Against the grain
at right angles to direction of paper grain. Opposite of paper grain direction
Bleeds
printed image that extends beyond trim marks, so finished product does not have a white border (generally 1/8" is the setting for bleed)
Crop marks
printed lines showing where to trim a printed sheet
Customer's Originals
print ready copy
Densitometer
a quality control device to measure the density of printing ink
Density
the degree of color or darkness of an image or photograph
Double-sided
see duplex category
DS
double-sided (see duplex category)
FCS
FCS is a term for fold / collate / staple — the act of saddle stitching a booklet.
Flush cut
cut to the edge
Gloss finish
shiny, reflective, smooth finish on paper or laminate
Grippers
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 sideguide
Imposition
the arrangement of pages on a press sheet, or, the arrangement of fields on a document
Impression
putting an image on paper
Matte finish
dull paper, ink, or laminate finish
Offset Paper
term for uncoated paper
Offsetting
using an intermediate surface to transfer ink. This also occurs when images of freshly printed sheets transfer images to each other
Pantone Matching System
(PMS) Industry standard for ink mixing
PMS
Pantone Matching System (see Pantone Matching System definition)
PMS 200
the mixed ink graphic standard for UW printing; also UW red
process color
the process of combining four basic colors to create a printed color picture or colors composed from the basic four colors
Sample
rough layout of a printed piece showing position and finished size
Score
an intentional crease made in paper to help eliminate cracking when folded
Self cover
a cover of the same paper as inside text pages
Sheetwise
to use a separate plate for front and back printing, using the same gripper and guide for both sides of the sheet
Side guide
the mechanical register unit on a printing press that positions a sheet from the side
Signature
a sheet of printed pages that when folded become part of a publication (i.e., book, magazine, etc.)
Single-sided
only one side of the page is printed, meaning the back side of each page is blank
Spine
the binding edge of a publication (i.e., book, magazine, etc.)
SS
single-sided (see single-sided definition)
Stack by page or subset
to keep each piece separate or independent
staple
Staple is a term for a staple added to a printed packet or book, commonly in the upper left corner or along the left side of a booklet.
Step-and-repeat
the process of placing the same image on a single sheet or page of a document multiple times
stitch
Stitch is a staple added to a printed packet or book, commonly in the upper left corner or along the left side of a booklet.
Stock
the material to be printed on
Subset
a defined part of a set
SW
Sheetwise (see sheetwise definition)
Tints
a shade of a single color or combined colors
Trim marks
see crop marks
Trim size
finished size after final trim is made
Varnish
clear ink-like substance that is applied to printed surfaces for appearance and protection