Jump to a Letter: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
- A -
Abrasion Resistance - Degree to which label surfaces (including label material, printing inks or coatings) resist abrasion such as scratching or smudging.
Abrasiveness - Tendency of paper, coatings or inks to erode or dull the edges of cutting dies, slitting blades, printing plates or printheads due to friction.
Absorbency - The ability of a material to take up moisture.
Accordion Fold - A type of paper folding in which each fold runs in the opposite direction to the previous fold creating a pleated or accordion affect.
Acetate - A transparent or translucent plastic sheet material of a variety of colors, used as a basis for artwork and overlays.
Acrylic - A water-soluble polymer used in paints to make them dry both tough and flexible.
Adhesive - Substance capable of holding materials together by surface attachment.
Adhesive, Acrylic - Pressure sensitive adhesive composed of high-strength, acrylic polymer base.
Adhesive, Freezer Grade - Pressure sensitive adhesive designed for adhesion on very cold surfaces (usually 0° (F) or colder).
Adhesive, Opaque - A black or darkened pressure sensitive adhesive which restricts a substrate’s printing from showing through the label face.
Adhesive, Patterned - An adhesive coating applied in a particular pattern that alternates strips of adhesive with non-adhesive areas. Non-adhesive areas are typically used as lift tabs for order picking labels.
Adhesive, Permanent - Any adhesive characterized by high ultimate adhesion to a wide variety of substrates. Labels cannot be removed without damaging either the label or the substrate.
Adhesive, Removable - Any adhesive characterized by low ultimate adhesion. Labels can be removed from most substrates without damaging the label or the substrate, and without leaving adhesive residue or stain.
Adhesive, Rubber Based - A pressure sensitive adhesive derived from natural or synthetic rubber.
Adhesive Bleed - Also known as ooze. The migration of adhesive from under the edges of pressure sensitive labels after they have been die cut. Excessive ooze can cause printer malfunctions and poor quality print.
AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group) - A non-profit trade association of North American vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. The AIAG mission is to improve the productivity of its members through communication, cooperation, efficiency, and application of new technologies. AIAG has developed labeling standards and layout requirements for its industry.
Air - Large white areas in a design layout.
Alignment - The condition of type and or art materials as they level up on a horizontal or vertical line.
American Paper Institute - An organization that correlates all paper related information
Angle Bar - In “web-fed” printing (printing on rolls of paper as opposed to single sheets), an angle bar is a metal bar that is used to turn paper between two components of the press.
Aniline - Oil-based solvent (quick drying) used in the preparation process of dyes and inks.
Anilox Roll - Mechanically - or laser-engraved steel and chrome-coated metering roll used in flexo presses to meter a controlled film of ink from the contacting elastomer covered fountain roller to the printing plates which print the web. Volume of ink is affected by the cell count per linear inch and dimension of the cell and cell wall of the engraving. Manufactured from copper and chromium plated steel. Also given a coating of aluminum oxide (ceramic) or copper and chrome
Application Temperature - Temperature of the substrate’s surface when label is applied. All adhesives have minimum and maximum application temperature ranges. Testing is recommended for proper adhesion.
Art Work - Any materials or images that are prepared for graphic reproduction.
Artwork - All illustrated material, ornamentation, photos and charts etc., that is prepared for reproduction.
Ascender - Any part of a lower case letter which rises above the main body of the letters such as in “d”, “b” and “h”.
Assembled view - In illustration, a term used to describe a view of a drawing in its assembled or whole format.
Author’s Alterations (AA’s) - Changes made after composition stage where customer is responsible for additional charges.
- B -
Back Slit - A linear cut on the back side of the liner material, made during label conversion to meet specialized end user requirements.
Back Step Collation - The collation of book signatures according to reference marks which are printed on the back fold of each section.
Back To Back - Print applied to both sides of a sheet of paper.
Background - That portion of a photograph or line art drawing that appears furthest from the eye; the surface upon which the main image is superimposed.
Barrier Coat - A coating that is applied onto the non-printing side of paper to add to the opacity of that paper. Reference: opacity.
Bas Relief - A three dimensional impression in which the image stands just slightly out from the flat background. References: blind emboss.
Base - The support onto which printing plates is fixed.
Base Line - This is a term used to describe the imaginary horizontal line upon which stand capitals, lower case letters, punctuation points, etc.
