A bindery term for two or more parallel folds that result in a sheet that opens like an accordion


Perpendicular to the direction of the paper grain


A defect which occurs when a graphic file does not have enough resolution to reproduce image detail and causes visible jagged lines along the edges


Technique of filling the edges of an object with pixels to eliminate jagged lines and make it appear smoother


A fast-drying, water-based coating that is applied after printing that gives a glossy finish and protects the print’s surface.


In printing, this is the original copy which includes all text, graphics, photos and illustrations





To print the reverse side of a sheet already printed on one side


To fasten sheets or sections into brochures or booklets with the use of wire, thread, glue, staples, etc


The process by which sheets are fastened together which include cutting, trimming, collating, perforating, and folding to form the finished product


The department in a printing company where finishing work is done such as collating, folding and trimming of printed products


An image file format that refers to the rows and columns (map) of dots or pixels that form an image


Computerized image made up of a collection of dots or pixels; these images appear blocky when you zoom in; also known as raster images


The thick rubber coated pad of a printing press that transfers ink from the plate to the sheet


Printing that goes beyond the edge of the final trim size


A technique in which a design is pressed into a sheet without ink or foil, creating a raised image


Durable and lightweight paper commonly used for letterheads and business stationery


Margin or line between the image area and the edge of the paper


The brilliance or reflective quality of paper affecting contrast in printing


The thickness of paper relative to its weight





Short for coating on one side of paper


Short for coating on both sides of paper


Measurement of paper thickness expressed in thousandths of an inch


Print ready layout of graphic and text


A type of coated paper with a high gloss enamel finish


Color transparency


Paper with a thin surface coating of clay that produces a smooth finish


A finishing term for arranging pages or sheets in correct order before binding


Refers to the proper ratio of cyan, magenta, and yellow ink during printing to keep color consistency and produce the desired color of an image


Strips of color used as a tool to check color accuracy and density


Methods of adjusting and improving color qualities such as color balance, contrast, etc


Filters used in color separation


A printer’s proof made from 4 acetate or transparent films of various colors, one sheet per process color, which when combined simulates the finished product


Color chart in an electronic system used to compare, measure or mix colors


Preparing a full-color image for printing by separating it into the four basic process colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black


The order in which the four-color process inks are printed on the press


A light sensitive device used for measuring color with an exact response similar to the human eye


A method of binding by inserting a plastic comb through holes along the side or edge of a stack of pages


Combination of two or more images on one or more films


A technology that enables transfer of digital data directly to a metal plate for printing, eliminating the use of conventional films


Illustrations and photographs that have a range of shades


The range of difference between the darkest and lightest areas in an image


Any material (text or artwork) to be used in printing a piece


A heavyweight paper commonly used for covers of books, brochures, catalogs and folders


Creep is the shifting position of the page in a saddle-stitched bind. Creep moves the inside pages away from the spine.


To cut off sides or portions of an image


Lines at the edges of a sheet that show where the page will be trimmed


Printing across the gutter or from one page to the facing page of a publication


The process of drying inks or coatings through chemical processes to develop strong adhesion


Shade of blue; One of four basic ink colors used in 4 color printing process





To press an image below the surface of paper


An instrument used to measure the density of colored ink to determine consistency


The degree of darkness of an image


A light-sensitive coating used on plates in offset printing


Metal plate cut for impressing a design or image on paper


A process of cutting paper in a shape or design using metal dies


A technology that eliminates the use of film plates by directly transferring the image from digital files to the press plates using a laser


An offset press where the plate is imaged directly on the press with laser


The individual element of a halftones; also referred to as a “pixel”


The spread of ink on paper; occurrence when dots print larger than they were on the film


A measurement of resolution of a screen image or printed image defined by the number of dots that fit horizontally and vertically into one inch; The higher the DPI, the sharper the image


Exposing a printing plate to multiple images


A method of applying a thin coating or ink on paper to roughly determine color


Parts of artwork that are not reproduced


A preliminary layout of a copy showing the position and general style made to resemble the finished product


A halftone image made up of two colors


The ability of a press to print on both sides of a sheet of paper





An Adobe graphic file format for high resolution images; it translates graphic and text into code that tells a printer to print in the highest resolution possible and also has low resolution view files for quick screen viewing.


Technique of pressing an image into paper so that creating a raised image


Photosensitive sensitive coating on printing plates and film





Section of a printing press that separates the sheets and feeds them into position for printing


To cover a page completely with ink or varnish


The backside of an image


A thin metal applied to paper used in foil stamping and foil embossing


To foil stamp or emboss an image on paper using a die


Pressing a design or image on paper without ink using a foil and heated metal die


The process of printing using the combination of four basic color inks (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) to produce a range of colors and create a color image


A print job with four color printing on both sides of the paper


A print job with four color printing on the front side and one color (usually black) on the back side


A print job with four color printing on the front side and no printing on the back side





Economical way of printing by printing multiple images on the same sheet using the maximum sheet size


A printing defect where a faint unwanted image appears on a page


Shiny coating applied to paper


The direction in which the fibers of a paper lie


The use of visual elements to express a message


An image made up of a range of shades of black and white


The metal fingers on printing presses that hold the paper and controls it as it passes through the press





