A4 Paper

ISO standard paper size 210 x 297mm or 8.3" x 11.7". The common paper size used outside the US in place of 8.5" x 11".

Accordion fold

Folding paper by bending each fold in the opposite direction of the previous fold creating a pleated or accordion effect.

Acid-free paper

A paper containing no acidity or acid producing chemicals that degrades less over time than acidic papers.

Aqueous Coating

This clear coating is used to protect your printed pieces. It provides a high-gloss surface that deters dirt and fingerprints. Aqueous coating improves the durability of postcards as they go through the mail, and protects business cards as they ride around in people's pockets. It also looks beautiful on brochures, catalog covers, and stand-alone flyers. Abbreviated AQ 1 Side for aqueous coating one side and AQ 2 Sides for aqueous coating two sides.

---

Basis weight

Basis or basic weight refers to the weight, in pounds, of a ream (500 sheets) of paper cut to a given standard size for that particular paper grade.

Bible paper

A thin but strong paper (opaque), used for bibles and books.

Bindery

A business or department within a printing company that does the cutting, folding, collating, drilling and other finishing operations used on printing projects.

Bleed

Any element that extends up to or past the edge of a printed page.

Blind emboss

A design or basic relief impression that is made without using inks or metal foils and results in a raised image within the paper.

Blocking

When ink or coating causes printed sheets of paper in a pile to stick together, causing damage when they are separated. This is normally caused by not enough anti-offset powder or too much ink, and usually ruins the printed job.

Bond

A grade of durable writing, printing and typing paper that is erasable and somewhat rigid.

Book Paper

Types of paper usually used for printing books. Book paper text weight and is divided into uncoated or offset paper, and coated paper, which includes matte or gloss coating.

Bounce

Inconsistent positioning of the printed image on the sheets of paper as they travel through a printing press.

Brightness

Brightness of a sheet is determined by the amount of light that is reflected from the sheet. Brightness ranges from 60% -90%. Idea: The brightness reflects the quality and price.

Bristol

A board paper of various thicknesses having a smooth finish and used for printing or drawing.

Bulk

A term given to paper to describe its thickness relative to its weight.

---

C1S and C2S

Acronyms for Coated One Side and Coated Two Sides paper stock. A cover stock with a glossy finish on one side and uncoated on the other, usually between 8pt (.008") and 18pt (.018") in thickness.

Calendaring

Paper-finishing process in which damp paper passed through several heated rollers to give it a smooth and shiny finish.

Carbonless Paper

Paper that is chemically treated to transfer the impression from the first page to the subsequent pages. See Carbonless NCR Form Printing for more detailed info.

Case binding

Books bound using hard board (case) covers.

Cast coated

A paper that is coated and then pressure dried using a polished roller that imparts an enamel like hard gloss finish.

Center spread

The two pages that face each other in the center of a book or publication.

Chain lines

Lines that appear on laid paper as a result of the wires of the papermaking machine.

Coated stock

Any paper that has a mineral coating applied after the paper is made, giving the paper a smoother finish.

Coil Binding

Where a metal or plastic wire is spiraled through holes punched along the side of a stack of paper. Commonly used for reports, proposals and manuals. Documents bound with coil have the ability to lay flat and can rotate 360 degrees. Also called spiral binding.

Cold color

Any color that is toward the blue side of the color spectrum.

Collate

To gather sheets or printed signatures together in their correct order.

Color bars

A color test strip that is printed on the waste portion of a press sheet. It helps a press operator to monitor and control the quality of the printed material relative to ink density, registration and dot gain. It can also include a Star Target, which is designed to detect inking and press problems.

Color cast

Unwanted color tone or overall color shading distorting the normal color balance of a photographic image.

Color sequence

The order in which process inks are printed on a printing press. Also called the color rotation or laydown sequence.

Comb Binding

Binding a stack of paper together by inserting the teeth of a flexible plastic comb into holes punched along one of the edges. Commonly used for catalogs, reports and manuals.

Cover

A term describing a general type of paper used for the covers of books, pamphlets, etc., also used for business cards and postcards.

Coverage

The extent to which printing ink covers the surface of a printed sheet. Ink coverage is frequently expressed as light, medium or heavy.

Cyan

A shade of blue used in four-color process printing. The C in CMYK. Also referred to as process blue.

---

Dampening

An essential part of the offset printing process whereby rollers distribute a solution to the plate that covers the non-printing area of the plate, repelling ink in those areas. Some newer presses use a waterless ink technology that does not use dampening.

Deckle edge

The rough or feathered edge of paper when left untrimmed.

Die Cutting

The process of cutting paper in a shape or design by the use of a wooden die or block in which are positioned steel rules in the shape of the desired pattern.