Basis Weight - Basis or basic weight refers to the weight, in pounds, of a ream (500 sheets) of paper cut to a given size for that particular paper grade.
Binding - Various methods of securing folded sections together and or fastening them to a cover, to form single copies of a book.
Black Out - Also referred to as black patch; a piece of masking material which is used in layout to mask an area leaving a window into which another element can be stripped.
Blanket - On offset presses a fabric-reinforced sheet of rubber to transfer the impression from the plate onto the paper.
Bleed - Extra ink area that crosses trim line, used to allow for variations that occur when the reproduction is trimmed or die-cut.
Blind Emboss - A design or bas relief impression that is made without using inks or metal foils.
Blind Embossing - Embossed forms that are not inked, or gold leafed.
Blocking Out - To mask a section of an art layout before reproduction.
Blow-up - Any enlargement of photos, copies or line art.
Blue-Line - Photographic proof made from flats for checking accuracy, layout and imposition before plates are made. Also know as a dylux.
Body - The main shank or portion of letter character other than the ascenders and descenders. Also: A term used to define the thickness or viscosity of printer’s ink.
Body Size - The point size of a particular type character.
Boldface - Any type that has a heavier black stroke that makes it more conspicuous.
Bond - A grade of durable writing, printing and typing paper that has a standard size of 17 x 22 inches.
Brochure - A pamphlet that is bound in booklet form.
Bulk - A term given to paper to describe its thickness relative to its weight.
Bullet - A boldface square or dot used before a sentence to emphasize its importance.
Burn - A term used in plate making to describe the amount of plate exposure time.
Butt Cut - Label conversion term referring to non-die cut labels which are separated by a linear slit on the face of the paper. No gap is present between labels and matrix is not removed.
- C -
Caliper - The thickness of a sheet of paper or plastic, measured in units of 1/1000 of an inch. Units of measure are referred to as mils or points.
Camera Ready - A term given to any copy, artwork, etc., that is prepared for photographic reproduction.
Cap Line - An imaginary horizontal line running across the tops of capital letters.
Caps & Lower Case - Instructions in the typesetting process that indicate the use of a capital letter to start a sentence and the rest of the letters in lower case.
Caps & Small Caps - Two sizes of capital letters made in one size of type.
Chain Lines - Lines that appear on laid paper as a result of the wires of the papermaking machine.
Chalking - A term used to describe the quality of print on paper where the absorption of the paper is so great that it breaks up the ink image creating loose pigment dust.
Chemical Resistance - The resistance of pressure-sensitive labels to the deteriorating effects of chemicals under specific condition.
Clay Coated - Specialized coating on paper label stock that optimizes thermal transfer printing.
Coarse Screen - Halftone screens commonly used in newsprint; up to 85 lines per inch.
Coated (Paper) - Paper coated with clay, white pigments and a binder. Better for printing because there is less picking.
Coated Stock - Any paper that has mineral coating applied after the paper is made, giving the paper a smoother finish.
Collate - To gather sheets or signatures together in their correct order. Reference: Gather.
Collating Marks - Black step-marks printed on the back of folded sheets, to facilitate collating and checking of the sequence of book signatures.
Color Bars - This term refers to a color test strip, which is printed on the waste portion of a press sheet. It is a standardized (GATF - Graphic Arts Technical Foundation) process which allows a pressman to determine the quality of the printed material relative to ink density, registration, and dot gain. It also includes the Star Target, which is a similar system designed to detect inking problems.
Color Separating - The processes of separating the primary color components for printing
Color Strength - A term referring to the relative amount of pigmentation in an ink.
Column Gutter - Space between two or more columns of type on one page.
Composition - The assembly of characters into words, lines and paragraphs of text or body matter for reproduction by printing.
Condensed Type - A narrow, elongated type face.
Contrast - The degree of tonal separation or gradation in the range from black to white.
Copy - Refers to any typewritten material, art, photos, etc., to be used for the printing process.
Crop - To eliminate a portion of the art or coy as indicated by crop marks.
Crop Mark - Markings at edges of original or on guide sheet to indicate the area desired in reproduction with negative or plate trimmed (cropped) at the markings.
Curl - Tendency of paper or labels to bend or warp, due to adhesive failure, conversion memory, coatings or laminates.
Cut-off - A term used in web press printing to describe the point at which a sheet of paper is cut from the roll; usually this dimension is equal to the circumference of the cylinder.
