APPLICATION:  A program or group of programs designed for the end user. Application software includes database programs, word processors, and spreadsheets. Applications can not run without an operating system.

AQUEOUS COATING:  A clear, non-toxic finish added to the front side of the postcard to add brilliance and durability.

ASCII:  (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) Pronounced "askee", it is a world-wide standard for how computers write and read characters. (Example: letters, numbers and punctuation)

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BLACK PLATE CHANGE:  By changing the black plate on either a process or spot print order or press, black text and headlines are easily changed without affecting the color.

BLACK & WHITE PROOF:   A laser print for the customer to review their job, usually in text form.

BLEED, (FULL BLEED):   Printed colors which run all the way to the edge of a sheet are referred to as bleeds. Some printers charge extra for bleeds since they require the printed image to actually be slightly larger than the final trim size (thereby using more paper).

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C1S:  A trade acronym for Coated 1 (one) Side. C1S stock is typically card/cover weight. It is commonly used for postcards and flyers. The lack of coating makes writing on the uncoated side much easier.

CAMERA READY ARTWORK:   Final film or line art and text is usually produced with a camera shot rather than a scan. This photographic process is quicker, less expensive, and provides a higher quality output than a scan. Artwork that has all type, line-art and graphics in place, and is ready to be photographed is said to be camera ready.

CARD STOCK:  A stiff or rigid paper stock. Card (also referred to as Cover) stock is often used for postcards, catalog covers and other items which require rigidity. Card stock is usually described by a "Point" size. Point designations state the thickness of the sheet in thousandths of inches (0.001"). For example, 10 pt card is 0.010" thick, 12 pt is .012" and so on. Card stock can also be described by pound weights. Standard US pound (#) weight is determined as the weight of 500, 20" x 26" sheets. (Text stock is measured differently than card and assumes 500 sheets of 25" x 38" to determine pound weight).

CHESHIRE LABELS:  A standard label format is printed on (blank) standard 11x14-7/8 computer paper, 4-across. The label size is 1 x 3.4 with no gutter.

CMYK:  Four color process printing using Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black inks to create all colors.

COATED STOCK:   To enhance quality and printability most paper used in full color printing is "coated". This coating allows the paper to be printed without significant ink absorption. This lack of absorption assures that the ink doesn't run or spread and cause blurriness or lack of contrast.

COLOR BAR:  A tool used to judge color accuracy of an image when shooting film for output.

COLOR CORRECTION:   Adjusting an image to improve overall color.

COLOR DROP-IN:   See Color Build and Drop-in Color.

COLOR BUILD:   Specific colors can be "built" by using different combinations of the four process ink colors. For example, PMS*185, (bright red) can be built by combining 0% Cyan, 91% Magenta, 76% Yellow, and 0% Black. Color builds are often used for background, text and graphics where it is important that the color remain very consistent over the entire piece.

COLOR PROOF: A close representation of how the finished Postcard will look.

COMPOSITE FILM:   Complete separations ready for printing are referred to as composite film. Composite film is usually created from separations by a process called stripping, or by electronic output of digital desktop files.

CONTINUOUS TONE:  An unlimited range of color and shades of grays. Contrast: An image with light tones (highlights) and dark tones (shadows).

COVER STOCK:   See card stock.

CROP MARKS:   Crop marks show the printer where a page, photo or transparency is to be cut. Crop marks determine which sections of a photo or transparency should be reproduced when only part of the original image is desired.

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DPI:  Dots per inch. Computer based imagesetters create film with dot patterns. These dot densities are described as "dots per inch".

DRILLING:   Holes for three ring binders are drilled, rather than punched. The standard hole punch used in most offices can only punch a few sheets at a time. However, a specialized drilling machine performs the same function on up to 1000 sheets in a single pass.

DROP-IN COLOR:   Changing the color of the original line drawing or text (usually black) to a new color is sometimes referred to as a "Drop-in Color". Most often used to create text and background colors. See Color Build.

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GANG RUN:   Printing more than one job on the same press at the same time.

GLOSS:  A shiny coating on a paper is called a gloss finish. Gloss coatings allow very little ink absorption and offer excellent b/w and color definition and contrast.

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HALFTONES:   Line art and text require very clear edges and high contrast between areas where there is ink, and where there is not. However, photographs and drawings usually require varying degrees of ink density for accurate representation. A film that provides this variable density output is reffered to as a halftone. In effect, a halftone is no different than a single b/w or color scan. However, common usage refers to a single color or b/w image as a halftone, while a process color image is called a separation. Each of the independent colors in a set of CMYK films is in fact a halftone.

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IMAGESETTERS:   An imagesetter is basically an extremely high quality electronic printer. Imagesetters are used to create the film in computer based pre-press operations. In process color work, the imagesetter creates the separated output film by "printing" the image four times (once each in Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black).

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KNOCKOUT:  When type or line art is to be printed over a photograph or other variable color background, the best way to produce a consistent color is to first "reverse" the type or artwork out of the background, then drop in the desired color. This process is referred to as Knocking Out. See also Reversed Type.

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LINE SCREEN:   The finer the "Screen" used to create the printing film and plates, the more detail can be portrayed in the final printed piece. Most printing is performed between 133 and 175 lines per inch.

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MATTE:  A matte coating is not shiny like a gloss, but still keeps much of the ink from being absorbed by the paper and provides an excellent print image. Matte stocks can be written on with with most pens and pencils, while gloss stocks will often smudge or smear.