Digital Proof

Color separation data is digitally stored and then exposed to color photographic paper creating a picture of the final product before it is actually printed with ink.

Double parallel fold

Constructed by folding a sheet of paper in half and then in half once again.

Drill

The drilling of holes into paper for ring or comb binding.

Dull finish

A semi-gloss finish on paper that is less glossy than gloss and more than matte paper.

---

Electronic Proof

A process of generating a prepress proof in which paper is electronically exposed to the color separation negatives and passed through electrically charged pigmented toners, which adhere electrostatically, resulting in the finished proof. Typically in .pdf format.

Embossing

The molding and reshaping of paper by the use of special metal dies and heat, counter dies and pressure, to produce a raised image on the paper surface.

Enamel

Another term for gloss coated paper.

---

Finish

The surface quality of a paper.

Finishing

Finishing in the printing process is the general term for trimming, folding, binding and other post-production processes of paper handling and printing.

Fit

The registration of the different colors on a printed sheet.

Flexography

A printing method using flexible plates where the image to be printed is higher than the non-printing areas. The inked areas are then contact the material to be printed, transferring the ink from the raised areas to the material. Fast drying inks are usually used in this process. Common uses are the printing of cans and bottles and other non-flat items.

Foil

Thin metal sheet that is applied to paper using the foil stamping process. Frequently metallic colored, but available in numerous colors.

Foil Embossing

Stamping a thin sheet of metallic foil onto a sheet of paper and then embossing a pattern under it, creating a three dimensional raised area, usually text or an image. See a sample of foil embossing.

Foil Stamping

Impressing metallic foil onto paper with a heated die.

Free sheet

Any paper that is free from wood pulp impurities.

---

Ganging or Gang Run

Running related or similar jobs together to save money, paper and time. Can be two separate jobs on the same press sheet of paper.

Gate fold

A three or four panel fold where the two outside panels fold inward to meet in the center. In an open gate fold, there are three panels, the bottom of which is twice the size of the folded panels. In a closed gatefold, there are four panels of roughly equal size where the outer panels are folded inward together.

Ghosting

Also known as gloss ghosting. A condition occurring during the printing process when vapors from drying ink on one side of a press sheet interact chemically with dry ink or blank paper on sheets in contact with or on the reverse side of the same sheet creating unintended faint images.

Grain

Paper fibers lie in a similar direction in a sheet of paper. This direction is called the grain. Printing is usually done so that if folding is required, the fold is done parallel to the grain.

Gravure

A printing process using recessed areas on a metal cylinder that hold the ink.

Gutter

A blank space or margin between components on a printed piece or press sheet.

---

Half fold

A half fold is constructed by folding a sheet of paper once, creating two equal halves. Could be folded horizontally or vertically.

Hickey

The effect that occurs when a spec of dust or debris (frequently dried ink) adheres to the printing plate and creates a spot or imperfection in the printing.

Hot melt

An adhesive used in some binding processes, which requires heat for application.

House sheet

This is a term that refers to a paper that a printer keeps on hand in their shop.

---

Image area

That portion of a printing plate that carries ink and prints on paper.

Indicia

An image and/or text pre-printed on mailing envelopes in place of a stamp.

Ink Dry Back

When printed ink colors become lighter or less dense after they have dried on the paper.

---

Jog

To vibrate a stack of finished pages so that they are tightly aligned for final trimming or binding.

---

Kraft

A coarse unbleached paper used for printing and industrial products.

---

Laid finish

A parallel lined paper that has a handmade look.

Lamination

Applying thin transparent plastic sheets to both sides of a sheet of paper, providing scuff resistance, waterproofing and extended use.

Layout

A rendition that shows the placement of all the elements, images, thumbnails etc., of a final printed piece.

Letterpress

Printing that utilizes inked raised surfaces, usually type, to create the image.

Lift

Stack of paper on the cutter.

Linen

A paper that emulates the look and texture of linen cloth.

Lip/Lap

An over-hang of one side of a printed signature that will be saddle stitched.

Lithography

The process of printing that utilizes flat or curved inked surfaces to create the printed images.

Loupe

A small magnifier used to observe the details on a printed sheet.

---

M weight

The actual weight of 1000 sheets of any given size of paper.

Magenta

One of the four process colors, or CMYK, the M is for magenta. Magenta is a predominately red color with some blue. Magenta, cyan and yellow are also the three subtractive primary colors.

Magnetic black

Black ink containing iron oxides, used for magnetic ink character recognition used for check printing.

Make-ready

Paper that is used in the press set-up process before the printing run actually starts. Or the process of setting up press or bindery equipment to produce a specific product, including setting paper size, ink density, image alignment, fold sizes, etc., in preparation for the actual production run.

