Glossary of Terms
Glossary of printing terms to help our clients realise their vision
A
A-Sizes – The International ISO range of metric paper sizes. These are used for both commercial and private stationery. The sizes reduce proportionally by folding the longest dimension in half starting with A0 as the largest size. For example an A4 letterhead is half the size of A3, and an A5 Invitation is half of A4.
Antique – Not 100 years old as it sounds! The term comes from the period when paper was made by hand. This is a high quality, uncoated card or paper with a rough surface finish and is available in different colours with a .
Art Paper / Board – Paper or board coated to either one or two sides in a china clay compound which has a smooth coated gloss, silk or matt finish, ideal for colour litho printing of images and solid colour.
Artwork – Print quality origination, can be produced in a variety of formats using various software systems, the most common being Indesign or Quark. Sometimes we may need to scan hand drawn logos, crests or illustrations to incorporate within these artwork templates.
B
B-Sizes – The International ISO range of metric paper sizes designed for printing work requiring a larger format than the standard ‘A’ sizes.
Bank Paper – A light uncoated paper used for making carbon copies.
Banker – A wallet envelope with a diamond flap on the top long edge.
Bevel edge – The angled edge applied to card, enabling you to see a coloured or gilt edge from a front view of the card. Ideal for thick Invitation cards.
Bleed – The area of print which extends beyond the trimmed edge, normally at least 3mm of bleed is required for printing; this may need to be greater if diecutting is also required.
Blind Embossing / Debossing – A process of raised or sunken print which does not use any ink or foil.
Block – A metal printing or embossing plate, mainly used for foilblocking.
Board – A paper substrate in heavier grammages than 160-170gsm. Used for Invitations, Business cards, Covers for booklets and wedding Order of service sheets.
C
C – Often used as an abbreviation for Cyan, one of the four colours used in 4-Colour Process printing.
C-Sizes – The International ISO range of metric sizes for envelopes designed to match the equivalent ‘A’ sizes of paper. For example a C4 envelope takes a (flat) sheet of A4 paper, a C5 envelope takes an A5 Invitation.
Calligraphy – The art of fine writing, commonly used to personalise invitations, envelopes, place cards and menus with the names of guests.
Coated paper/card – Also referred to as ‘Art paper/card’, this is paper or card which is coated with a china clay compound to make a smooth gloss, silk or matt finish, ideal for colour printing of images and solid colour.
Collate – To gather different sections of a printed document in the correct sequence required for binding together.
Copperplate printing - The process which uses engraved copper printing plates to create high quality, defined and embossed print. This is the best quality process for fine detail and lettering particularly if printing in a light colour onto a dark material.
Copy – Text content required for producing artwork
Crop marks – Small printed lines which are placed slightly outside of the printed area which act as a guide for guillotine cutting (also referred to as Trim marks).
Cyan – One of the four colours used in 4-Colour process printing (for images etc)
D
Debossing – An image area which is sunken into the surface of the paper or card (this is the opposite to embossing). This is normally created when foilblocking or printing blind or with letterpress printing.
Deckle Edge – Paper or card which has a rough, uneven edge, this can be an untrimmed edge of a handmade paper or simulated by hand.
Die – A metal printing plate, normally Copper or Steel, this is usually engraved and used for embossed printing or with foil blocking.
Die-cutting – The process by which shapes or narrow slits are cut out of paper or card. A cutting tool is required for this operation.
Die stamping – The process which uses engraved metal printing plates (usually copper, brass or steel) to create high quality, defined and embossed print. This is the best quality process for fine detail and lettering particularly if printing in a light colour onto a dark material.
Digital printing – Form of colour flat printing, this is ideal for reproducing colour pictures onto smooth paper and card and for lower print quantities (below 500). It is also suitable for personalising Invitations, place cards etc.
Dot – A single element from which half-tone reproduction is created.
Duotone – A two colour half-tone image
E
Embossing – A raised impression created in paper or card (this is the opposite to debossing). This is normally created when die stamping, printing blind or with foil using engraved printed plates.
Engraving – A design or lettering cut or etched into a metal plate (normally copper), this is required for die stamping (embossed) print
F
Feint ruling – Thin lines printed onto paper to act as a guide for writing
Fly card – A vertical or horizontal folded card.
Foilblocking – Another process requiring a metal block (usually made of magnesium or Brass) and using heat to apply foil (from a roll) onto a paper or card. ideal for printing metallic colours or for printing onto more unusual materials like suede or woven linen
Fold lines – Small tick marks which indicate where a sheet or card are to be folded, sometimes used on commercial letterheads.
Foot – Base of a page (normally used when referring to a letterhead)
Four-colour process – Form of litho (flat) printing using the four colours Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. This is used for printing colour images or any design, which contains a large number of different colours.
FSC – Forest Stewardship Council is a non-profit International organisation promoting environmentally, socially and economically responsible forest management. Papers with the FSC certification mark contain fibres which have been traced and verified by the FSC.
G
GSM – Grams per square metre, used for defining weights of paper and card.
Gilt edges – The edges of a card which are covered with an imitation gold leaf.
Grammage – The weight of paper or board is expressed in grams per square metre (gsm). Papers over 160-170gsm are categorised as boards.
Guillotine – A machine used for trimming printed work to the size required.
Gutter – The space between multiple images or items on a large printed sheet.
