My Postcard Printing Glossary of Printing and Graphic Terms
D
Die Design or shapes cut into metal used for stamping or embossing an image or design
Die Cutting A method of cutting shapes and designs into paper with the use of a metal dies
Digital Proof A digital picture of the final print product created before actual printing submitted to the client for approval
Direct-to-Plate The printing process of transferring information from a digital file directly to the press plate, eliminating the use of film
Dot The smallest individual element of a halftone
Dot Gain The occurrence when dots are printing larger than they should
Dots per Inch (DPI) The number of dots or pixels that fit in an inch used to measure the resolution of a printed image
Dummy A mock layout of copy and art elements that simulates the desired finished product
E
Emboss The use of dies or blocks to raise a design or image on a printed sheet without ink
Emulsion Photosensitive substance used as coating for printing plates and film
Encapsulated Postscript File (.EPS) A graphic file format developed by Adobe that stores both vector and bitmap images
F
Finish Refers to the quality of a paper's surface
Flood To completely cover or print a page with ink or varnish
Flop The reverse side of an image
Four color process printing Method of printing based on the separation of images into the 4 primary colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black which when combined reproduce a full color spectrum; also known as full color process
Four over Four (4/4) Print with full color on both sides of the paper
Four over One (4/1) Print with full color on the front side and one color (usually black) on the back side
Four over Zero (4/0) Print with full color on the front side and no printing on the back side
G Ganging Combining multiple and different printing projects on the same sheet of paper on a single run
Ghosting A faint image or a lighter area on print
Gloss Shiny coating applied on paper stock
Graphic Design The act of putting together visual elements to communicate a message
Grayscale An image made up of gray values ranging from white to black Gripper A series of metal fingers on an offset press that hold each sheet of paper as it passes through
H Halftone An image with a gradation of tones composed of dots in varying sizes equidistant to each other
Hard copy A printout of a document, image or any data
Hickies Imperfections on a pinted sheet created during presswork caused by dirt on press, etc.
Highlights The lightest tones of a photo or an image
House Sheet Paper that a printer keeps on hand or in stock in the shop
I Image Area The area of the printing plate that carries the ink and prints on paper
Imposition Arrangement of pages so that they will be printed and folded in the correct order
Impression The pressure of the plate when it contacts the paper
Indicia Pre-printed marks on mailing envelopes used instead of stamp to indicate postage information
Ink Fountain The device which stores and supplies ink to the press rollers
Ink Holdout Ability of paper to resist ink absorption
K Key line Lines drawn on artwork to show the exact placement, shape and size of elements
L Laid Finish A paper with patterns of parallel lined creating a handmade effect
Layout A representation of the final printed piece showing the placement of all the elements
Line Copy Any copy that does not require halftone screens to be reproduced
Lithography The process of printing that utilizes flat inked surfaces that are chemically treated to print images
M Magenta A shade of bluish-red also known as process red that reflects blue and red and absorbs green; One of the four primary colors used in the four-color printing process (CMYK)
Make Ready Setting up of a press for printing
Matte Finish A coated paper finish that gives paper a flat non glossy look
Midtones The area between highlight and shadow of a halftone image.
Moire An undesirable pattern in a printed image caused by incorrect angles of halftone screens
Mottle Spotty and uneven ink absorption
N Negative Film containing an image with all colors the reverse of the original Glossary (O-W) >
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