Printing Terms
|
|
Term
|
Definition |
| apron |
White
space added to margins of text area on a page to accommodate a foldout. |
| blanket |
In
offset litho printing, the rubber-coater sheet that transfers the
inked impression from printing plate to paper. In gravure printing,
a similar rubber sheet covers the impression cylinder of a printing
press. |
| blanket-to-blanket
press |
In
offset printing, a configuration in which a continuous web of paper
is fed between two blanket cylinders, printing both sides at once.
Also called a perfecting press. |
| bleed |
Margin
outside the trimmed area of a sheet that allows for tints, images,
or other matter to print beyond the edge of the page. If sheets are
printed without the bleed, it is generally not possible to print matter
up to the edge of the page. |
| bottom
printing |
Printing
on the underside of translucent film or paper, so the design reads
through the top. |
| centerfold/spread |
Facing
pages in the center of a section. Center spreads are also called naturals. |
| cold-set
ink |
A
solid ink that, when used on a "hot press" (one that has
a heated cylinder), melts into a liquid that then solidifies on contact
with the paper. |
| color
printing |
Strictly
speaking, multicolor printing in inks other than black. However, the
term is used more generally describe any printing process that uses
colored inks -- including black -- and this encompasses four-color
printing. The major printing processes today are offset lithography
(either sheet or web-fed) and web gravure. Screen printing is also
widely used, although generally for specialist work in small runs.
Color letterpress printing -- the oldest method -- has all but died
except for very specialist work. |
| die
press |
A
machine that is used to die cut or emboss a shape into paper or
board. |
| die
stamping |
A
printing technique that uses a die to emboss a relief image onto a
surface. Ink or metallic foil is generally used to add color, but
if not the surface is said to be blind-stamped. Also known as relief
stamping. |
| dye-based
ink |
Inks,
the colors of which are obtained from alkiline dyes, used mainly for
flexographic printing and for screen printing onto textiles. In the
latter, dye-based inks are sometimes called "dye pastes." |
| electrostatic
printing |
A
method of inkless printing using an electrically charged, photosensitive
drum or plate that temporarily retains the original image before transferring
it to paper using an imaging agent (toner). Typically used for large
format printing. |
| gloss
ink |
Printing
ink usually consisting of a varnish or synthetic resin base and drying
oils. Such ink dries quickly, and does not penetrate far into the
paper and is normally used on coated and low-absorbency papers. |
| ink |
A
fluid comprising solving and oils (called a "medium" or
"vehicle") in which a finely ground pigment of plant dyes,
minerals, or synthetic dyes is suspended to provide color. There are
many different types of inks for the various printing processes. |
| ink
transparency |
The
degree to which a substrate will show through a printed ink. |
| lay
edges |
The
two edges of a sheet that are placed flush with the side and front
(the "front lay edge") marks ("lay gauges") on
a printing machine to make sure the sheet will be removed properly
by the grippers and have uniform margins when printed. |
| lay
sheet |
The
first of many sheets passed through a press to check such things as
register. |
| machine
proof |
A
final ink proof made on a press similar to the one on which it will
be printed. Also called a press proof. |
| make-ready |
The
process of preparing a printing press before a new run, to establish
register, ink density, consistent impression, and so on. |
| off-print |
An
article or other part of a publication printed with the main run,
but produced as a separate item. Also called a separate. |
| offset |
To
reproduce a book by photographing a previously printed edition. |
| offset |
A
printing technique in which the ink is transferred from the printing
plate to a "blanket" cylinder and then to the paper or material
on which it is to be printed. |
| offset
blanket |
The
rubber-coated blanket used in offset litho printing that transfers
the inked imaged from plate to paper. |
| one-up |
A
single printing of a single signature or image on a press sheet. |
| pass
sheet |
A
printed sheet of optimum print quality that is removed from the run,
so subsequent sheets can be compared with it. |
| photomechanical |
The
preparation of printing plates involving photographic techniques. |
| physical
dot gain |
The
increase in the size of a halftone dot caused by the spread of ink
during printing. |
| plate |
A
book illustration printed separately from the main body and then tipped
or bound into the book, even though the term is now widely used (erroneously)
to describe an illustration printed in a book. |
| plate
cylinder |
The
cylinder on a printing press onto which the plate is fixed. |
| platemaking |
The
process of making an image on a printing plate by whatever means,
but usually photomechanically transferring it from film. |
| plugging |
An
aberration in platemaking in which dot areas become filled in, caused
by damage to the plate. |
| precoated
plates |
Litho
plates that have received a coating that will not become light-sensitive
until they are washed with a sensitizing solution. |
| premake
ready |
The
final checking of plates before they are made ready on press. |
| preprint |
An
item printed in advance of a publication, later inserted loosely into
bound copies. Also called a blow-in. |
| press |
Any
machine that transfers (prints) an impression, traditionally a from
a former block, plate, or blanket onto paper or other material. |
| print |
The
image etched, or otherwise generated onto a printing plate. |
| printmaking |
The
printing of fine art editions by a variety of processes, such as limited
edition screenprints and etchings. |
| production
press |
The
press used for a printing a job, as opposed to the one used for proofing
it; it is generally impractical to use the production press for proofing. |
| register
sheet |
A
sheet used to obtain correct position and register when printing. |
| roll-to-roll
printing |
Rewinding
a continuous printed web onto another roll. |
| roll-up |
A
check of the first printed sheets to emerge from a press while the
plate is still being inked. |
| rotary
press |
Any
printing press in which the printing surface is on a rotating cylinder.
Paper can be delivered to rotary presses in either sheet or web form. |
| single
printing |
The
process of printing a sheet of paper first on one side and then on
the other. |
| spot
color |
Any
color used for printing that has been "custom mixed" for
the job, as opposed to one of the four standard process colors. |
| transfer
paper |
The
substrate that contains and inked impression that will become the
printing form for litho printing. |
| two-up |
A
method of printing two copies of each page on a single sheet. They
are eventually trimmed into separate entities after binding. |
| vegetable
ink |
An
ecologically sound printing ink made from vegetable oils. |
| watercolor
/ water-based inks |
Water-soluble-based,
rather than oil based, sometimes used for printing colors from a rubber
surface. |
| watercolor
printing |
A
printing process using water-soluble inks on porous paper that results
in the blending of overlapping layers of colors. |
| web
(printing) press |
A
rotary printing press that uses continuous paper from a large roll
that is fed through a series of rollers (cylinders) on which the plates
are mounted. The impression from the plate is offset onto a blanket
before being printed onto the paper. |
| web
offset |
A
rotary printing press that uses continuous reel-fed paper "web"
where the impression (image) from the plate is offset onto a blanket
(usually rubber) before being printed onto the paper. There are three
main systems: blanket to blanket; three-cylinder systems; and satellite
or planetary systems. |
| wet
printing process inks |
Quick-drying
inks used in multicolor printing; the last color seals the surface.
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