Art paper
Coated paper with a fine clay compound, which creates a hard smooth surface.
Art work
Original copy, including fonts, graphics and images created for graphic reproduction.
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Back margin
Margin which lies closest to the back of a book. Alternative terms: binding or gutter margin.
Backbone
Portion of binding which connects the front, with the back of the book. Alternative term: back.
Basic Size
Standard size of paper used to calculate basis weight. 20" x 26" cover paper, 22 1/2" x 28 1/2"
or 22 1/2" x 35" Bristol, 25 1/2" x 30 1/2" index, 25" x 38" book paper, 17" x 22" bond paper.
Basis weight
Weight in pounds of a ream (500 sheets) of paper, cut to basic size. Example: a 17" x 22" 20 lb ream
of bond paper weighs 20 lb. Countries using ISO paper sizes (almost all, except the US and Canada),
measure paper size in centimeter and weight in grams of one square meter (grammage).
Bindery
Print shop department where trimming, folding, binding and other finishing steps are done.
Binding
Various methods of securing sheets or folded signatures together and fastening them to a cover to form a copy of a book.
Bleed
Artwork which has been extended 1/8"-1/4" beyond the edge of the finished size,
to later be trimmed off; Printing a color beyond the trim edge to ensure that there is
no white edge after trimmed to finish size; Extra printed area that crosses the trim line.
Bond paper
Grade of writing or printing paper where strength, durability and performance are essential requirements, used for letterheads and business forms.
Book block
The unfinished stage of bookmaking when the pages are folded,
gathered and stitched but not yet cover bound.
Booklet
Thin book with small number of pages and a paper cover.
Bristol
Type of board paper used for post cards, business cards and other heavy-use products.
Brochure
A pamphlet bound in booklet form.
Bulk
Term given to paper to describe its thickness relative to its weight.
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Caliper
Thickness of paper, usually expressed in thousandths of an inch (mils).
Case
Stiff cover of a hardbound book, made with paper, cloth or leather.
Case bind
Form of binding resulting in a hardcover book. Signatures are either adhesive bound or sewn.
The book block is trimmed and placed into a case consisting of binder's board covered with paper, plastic, cloth or leather. The case is held to the book block by end sheets attached to the first and last signature and glued solid to the inside covers. Alt. terms: edition binding, hard-bind-cover.
Centimeter
Metric measurement of length. 2.54cm = 1 inch
CMYK
Refers to the primary colors of pigment, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black).
During the full color printing process, small dots of "CMYK" are printed forming
a full spectrum of colors.
Coated paper
Any paper with a mineral coating applied to either one or two of its sides giving it a smoother finish.
Collate
To gather sheets or signatures together in correct order;
Assembling sheets or signatures into their proper sequence.
Comb bind
Method of binding loose pages inserting a piece of plastic with "teeth" that fit intorectangular holes punched in the paper. Alternative terms: Plastic bind, GBC bind.
Computer-to-plate (C2P)
System in which the use of prepress software, electronic prepress workstations and plate setters allow the imaging of metal printing plates without the use of film. It significantly lowers the cost of printing plates. To distinguish it from CTP (computer-to-press) is also called C2P.
Corner marks
Marks on printed sheets that indicate the trim lines or register indicators.
Cutter
Machine for accurately cutting stacks of paper to desired sizes.
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Densitometer
Instrument used at press to secure quality of print job by measuring density of colors on printed paper. Reflection densitometers measure light reflected from paper.
Die Cutting
To give paper a specific shape that cannot be done by a guillotine cutter using a metal die.
DPI (dots per inch)
Measure of resolution of input devices such as scanners and
output devices such as printers, imagesetters and monitors.
Drill
Actual drilling or punching of holes into paper for ring binding.
Embossing
To raise letters already printed or in relief a design on thick paper by an uninked block or die.
EPS
Encapsulated PostScript, a graphic format by Adobe used to
transfer post script information from one program to another.
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Finish size
Size of any printed product after production is complete.
Fold marks
Markings at edges to show where folds should occur.
Gloss coated paper
Coated paper with shiny finish. Consider this paper if your project consists mostly of images.
Grain
Direction of fibers in a sheet of paper, governing paper properties
such as increased size changes with relative humidity.
Imposition
Collecting arrangement of pages so that when printed, folded and bound, they appear in proper sequence. Alternative terms: image assembly, stripping.
Inserts
Separate printed pages inserted loosely into printed pieces.
ISBN
International Standard Book Number. Number assigned to a published work,
found either on the title page or the back of the title page.
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Lamination
Transparent sheet applied to usually a thick stock (covers, menus, post cards, business cards)
to provide protection against heavy use and ambiental influences. It provides color a glossy effect.