Cutter - Machine for accurately cutting stacks of paper to desired dimensions ... can also be used to crease. Also trims out final bound books’ top size (soft cover).
Cutting Die - Sharp edged device, usually made of steel, to cut paper, cardboard, etc., on a printing press.
Cylinder - In Flexography, for no particular reason, most rollers in the printing press are called rolls with the exception of that upon which the rubber plates are mounted, and the one which receives the impression, and these are usually referred to as cylinders, i.e., plate cylinder or impression cylinder.
Cylinder Gap - The gap in the cylinders of a press where the grippers or blanket clamps are housed.
- D -
Deckle Edge - The rough or feathered edge of paper when left untrimmed.
Delete - An instruction given to remove an element from a layout.
Densitometer - An optical device used by printers and photographers to measure and control the density of color.
Density - (1) The lay of paper fibers relative to tightness or looseness which affects the bulk, the absorbency and the finish of the paper. (2) The degree of tone, weight of darkness or color within a photo or reproduction; measurable by the densitometer. Reference: densitometer.
Descender - A term that describes that portion of lower case letters which extends below the main body of the letter, as in “p”.
Destructible Label - A pressure-sensitive label construction with a specially-designed, weakened or patterned, face material that typically breaks apart when removal is attempted. Also called Tamper-Resistant Labels.
Die Cut - Pressure-sensitive labels cut by a die from a release liner, where the matrix (waste between labels) is usually removed.
Die Cutting - A method of using sharp steel ruled stamps or rollers to cut various shapes, i.e.. labels, boxes, image shapes, either post press or in line. The process of cutting paper in a shape or design by the use of a wooden die or block in which are positioned steel rules in the shape of the desired pattern.
Dies - Any of various sharp cutting forms, rotary or flat, used to cut desired shapes from paper, paperboard or other stocks. Also a carry over term for printing plates in flexo industries previously letterpress which in early years used metal printing plates, i.e., corrugated, publications, etc.
Direct Thermal - A specially coated label material that contains microscopic capsules of ink, which burst when exposed to heat. Direct Thermal material is manufactured to allow scanning in either of two light spectrums: visible light or infrared.
Display Type - Any type that stands out from the rest of the type on a page which attracts attention of the reader.
Doctor Blade - A thin flexible blade mounted parallel to and adjustable against an engraved anilox roll, for the purpose of scraping off excess ink.
Dot - The smallest individual element of a halftone.
Dot Gain - Darkening of a halftone image due to ink absorption in paper causing halftone dots to enlarge. Terms to describe the occurrence whereby dots are printing larger than they should
dpi (Dot per inch) - A measurement referring to the dot resolution in images created by various printing processes, such as direct thermal, thermal transfer and/or laser printing. Typically, higher dpi represents greater density in a print image.
Drier - A term that describes any additives to ink which encourages the drying process.
Drill - The actual drilling of holes into paper for ring or comb binding.
Dull Finish - Any matte finish paper.
Dummy - A term used to describe the preliminary assemblage of copy and art elements to be reproduced in the desired finished product; also called a comp.
Dummy Model - Resembling finish piece in every respect except that the pages and cover are blank, used by the designer as a final check on the appearance and “feel" of the book as a guide for the size and position of elements on the jacket.
Duotone - Color reproduction from monochrome original. Keyplate usually printed in dark color for detail, second plate printed in light flat tints. A two-color halftone reproduction generated from a onecolor photo.
Duplex Paper - Paper which has a different color or finish on each side.
Dwell/Dwell Time - The time during which a pressure-sensitive material cures or adheres to a surface before accurate adhesive testing can occur.
- E -
Electronic Composition - The assembly of characters into words, lines, and paragraphs of text or body matter with graphic elements in page layout form in digital format for reproduction by printing.
Embossed - A method of paper finishing whereby a pattern is pressed into the paper when it is dry.
Embossing - To raise in relief a design or letters already printed on card stock or heavy paper by an uninked block or die. In rubber and plastic plate making, the process is usually done by heat.
Emulsion - A light sensitive substance used as a coating for film; made from a silver halide compound. This side should face the lens when the film is exposed when shooting offset. Flexo printing needs the emulsion to be on the opposite side.
Enamel - A term that describes a glossy coating on paper.
Engraving - A printing process whereby images such as copy or art are etched onto a plate. When ink is applied, these etched areas act as small wells to hold the ink; paper is forced against this die and the ink is lifted out of the etched areas creating raised images on the paper.
