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| Print Terms Glossary |
| Aqueous coating |
A water based coating that seals the printed sheet to dry in the press delivery.
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| Bindery |
All of the form manufacturing operations which are performed after printing, including: punching, folding, scoring, fastening, trimming, slitting, numbering, foil stamping, and die cutting.
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| Bleed |
Any image which has been extended beyond the edge of the printed page size, usually an additional 1/8 to 1/4 inch, to later be trimmed off by the cutter.
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| Blueline |
A ultraviolet light sensitive paper proof that demonstrates the film image output before it is plated.
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| CMS |
Color Management Systems ensure color uniformity across the many devices in a prepress environment so that the printed results match the original materials.
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| Collating |
Gathering (assembling) sections (signatures) in proper sequence for binding.
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| Color correction |
The adjustment of color values in an image to remove unwanted effectes, improve color characteristics, or add color qualities.
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| Creep |
Compensation for the thickness of folded signatures at the spine in a binding job.
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| Descreening |
Removal of halftone dot patterns on printed material during or after scanning by defocusing the image. This eliminates moire patterning and color shifts.
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| Digital proofs |
A proof generated by data or voltages consisting of discrete steps or levels, as opposed to continuously variable analog data.
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| Dot gain |
An imperfection of printing that causes halftone dots to print larger than they should. This imperfection is mainly caused by the absorption of ink by the paper and causes the reproduction to print darker than it should.
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| DPI |
Dots per inch, a measurement of output device resolution.
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| Estimating |
A system of providing a price to a customer based on the specifications outlined on the estimate form. It is normally sent prior to the entry of an order and prices may vary if the order specifications are not the same as the estimate specifications.
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| Four-color process |
The process of reproducing a color image by overprinting screened separations for each of the three process colors (cyan, magenta, yellow) and black using process color inks.
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| FTP |
File transfer protocol is a protocol for the web which allows people to exchange files via the internet.
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| Fulfillment |
The collection of materials in a finished product for distribution or inventory.
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| Halftone |
A reproduction of a continuous-tone photograph by simulating gradiations of tone using dots of varying size, shape, or proximity.
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| Hexachrome |
Pantone high fidelity process program to crate six-color images from Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator software.
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| Imposition |
Positioning pages on a press form so that they will be in the correct numerical sequence after they are folded.
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| JPEG |
(Joint Photographic Experts Group) a compressed file format that contains maximum color information in a low resolution file.
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| Laser proofs |
Although a number of devices employ laser technology to print images, this refers to black and white desktop printers, which use the dry toner xerographic printing process.
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| Line screen |
The number of rows or lines of dots in a halftone image within a given distance, normally stated in lines per inch (lpi). A frequencey of 200 lpi would only be used in high-quality printing.
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| Offset printing |
The term used to refer to offset lithography. The printing process where ink is transferred from the plate to the rubber blanket, then to the paper.
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| Pantone PMS |
Premixed ink color that are often specified by graphic designers for spot colors in multicolor print jobs. Pantone colors may also be simulated by process color.
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| PDF |
(Portable Document Format) is an Adobe file format which allows easy transfer of high resolution files with consistent components on different machines.
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| Plot |
Full sized digital color proof trimmed and folded to simulate the final printed piece.
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| Prepress |
The operations which are performed before printing including: preflight, intervention, proofreading, color correction, imposition, and imaging of film or plates.
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| Proof |
An intermediate stage in the document production process when pages are checked for errors and corrected.
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| RGB |
Acronym for Red, Green, and Blue. RGB is a color model based on additive color therory used for computer monitors and color video output systems.
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| Sherpa |
High resolution commercial quality digital proof using Piazo inkjet with variable droplet technology for color match on press.
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| Signature |
The name given to a printed sheet after it has been folded.
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| Six-color process |
High fidelity printing in which images are separated and printed with yellow, magenta, cyan, black, orange and green inks to reproduce a larger color gamut.
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| Stitching |
A binding method in which the pages of a book are pread open at the center then hung on a "saddle" to be stitched or stapled through the fold line at the seam.
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| Trap |
A slight overlapping that prevents gaps from appearing along the edges of an object because of misalignment or movement on the press.
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| Trapping |
The ability to print ink over previously printed ink. Dry trapping is printing wet ink over dry ink. Wet trapping is printing wet ink over previously printed wet ink.
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| Varnish |
A thin, protective coating applied to a printed piece for proctection or appearance.
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