Layout
A sample of art-work that shows the placement of all characters
and images of the final printed piece before going to press.
Linen
Paper that emulates the look and texture of linen cloth.
Line screen (lpi)
Resolution of a halftone, expressed in lines per inch; The number of rows or lines of dots in a halftone image within a given distance. A frequency of 150-300lpi is ideal for printing.
Loop stitching
Variation of saddle stitching. The stitch is formed into a circular loop which sticks out beyond the spine of the finished piece. Loops are designed to slip onto the rings of a ring binder; an alternative to hole punching.
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Matte coated paper
Coated paper with a dull finish. Consider matte coated paper
if your project is text intensive, to make pages easier to read.
Numbering
Sequentially printed numbers.
Off-shore paper
Any paper produced outside the United States or Canada.
Offset
Printing method, whereby the printed paper does not receive ink directly from the printing plate,
but from a cylinder called blanket, which receives the ink from the plate and transfers it to pages.
Offset paper
General term for uncoated paper. Alternative term: book paper.
Opacity
Quality of paper that defines its ability to prevent two-sided printing from showing through,
allowing little light to pass through.
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PDF
Portable document format by Adobe. Flexible cross-platform file format that displays files identically on any computer. It allows to design using any typefaces or images, confident that the end user will view the same layout that was created. It is modelled after the PostScript language.
Perfect binding
Form of adhesive binding. 1. The spine of the book block is cut and roughened.
2. Adhesive is applied to the rough edge. 3. The cover is glued firmly in place.
4. The head, foot and face of the book are then trimmed.
Alternative terms: adhesive bind, paper bind, paper-back, soft cover.
Perforating
Punching small holes or slits in paper to facilitate tearing along a desired line.
PMS
Pantone Matching System. Standard for matching color reproduction used to describe colors.
PPI (pixels per inch)
The measure of how many dots (pixels) a monitor can display within an inch,
The resolution determines how an image looks on screen.
Pre-flight
Step done by prepress department to assure that files are properly prepared for production.
Prepress proof
Proof made by electronic memory transferred onto paper using ink-jet or laser. Alt. terms: dry proof, off-press proof.
Proof
Test sheet made before job goes to press to catch any errors, flaws, to predict results and record how printing job is intended to appear.
To ensure that all characters and images are correctly positioned and to show how the colors will appear.
PUR
Form of binding using polyurethane-reactive adhesive. PUR adhesive is more flexible
than other glues, allowing bound books to lay flat and accommodate any type of paper.
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Resolution
Quantification of print quality by number of dots per inch (dpi); sharpness of image.
How many dots a printer can place or a monitor can display within an inch.
RGB
Refers to the primary colors of light (Red, Green, Blue) used in monitors, TVs and scanners.
Ring binding
Method of securing pages with rings that hold the pages through punched holes.
Saddle-stitch
To bind by stapling sheets or signatures together where they fold at the spine.
Alternative terms: side stitching, wire stitching, stitch bind, stabbing.
Sewn-bind or saddle-sewn
Form of binding where signatures are sewn together with thread through the gutter fold of a publication. Once signatures are sewn together, they can be case or paper covered.
Score
Impressions or cuts in flat material to facilitate bending or tearing.
Side stitch
Form of binding where sheets or signatures are stapled through the side on the spine of a book.
Wire is inserted through the entire paper stack, close to the gutter margin. Alternative terms: cleat stitch, side wire.
Soft proof
Monitor display of a layout or art work; Monitor proof.
SPI (Samples per inch)
Measurement of image resolution when scanning or using images from a digital camera.
Some scanner manufacturers use DPI in place of SPI in listing their scanner’s resolution.
It may be confusing because there are no dots until image is printed.
Spine
The back of a bound book connecting the two covers. Alternative term: backbone.
SSL (secure sockets layers)
The highest level of protection for online transactions in the internet.
It encrypts the traveling information, verifies the identity of the transacting servers and
confirms that the integrity of message content is maintained throughout transmission.
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Thermography
Printing process in which a colorless powder resin is dusted over wet ink and then melted,
causing a raised appearance throughout the printed piece. Alternative term: raised printing.
Thread sealing
Binding method involving stitching the spine of each signature with a plastic-coated thread.
The thread is sealed by applying heat. The result significantly improves the strength of each signature. A cost effective alternative to sewn bind.
TIFF
Tag image file format, a file format used to save bitmap images for print.
Varnish
Clear ink applied the same way as ink to printed sheets for protection and appearance, may be gloss or matte.
Watermark
Translucent logo in paper created during the papermaking process by slight embossing when paper is 90% water.
Xerographic paper
Papers made to reproduce well in laser printers and copy machines.
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