Glossary
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - L - M - O - P - R - S - T - U - V - W
A
Anti-aliasing
A technique for smoothing the rough edges (the jaggies) of bitmapped graphics, usually blurring the edges.
Author's corrections
Changes and/or additions in copy after it has been typeset.
B
Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the amount of information that can flow through a network at any given time. Just like the amount of water that can flow through a pipe or the amount of traffic on a highway.
For digital devices, the bandwidth is usually expressed in bits per second (bps) or bytes per second. For analog devices, the bandwidth is expressed in cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz).
Bezier curve
A mathematically defined curve that describes a shape. Bezier curves are created in drawing applications like Illustrator and Freehand.
Bitmap
A digital rasterised image stored, interpreted and manipulated as a pattern of dots and pixels.
Bleed
Printing that goes beyond the image area so that there is no white showing after the sheet is trimmed.
Blind embossing
An image pressed into a sheet without ink or foil.
C
Cast coated
Coated paper with a high gloss reflective finish.
Coated paper
A clay coated printing paper with a smooth finish.
Copyright symbol ©
What it means: Be careful if you want to copy. The owner of the artwork believes that he or she owns copyright. As with 'TM', it may or may not be legally protected, but as we will explain, you must be more careful than when you see 'TM'.
Can anyone use it: Yes. Anyone who creates original artwork. It does not need to be registered.
What it protects: Different to ® and 'TM' which cover brands, copyright covers artworks, designs, illustrations, photography, music, scripts and many other things.
Crop
To cut off parts of a picture or image.
Crop or trim marks
Marks that show where a job is going to be cut/guillotined.
D
Die
Metal rule or imaged block used to cut or place an image on paper in the finishing process.
Die cutting
Cutting images in or out of paper.
Domain Name
A name that identifies one or more IP addresses. Domain names are used in URLs to identify particular web pages.
For example, in the URL http://www.simonbaileydesign.com/index.html, the domain name is simonbaileydesign.com.
Dot gain or Spread
A term used to explain the difference in size between the dot on film vs paper.
Dummy or Mock-up
A rough layout of a printed piece showing position and finished size.
Duotone
A halftone picture made up of two printed colors.
E
Emboss
Pressing an image into paper so that it will create a raised relief.
F
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
The protocol for exchanging files over the internet. FTP is most commonly used to upload/download a file to/from a server using the internet (e.g. uploading a web page).
Flash
A bandwidth friendly and browser independent vector-graphic animation technology. As long as different browsers are equipped with the necessary plug-ins, Flash animations will look the same.
Foil
A metallic or pigmented coating used in foil stamping and foil embossing.
Fonts
A set of alphabetical characters or symbols, each with its own design. Usually fonts are created in families that include different attributes, such as bold or italic.
4 color process or CMYK
Often called "full colour". The four process colours used in printing to reproduce most colours. They are Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y), Black (K).
G
Gang
Getting the most out of a printing press by using the maximum sheet size to print multiple images or jobs on the same sheet.
Grain
The direction in which the paper fiber lie.
H
Halftone
Converting a continuous tone to dots for printing.
Hickey
Re-occurring unplanned spots that appear in the printed image from dust, lint or dried ink.
HyperText Markup Language (HTML)
The most common authoring language used to create documents on the world wide web.
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
The underlying protocol used by the world wide web. HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands.
For example, when you enter a URL in your browser, this actually sends an HTTP command to the web server directing it to fetch and transmit the requested web page.
I
Image area
Portion of paper on which ink can appear.
Imposition
Positioning printed pages so they will fold in the proper order.
Internet
A global network connecting millions of computers.
The internet is decentralised by design. Each internet computer, called a host, is independent. Its operators can choose which internet services to use and which local services to make available to the global internet community. Access is gained through an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
The internet is not synonymous with world wide web.
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
A company that provides access to the internet. For a monthly fee, the service provider gives you a software package, username, password and access phone number. Equipped with a modem, you can then log on to the internet and browse the world wide web or send and receive email.
L
Lines per inch
The number of rows of dots per inch in a halftone.
Loupe
A magnifying glass used to review a printed image or plate.
M
Matte finish
Dull paper or ink finish.
Moire
Occurs when screen angles are wrong causing odd patterns in photographs.
O
Offset paper
Or uncoated paper.