Matte finish

A coated paper finish that goes through minimal calendaring.

Metallic Ink

Ink that looks metallic when printed. Made with powdered metal or pigments that look metallic. The most common colors used are gold and silver.

Moiré

An undesirable halftone pattern produced by the incorrect angles of overprinting halftone screens.

Mottle

A term used to describe spotty or uneven ink absorption.

---

Natural

A term to describe papers that have a color similar to that of wood, also called cream, off-white or ivory.

Newsprint

A light, low-cost unbleached paper made especially for newspaper printing.

---

Offset paper

A term sometimes used for uncoated book paper.

Offset printing

The most commonly used printing technique in which the inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber roller, then to the printing surface. Each roller has its own specified ink - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black - or CMYK. As each of these rollers pass over the page, they transfer ink and build layers of colors, resulting in complete images and text on the page. Additionally, specialized colors called Pantones or PMS colors can be added to the layout if very specific colors are needed, for instance in a logo.

Onionskin

A light bond paper used for typing and used with carbon paper because of its thinness.

Opacity

Quality of papers that defines its opaqueness or ability to prevent two-sided printing from showing through.

Opaque ink

Ink that completely covers any ink under itself.

Overrun / Overs

Quantities of sheets printed over the requested number of copies.

---

Parchment

A hard finished paper that emulates animal skin used for documents, such as awards, that require writing by hand.

Perfect Binding

A binding process where the signatures of a book are held together by a flexible adhesive.

Perfecting press

A printing press that prints on both sides of a sheet in a single pass through the press.

Picking

An occurrence in printing whereby the tack of ink pulls fibers or coating off the paper surface, leaving spots on the printed surface.

Plastic comb

A method of binding books whereby holes are drilled on the spine, and a plastic grasping device is inserted to hold the pages together.

PMS

The abbreviation of the Pantone Color Matching System. Unique colors that are created using specific formulas of the individual CMYK colors.

Press Check

When a client visits a printing company to view actual printed sheets of their project before a full production press run is started.

Pressure-sensitive

Self-adhesive paper covered by a backing sheet.

Process printing

A system where a color image is separated into different color values (cyan, magenta, yellow and black or CMYK) by the use of filters and screens or digitally with a software program and then transferred to printing plates and printed on a printing press, reproducing the original color image.

---

Rag paper

Papers with a complete or partial content of cotton fibers.

Ream

500 sheets of paper.

RGB

The color space of Red, Green and Blue. These are the primary colors of light, which computers use to display images on your screen. An RGB computer file must be translated into the CMYK (the primary colors of pigment) color space in order to be printed on a printing press.

Right angle fold

A term that denotes folds that are 90 degrees to each other.

Rounded Corners

Rounded corners use extra finishing to convert regular square corners into rounded corners.

---

Saddle stitch

The binding of booklets or other printed materials by stapling the pages together on the folded spine.

Safety paper

A paper that shows sign of erasure so that it cannot be altered or tampered with easily.

Scoring

To crease paper with a heavy metal rule for the purpose of making folding easier.

Scum

Unwanted deposits of ink in the non-image area of a printed piece.

Self cover

A cover that is the same paper stock as the internal sheets.

Show through

When the printing on one side of a sheet is seen from the other side, a frequent problem with thin papers.

Shrinkwrap

Shrinkwrap is a thin, plastic wrapping designed to group the items you order into desired quantities. Additionally, it helps your order arrive in good condition because it reduces rubbing during shipping. It is called "shrinkwrap" because after the plastic is placed around each bundle, it is shrunk with gentle heat for a better fit.

Side stitch

The stapling of sheets or signatures on the side closest to the spine.

Signature

A printed sheet with multiple pages on it that is folded so that the pages are in their proper numbered sequence, as in a book.

Soy Inks

Inks made with soy oils instead of petroleum as the base. They are considered to be more environmentally friendly, a standard component of green printing.

Spiral bind

A type of binding where a metal or plastic wire is spiraled through holes drilled along the binding side of a document.

Stock

A term for unprinted paper.

Substrate

Any kind of material that can be printed on (i.e.: paper, plastic, corrugated, etc.).

Synthetic papers

Any non-wood or cloth paper, usually petroleum (plastic) based.

---

Text paper

A high quality light weight printing paper.

Thermography

A printing process whereby slow drying ink is applied to paper and, while the ink is still wet, is lightly dusted with a resinous powder. The paper then passes through a heat chamber where the powder melts and fuses with the ink to produce a raised surface.

Tint

A halftone screen that contains all the same sized dots.

