Glossary of Common Printing Terms

A

align, alignment - The positioning of text within the page margins. Alignment can be flush left, flush right, justified or centered. Flush left and flush right are sometimes referred to as left justified and right justified.
ascender - Parts of lowercase letter (such as k, b, and d) that extend above mid-line (x-height) and sometimes above caps

B

baseline - The imaginary horizontal line upon which typeset characters appear to rest
base align - Arrangement of text elements and art so that indicated items fall on the same baseline
base to base - Measurement from the baseline of one object to the baseline of another
binder’s creep - The slight but cumulative extension of the edges of each inserted spread or signature beyond the edges of the one that encloses it in a saddle stitch bind.
binding - The fastening of the assembled sheets or signatures along an edge of a publication
bleed - To extend beyond the trim (standard is 1/8 inch) bleed top, left, right, bottom to bleed off page in the indicated direction
blend - Gradient or graduated screen that goes from one percentage to another in increments too small to be noticeable
blow up - A photographic or lithographic term used to explain the enlargement of an original to another larger size
body type - Text or general text: type used for the main or general text of a printed piece, as opposed to heads or other display material
bold (boldface) - Type that is heavier than the text type with which it is used.
brace - { }
bracket - [ ]
bullet - A common pi character, usually used to draw attention to listed items, e.g. •
butt - To adjoin without overlapping, as, for example, two pieces of film or two colors of ink

C

C - Abbreviation for cyan see process color
C/lc - Caps and lower case
C/sc - Caps and small caps
caps - Capital letters
caps and lowercase - The first letter of a word is capitalized with following letters in lower case; used in titles, heads, figures, tables, etc. (exceptions: articles, prepositions of 4 letters or more, conjunctions)
caps and small caps - Two sizes of capital letters in one style of type; the small caps are approximately x-height
caption - Explanation following a figure or table number
case - The condition of letters, either capital a non-capital (upper or lower case)
center text horizontally - Center text block horizontally in measure defined (width), so there is equal space to left and right of text
center text vertically - Center text block vertically in measure defined (depth), so that there is equal space above and below
character - Numeral, letter of the alphabet, punctuation mark, or other symbol in a font of type
clear space - See visual space
CMYK - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. The four so-called process colors (technically, they are “subtractive” colors) that are used in four-color printed reproduction.
color gamut - Every color combination that is possible to produce with a given set of colorants on a given device or system.
color palette - A set of colors used in a book identified by numbers and percent of color.
color separation - The separation of the colors of a full-color transparency or print by photographing it with separate color filters.
column - One of two or more vertical sections of a printed page separated by a rule or blank space.
compound word - A word made up of two or more existing words, often separated by a hyphen (e.g., bull-headed)
condensed type - Narrow or slender font.
control strips - Series of color bars and percent tints placed just outside final image area; used to help maintain consistency during print runs.
copy - Manuscript, picture, artwork, and other material that is to used in the production of pages for printing; body of text as opposed to illustrations
copy-editing - Correcting and preparing material for typesetting
copyfitting - Allocation of how much space a given amount of text will take up in a given point size and typeface; adjustment of the typesetting specifications of a body of text in order to make it fit within a given space.
crop marks - Term used for corner marks on photos indicating where photo is to be cut off; also intersecting perpendicular lines on proofs representing the trim of the page.
CTP - Computer To Plate. CTP technology involves the laser-imaging of printing plates. The laser is driven by digital data from a computer. Imagesetters and platesetters are typically used to expose the plates. Aluminum and polyester plates may be imaged using CTP technology.
cursive (script) - Form of writing or printing in which letters are connected rather than separated by spacing; This is a sample of cursive or script
cyan - Subtractive primary color that appears blue-green and absorbs red light; also process blue see process color