H
Hairline – A very thin line, sometimes used around photographs to define their shape.
Head – Top of a page (normally used when referring to a letterhead)
I
Imposition – The arrangement of pages (particularly for books/brochures) on a printed flat sheet so that when folded and trimmed the pages read in the correct order.
ISO Sizes – International range of sizes (A, B and C) set by the International Standards organisation.
Ivory board – Hard, Smooth board commonly used for printing Business cards and traditional, formal Invitations, usually supplied in white, the ivory in this context refers to the finish and not to the colour.
J
Jacket – The removable outside cover of a book or brochure
Justification – The spacing of words and letters so that each line finishes at the same point, ie. with straight margins on both sides.
K
K - Often used as an abbreviation for Black, one of the four colours used in 4-Colour Process printing
Kiss-cut – Normally used to refer to the method of cutting for self-adhesive labels which are cut without going through the backing paper, this enables labels to be peeled away leaving the backing sheet intact.
L
Laid paper – Paper or card showing distinctive lines running parallel as a texture on the surface.
Lamination – A plastic film applied to printed sheets for either protection or to achieve a certain effect (normally Gloss, Silk or Matt).
Laser proof/guaranteed – Printing with specific inks or foils which enable the printed sheet to be used through laser printers. This is normally in reference to Thermography and Foilblocking.
Letterpress - Requires a Wood mounted block to be made, originally conceived as a method of flat printing, this is now being used to create an impression in the card whilst printing using conventional litho inks.
Litho – Form of flat printing using large flexible printing plates, based on the principal of the mutual repulsion of oil and water, ie. where image areas of the plate print with ink and the non-image areas remain clear.
Logo – A word, letters or symbol representing a person or company. This is often the most important part of printed corporate stationery or an Invitation and is often embossed or foilblocked to represent this.
M
M - Often used as an abbreviation for Magenta, one of the four colours used in 4-Colour Process printing.
Machine proof – This is a printed proof of a job, which is printed in the same way and on the same machine as the final product.
Magenta - One of the four colours used in 4-Colour Process printing.
Monochrome – Printing with One colour only.
Monogram – A design created by intertwining two initials, often used on Wedding stationery.
N
NCR – No carbon required. Pressure sensitive paper for printed forms and sets.
Negative – Photographic film that has been exposed and processed from which a positive print can be made.
Numbering – Usually printed offline, numbers added to printed sheets for Administration forms such as Purchase Order pads.
O
Opacity – The level of opaqueness in a sheet of paper, this term is used when referring to show-through in a brochure or for an envelope. Sometimes an envelope is printed to the inside to make it more opaque.
Overs – Extra copies used when printing a specified amount. When overprinting onto pre-printed items, a small number of extras are always needed.
P
Pagination – The numbering of pages in any item with multiple leaves.
Pantone colours – Universal system of colours. There are colour references for printing onto Coated and Uncoated materials. A Pantone number should be supplied wherever possible for printing corporate colours and logos to ensure brand consistency.
Perforating – This process adds a series of small slits into paper or card to enable neat and accurate tearing.
Pocket envelope – An envelope with a flap opening on the shorter edge.
Process colours – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (abbreviated to CMYK)
Proof – This is a hardcopy print out or pdf of the artwork file, this is sent to the client for approval prior to print production. This is essential for quality checking against a job specification.
Q
Quantity – The number of copies required for any printing job.
R
Registration – The correct positioning of one colour over another in multiple colour printing
Rubbing - A proof from a hand engraved die or copperplate, this usually occurs where there is no exact artwork, the engraving may be produced from a photograph.
Run-on – To continue printing a job after the specified quantity required.
S
Sans Serif – A typeface (font) without serifs, these are usually simpler more modern fonts.
Score – An impression into paper or card to enable precise folding without cracking.
Serif – Small terminal stroke at the end of the main stroke of the letter on a typeface.
Spot Varnish – Varnish applied to a designated area on a printed sheet
Swatch – A book showing available colours of a specific brand of paper or card
T
Thermography – A print process in which freshly (flat) printed sheets are dusted with a resinous powder which when passed under heat makes the printed areas raised.
Tint – A less opaque colour made of dots, achieved by using a percentage of a specified solid colour.
Trim marks - Small printed lines which are placed slightly outside of the printed area which act as a guide for guillotine cutting (also referred to as Crop marks).
U
Uncoated paper / card – Paper or Card which does not have a China Clay coating, these materials are more absorbent of ink which results in a more subdued look when printing bright colours.
UV varnish – A high gloss varnish cured under ultra violet light which can be applied either as a spot image area or as an overall coating, only suitable for coated paper or card.
V
Varnish – Transparent coating applied onto a printed sheet for ink protection or to create an effect (available as Gloss, Satin or Matt).
W
Wallet envelope – An envelope with a rectangle shaped flap appearing on the long edge.
Watermark – A design or image deliberately impressed into the paper during the manufacturing process, this can normally be seen more easily when holding a sheet of paper up to a light (Please see section under 'Chemical Watermarking').
Wove paper – Smooth paper made on a roll of finely woven and textured wire leaving no texture marks or ‘laid lines’ on the surface.
Y
Y - Often used as an abbreviation for Yellow, one of the four colours used in 4-Colour Process printing.
Yellow - One of the four colours used in 4-Colour Process printing.