Opacity
The amount of show-through on a printed sheet. The more opacity or the thicker the paper the less show-through.
Open Source
Open source software is defined by its attached license guaranteeing anybody rights to freely use, modify, and redistribute the software.
P
Perfect bind
A type of binding that glues the edge of sheets neatly to the cover. Like telephone books or most magazines.
Pixel
Short for Picture Element, a pixel is a single point in a graphic image. Graphics monitors display pictures by dividing the display screen into thousands (or millions) of pixels, arranged in rows and columns. The pixels are so close together that they appear connected.
PMS
The abbreviated name of the Pantone Colour Matching System.
Point
For paper, a unit of thickness equaling 1/1000 inch. For typesetting, a unit of height equaling 1/72 inch.
PostScript
The computer language most recognised by printing devices.
R
Registered trade mark symbol ®
What it means: Don't copy the trade mark. Because it's registered, it is relatively easy for the owner to sue you for trade mark infringement if you use it without permission.
Can anyone use it: No. You can only use it if you have registered the trade mark with the Trade Marks Office.
What it protects: Depending on what has been registered, it can protect lots of things - names, logos, slogans, colours, shapes, packaging etc.
Registration marks
Cross-hair lines or marks on film, plates, or paper that guide registration and trimming.
S
Saddle stitch
Binding a booklet or magazine with staples in the seam where it folds.
Score
A crease put on paper to help it fold better.
Screen angles
The angles at which halftone, duo tones, tri tones, and color separation printing films are placed to make them look right.
Self-cover
Using the same paper as the text for the cover.
Spine
The binding edge of a book or publication.
Spot colour
A specific colour that is not made up as a mixture of the four major colours (CMYK).
Spot varnish
Varnish used to hilight a specific part of the printed sheet.
Stock
The material to be printed.
T
Top Level Domain (TLD)
Every domain name has a suffix that indicates which TLD it belongs to.
For example:
.gov - Government agencies
.edu - Educational institutions
.org - Organisations (non-profit)
.mil - Military
.com - Commercial business
.com.au - Commercial business in Australia
.net - Network organizations
Trade mark symbol ™
What it means: The owner of the brand believes that he or she is the only one using the trade mark. It may or may not be registered, so they may or may not have the legal right to stop you if you copy. In other words, not a great deal.
Can anyone use it: Anyone who claims that they own the trade mark. It does not need to be registered.
What it protects: Generally used for names, logos and slogans, but may be used for other things.
Trapping
The preparation of a file ensuring that adjoining colours overlap slightly to avoid gaps between colours in the printing process.
U
Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
The global address of documents and other resources on the world wide web. The first part of the address indicates what protocol to use, and the second part specifies the IP address or the domain name.
eg. http://www.simonbaileydesign.com
UV coating
Liquid laminate bonded and cured with ultraviolet light.
V
Varnish
A clear liquid applied to printed surfaces for looks and protection.
Vector graphic
An image made up of individual, mathematically defined objects, rather than a collection of bits (bitmap). Typically created by drawing programs such as Illustrator and Freehand.
Verso
The left hand page of an open book.
Vignette
Fading a colour or image into white or another colour or image.
W
Watermark
A distinctive design created in paper at the time of manufacture that can be easily seen by holding the paper up to a light.
Web Browser
Applications called web browsers make it easy to access and view the world wide web. Popular browsers include Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Firefox and Safari.
Website Hosting
Hosting provides you with disk space on a computer (or server) that is connected to the internet so that your website will be visible on the world wide web.
What do KB, MB, Mb and GB mean?
Kilobyte (KB), megabyte (MB), megabit (Mb) and gigabyte (GB) are units of measurement for data storage (e.g. hard drive) or data transfer (e.g. email).
Wire O
Binding using double loops of wire through a hole.
Work and tumble
Printing one side of a sheet and turning it over from the gripper to the tail to print the second side.
Work and turn
Printing one side of a sheet and turning it over from left to right to print the second side.
World Wide Web (WWW)
A system of internet servers that support specially formatted documents. The documents are formatted in a markup language called HTML (HyperText Markup Language) that supports links to other documents, as well as graphics, audio, and video files. This means you can jump from one document to another simply by clicking on hot spots.
Not all internet servers are part of the world wide web.
