DoIT Digital Publishing & Printing DoIT Digital Publishing & Printing Glossary

at right angles to the direction of the paper grain; opposite of paper grain direction

a border of lamination material that extends beyond the edge of the printed piece; standard border is 1/8 inch

K:  one of the four colors of the CMYK printing process, black in color. Also referred to as the Key color.

a finishing term for gathering paper in a precise order

printed lines showing where to trim a printed sheet

print ready copy

C: one of the four process colors used in the CMYK printing process; blue in color

strong, sytrofoam-like board to which printed material is applied or mounted

the direction in which the paper fiber lie

converting a continuous tone to dots for printing

right-reading sheets with the head on top that, when duplexed, heads run together on the front and back of sheet; the back sheet is right-side up

right reading sheets with head on top, that, when duplexed, heads run opposite on front and back of sheet. The back sheet is upside down

portion of paper on which ink can appear

marking used on mail as a substitute for a stamp; indicates postage paid

using a high-temperature process to melt plastic on paper, can be one or two-sided

M: one of the four process colors used in the CMYK printing process; pink/purple in color

all the activities required to prepare a press for printing

dull paper, ink, or laminate finish

the image on a film that inverts color

term for uncoated paper

the amount of show-through on a printed sheet.  The thicker the paper, the lesser amount of show-through; the thinner the paper, the more amount of show-through.

material that is to be reproduced using various printing methods. i.e., PDFs, documents, photographs, artwork, product sample, or artist's drawing

transparent cover sheet on artwork often used for instructions

pagination sheet

total number of pages in a book including blanks

(PMS) Industry standard for ink mixing

a series of small cuts at regular intervals usually made to help a sheet tear apart evenly

unit of measurement. One pica = 1/6 inch

a metal plate imaged in a setting machine for each color separation; required for offset printing

The area where the grippers hold the sheet as it passes through the press

two folds at right angles to each other

rough layout of a printed piece showing position and finished size

a sheet of printed pages that when folded become part of a publication (i.e., book, magazine, etc.)

to keep each piece separate or independent

added to a printed packet or book, commonly in the upper left corner or along the left side of a booklet

the process of placing the same image on a single sheet or page of a document multiple times

a type of binding that uses a strip of durable tape to hold a book together

used to expand the dominant ink to be printed larger than the less-dominant ink; used to help tighted registration on offset printing

protective liquid coating applied to printed sheets (similar to varnish), bonded and cured with ultra-violet (UV) light

clear ink-like substance that is applied to printed surfaces for appearance and protection

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

folding or feeding paper into the press or folder parallel to the grain of paper

using the same plate and same guide, printing one side of a sheet, and flipping it from gripper to tail to print on the back of the sheet. Similar to perfecting but 2 passes.

using the same plate and common guide, printing one side of a sheet, and flipping it from left to right to print on the back of the sheet