Glossary of Common Printing Terms

D

descender - A typographic term for the portion of lowercase characters that falls below the main body of the letter. The lower case letters g, j, p, q and y have descenders
dingbat - Bullets, ballot boxes, florets, and other such decorative devices, e.g., ☞★❦❐✔, etc.
display type - Large type (usually 14 points or more) used to attract attention.
ditch - Space between columns, as in tables see gutter margin
dithering - Simulating gray tones by altering the size, arrangement or shape of background dots
dot - The individual element of a halftone. Its size (density) can be related to the density of the original used to produce the halftone dot. The size of the dot is indicated by the percentage of the area it occupies from zero to on hundred percent. It may be several shapes including round, square or elliptical
dot gain - An increase in the size of halftone dots that may occur as a result of errors or imperfections in any of the steps between screening an image and printing it onto paper. Common causes of mechanical dot gain are incorrect plate exposure, excessive tack or incorrect viscosity of printing ink, excessive ink film thickness, internal reflection of the ink, or too much pressure between the blanket roller and the impression cylinder
drop cap - A large letter often used at the beginning of a chapter and dropped below the baseline of the first line.
DPI - 1. Dots Per Inch. A measurement of output device resolution and quality. Measures the number of dots a printer can print per inch both horizontally and vertically. A 600 dpi printer can print 360,000 (600 by 600) dots on one square inch of paper. 2. Digital Printing and Imaging. The Digital Printing and Imaging Association is a non-profit printing association that serves all segments of the graphic arts industry involved in digital printing technology, including users, manufacturers, and sellers.
drop out - Describes type which becomes white within a dark (or color) background see reversed
dummy - A preliminary layout showing the position of illustrations and text as they are to appear in the final reproduction. A set of blank pages made up in advance to show the size, shape, color, form and general style of a piece of printing.
duotone - A two color halftone reproduction from a one-color photograph.
ellipses (...) - Three spaced periods indicating the omission of text.
em dash (—) - The standard interruptive dash, same as 2 hyphens in typed matter.
em space - A space equal to the type size, e.g., 8 points wide in 8 point type.
en dash (–) - A dash equal to half of an em dash, used for ranges of numbers and combining hyphenated words
en space - A space equal to half an em.
extended type - A font of greater than normal width, the opposite of condensed.

F

face - (Short for typeface and same as family) all type of a single design, e.g., Helvetica.
facing pages - Verso and recto pages of a spread.
feather - In Photoshop feathering is used to blur the edges of a selection.
file format - The structure or arrangement of data stored in a file.
fixed space - Particular amount of white space, such as an em, en, or thin space, which will not be “stretched” for justification purposes as will a spaceband.
fixed-width Font - See monospace
flat bed - A flat bed optical input or output device (scanner or plotter) transfers images by means of a flat plane rather than a revolving cylinder.
flop - To provide a mirror-image of a photograph or other graphic. see reflect
flush bottom - Text or art base aligns on the last line of a page.
flush left - (Left aligned, left justified, fl, F/L) pertains to copy which is aligned on the left margin.
flush right - (Right aligned, right justified, fr, F/R) pertains to copy which is aligned on the right margin of a measure.
font - A graphical design applied to all numerals, symbols and characters in the alphabet. A font usually comes in different sizes and provides different styles, such as bold, italic, and underlining for emphasizing text.
FPO - For Position Only. Low resolution temporary image that is replaced before file is imaged.
full bleed - Bleed which extends off all four sides of the page. see bleed

G

galley proof, galley - Laser printout of typeset material.
ganged - The printing of multiple images of different jobs on the same press run.
gradient, gradation gradient or vignette - See blend
gutter margin - The inside or binding margin of a book.Space between images containing bleed printed in multiples on a page.

H

hairline rule - 1/4 point rule.
halftone - The production of continuous-tone artwork, such as a photograph, through a screen that converts the image into dots of various sizes. When printed, the dots merge to give an illusion of continuous tone to the naked eye.
hang - Same as indent; usually refers to turn lines- hanging indent. Hang is also used to indicate that an element is top aligned, e.g. hang chapter opening art from the top margin.
head margin - Space from top of type page to trim.
header - Text that appears at the top of every page of a printed document.

I

icon - Graphic symbol.
imagesetter - A device which transfers a computer image or composition onto photographic film or paper.
imposition - Laying out pages in a press form so that they will be in the correct order after the printed sheet is folded.
indent (indention) - The amount by which a line of type is less than full measure (i.e., paragraph indention is space left blank at the left in the first line of a paragraph).
initial cap - Capitalize only 1st letter of 1st word (and proper nouns).
inline graphic - A graphic that is embedded in a text block or line of text.
input resolution - The number of samples taken at the scanner per unit of length when digitizing an image. If the image is destined to be resized, the scanner resolution is set to accommodate interactive enlargement or reduction of the image at the workstation.
inside margin - See gutter margin
italic - A sloping, slanted variation of a typeface; italic type.

