Print glossary
The words a printer uses, explained the way we would at the counter.
4
- 4/0 (four over zero)
- 4/0 means full color on the front of a sheet and nothing printed on the back.
- 4/1 (four over one)
- 4/1 means full color on the front and one ink, usually black, on the back.
- 4/4 (four over four)
- 4/4 means full four-color printing on both the front and back of a sheet.
A
- Aqueous coating
- Aqueous coating is a clear, water-based coating applied on press to protect printed sheets and speed drying.
B
- Basis weight
- Basis weight is the weight in pounds of 500 sheets of a paper at that grade's standard basis size.
- Bleed
- Bleed is artwork that extends past the trim line so color runs to the edge of the finished piece after cutting.
- Blockout vinyl
- Blockout vinyl is banner material with an opaque inner layer that stops light passing through.
- BMEU
- A BMEU, Business Mail Entry Unit, is a USPS facility where businesses and mailers drop off permit and presorted mail.
- Bond paper
- Bond is an uncoated paper grade used for letterhead, copy paper and business forms, measured on a 17 x 22 inch basis size.
C
- Carrier route
- A carrier route is the set of addresses a single USPS letter carrier delivers to, identified by a code within a ZIP Code.
- CB, CFB, CF
- CB, CFB and CF are the three sheet types in carbonless forms: coated back, coated front and back, and coated front.
- CMYK
- CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and black, the four process inks used to print full-color work.
- Coated paper
- Coated paper has a surface coating that holds ink on top of the sheet for sharper detail and brighter color.
- Coil binding
- Coil binding threads a continuous plastic spiral through punched holes so a book opens flat and folds back on itself.
- Color bar
- A color bar is a strip of ink patches printed outside the trim so press operators can measure and control color.
- Coroplast
- Coroplast is corrugated plastic sheet, the light, waterproof board used for yard signs and temporary outdoor signs.
- Cover stock
- Cover stock is a heavier, stiffer paper used for business cards, postcards, folders and booklet covers.
- Creep
- Creep is the outward shift of inner pages in a saddle-stitched booklet, caused by the thickness of the nested sheets.
- Crop marks
- Crop marks are short lines printed outside the page area that show where the sheet should be trimmed.
D
- Debossing
- Debossing presses a design into the paper so it sits below the surface.
- Die cut
- A die cut uses a shaped blade to cut paper or board into a custom shape or to cut out a window or slot.
- Digital press
- A digital press prints straight from the file with toner or dry ink, with no plates, so short runs and variable data are economical.
- DPI
- DPI, dots per inch, describes the resolution of an image; print images generally need about 300 dpi at the size they print.
- Drilling
- Drilling punches holes through a stack of printed sheets so they fit a ring binder or post binder.
E
F
- Flexography
- Flexography prints from flexible relief plates on a rotary press and is widely used for roll labels and packaging.
- Foamcore
- Foamcore is a lightweight board of foam between two paper faces, used for indoor signs, posters and displays.
- Foil stamping
- Foil stamping uses heat and a metal die to press metallic or colored foil onto paper.
G
- Gang run
- A gang run prints several different jobs together on one press sheet to share setup costs.
- Gate fold
- A gate fold has two outer panels that fold inward to meet in the middle, like a pair of doors.
- Gator board
- Gator board is a rigid foam board faced with a hard, wood-fiber veneer, stiffer and more dent-resistant than foamcore.
- Grommet
- A grommet is a metal ring set into the edge of a banner so it can be hung with rope, ties or hooks.
- GSM
- GSM, grams per square meter, is a paper weight measure that compares directly across all paper grades.
H
- Half fold
- A half fold folds a sheet once in the middle to make four panels, like a greeting card.
- Halftone
- A halftone breaks a photo or tint into tiny dots of varying size so a press can reproduce shades with solid ink.
- Hard proof
- A hard proof is a physical printed proof used to check color, fit, folding or finishing before the full run.
- Hem
- A hem is an edge of a banner folded over and sealed or sewn to reinforce it.
I
- Imposition
- Imposition is the arrangement of pages or copies on a press sheet so they print, fold and cut in the right order.
- Indicia
- An indicia is the printed marking in the postage area of a mailpiece showing postage has been paid under a permit or service.
- Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb)
- The Intelligent Mail barcode is the USPS barcode on letters and flats that carries routing and tracking information.
K
L
- Laminate
- Laminate is a thin plastic film bonded to a printed piece to protect it from moisture, scuffs and handling.
- Line screen (LPI)
- Line screen, measured in lines per inch, is how fine the halftone dot pattern is on a printed piece.
M
- Make-ready
- Make-ready is the setup work and test sheets needed to get a press or finishing machine ready to run a job.
- Mesh banner
- A mesh banner is a perforated vinyl banner that lets wind pass through, used on fences, scaffolding and building faces.
