Help & Info
JARGON BUSTER - The A to Z of Print Terminology
Making sense of baffling printing terms.
You know everything there is to know about your business. Yet, when it comes to dealing with print suppliers you're probably not clued up on the intricate details. Like every other industry, the Printing industry has its very own language and terminology.
To help keep things simple, we have created a Jargon Buster Guide where you can familiarize yourself with typical print terms and what they actually mean.
Pagemaker
Graphics Software
Page
One side of a sheet of paper -whether printed or not
Page Makeup
The assemblage of all the necessary elements required to complete a page.
Parallel Fold
All folds are parallel to each other
Parchment
A hard finished paper that emulates old paper
Parent Sheet
A sheet that is larger than the cut stock
Perf Marks
Markings usually dotted lines showing where the perforations should occur
Perfect
A term used to describe the binding process where the book makes a squared spine
Perfect Binding
Binding process where backs of sections are cut off, ground together
Perfecting Press
A printing press that prints on both sides of the page in a single pass
Perforating
Punching small holes or slits in a sheet of paper to facilitate tearing along a desired line
Pica
Standard of measurement, 1/6 inch. 1 pica = 12 points 72 points = 1 inch
Picking
When the tack of ink is stronger than the surface strength of the paper, some lifting of the paper surface occurs; this is referred to as picking.
Plate
Reproduction of type or cuts in metal, plastic, rubber, or other material, to form a plate bearing an image that can be transferred
Plate Cylinder
The cylinder on the printing press on which the plate is mounted
Plate Making
Making a printing plate
Plate Setter
Machine that images plates directly from digital file.
Point
A measurement unit equal to 1/72 of an inch. 12 points to a pica, 72 points to an inch.
PPI
Pixel per inch.
Premium
Any paper that is considered better than #1 by its manufacturer.
Primary Colors
In printing the four primary colors are cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow and black
Process Inks
CMYK, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black that create images in full color
Process Printing
CMYK printing
Proof
A representation of the job given to the customer that should represent final product-this is the last stage before plating.