Glossary of Common Printing Terms

J

justification - The adjustment of the spacing within lines of type to fit the lines to a specific measure on the type page, e.g., left justify, right justify, center justify, full justify. see also justified type
justified type (full) - Lines of type where each line is set to full measure, even on both sides. see also ragged

K

K - Abbreviation for process black.
kern - To add or subtract small units of space between characters for attractive and consistent spacing between pairs of letters see letter space
keyline - A black outlined area on a layout indicating a precise area for the placement of a color or black and white artwork.
knockout - An area where a layer of spot- or process color is deleted from layers of color below. This deletion may be transparent allowing the background to show through, or may be filled with the expected background color a piece of art will be placed upon. Commonly referred to as knock out to background (KOBG).

L

landscape - Page or monitor orientation in which the page width exceeds the page length compare with portrait, see broadside
layout - Sketch of a proposed printed piece, esp. a page or spread.
leader - Row of spaced dots to guide the eye, e.g., contents entry to page number. Leaders should align to the right, with a predetermined space to target numeral or text.
leading - A typesetting term for the distance from baseline to baseline between lines of printed text. Leading may also be used to indicate the additional space between lines of text beyond the text point size, e.g. 10/10 type with 2 points leading is 10/12 type.
legend - Same as caption.
letterspace - To add a small (or sometimes very large) amount of space between each letter to achieve justification or as a special effect.
ligature - Two letters designed as one, e.g., fi fl (see GTS standard for usage rule).
line - See rule
line art - Art composed of lines, as opposed to halftones or photographs. Line art is usually saved as a bitmap eps document with a typical resolution of 600dpi to 1200dpi.
line break - End of a line of type.
line length - The width of a line of type in picas or points.
line screen - The resolution of a halftone, expressed in lines per inch.
line space - Additional space inserted between type lines; determined by leading.
logo (logotype) (trademark) - Unique symbolic design that may include both imagery and type.
lowercase - The small letters in type, as distinguished from the capital letters.
LPI - Lines per inch. Measure of resolution for halftones.

M

M - Abbreviation for magenta.
magenta - Subtractive primary color that appears blue-red, and absorbs green light; also process red. see process color
manuscript - Client-supplied copy from which type is set, abbreviated ms marginal column smaller column to the left or right of main text column, separated by a gutter.
margins - The blank areas that border the printed type page.
master proof - A set of galley or page proofs prepared for customer approval and stamped Master for identification. This is the set upon which the customer marks their corrections, compiling edits from all sources (authors, editors, etc.).
match print - Contact-frame produced material used for proofing four-color art, negatives and imposed flats. The colors generated by this process will most closely resemble the final printed product. This proof can be used for color guidance at press side.
measure - Width of type (in picas/points).
middle tones (midtones) - The tonal range between highlights and shadows of a photograph or reproduction. Midtones are very important because they contain the majority of the detail in a reproduction and must remain neutral and in balance in order to match the original.
mirror - The process or tool that copies a selected object and inverts it by reflecting it across an imaginary line on the screen.
Moiré - In offset printing, the pattern which exists because of one screen angle overprinting another or several other screen angles. Sometimes the moire pattern becomes objectionable because the screen angles are less than 30 degrees, creating an “interference effect.” However, the yellow screen in process color is always less than 30 degree angle from other colors but since the yellow dots are virtually invisible to the eye these patterns are unseen.

N

noise - Unwanted electronic or optical signals that cause interference in the reproduction of data or an image.

O

oblique - Altered type to resemble italic; used by GTS in families that have no designed italic font or whose italic we do not have.
orphan - The first line of a paragraph which appears as the last line of a column or page.
overprint - Printing one spot or process color over another color. Frequently used to build traps. Also used in color printing in order to enhance a particular color, or contrast and distinguish a particular color from other similar colors. It is used when the normal process color system is unable to discern close color differences, but are required by the client.

