBOSSING > The use of pressure and a metal die to create a raised letter or image on paper. FINISH > The surface characteristic of a sheet created by either on-machine or off-machine papermaking processes. Popular text and cover finishes include smooth, vellum, felt, laid and linen. FOIL STAMP > Foils made of metal or other materials available in various colors, typically combined with embossing or debossing. The foil, made of a metal or other materials available in various colors, is carried on a plastic sheet and transferred through a stamping process onto paper, GRAIN > The direction in which most fibers lie in a sheet of paper. As the pulp slurry moves forward on the papermaking machine's forming wire, the fibers tend to align themselves in the direction of movement. Binding books parallel to the grain allows for a smoother fold than working across the grain. Grain direction of sheetfed papers is usually indicated by underlining the number, such as, 23" x 35". On a web press, the grain direction should run along the length of the paper web. GRIPPERS > A row of clips holding the sheet of paper in place as it speeds through the printing press. GRIPPER EDGE > The leading edge of paper that moves through a printing press or folding machine. A 3/8" allowance in the paper must be made for the gripper edge. GUILLOTINE > A French guillotine-style cutting machine that trims stacks of paper to size with a chopping downward movement. HICKEY > Stray spots of ink or irregularities in ink coverage on a printed page usually caused by paper or pressroom dust, dirt or picking of the printing blanket. INK > Printing inks are made up of pigment, pigment carrier and additives formulated to reduce smudging, picking and other printing problems associated with ink. The choice of ink depends on the type of paper and printing process. INK ABSORPTION > A paper’s capacity to accept or absorb ink. INK HOLDOUT > The way the ink pigment sits on the surface of the paper. Strong ink holdout results in a sharp, bright image. JOG > Shaking a stack of papers by machine or hand to align the stack and get rid of any dust particles. LASER COMPATIBLE > Papers engineered with special properties that assure smooth and consistent performance on laser equipment. LASER DIE-CUTTING > Technically not a die-cut, laser die-cutting is an extension of the photographic process. A metal template made from black-and-white artwork performs the role of a film negative. Wherever there is a hole in the template, a laser beam passes through and vaporizes the exposed area of the paper. Extremely precise, lasers enable the creation of amazingly intricate patterns with ease. LETTERPRESS > A relief printing method using cast metal type and raised images made on plates. Raised areas are inked and pressed against paper to transfer the text and images. LITHO > Industry jargon for lithography or offset lithography. LITHOGRAPHY > The most common printed method in use today, lithography is based on the principle that oil and water don't mix. The image to be reproduced is created on a printing plate with greasy material that repels water. The plates are run wet so that oil-based inks adhere to the greasy parts of the plate, which are transferred to a blanket and pressed onto paper. MATCH COLOR > A custom-blended ink that matches the specified color in a color system, such as PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM®, ColorcurveTM and ToyoTM. More exacting than four-color process in achieving a specific color and shade. OFFSET > An indirect printing process, usually referring to offset lithography. The term offset comes from the fact that ink is transferred to paper from a blanket that carries an impression from the printing plate. PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM® > Based on a color swatchbook system that gives printers recipes for how to mix inks to match the colors shown, Pantone is the most widely used ink color matching system in America. PAPER > A matted web of cellulose fibers formed into a dry sheet. PIGMENT > An ingredient added to pulp to increase the brightness and opacity of white paper. Pigment dyes are also used in some colored grades to create deep colors. PLATE > Short for printing plate, which is the thin metal sheet that carries the printing image. PRESS PROOF > A printing test of the actual job before the final production run. Press proofs are generally printed on the paper stock that will be used in order to see how the images will appear on the sheet. PT. > The abbreviation of point, a measurement of the thickness of paper. PULP > A slurry of cellulose fibers and water which is the basic ingredient for paper. REGISTRATION > Aligning two or more halftones exactly so that the resulting image is sharp and clear. SCORING > The process of pressing a groove into the paper to allow it to fold more easily and keep the sheet from cracking when folded. The score should run parallel to the paper grain and be folded with the scored side on the outside. Thick papers require wider scores. SCREEN > In offset lithography, a screen is a glass or film with cross-ruled opaque lines or vignetted dots used to reproduce continuous tone artwork such as photographs. To create a halftone, an image is shot through the mesh screen to break it into tiny dots. The closer the line screen, the smaller the dots and the more dots per inch and, hence, the finer and crisper the printed image. Less absorbent papers reduce the spread of ink dots and, therefore, a finer line screen can be used. STOCK > Paper that will be printed. STOCK ITEM > Paper that is manufactured and kept in inventory. SWATCHBOOK > A booklet containing paper samples and specifications for each grade of paper. THERMOGRAPHY > A process that produces a dimensional effect similar to engraving without the use of expensive dies. Images are given a raised appearance by dusting a fine resinous powder (matte, gloss or semigloss) over slow-drying ink, then applying heat to melt and fuse the resin onto the ink. Any offset ink color, or even a clear resin, will work, and the image area can be any size. TOOTH > The surface roughness of paper that allows it to take up ink. TRIM SIZE > The final size of the printed piece after it has been cut to specification. UNCOATED PAPER > Paper that has been treated with starch, or at most a very light pigment formula to make its surface compatible with printing inks. UV COATING > A very glossy, slick coating applied to the printed paper surface and dried on press with ultraviolet (UV) light. UV coating can cause slight variations in match colors, so consult an ink manufacturer or printer for best results. UV INK > An ink specially formulated to dry quickly with ultraviolet light while still on press. Fast UV drying eliminates the need to wait for the first side to dry before printing the second side. VARNISH > A protective coating, either clear or slightly tinted, added to the surface of a printed sheet. Varnish, dull or gloss, may be added to the entire sheet or just to certain spots, such as over halftones. WATERMARK > A watermark design is etched onto a special plate in positive or negative form and attached to a cylinder called a dandy roll. As the wet pulp is being formed into paper, the dandy roll displaces the fibers slightly, causing the faint watermark design to appear on the paper. XEROGRAPHY > The printing process used by photocopiers. |
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