PRINT PRODUCTION GLOSSARY
May 12, 2000 2:36 PM
CMYK: Stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black)—the
four inks used in the subtractive color model of four-color printing; generally
speaking, all the colors created on press result from varying combinations of
these four inks.
Color model: System for creating, defining, or describing colors;
commonly used color models are CMYK and RGB.
Crop marks: Marks that show where the printed sheet should
be cut or folded.
CTP: Computer-to-plate; a method that avoids the use of film.
Digest-size: Catalog measuring roughly 5” x 7”.
Digital printing: Method of printing in which the data and
images are printed directly from the computer onto paper.
FTP: File Transfer Protocol; a mean of transmitting files on
the Internet.
GIF: Graphic Interchange Format, a file format used primarily
online that can contain up to 256 colors.
Gravure: Short for rotogravure; printing method in which the
images are imprinted onto paper directly from the impression cylinder; generally
provides greater color range and can use a cheaper paper stock than offset printing.
Hickey: A small bubble or obstruction on the printing plate
that produces a small circle on the page; also called a halo.
Halftone screening: Using dots of ink of varying sizes to create
gray tones.
JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group, a method of compressing
or formatting images.
Moiré: An unwanted wavy or screenlike pattern that occurs
on press because of the way that the halftone dots that create the image are
arranged.
Offset: A method of printing in which the printing plate transfers the image
onto a rubber blanket that in turn transfers the image to the paper; more cost-effective
for smaller books and print runs than gravure printing.
Perfect binding: Using glue to bind the edges of the catalog together, rather
than stapling them together.
Preflighting: Reviewing and analyzing digital files before
inserting them into the prepress workflow.
Registration: When all the inks are aligned correctly for optimal
image reproduction.
RGB: Stands for red, green, and blue—the three inks used
in the additive color model, which is generally used for screen displays and
digital representations.
Saddle-stitching: Stapling the spine of a catalog or magazine
to keep the pages together.
Self-cover: Use of the same type of paper for the cover as
for the inside pages.
Signature: A folded sheet of paper that consists of a set number
of pages. All signatures are multiples of four, with 16-page signatures the
most common; also called forms.
Slim-jim: Catalog measuring roughly 6-1/8” x 11-1/2”.
Soft proofing: Reviewing a document on a computer monitor rather
than on paper.
Spot colors: Specially mixed inks that create special colors
that cannot be exactly replicated by CMYK inks.
Stochastic screening: Method of image reproduction that varies
the distance between the halftone dots, rather than the size of the dots themselves,
to create gray tones; also called FM screening.
TIFF: Tagged Image File Format, used for creating and storing
digital images.
Trim size: Final dimensions of the width and length of a catalog.
Variable printing: Method that allows the content of each page to be changed
without losing printing speed; also called personalized printing.
