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

extension of the printed image that extends beyond the trim marks so the finished product does not have a white border after final trims are taken; standard bleed is 1/8 inch on all sides

a finishing term for gathering paper in a precise order

heavier-weight (thicker/more-rigid) paper consisting of various grades

print ready copy

a quality control device to measure the density of printing ink

the degree of color or darkness of an image or photograph

metal rule or imaged block used to cut or place an image on paper in the finishing process

printing on both the front and back side of a sheet

a halftone picture made up of two printed colors

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

metal fingers on a printing press that hold the paper as it passes through the press; the image is registered in relation to the gripper.  Similar to a sideguide.

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

reoccurring unplanned spots that appear in the printed image from dust, lint, dried ink

portion of paper on which ink can appear

putting an image on paper

an outline drawing

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

small magnifying glass used to review a printed image, plate, or position film

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

pronounced “moor-ay”: incorrect screen angles or dot patterns causing an undesirable waviness in an image or photograph

the image on a film that inverts color

term for uncoated paper

using an intermediate surface to transfer ink. This also occurs when images of freshly printed sheets transfer images to each other.

transparent cover sheet on artwork often used for instructions

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

type of binding that uses glue on the spine of the sheets to adhere a cover to the sheets, like a phone book

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

the process of combining four basic colors to create a printed color picture or colors composed from the basic four colors

two folds at right angles to each other

rough layout of a printed piece showing position and finished size

an intentional crease made in paper to help eliminate cracking when folded

a cover of the same paper as inside text pages

to use a separate plate for front and back printing, using the same gripper and guide for both sides of the sheet

the mechanical register unit on a printing press that positions a sheet from the side

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

only one side of the page is printed, meaning the back side of each page is blank

the binding edge 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 defined part of a set

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

lighter-weight (thinner/pliable) paper consisting of various grades

finished size after final trim is made

the mixed ink graphic standard for UW printing; also PMS 200

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.

Y: one of the four process colors used in the CMYK printing process; yellow in color