Estimate - The form used by the printer to calculate the project for the print buyer. This form contains the basic parameters of the project including size, quantity, colors, bleeds, photos, etc.
Estimator - The person who computes or approximates the cost of work to be done on which quotation may be based.
Expanded Type - Type with width greater than normal producing a rectangular effect.
- F -
Face Stock/Face Material - Any paper, film, foil, fabric or plastic material suitable for converting into pressure sensitive labels. Face stocks are married to an adhesive layer and carried on a liner.
Face Slit - A linear cut in the face material of a converted label, made during label conversion for specific end user requirements.
Fan-Fold - Paper folding that emulates an accordion or fan, the folds being alternating and parallel.
Fan-Folded Labels - Finishing method for pressure-sensitive, die cut labels that are perforated between labels and machine folded back and forth to create a stack of labels, rather then rolls.
Filling In - A fault in printing where the ink fills in the fine line or halftone dot areas.
Film - Plastic or synthetic face materials manufactured from man-made, high-molecular weight polymers. Examples include Kimdura®, Mylar®, polyester, polyethylene and vinyl.
Finish - The surface quality of paper.
Finish (Paper) - Dull - (low gloss) also matte or matte gloss.
Fit - The registration of items within a given page.
Flexography - A method of direct rotary printing using resilient raised image printing plates, affixed to variable repeat plate cylinders, inked by a roll or doctor-blade-wiped engraved metal roll, carrying fluid or paste-type inks to virtually any substrate.
Flush Cover - A bound book or booklet having the cover trimmed to the same size as the text.
Foils - Papers that have a surface resembling metal.
Folder - Machine used to fold signatures down into sections.
Folio or Page Number - Number of page at top or bottom either centered, flushed left or flushed right often with running headline.
Font - The characters which make up a complete typeface and size.
Form Rollers - The rollers that come into direct contact with the plate of a printing press.
Fringe - A halo that appears around halftone dots.
Fuzz - A term for the fibers that project from the paper surface.
- G -
Gang - Group of frames or impositions in the same form of different jobs arranged and positioned to be printed together.
Ganging - The bundling of two or more different printing projects on the same sheet of paper.
Gather - To assemble or collect sections into single copies of complete books for binding.
Gathering - Assembling sheets of paper and signatures into their proper sequence; collating.
Ghosting - (1) The appearance of faint image of the design being printed in areas which are not intended to receive that portion of the image. (2) The appearance of a fainter unwanted image in a printed area caused by local ink starvation on the transfer roll from the previous impression.
Gigo - Garbage in, garbage out.
Glassine - A strong transparent paper.
Graduated Screen - An area of image where halftone dots range continuously from one density to another.
Grain - Direction of fibers in a sheet governing paper properties such as increased size changes with relative humidity, across the grain, and better folding properties along the grain.
Grain Direction - The direction of paper parallel with the direction of movement on the paper machine. The direction at right angles to the machine direction is called the cross-machine direction or simply cross direction.
Gripper - A series of metal fingers that hold each sheet of paper as it passes through the various stages of the printing process.
Gripper Edge - The grippers of the printing press move the paper through the press by holding onto the leading edge of the sheet; this edge is the gripper edge.
Gumming - The application of gum arabic to the non-printing areas of a plate.
Gutter - Space between pages in the printing frame of a book, or inside margin towards the back or binding edge. The blank space or margin between the type page and the binding of a book.
- H -
Hairline register - Printing registration that lies within the range of plus or minus one half row of dots. It is the thinnest of the standard printer’s rules.
Hard Dot - Tone graduated image composed of varying sized dots or lines, with equidistant centers.
Head Margin - That space which lies between the top of the printed copy and the trimmed edge.
Hickies - Imperfections in presswork due to dirt on press, trapping error, etc.
Highlight Dot - The highest density of a halftone image.
Highlights - The lightest tones of a photo, printed halftone or illustration. In the finished halftone, these highlights are represented by the finest dots.
Hot melt - An adhesive used in the binding process, which requires heat for application.
- I -
I.D. - Inside diameter of the core.
Image Area - That portion of the printing plate that carries the ink and prints on paper.
Image Setter - High resolution, large format device for producing film from electronically generated page layouts.
Impact Dot Matrix - One of the most common methods used in printing bar code labels, dot matrix involves the firing of pins or hammers against a ribbon and then onto the paper. Each pin or hammer produces a small dot of ink on the paper surface.