Pattern of dots within a fixed grid to reproduce a continuous-tone image


A document or data printed on paper


A spot or imperfection on a printed page caused by dust, lint or dried ink


The lightest part in an image


Paper kept in stock by a printer





Portion of a page or paper that can be printed on


Arranging printed pages correctly so they will fold in the proper sequence


The pressure of a printing press on paper; image caused by pressure of a press plate on paper


Postal information preprinted on a mailing envelope or a piece in place of a stamp


The container on a printing press that hold the ink





An outline drawing to show the exact size and position of an artwork





A pattern of parallel lines running across the grain, creating a ribbed and handmade effect


High contrast copy made up of solids or lines which do not require a halftone screen; also called line art or line work


The number of lines of dots per inch in a halftone screen; the higher the LPI., the sharper the image


A method of printing where plates are chemically treated so that the image area accepts ink and non-image areas repel ink.





Also known as process red; one of the 4 basic ink colors in process color printing; M in abbreviation CMYK


Blocking light from reaching parts of a printing plate, also called knockout


Dull non-glossy finish


Devise used to measure the thickness (caliper) of paper


The tones in a photograph between highlights and shadows; must be balanced for accurate reproduction


An undesirable screen pattern caused by incorrect screen angles





A film in which the white areas of the original image appear black and the black areas appear white





A common printing process in which the image to be printed is transferred from a metal plate to a rubber blanket onto paper


Transfer of ink or impression from one page to the opposite page


The property of paper that minimizes the show-through on a printed sheet


A halftone image with the background removed to outline the main image


Production of larger quantities than ordered


Scanning at more than the ideal sampling rate





Total number of pages in a book or publication


The standard color-matching system used by printers and graphic designers


A binding technique in which pages are collated into a single sheet and then glued together and attached to the cover with an adhesive


A printing press that prints both sides of a sheet at the same time


Process of making holes or a series of cuts to make tearing or folding easy


A printer’s measure of type; One pica is 1/6 of an inch


A flat sheet of metal on which an image is reproduced using a printing press


A page description language developed by Adobe Systems that tells a printer how an image is to be printed


See Ruleup


Paper material with a self sticking adhesive protected by a backing sheet, usually used for labels and stickers


The four basic colors used in printing to simulate full spectrum color – Cyan (blue), magenta (process red), yellow (process yellow), black (process black)





To render an image, pixel by pixel, vertically and horizontally


See bitmap image


A device that translates data into dots or pixels


A quantity of paper equivalent to 500 sheets


Refers to the number of pixels an image expressed in pixels per inch (ppi) or dots per inch (dpi); the higher the number, the sharper the image


Refers to red, green, blue - the additive primary colors used for color video display as on a computer screen


A darker and deeper black color created by combining other ink colors with black ink. The values to create Rich Black is usually 40% Cyan, 30% Magenta, 30% Yellow, 100% Black


A map or drawing showing how a printing job must be imposed with a specific press and sheet size; also called Press Layout





A method of binding using staples in the seam or spine of a book or booklet where it folds


An instrument used to make color separations; also an instrument to scan images or photos in desktop publishing


A mark or crease pressed on paper to make folding easier


The process of pressing a sheet of paper to create a groove or line for folding


The angles at which halftone screens are positioned to avoid unwanted patterns


The paper used as cover is the same as that used in the inside pages


The darkest areas of a photograph or image


To bind by stapling sheets along one side of a sheet


Term for a printed sheet after folding


A precise description of features of a print order such as paper stock and quantity


The back edge of a bound book or publication that connects the 2 covers


Printing of a book or booklet that has copies bound in different ways


Planned paper waste


Varnishing a specific part of a sheet


Pressing a design or image onto paper with a metal die


Technique of repeatedly exposing the same image on the plate in different places


The paper or material to be printed on


The process of positioning film negatives for plate making


Any surface or material on which printing is done





A standard graphic image file format often used for storing high resolution images that can easily handle up to 24 bits of photographic image color


A mixture of a hue with white


A thin transparent paper placed over artwork for protection and may be used for marking printer instructions


Printing of one ink over the other to prevent gaps from appearing


Refers to pulp or paper made without cutting down trees; paper made from cotton, or hemp or other resources


Marks on a printed sheet that show where to cut or trim the page


The final size of a printed image after trimming


To arrange or layout artwork and text for printing





Paper with no treatment or coating on the surface


Production of fewer copies than ordered by customer


Printing multiple copies of the same on the same sheet


Liquid glossy coating applied to paper’s surface and cured with ultraviolet light





A clear liquid coating applied to printed sheet for protection and shine


A halftone or image with whose background gradually fades to white


Images made up of solids, lines and curves that can be scaled or edited without affecting mage resolution





Process of cleaning the parts of a printing press (rollers, plate, blanket, etc) so that a different ink can be applied


Planned spoilage


A distinctive design created in paper during manufacturing that is visible when the paper is held up to the light


The roll of printing paper used in web or rotary printing


A high speed printing press that print on a continuous roll of paper or web rather than on individual sheets


A method of binding using double loops of wire through a hole


Folding or feeding paper into the press parallel to the paper’s grain or fiber


Printing the second side of a sheet by turning the sheet over from the gripper to the tail utilizing the same side guides and plate


A paper having a uniform unlined surface and a smooth finish