A series paper sizes (mm)
A0 = 1682 x 2378 | A1 = 594 x 841 | A2 = 420 x 594 | A3 = 297 x 420 | A4 210 x 297 | A5 = 148 x 210
A6 = 105 x 148 | A7 = 74 x 105 | A8 = 52 x 74 | A9 = 37 x 52 | A10 = 26 x 37
Bleed
Printing that extends to the edge of a sheet or page after trimming.
Black boxes
A black box containing CMYK swatch or colour of 1% cyan, 1% magenta and 1% yellow and 100% black (K) process inks and set to not overprint. Must be placed on the colour layer.
Co-edition
For use with multiple language versions of the same spread. The text layer is co-editionable where as the colour layer is common to all languages and doesn’t change.
Colour Management
A process where the colour characteristics for every device in the workflow is known precisely and by using accurate profiling we are able to better predict and control colour reproduction. This system will produce more predictable and accurate colour results from screen to proofing to printing.
Colour Profile
A colour space (gamut) characteristic that will determine how an image/document will look under standardised conditions. Software needs to have access to an icc profile that describes the meaning of the colour values in order to interpret the colour correctly.
Die Cutting (cutter guide)
The main method or standard means of die cutting involves the use of metal dies to give paper or substrate products specific shapes or designs that cannot be accomplished by a straight cut on a web press or a guillotine cutter.
Dummy
A blank bound book produced using materials of choice ahead of confirmation of paper, format and binding. These are sent to show how the bound book will look and to check there are no issues with the materials that are being considered.
Dry back
A term used to describe the decrease in optical density due to ink drying after printing, which results in a loss of sheen and a shift in the printed colour. The ink drying process can take anything from a few hours to several days depending on the printing process. Colour measurement tools can compensate for dry back.
F&Gs
An abbreviation for the term: folded and gathered. These are printed sheets that have been folded and collated to replicate final printing. These are sent by the printers for approval of colour and order and sequence before binding.
Flexography ‘Flexo’
A printing process using a raised surface on a flexible plate, often made of a rubber-like material, mounted on a rotary letterpress. Flexographic inks are very thin, watery inks that dry very quickly. The flexible plate makes it possible to print on irregular surfaces such as aluminium cans, coffee mugs, or corrugated cardboard.
Flood Coat / Solid Printing
The coating of an entire surface with ink, adhesive, varnish or other coatings.
Foil brass or die
A stamp made from aluminium or brass that will be used to foil block a design onto covers and jackets. These brasses are created from bitmap PDF files.
GCR
Grey Component Replacement (sometimes known as Achromatic or Grey Colour Removal), is the processes of replacing gray tones made from, cyan, magenta and yellow separations with black. This results in lower ink levels including TAC, more stable colour balance on press, but reduced ability to adjust colour on press.
Halftone
A continuous tone image that has been photographed or scanned and then converted into tiny dots whose variations in size create the appearance of variations in tone. Light areas, or highlights, have small dots and darker areas, or shadows, have larger dots.
Head and Tail bands
These are thin sewn cords of thread which can be bound in at the top (head) and bottom (tail) of the spine edge of hardbound or flexi-bound books. These are used to disguise the edge of the book block and come in a multitude of colours.
High Density Inks
These are lithographic inks that contain more pigment than standard inks and are used to create real vibrancy or density of colour.
Hue
An attributes of colour that signifies its dominant wave length within the visible spectrum and makes it different from other colours.
Ink Limit
See TAC
Hickey
Any printing defect caused by a particle either of paper or other source of debris attaching itself to the printing plate and causing a mark to appear on printed sheet.
Imposition
The arrangement of how the pages are to be printed onto the complete sheet. This planning by the printer will not only ensure there is minimal paper wastage but also that the sequence of pages once the section is folded, are in the correct order.
Knockout
An opening, left in a printed area, in which a figure or photograph may be placed. Reversing type or art out of the background so that when the type or art is printed in that area it will not interfere with the colour you are trying to achieve.
