Printing Terms

Below is a list of print terminology to help you navigate the world of print.

Aqueous Coating:

A water based coating applied after printing to provide a high-gloss surface that is resistant to dirt and fingerprints.

Lithography:

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

Basis Weight:

Basis or basic weight refers to the weight, in pounds, of a ream (500 sheets) of paper cut to a given standard size for that particular paper grade.

Loupe:

A small magnifier used to observe the details on a printed sheet.

Bleed:

An extra amount of printed image which extends beyond the rim edge of the sheet or page, allows for full color printing right to the edge of the finished piece.

Magenta:

One of the four process colors, or CMYK, the M is for magenta. Magenta is a predominately red color with some blue. Magenta, cyan and yellow are also the three subtractive primary colors.

Bond:

A grade of durable writing, printing and typing paper that is erasable and somewhat rigid.

Matte Finish:

Dull paper finish without any gloss or luster.

Bulk:

A term given to paper to describe its thickness relative to its weight.

Offset Printing:

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

C1S:

Paper coated on one side only.

Offset Paper:

A term for sometimes used for uncoated book paper.

C2S:

Paper coated on two sides.

Overrun:

Quantities of sheets printed over the requested number of copies.

Caliper:

Thickness of paper, usually expressed in thousandths of an inch.

Perfect Binding:

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

CMYK:

Abbreviation for cyan, magenta, yellow, black. The four ink colors used in four-color process printing.

Perfecting Press:

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

Coated Stock:

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

PMS:

The abbreviation of the Pantone Color Matching System.

Color Separating:

The processes of separating the primary color components (CMYK) for printing.

Point:

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

Cover Paper:

Term applied to a variety of papers used for covers of catalogs and booklets.

Premium:

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

Crop:

To reduce the size of an image.

Pressure Sensitive:

Self-adhesive paper covered by a backing sheet.

Cyan:

A shade of blue used in four-color process printing. The C in CMYK.

Process Printing:

A system where a color image is separated into different color values (cyan, magenta, yellow and black or CMYK) by the use of filters and screens and then transferred to printing plates and printed on a printing press, reproducing the original color image.

Density:

The degree of tone, weight of darkness or color within a photo or reproduction measured by a densitometer.

Register:

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

Die Cutting:

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.

Register Marks:

Any crossmarks or other symbols used on a press sheet to assure proper registration.

Digital Proof:

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 with ink.

RGB:

Color space commonly used for computer monitors. Divides color into the three primary light colors - red, green, and blue.

Dot:

The smallest individual element of a halftone.

Right Angle Fold:

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

Dull Finish:

A semi-gloss finish on paper that is less glossy than gloss and more than matte paper.

Saddle Stitch:

In binding, to fasten a booklet by stapling it through the middle fold of the sheets.

Font:

The characters which make up a complete typeface and size.

Self-cover:

Printed booklet or catalog where the same paper stock is used for the cover and the inside pages.

Four-color Process:

Printing process that uses a layering of the four primary ink colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) to produce color images.

Side Guide:

The guides on the sides of a printing press that consistently positions the sheet sideways as it is fed through the press.

Ganging:

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

Signature:

In printing and binding, the name given to a printed sheet after it has been folded.

Gate Fold:

The gate fold is often used for menus and brochures. The succession of message presentation is more dramatic than with the Two Parallel Fold. For a picture, see our Fold Types page.

Smoothness:

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

Gripper:

A series of metal fingers that hold each sheet of paper as it passes through a printing press.

Stock:

A term for unprinted paper.

Gripper Edge:

The side of a piece of paper held by the gripper fingers as it passes through a printing press. Nothing can be printed in this area.

Text Paper:

A high quality light weight printing paper.

Gutter:

A blank space or margin between components on a printed piece or press sheet.

Tri-fold:

This common fold, used for mailings and brochures, is much like a letter folded by hand for inserting in an envelope. The Tri-fold produces a self-contained unit, easily handled by automated envelope inserters. For a picture, see our Fold Types page.

Half Fold:

The half fold is commonly used for brochures and greeting cards. For a picture, see our Fold Types page.

Trim Marks:

Marks placed on the printed sheet to indicate where cuts should be made.

Hard Proof:

A proof on paper or other substrate, distinguished from a soft proof which is an image on a video display terminal screen.

Washup:

The procedure of cleaning a particular ink from the unit of a printing press.

Imposition:

The correct sequential arrangement of pages that are to be printed, along with all the margins in proper alignment, before producing the plates for printing.

Wove Paper:

Paper having a uniform unlined surface and a soft smooth finish, a term commonly used to describe envelope stocks.

Jog:

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

Yellow:

One of the four process colors, or CMYK, the Y is for yellow.

Linen:

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

Z-Fold:

The "Z" style offers an advantage for multi-page letters to be collated and hand inserted for mailing. Because the pages nest together, the letter is opened with the pages in sequence, however it tends to spring open and should be avoided when automated envelope inserting is used. For a picture, see our Fold Types page.