Impression - Product resulting from one cycle of printing machine. The pressure of the image carrier, whether it be the type, plate or blanket, when it contacts the paper.
Imprint - A secondary marking containing additional information imposed on a primary printing.
Index Bristol - A relatively thick paper stock; basis size - 25 1/2 x 30 1/2.
Indicia - Markings pre-printed on mailing envelopes to replace the stamp.
Infrared Light - Refers to infrared rays, the longer wave lengths below the red in the spectrum; used as a source of heat.
Ink, Flexographic - Fast drying fluid or paste type inks used in flexographic printing.
Ink Fountain - The device which stores and meters ink to the inking rollers.
Ink Jet Printing - Non-impact printing method in which ink is finely sprayed through a nozzle directly onto a specially-coated material to create the desired image.
Inserts - Extra printed pages inserted loosely into printed pieces.
Ion Deposition Printing - An electronic printing process which uses a static charge to attract toner to a printing cylinder. The toner is then transferred to a compatible, printable surface, creating the image.
IPS (Inches per Second) - Speed at which thermal transfer printers image labels or tags.
Italic - Text that is used to denote emphasis by slanting the type body forward.
- J -
Job Number - A number assigned to a printing project used for record keeping and job tracking. Also used to retrieve old jobs for reprints or reworking by customer.
Jog - To vibrate a stack of finished pages so that they are tightly aligned for final trimming.
Jogger - Vibrating, sloping platform that evens up the edges of stacks of paper.
- K -
Kerning - The narrowing of space between two letters so that they become closer and take up less space on the page.
Keyline - Lines that are drawn on artwork that indicate the exact placement, shape and size of elements
including halftones, illustrations, etc.Kimdura® - Matte computer printable coated polypropylene base ideal for thermal transfer and dot matrix printing used in container and shelf-marking.
Kraft - A coarse unbleached paper used for printing and industrial products.
- L -
Laid Finish - A parallel lined paper that has a handmade look.
Laser Printing - Images are formed on a rotating cylinder or belt by a laser beam. Toner is attracted to the image, then fused to the paper via heat and pressure. Laser printers use either cut sheet or continuous form labels and can reproduce high density bar codes at high speeds, with flexibility for variable information changes.
Layout - A rendition that shows the placement of all the elements, roughs, thumbnails, etc., of the final printed piece before it goes to print.
Leading - Space between lines of type; the distance in points between one baseline and the next.
Ledger Paper - A stiff heavy business paper generally used for keeping records.
Letterspacing - The addition of space between typeset letters.
Line Copy - Any copy that can be reproduced without the use of halftone screens.
Linen - A paper the emulates the look and texture of linen cloth.
Liner - The paper or film that carries pressure-sensitive labels. Liners typically have silicone coatings which allow easy removal of the labels.
- M -
M weight - The actual weight of 1000 sheets of any given size of paper.
Machine Direction - The direction of paper parallel to its forward movement on the paper machine. The direction at right angles to this is called the Cross Direction.
Magnetic Black - Black pigments containing black iron oxides, used for magnetic ink character recognition.
Makeready - The preparation and correction of the printing plate before starting the printing run, to insure uniformly clean impressions of optimum quality. All preparatory operations preceding production.
Margin - Unprinted space around edge of page.
Mark-up - To write up instructions, as on a dummy.
Match Print - Photographic proof made from all color flats and form composite proof showing color quality as well as accuracy, layout, and imposition before plates are made.
Matrix - During conversion, the waste portion of face stock and adhesive surrounding pressure-sensitive labels that is generally stripped away as labels are die cut.
Matte Finish - A coated paper finish that goes through minimal calendaring.
Measure - The width of type as measured in picas. Reference: picas.
Mechanical - A term used to describe finished artwork that is camera ready for reproduction, including all type, photos, illustrations, etc.
Metropolitan Service Area - A group of ZIP code usually in close proximity defining a large metropolitan area (e.g. New York City or Los Angeles).
Midtone Dot - Commonly know as the area between highlight and shadow area of a subject’s face in halftone image.
Mil - One one-thousandth of an inch (.001”).
Moire - An undesirable halftone pattern produced by the incorrect angles of overprinting halftone screens.
MSI - One thousand square inches. Ribbon prices are based on MSI.
Mylar - DuPont Corporation’s trade name for polyester.