MECHANICAL:   The actual artwork sent to the printer or trade bureau is referred to as a mechanical. However, common usage goes further in specifying a mechanical as a board, base layer or galley onto which camera ready artwork has been mounted. A second layer, often a clear sheet of acetate, contains the photographs and or transparencies mounted in position. A sheet of tracing or other semi-transparent paper is often attached and includes special information or instructions (e.g., make this type red, or this logo blue).

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NON-REPRO BLUE:   A light blue color that is often used to make crop marks and or notes. In one and two color printing, the non-repro blue will usually not be reproduced on the actual printed job. However, in full-color work, the blue is reproduced just as any other color.

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PANTONE* MATCHING SYSTEM:  Often referred to as PMS, the Pantone* systems are the most popular color matching systems in the printing industry. A true PMS color is defined by a mixture of inks that will provide a specific color (e.g., PMS* 185 is a very common bright red). Pantone also provides a matching system that allows process printers (using only CMYK inks) to closely, but not exactly, match any of the PMS standard ink colors. Pantone, PMS and the Pantone Matching System are trademarks of Pantone, Inc.

PERFECT BOUND:   Binding procedure where adjacent pages are stacked together, the spine edge is glued, and then a cover is glued onto the spine.

PMS* COLORS:   See Pantone* Matching System.

POINT:  The thickness of cover/card stock is often described in units called "points". A point is one one-thousandth of an inch. Ten point stock is 10/1000 or .010 inch.

PROCESS COLOR:   Using other colors (usually Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) in various combinations to create all other colors. Also called four-color.

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REFLECTIVE ART:   Original material which reflects light. Examples of reflective art are photographs, drawings and printed material.

REGISTRATION:   The printing process is comprised of different colors combined together to form the desired color. In this process, each color is applied to the paper in a different section of the printing press. Registration refers to the positioning of the various colors so they combine in the correct locations with the correct densities.

REGISTRATION MARKS:   Registration marks are used to help the printer align the various levels of film during the stripping process. Without registration marks it is very difficult to keep all four colors (CMYK) or simple 2-color spot colors in exactly the correct position on the final printing plates, making color distortion difficult to avoid.

REVERSED TYPE:   The background is printed instead of the type or line-art.

RGB:  Red, Green, and Blue are used in television and computer monitors to create all colors. RGB is similiar to the CMYK used in process printing in that all colors are created by various combinations of a few base colors. However, the colors seen on your RGB screen will only accurately represent the colors printed in CMYK when very expensive, calibrated computer systems and translators are used.

RIP:  A raster image processor or RIP is used to convert the output of a pre-press computer system into a format usable by an imagesetter.

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SADDLE STITCH:   Binding procedure where the cover (if used) and the various pages of a catalog, magazine or newsletter are stapled together in the center and folded in half.

SCORE:  A shallow crease where a sheet of paper will be folded. This keeps the ink (and paper) from cracking at the edge of a fold.

SCREENS:  In the generation of final film, screens can be used which cause a fixed percentage of density of an ink to be printed. For example, the process color match (from the Pantone* Matching System) of PMS*185, (bright red) is created by combining 0% Cyan, 91% Magenta, 76% yellow, and 0% Black.

SCANNING:  The process of acquiring the information from either reflective or transparent artwork. In a digital scan, the data is stored as ones and zeroes on a computer disk. In an analog scan, the input information is used directly to expose film.

SEPARATION (SEPS):   A full color image broken down into four process ink colors (Cyan, magenta, Yellow and Black). The original image is printed by combining these colors in the proper order and densities on the paper.

SILHOUETTE:   Eliminating the background from behind an object in a photograph or piece of art.

SPOT VARNISH:   When only a specific area of a printed piece is varnished, it is referred to as spot varnishing. Spot varnishing is very effective at drawing special attention to a specific part of the final printed piece. (see also Varnish).

STRIPPING:  The process of assembling and combining film and/or negatives to create the final 4 pieces of film used for process printing. Stripping completes the films which are then used to create the actual printing plates.

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TEXT STOCK:  A paper stock used for sales sheets, newsletters, and other printing where the stiffness of card stock is not required. Text stock is described by pound weights. Standard US text pound (#) weight is determined by the weight of 500, 25" x 38" sheets. For example; 500 sheets of 80.lb text stock, cut 25" x 38" would weigh 80 lbs, (note that card stock is measured differently than text and assumes 500 sheets of 20" x 26" to determine pound weight).

TRANSPARENT ART:   Artwork which allows light to pass through rather than reflect off. Examples of transparent art include 35 mm slides and standard photographer transparencies.

TRAP (TRAPPING):   The removal of small gaps in ink coverage between two or more adjacent, colored objects. When two objects of different color are butted against each other, a small white or other color gap can sometimes appear if the films and plates aren't in perfect register. To avoid these gaps, an overlap between the objects is sometimes created. The color of the overlap is selected to minimize the visual effect of the overlap, and yet fill the Trap space as necessary.

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UNCOATED:   Often referred to as copier paper, this stock has no coating and allows ink absorption during the printing process. As the ink is absorbed by the various paper fibers, it diffuses the image and lessens contrast between colors. Uncoated stock is less expensive than coated stocks, and is often used to reduce costs on jobs where quality is not the primary concern.

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VARNISH:   Varnish in the printing process is just like varnish at home. When a printed piece is varnished after printing, the resulting piece has a very bright and shiny finish.

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