Glossary of Common Printing Terms

P

pagination - The assignment of page numbers, either manually or electronically, in a document.
paragraph indent - A specified amount of space left blank at the left in the first line of a paragraph.
Pair-kerning - Automatically kerning selected pairs of characters when they would otherwise be spaced too close or far apart. Characters that are pair-kerned are specified by the font designer.
palette - The collection of colors, shades, or patterns that can be selected and displayed on a video screen with the aid of a computer and a graphics program.
PANTONE Colors - A color system of over 1200 standard colors developed by Pantone, Inc.
paste - To transfer the content previously copied to the clipboard (˜) another location in a document, or to another document. This term was adopted from the process of applying glue or wax to paper repro in order to”paste” it to a layout board.
pica - A unit of measure equal to 12 points. There are 6 picas per inch. see point, also see Conversion Chart for Inches, Picas, and Points
piece fraction - A single-character fraction usually available only for a few common fractions, used in non-technical material
pixel - The smallest element of an image, and the unit in which its resolution is expressed. The normal resolution of VGA graphics is 640x480 pixels; such a screen has a total of 307,200 pixels. A low resolution 320x200 image has only 64,000 pixels; a high res 1024x768 image has 786,432.
plate - A light-sensitive piece of material upon which an image can be recorded - usually metal which in turn is fitted to a plate cylinder on an offset press which then transfers its image to a blanket which in turn transfers it to paper.
PMS - Abbreviation for Pantone Matching System. A means of describing colors by assigning them numbers. See also Pantone Colors.
point - Unit of measure used by the print industry. A traditional point is equal to 0.013837” or approximately equal to 1/72”. A Postscript point is exactly 1/72” and has virtually replaced the traditional point as the industry standard. see pica, also see Conversion Chart for Inches, Picas, and Points
portrait - A page whose width is shorter than its height.
PostScript - A page definition language (PDL) developed by Adobe Systems. When a page of text and/or graphics is saved as a PostScript file, the page is stored as a set of instructions specifying the measurements, typefaces, and graphic shapes that make up the page.
prepress - The preparation work required to turn “camera-ready” artwork into the printing plates needed for mass production, i.e., making negatives, “stripping” or placing the negatives in place, and etching the plates.
press proofs - In color reproduction, a proof of a color subject on a printing press, using the same color inks and paper stocks on which the final run will be done on. This proof is done prior to the final reproduction and is the only true and predictable way to show proof of what is contained in the litho films. There is no other proof system that takes into account printing aspects such as absorbency of stock, hue of inks, trap and other printing mechanics which occur on a press.
process color - (Also called four-color process) a means of achieving full color with four inks; yellow, magenta, cyan, and black; each color is separated onto its own negative and a full color effect is created by overlapping these four transparent ink colors.
proof - Any laser print or Xerox copy of repro used for proofing and marking corrections.
proofreader’s marks - Internationally known and understood symbols used (with some variations) to mark errors and changes on proofs.
proportional font - A font in which m, the widest letter, takes up far more space than an i compare with monospace

Q

quadtone - A grayscale image reproduced using four spot or process colors to add depth and color.

R

ragged - Text set with an unjustified margin, right, left, or both.
raster image, raster file - See bitmapped file
reader’s spread - Two sequentially numbered left-right pages of a document placed side-by-side for work of some sort to be carried out.
registration marks - Usually a bull’s-eye or crosshairs used for perfect positioning of board and overlay, art and screen color negative and black negative.
re-screening - To scan a printed image and re-output for use in a new document. These re-scan images tend to have severe moiré problems. Since the same basic screens and screen angles are used, it is necessary to slightly enlarge (104% or greater) or reduce (90% or smaller) in order to reduce or eliminate conflicting screen angles causing a moiré pattern. The further use of a sharp or unsharp masking controls may also be necessary.
resolution - 1. Measure of imager output capability, usually expressed in dots per inch (dpi). 2. Measure of halftone quality, usually expressed in lines per inch (lpi).
retouching - The correction or deliberate manipulation of color, tone or detail in an original work of art, photograph or other original which needs correction.
reversed (reverse video) - White type within a black or dark background.
RIP - Raster Image Processor, the hardware/software which converts data which has been stored in a computer into a series of lines of tiny dots which are output on film or photographic paper. In line work, the dots can be grouped to create solid areas.
river - A streak of white space in printed matter caused when the spaces between words in several successive lines happen to fall one almost below another.
roman - The opposite of italic; also used as opposite of boldface, but not at GTS.
rule - Straight, thin or thick lines usually measured in points, i.e., 1 pt.