N
- NCOA
- NCOA, National Change of Address, is the USPS service used to update a mailing list for people and businesses that have moved.
- NCR (carbonless paper)
- NCR paper is carbonless paper that transfers writing from the top sheet to the sheets below without carbon sheets.
- Numbering
- Numbering prints a sequential number on each form or ticket, often in red, for tracking and control.
O
- Offset lithography
- Offset lithography transfers ink from a metal plate to a rubber blanket and then onto paper, using the fact that oil and water do not mix.
- Overprint
- Overprint means one ink prints directly on top of another instead of the area underneath being left blank.
- Overs and unders
- Overs and unders are the small amounts more or fewer than ordered that a printer may deliver, billed at the actual count.
P
- Padding
- Padding glues sheets together along one edge to make tear-off pads, usually with a chipboard backer.
- Perfect binding
- Perfect binding glues pages into a wrap-around cover with a flat, square spine, like a paperback book.
- Perforation
- A perforation is a line of small cuts that lets part of a printed piece tear off cleanly.
- Permit imprint
- Permit imprint is a USPS postage payment method where postage is paid from an account and a printed indicia replaces stamps.
- Plate
- A plate is the thin metal sheet carrying the image for one ink color on an offset press.
- PMS (Pantone)
- PMS refers to the Pantone Matching System, a set of numbered, premixed ink colors used to print exact brand colors.
- Point (pt)
- In paper, a point is one thousandth of an inch of thickness; a 14 pt card is about 0.014 inch thick.
- Pole pocket
- A pole pocket is a sleeve sewn or welded along a banner edge so a pole or rod can slide through it.
- Preflight
- Preflight is the check a print file goes through before production to catch problems like missing fonts, low-resolution images or missing bleed.
- Presort
- Presort means sorting mail by ZIP Code and carrier route before handing it to USPS, in exchange for lower postage prices.
- Process color
- Process color is full-color printing built from overlapping dots of cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink.
- Proof
- A proof is a sample of the job, on screen or on paper, that the customer checks and approves before printing.
- PVC board
- PVC board is a rigid expanded plastic sheet used for durable indoor and outdoor signs.
R
- Raster
- Raster images are made of pixels, like photos, and lose sharpness when enlarged beyond their resolution.
- Registration
- Registration is how accurately the separate ink colors line up on top of each other on the printed sheet.
- Resolution
- Resolution is the amount of image detail in a file, usually given in pixels or in pixels per inch at a printed size.
- RGB
- RGB is the red, green and blue color model used by screens, cameras and web graphics.
- Rich black
- Rich black is black built from black ink plus some cyan, magenta and yellow to make large dark areas look deeper.
S
- Saddle stitch
- Saddle stitching binds a booklet by stapling through the fold of nested sheets.
- Safe area
- The safe area is the zone inside the trim line where text and important artwork will not be cut off.
- Scoring
- Scoring presses a crease line into paper so it folds cleanly without cracking.
- Screen printing
- Screen printing pushes ink through a fine mesh stencil onto a surface, one color at a time.
- Soft proof
- A soft proof is a digital proof, usually a PDF, used to check content and layout on screen.
- Spot color
- A spot color is a single premixed ink printed from its own plate, rather than built from CMYK dots.
T
- Text stock
- Text stock is a lighter, flexible printing paper used for flyers, brochures, newsletters and booklet pages.
- Trade printer
- A trade printer is a printer that produces work for other printers, designers and resellers rather than for end customers.
- Tri-fold (letter fold)
- A tri-fold folds a sheet into three panels with both ends folding in, one tucked inside the other.
- Trim (trim size)
- Trim size is the final dimension of a printed piece after it has been cut.
- Turnaround
- Turnaround is the time from approved proof to finished job, usually counted in business days.
U
- Uncoated paper
- Uncoated paper has no surface coating, so it feels natural, takes pen and pencil easily and absorbs more ink.
- UV coating
- UV coating is a liquid coating cured instantly with ultraviolet light, usually for a high-gloss, protective finish.
V
- Variable data printing (VDP)
- Variable data printing changes text or images from one piece to the next, such as names, addresses, numbers or codes, in a single run.
- Varnish
- Varnish is a clear ink-like coating applied on press, over a whole sheet or just in spots, for protection or effect.
- Vector
- Vector artwork is made of mathematical paths, so it can be scaled to any size without losing sharpness.
W
- Wide format
- Wide format printing covers banners, signs, posters and graphics printed on roll-fed or flatbed machines too large for standard presses.
- Wire-o binding
- Wire-o binding uses a double loop of metal wire through punched holes so a book or calendar opens flat.
Z
- Z-fold
- A z-fold folds a sheet into three equal panels in a zigzag, like an accordion.