- N -
Natural - A term used to describe papers that have a color similar to that of wood; also called cream, offwhite or ivory.
Negative - A photographic image of originals on paper, film or glass in reverse from that of the original copy. Dark areas appear light and vice versa.
Newsprint - A light, low cost ground wood paper made especially for newspapers.
Nominal Weight - When the basis weight of paper differs from the actual weight, the term nominal weight is used.
- O -
O.D. - Outside diameter of a part, generally a cylinder or roll. Outside dimensions of a container, package or part.
OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer.
Offset - The most commonly used printing method, whereby the printed material does not receive the ink directly from the printing plate but from an intermediary cylinder called a blanket which receives the ink from the plate and transfers it to the paper.
Offset Paper - A term for uncoated book paper.
Ooze - The migration of adhesive form under pressure sensitive labels after they have been die cut. Excessive ooze can cause printer malfunctions and poor quality print. Also known as adhesive Bleed.
Opacity - The quality or state of substance that causes it to obstruct rays of light. The hiding quality of an ink coating or other substance; opposite of transparency.
Opaque - A quality of paper that allows relatively little light to pass through.
Opaque Ink - Ink that completely covers any ink under itself.
Over Run - Surplus of copies printed.
Overprinting - Any printing that is done on an area that has already been printed.
- P -
Page - One side of a leaf.
Page Makeup - The assemblage of all the necessary elements required to complete a page.
Page Proofs - Proofs made up from pages.
Pageboard - Any paper with a thickness (caliper) of 12 points (.3mm) or more.
Parchment - A hard finished paper that emulates animal skin; used for documents, such as awards, that require writing by hand.
Paste-up - Preparation of positive materials into a layout for photographing to film negatives.
Perf Marks - Markings usually dotted lines at edges showing where perforations should occur.
Perfect - A term used to describe the binding process where the signatures of a book are held together by a flexible adhesive.
Perfect Binding - Binding process where backs of sections are cut off, roughened and glued together, and rung in a cover.
Perfecting - Printing both sides of the paper (or other material) on the same pass through the printing machine.
Perfecting Press - A printing press that prints on both sides of the page in a single pass.
Perforation - Series of small, in-line holes cut in a material to facilitate tearing or folding along a predetermined line. Perfs are measured by TPI (ties per inch).
Pica - Standard of measurement, 1/6 inch. 1 pica = 12 points, 72 points = 1 inch.
Picking - (1) When the tack of ink is stronger than the surface strength of the paper, some lifting of the paper surface occurs; this is referred to as picking. (2) An occurrence in printing whereby the tack of ink pulls fibers or coating off the paper surface, leaving spots on the printed surface.
Piling - A build up of pigment or paper coatings onto the plate, blankets or rollers.
in Register - Using metal pins fitted into preset holes of copy sheets, films, plates and presses that will assure the proper registration.
Pinholing - Failure of printed ink to form a completely continuous film, visible in the form of small holes in the printed areas.
Plastic Comb - A method of binding books whereby holes are drilled on the side closest the spine, and a plastic grasping device is inserted to hold the pages together.
Plate - Reproduction of type or cuts in metal, plastic, rubber or other material, to form a plate bearing a relief, planographic or intaglio printing surface.
Plate Cylinder - The cylinder on a printing press on which the plate is mounted.
Platemaking - Making a printing plate from a film or flat including preparation of the plate surface, sensitizing, exposing through the flat, developing or processing, an finishing.
PMT - Photomechanical transfer.
Point - A measurement unit equal to 1/72 of an inch. 12 points to a pica, 72 points to an inch.
Polyamides - Polymers containing amide groups; for example: Nylon, Versamid resins, etc.
Polyester - A strong film used in thermal transfer printing that is resistant to moisture, solvents, oils and chemical. Mylar® is DuPont’s trade name for polyester.
Polyethylene - A lightweight, low-temperature film with elastic properties, often used for packaging labels on semirigid bottles.
Polypropylene - A strong, lightweight film similar to polyethylene, but with higher temperature resistance.
Polystyrene - A thermoplastic material derived from the polymerization of styrene.
Positive - Film that contains an image with the same tonal values as the original; opposite of a negative.
Ppi - Pixels per inch.
Printhead - Electronic thermal transfer printing element using individually heated pins to transfer a printed image onto a substrate.