S

sans serif - Plain, unornamented letters with even line weight. see also serif
screen - An area printed in dots whose density is therefore some percentage less than 100% color or black.
serif - Style of letters which have short lines stemming from the upper and lower ends of the strokes of a letter.
script - See cursive
signature - A form or portion of a form that is bound and folded individually or in combination with other signatures.
small caps - A font of capitals that are approximately x-height, generally used for a.m., p.m., b.c., a.d.; often used for Initial with full caps in display elements.
specs - Specifications, or written detailed descriptions of how all elements in a book should be typeset and positioned (also called spec tape).
spine - The backbone of a book, on which is printed the spine copy.
spread - Two facing pages.
stet - Proofreader’s mark for “let it stand”, used to cancel out some instruction; “disregard this correction.”
subscript - A character or symbol printed partly below the base line of the text.
superscript - A small numeral, fraction, or other character that prints above the x-height of the font. Often used in mathematical notation.

Glossary of Common Printing Terms

T

tab alignment - An electronic function for alignment of text on tab stops; alignment can be left, right, centered or decimal.
tearsheet - Previously printed book page, usually edited, being used for manuscript.
text - Body of type matter on a page, as opposed to headlines, callouts, or folios.
text file - A file containing only letters, digits and symbols. A text file usually consists of characters coded from the ASCII character set.
thumbnail - A miniature copy of a page
tiling - 1. Reproducing oversize artwork or documents by breaking the image area into parts (called tiles). Adjacent tiles repeat a small portion of the image, and they may contain crop marks as well. The repeated portion of the image (the overlap) and the crop marks aid in reconstructing the overall image from the tiles.
2. The arrangement of patterns within an object of predesignated area (pattern tiles). Frequently used in vector or raster art programs such as Illustrator or Photoshop.
Toner - A dry ink powder which has been electrically charged. Used in laserprinters, fax machines and copiers. Generally, the image is translated into bit mapped charges of the opposite polarity on a special drum in the printer. The toner is attracted to the charged areas, where it is transferred to paper. The toner is then “set”, usually by heat.
tracking - A process whereby space is added or deleted between letters or words of type.
Trapping - The ability to print wet ink film over previously printed ink. Wet trapping is dependent upon several press and paper conditions including hardness and holdout of the paper, tack of the inks, and general condition of the rollers, cylinders and blankets on the press. Dry trapping is printing wet ink over dry ink. Improper trapping will cause color changes.
trim - Any edge of a printed book page-outside, inside (gutter), top, bottom; dimensions of a page, given in inches, e.g., 6 1/2” x 9 1/2”
Tritone - An image reproduced using three colors. see duotone
TRUMATCH - A color matching system which is based solely on color attributes attainable from CYMK printing as opposed to spot ink colors. Like PMS, an electronic version of the system is a feature of many color painting, drawing, and layout software products.
Type 1 Fonts - PostScript Bezier outline format fonts with special encryption for compactness and improved quality on low-resolution output devices.
type size - Measurement from top of ascender to bottom of descender.
typeface - See face
typo - Abbreviation for typographical error; any unintentional mistake on the part of the operator resulting in misspelling or misplacement of type

U

unsharp mask - A masking method done electronically to exaggerate the edges of the images and the difference between light and dark areas or hues to enhance the detail in the final reproduction.

V

vector file - Bitmapped files describe a picture in terms of pixels, while vector files describe it mathematically in terms of geometry. A line here, a curve here, this area filled with this color, and so on. Vector files can be magnified as much as you like without turning into giant pixels.
visual space - Space from descender to ascender of line below or from lowest part of an element to highest part of succeeding element, also called white space, clear space.

W

warm color - In printing or color separations, a color which has a reddish or yellowish cast. By using a color print viewing filter set a more desirable color may be selected if a color correction is necessary.
weight - Relative thickness and/or blackness of type characters.
white space - See visual space
widow - A line of less than full measure at the top of a column or page; a line with five characters or less on it. A widow is acceptable when used as a run-in line above an equation in math books.
word space - Space between words, which may be expanded for purposes of justification.
wrap type - (Or wrap around) to set type in a shaped block; to set type so as to conform to the edge of another element, such as placed art.
wrap around - Or run around an illustration or other non-text element on the page.

X

x-height - Traditionally, x-height is the height of the lowercase letter x. It is also the height of the body of lowercase letters in a font, excluding the ascenders and descenders. Some lower-case letters that do not have ascenders or descenders still extend a little bit above or below the x-height as part of their design. The x-height can vary greatly from typeface to typeface at the same point size.

Y

Yellow, Y - One of the subtractive primaries the hue of which is used for one of the four color process inks. It reflects red and green light and absorbs blue light.