Printing Glossary: 254 Print Terms Simply Explained

A fold with three or more parallel folds that alternate direction, so the sheet opens like a fan or an accordion.

Expert tipA sheet with two parallel folds is a Z-fold; add more panels and it becomes an accordion. Popular for maps, menus and long product lineups. See types of brochure folds.

Adobe software for opening, checking and editing PDF files. Acrobat Reader is free and opens PDFs. Acrobat Pro is paid and adds editing and print preflight tools.

Expert tipAcrobat Pro’s Preflight and Output Preview panels let you check color separations, ink coverage and PDF/X compliance before you upload a print file.

How lines of text sit between the page margins: left, right, centered or justified (flush on both sides).

Expert tipJustified text in narrow columns can create uneven word gaps (“rivers”). Turn on hyphenation or use left alignment for brochure panels and catalog descriptions.

Two ways of turning a photo into printable dots. AM (amplitude modulated) screening uses evenly spaced dots that change in size. FM (frequency modulated) screening uses tiny same-size dots that change in spacing.

Expert tipFM or “stochastic” screening avoids moire and holds fine detail, but needs tight press control. Most commercial offset work still runs AM screens at 150 to 175 LPI.

An engraved metal or ceramic roller covered in tiny cells that meters a precise film of ink onto the plate in flexographic printing.

Expert tipCell volume (measured in BCM, billion cubic microns per square inch) and line count set how much ink is delivered. Finer anilox rolls suit halftones, heavier ones suit solids.

A clear, water-based coating applied right after printing to protect the ink from scuffs and fingerprints. It dries fast and comes in gloss, matte or satin.

Expert tipApplied inline on the press’s coating unit, so it adds little cost. Read our full guide to aqueous coating types and benefits.

The printable page area inside design software such as Illustrator. Set it to your trim size, then extend artwork into the bleed.

A PDF export setting that lowers image resolution by averaging groups of pixels into one. It shrinks file size but removes fine detail.

Expert tipFor print, downsample only images above about 450 ppi down to 300 ppi. Bicubic downsampling usually keeps edges sharper than averaging. See our print resolution guide.

The weight in pounds of 500 sheets (one ream) of a paper at its basic sheet size. It is the “lb” number you see on US paper, such as 100 lb gloss text.

Expert tipThe basic size changes by grade: bond 17″ x 22″, text/book 25″ x 38″, cover 20″ x 26″, index 25.5″ x 30.5″. That is why 80 lb cover is much thicker than 80 lb text. Compare grades in our paper weight guide or by GSM, which does not depend on grade.

Evenly spaced dots of one color used to create a lighter tint or a mixed color, made famous by vintage comic books. Named after illustrator Benjamin Day.

The department or step where printed sheets are cut, folded, bound, drilled and packed. Also called post-press or finishing.

The method used to hold the pages of a multi-page document together.

Expert tipCommon methods: saddle stitching (stapled), perfect binding (glued spine), Wire-O, spiral and case binding. Compare the two most popular in perfect binding vs saddle stitch.

A simple, uncompressed image file format made of pixels. BMP files open almost anywhere but are large and are not used for professional print. Send TIFF or a press-ready PDF instead.

Any image built from a grid of pixels, such as a photo. Bitmap (raster) images lose sharpness when enlarged, unlike vector graphics.

Expert tipEffective resolution drops as you scale up: a 300 ppi photo enlarged to 200% prints at 150 ppi.

The rubber-covered cylinder on an offset press. It takes the inked image from the plate and transfers (“offsets”) it onto the paper.

Expert tipBecause the plate never touches the paper, plates last longer and the soft blanket can lay ink cleanly on textured stock.

Extra artwork that extends past the final cut line, so color and images run right to the edge with no white slivers after trimming.

Expert tipMost US commercial printers ask for 0.125″ (1/8″) of bleed on every side. A 5″ x 7″ postcard file with bleed is 5.25″ x 7.25″. Learn more in our full bleed printing guide.

A small bound publication used for manuals, programs, product guides, training material and reports.

Expert tipSaddle-stitched booklets need a page count in multiples of 4; thicker ones are usually perfect bound. Order custom booklets (8 to 320 pages, portrait, landscape or square) or compare formats in flyers vs leaflets vs brochures vs booklets.

A narrow printed card, usually 2″ x 6″ or 2″ x 7″, used as a reading aid and a low-cost branded giveaway for publishers, libraries, schools and events.

Expert tipPrint on 14 pt or 16 pt cover stock and add a coating so it survives daily handling. Order custom bookmarks.