Trapping

The overlapping of one color over a different, adjacent color to ensure that no white space is visible where the two colors meet, especially when there are slight variations in the registration of the two colors during the printing process. Or the process of printing wet ink over wet or dry previously printed ink.

Tri fold

A classic brochure fold, that creates three two-sided panels with the folds oriented vertically. Sometimes this folding option is also referred to as a 3 Panel Roll Fold.

Trim marks

Marks placed on the printed sheet to indicate where cuts should be made.

Trim size

The final size of a printed piece after being cut from the sheet of paper that it was printed on.

---

Up

A term used to describe how many similar pieces can be printed on a larger sheet; two up, four up, etc.

UV Coating

A very shiny and durable high gloss coating applied to printed material. Applied as a liquid then cured with ultraviolet light. Abbreviated UV 1 Side for UV coating one side and UV 2 Sides for UV coating two sides.

---

Variable Data Printing

Is a form of on-demand printing in which elements (such as text, graphics, photographs, etc.) can be changed from one printed piece to the next, without stopping or slowing down the press, using information from a database. For example, a set of personalized letters, each with the same basic layout, can be printed with a different name and address on each letter.

Varnish

A clear coating added to printed material as a protective layer for improved scuff resistance and usually higher gloss.

Vellum

A finish of paper that is somewhat bulky and made to imitate the fine smooth finish of a parchment made from animal skin

---

Warm color

A color with a reddish tone rather than a blue tone. Browns, oranges, reds, and yellows are generally considered to be "warm" colors.

Washup

The procedure of cleaning a particular ink from the unit of a printing press.

Web press

A printing press that prints on rolls of paper passed through the press in one continuous piece, as opposed to individual sheets of paper.

Work and Turn

A printing production format that has the front and back of a printed piece on one side of the paper that is then printed the same on the back side, producing two copies of the piece.

Wove

A smooth paper with a gentle patterned finish.

Writing paper

Another name for bond paper.

---

Yellow

One of the four process colors of ink, or CMYK. The Y is for yellow.

---

Z fold

Also known as a fan fold is constructed by folding a sheet of paper twice in the shape of the letter Z. It looks like a fan because the panels do not fold into one another.

---

10-point C1S

A bristol stock, gloss coated on the outside and uncoated on the inside. Used for Greeting Cards.

100# Gloss Cover

As a "cover" stock, this paper is stiff, about like a postcard or baseball card. This stock is coated with a glossy finish, making photographs and other images look beautiful. Standard uses: business cards

100# Gloss Text

Similar to the 80# gloss text, but 25% thicker and heavier, for a piece that feels more substantial. Standard Uses: Brochures, Information Sheets, Self-mailers, etc.

100# White Linen Cover

Subtle woven fabric like finish typically used for businesscards or stationary. No gloss.

120# Gloss Cover

As a "cover" stock, this paper is stiff, about like a postcard or baseball card. The glossy, coated finish makes photographs and other images look beautiful. Consider adding aqueous coating to your four color sides for added protection and shine.

14pt C2S or C1S

Thick and stiff cover stock coated with a glossy finish on both sides (C2S) or coated on one side (C1S)

14pt Uncoated Cover

An option for business cards, rack cards and bookmarks.

16pt C2S or C1S

Very thick and stiff cover stock coated with a glossy finish on both sides (C2S) or coated on one side (C1S). Because of its thickness, it is not ideal for folding unless scored first.

4/0 (4 over 0)

CMYK on the front of a document and no printing on the back.

4/1 (4 over 1)

CMYK on the front of a document and 1 color on the back. 4/K is sometimes used to specifically indicate that the back will be printed with black ink.

4/4 (4 over 4)

CMYK (full color) on the front and back of a document.

70# Uncoated Text

Used for stationery and envelopes and 70# Cougar Opaque Offset on calendars and newsletters. These uncoated (non-glossy) white stocks are guaranteed safe for desktop laser printing. Many common stationery stocks are not appropriate for 4-color printing. Feels thick and substantial in your hands.

80# dull/matte text

This stock is finely coated with a non-gloss finish. It provides an excellent opaque base for easy to read, crisp typography. Standard Uses: Brochures, Catalog Inserts, and Flyers, etc.

80# Gloss Cover

As a "cover" stock, this paper is stiff, about like a postcard or baseball card. This stock is coated with a glossy finish, making photographs and other images look beautiful. Standard uses: durable, heavy-weight Brochures, Catalog Covers, Product Spec Sheets.

80# Gloss Text

Standard glossy paper stock, about as thick as a light magazine cover. The shiny finish provides an excellent opaque base for rich process color printing. Popular stock for: Brochures, Catalog Inserts, Flyers, Posters, etc.