Process Inks - Printing inks, usually in sets of four colors. The most frequent combination is cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). These are printed, one over another to obtain a colored print with the desired hues, whites, blacks, and grays.
Process Printing - Printing from two or more half tones to produce intermediate colors and shades.
Proof - Impression from composed type or blocks, taken for checking and correction, from a lithographic plate to check accuracy of layout, type matter, tone and color reproduction.
- R -
Ragged Left - The term given to right-justified type that is uneven on the left.
Ragged Right - The term given to left-justified type that is uneven on the right.
Railroad Board - A thick, coated paper used for signs, usually waterproof.
Ream - 500 sheets of paper.
Register - The arrangement of two or more images in exact alignment with each other.
Register Marks - Any crossmarks or other symbols used on layout to assure proper registration.
Right Angle Fold - A term that denotes folds that are 90 degrees to each other.
Relative Humidity (RH) - The percentage of water vapor present in the air as compared to the total amount possible at the same temperature.
Release Coat - The silicone coating on a liner that allows pressure sensitive labels to be easily removed or dispensed.
Removability - A relative term applied to pressure sensitive labels to describe the force or condition under which they may be removed from a substrate. Labels are classified as removable when little or no damage is experienced by either the label or the substrate upon removal.
Repeat - The printing length of a plate cylinder, determined by one revolution of the plate cylinder gear.
Resin Ribbon - The most durable type of thermal transfer ribbon, manufactured with a pure resin coating on polyester film. Resin ribbons offer the highest scratch and smudge resistance and are used in the most difficult labeling applications. Resin ribbons print best on synthetic face stocks, such as polyester, and must image at slower speeds and higher temperature than other ribbon formulas.
Reverse, or Knock-Out - In color printing, the process of dropping an image out of the color such as dropping white type out of a color background.
Roll To Roll - A web press printing process where the roll of paper is printed and stored on a roll to be shipped.
- S -
Saddle Stitching - Stitching where the wire staples pass through the spine from the outside and are clinched in the center.
Safety Paper - A paper that shows sign of erasure so that it cannot be altered or tampered with easily.
Satin Finish - A smooth delicately embossed finished paper with sheen.
Scaling - The enlargement or reduction of an image or copy to fit a specific area.
Scanability - The ability of a bar code to be scanned by decoders or verifying equipment. Print contrast, resolution, density, reflectivity, ratios, symbologies, and label materials all contribute to the scanability of a bar code.
Scanner - Electronic device that reads, decodes and converts optical information from a bar code into electronic signals.
Score - Impressions or cuts in flat material to facilitate bending or tearing.
Screen Angles - The placement of halftone screens to avoid unwanted moire patterns. Frequently used angles are black - 45 deg., magenta - 75 deg., yellow - 90 deg., and cyan - 105 deg.
Screen Ruling - A measurement equaling the number of lines or dots per inch on a halftone screen.
Scum - Unwanted ink marks in the non-image area.
Self Cover - A cover made out of the same paper stock as the internal sheets.
Shadow Dot - The lowest density of a halftone image.
Sharpen - To decrease the dot size of the halftone which in turn decreases the color strength.
Show Through - A problem that occurs when the printing on one side of a sheet is seen from the other side.
Side Guides - The guides on the sides of the sheet fed press that position the sheet sideways as the paper is led towards the front guides.
Signature (Section) - Printed sheet (or its flat) that consists of a number of pages of a book, placed so that they will fold and bind together as a section of a book. The printed sheet after folding.
Slits - (1) Cuts or slices machined into the face or liner of a label material for a predetermined end use, usually to facilitate removal or divide into separate functional sections. (2) A term to describe the process of cutting of printed sheets by the cutting wheels of a printing press.
Smudge Resistance/Smear Resistance - The quality or characteristics of paper, film and/or ribbon to resist the smearing of ink following printing. Directly related to the absorption level of the paper, ink formulation, and/or printing methods.
Soft Dot - An excessively large halo around a dot in a photograph that causes a fringe that diminishes the dot intensity.
Solvent Resistance - The quality or characteristics of paper, film and/or ribbon to resist the act of specific solvents.
Spine - Back edge of a book
Spread - A film image that is larger than the original image to accommodate ink trapping. Reference: trapping.
Static Neutralizer - A device on a printing press that minimizes the amount of static build up on paper as it passes through the press.
Step and Repeat - A process of generating multiple exposures by taking an image and stepping it according to a predetermined layout.
