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.