Lithography ‘Litho’
Lithography refers to a method of printing whereby the image areas, which are neither raised nor depressed, attract ink and the non-image areas repel ink. Most lithography is offset lithography in which the image is transferred from the plate to a rubber blanket, and then printed (offset) from the blanket onto the paper
Make ready / Set-up
The process of setting up and adjusting a printing press for a particular ink, paper and specifications prior to printing. This includes adjusting the in feed, grippers and guides, adjusting ink for proper coverage, registering copy, and matching the printed piece with the proof to be sure everything is correct. The paper used while making all the necessary adjustments before printing the actual run.
Moiré Pattern
An undesirable pattern that may appear in photographic shots due to screening clash. Can be avoided by repro of image or by using a stochastic screen on press.
Montage
A single image built from combining several images.
Mottle
Spotty or speckled printing due to uneven ink absorption
Object Layer Options
The option to access and control the visability of Photoshop and Illustrator file layers per object in an InDesign file.
Overprint
The option to print one colour (or ink) over the top of another without effect or interference to produce a third.
Oxidising Inks
These are lithographic inks that dry faster than standard inks and are used when there is a strong risk of ink offset onto other pages.
Perfect Binding
A type of unsewn binding where the books binding edge is ground down and coated with a fast drying glue to hold pages together and then are affixed to a cover with a flexible adhesive. This creates a squared off back.
Pixel Image
A Photoshop file, photograph, continuous tone, graphics image or other file that contains pixels.
Plotter
Proofs generated at the printers after the final supplied files have gone through the printer’s RIP. These can be physical paper plotters, e-plotters accessed online or as PDFs to approve.
Rasterisation
The process of converting a vector image or other non-bitmap image into a bitmap (pixel) image.
Register Marks
The printed marks used to align colour separations for printing so that each colour registers with each other.
Reverse Printing
When clear substrates are printed on the back side, referred to as reverse printing, with the image reversed out and usually produced with a ‘white back-up’. When the substrate is applied to display area the reverse printed image will be right reading.
Reversed out text
Text that appears when placed over a colour or swatch area containing a tint of black. Set up as a tint of black only, usually 1%.
RIP
Raster Image Processor – A hardware device or program that calculates the printing instructions for the bitmapped image of text and graphics and then converts the instructions into dot patterns (usually halftone for printing plates) that can be understood by the output device.
Saddle Stitch
A binding where two staples are added to the centre of the sections, on the fold line; this is a typical magazine bind
Scatter Proof
The term used to describe a proof of an individual photo or group of photos which are run out to check colour of images ahead of final files.
Screen Ruling
The number of lines of dots per inch, both vertically and horizontally, on a screen tint or halftone screen.
Screen Angles
The angles at which the halftone screens must be place in relation to each other in order to avoid a moiré pattern from forming. The common angles used are black at 45°, magenta at 75°, yellow at 90°, and cyan at 105°.
Scripts
Small applications that allow for the automation and batching of repeatative workflow tasks.
Side Stitched
A binding where staples are inserted from the front all the way through to the back of the book block, along the binding edge. Side wire binding can be used when the book is too thick to be saddle stitched.
Spiral Binding
Book binding that consists of a spiral wire or plastic that is wound through holes.
TAC
Also know as Ink Weight, Ink Coverage and Ink Limit, is the amount of CMYK process inks stated as a percentage, allowed by a colour profile.
Trapping
The overlapping of adjoining colours or ink to help prevent the possibility of a fine white area showing between colours.
UCR
Under Colour Removal is the process of removing cyan, magenta and yellow in equal amounts from shadow areas of printed materials to reduce ink (TAC) levels. This reduces the chance of associated issues with heavily inked areas on press but can reduce the density and perception of rich black areas.
Vector Image
An Illustrator file, line art file or non pixel image that uses vector lines to reproduce an image.
XML
A markup language that uses tags to mark layouts for reuse into other digital formats and styling.