Stock - A term for unprinted paper or other material to be printed.
Strip-In - To add an element, such as copy that is shot separately, and then stripped into place on a goldenrod flat.
Stripping - Originally, the removal of the photographic emulsion with its image from individual negatives and combining them in position on a glass plate. Now the use of stripfilm materials, and the cutting, attachment, and other operations for assembling. The positioning of positives and negatives on the flat before proceeding to platemaking.
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Tack - The adhesive quality of inks.
Tag - A dense, strong paper stock.
Tamper-Resistant Label - A pressure-sensitive label construction with a specially-designed, weakened or patterned face material that typically breaks apart when removal is attempted. Also called Destructible Labels.
Tear Strength - The force required to tear a label specimen under standardized conditions, using an instrument designed to simulate the tearing encountered in general use conditions.
Tensile Strength - A paper’s ability to withstand pressure.
Text - A high quality printing paper.
Thermal Printing - Thermal Printing uses heat from elements in a stationary printhead to create dot patterns that produce the actual image on paper. There are two types of thermal printing: Thermal Transfer and Direct Thermal. Thermal Transfer requires coated paper and heat - activated ribbons whose ink coating is transferred to the paper to form the image. Direct thermal uses no ribbon for printing but relies on specially coated paper which, when heated, will reveal a dark printed image.
Thermography - A printing process whereby slow drying ink is applied to paper and while the ink is still wet, it is lightly dusted with a resinous powder. The paper then passes through a heat chamber where the powder melts and fuses with the ink to produce a raised surface.
Tint - A halftone screen that contains all same sized dots.
Transparent - Inks that do not block out the colored inks that they print over, but instead blend with them to create intermediate colors.
Trapping - The process of printing wet ink over printed ink which may be wet or dry.
Trim Marks - Marks placed on the sheet to indicate where to cut the page.
Tyvek® - The brand name of an imprintable, virtually indestructible, highly moisture-resistant material manufactured by DuPont, originally developed for automobile seat belt labels.
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UL (Underwriter’s Laboratories) - A product safety certification laboratory established in 1894 in the United States that operates product safety certification programs, which safeguard against reasonably unforeseeable risks.
Up - A term used to describe how many similar sheets can be produced on a larger sheet; two up, four up, etc.
UPC (Universal Product Code) - Standard bar code symbology used in retail and grocery stores that uniquely identifies a product and its manufacturer.
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Vacuum Frame - Also called a contact frame; used in the platemaking process to hold materials in tight contact during exposure.
Varnish - A heat-cured coating of one or more materials applied to a face material for protection and/or decoration.
Vellum - A finish of paper that rough, bulky and has a degree of tooth.
Velox - A photographic print which is made from a negative.
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W&B - An abbreviation for work and back.
W&T - An abbreviation for work and turn.
Washup - The procedure of cleaning a particular ink from all of the printing elements (rollers, plate, ink fountain, etc.) of a press.
Watermark - A translucent logo that is embossed during the papermaking process while the paper slurry is on the dandy roll.
Wax Ribbon - A thermal transfer ribbon manufactured with a pure wax coating on polyester film. Wax ribbons are typically soft, and allow printing at high speeds and low temperatures. Wax ribbon is the optimum choice for printing on paper labels or tags.
Wax/Resin Blend Ribbon - A type of thermal transfer ribbon manufactured with a combination of wax and resin coatings on polyester film. Wax/Resin Blend ribbons offer more durable print results than wax ribbon, and can image well on a variety of paper and synthetic surfaces. Blends are manufactured with different wax/resin ratios; the more resin in a blend, the more durable and scratch resistant the image.
Web - The roll of paper that is used in web or rotary printing.
Web Break - A tear in a web roll during the printing process.
Web Press - Cylinder printing machine in which the paper is fed from a continuous reel, as opposed to sheet fed.
Web Tension - The term given to the tension or pull exerted by the web press on the web roll.
Widow - A single word or two left at the end of a paragraph, or a part of a sentence ending a paragraph, which loops over to the next page and stands alone. Also, the last sentence of a paragraph which contains only one or two short words.
Wove - A smooth paper made on finely textured wire that gives the paper a gentle patterned finish.
Writing Paper - Another name for bond paper.
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Xerographic Paper - Papers made to reproduce well in copy machines and laser printers.
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Yield Value - The actual amount of force needed to start ink flowing.