How much blue light a paper reflects, on a 1 to 100 scale. Higher brightness makes colors look cleaner and text crisper.

Expert tipBrightness is not the same as whiteness (the shade of white). A 96 bright sheet is typical for premium text and copy papers.

A folded printed piece that presents a company, product or service in panels. Unlike a single flat flyer, a brochure is folded (tri-fold, z-fold, gate fold).

Expert tipOrder brochure printing or see all 15 types of brochure folds.

Printing large quantities of the same item in one order. Unit cost falls as quantity rises, because setup is spread across more pieces.

Expert tipSee bulk poster printing and what to check before ordering bulk posters.

A small printed card with contact details, most often 3.5″ x 2″ in the US.

Expert tipCheck standard business card sizes or order business cards.

Short for “coated one side” and “coated two sides”. C1S stock has a smooth coated face and an uncoated back, often used for postcards, labels and packaging. C2S is coated on both sides for full-color printing front and back.

Computer Aided Design. Software for precise technical drawings. In print, CAD tools are used to draw dielines for packaging and custom shapes.

A printed date planner, from wall and desk calendars to magnetic and pocket formats. A popular branded giveaway that stays in view all year.

Expert tipPlan with calendar sizes and calendar printing costs, or order custom calendars with Wire-O binding and a custom start month.

Passing paper between heavy polished rollers under heat and pressure to make it smoother and glossier. More pressure gives a shinier, denser sheet.

Expert tipSupercalendered (SC) papers are used for magazines and catalogs. Also see glazing.

The thickness of a single sheet, measured in thousandths of an inch (points) or in microns.

Expert tip14 pt cardstock is 0.014″ thick. Caliper matters for spine width on perfect-bound books and for mailing rules.

Hardcover binding. Pages are sewn or glued into sections, then attached to a rigid board cover. The most durable and premium binding method.

A protein from milk used as a binder in some paper coatings and in specialty glues and paints.

A multi-page printed book that lists a company’s products or services with images, specs and prices. A core sales tool for B2B suppliers, wholesalers and retailers.

Expert tipSmaller catalogs are usually saddle stitched; thicker ones (often 48+ pages) are perfect bound. Plan the layout with how to design a product catalog, then order catalog printing.

The printed cover, booklet or tray card that goes inside a CD jewel case or sleeve. A standard front insert is 4.75″ x 4.75″ at trim.

Expert tipBooklets can be folded or stapled. Check exact dimensions in CD insert sizes for printing and order CD booklets and covers.

The natural fiber from wood, cotton, flax and other plants that forms the base of paper pulp.

Expert tipLong fibers (softwood) add strength; short fibers (hardwood) add smoothness and opacity.

A brand of high-gloss, cast-coated paper and board known for its mirror-like finish, used for premium covers, labels and packaging.

Industry standards that let prepress and press systems share job data. CIP3 sends ink-key presets from the plate data to the press; CIP4 created JDF, the Job Definition Format for full workflow automation.

Color Management Module. The software engine that converts colors from one ICC profile to another, for example from RGB to CMYK. Common CMMs include Adobe ACE.

The four process ink colors used in commercial printing: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black). Layered as tiny dots, they reproduce full-color images.

Expert tipScreens show RGB light; presses print CMYK ink, so some bright RGB colors fall outside the printable gamut. Read RGB vs CMYK and color management in offset printing.

Paper with a surface coating (often clay or calcium carbonate) that keeps ink on top of the sheet. Colors look sharper and more vivid than on uncoated paper.

Expert tipComes in gloss, silk, dull and matte finishes. See paper types and quality.

Putting printed pages or sheets in the correct order before binding. Gathering stacks folded signatures on top of each other; inserting places them one inside the other.

A strip of solid and tint patches printed outside the trim area so press operators can measure ink density, dot gain and balance throughout the run.

Adjusting a monitor, proofer or press so it shows color accurately to a known standard. A calibrated monitor gives you a more reliable on-screen preview of printed color.

Expert tipCalibration (bringing a device to a target) is followed by profiling (measuring it to build an ICC profile).

The full range of colors a device or ink set can reproduce. CMYK has a smaller gamut than RGB screens, so neon greens and bright blues may print duller.

The color system a file uses, such as RGB, CMYK, grayscale or Lab. Print files should be in CMYK unless spot colors are used.

A data file that describes how a specific device or printing condition reproduces color. See ICC profile.

The science of measuring color numerically, as perceived by the human eye. It underpins Lab values and color matching.

An image with smooth gradations of tone, like a photo, before it is broken into halftone dots for printing.

Heavy, stiff paper used for business cards, postcards, covers and hang tags. Usually 65 lb to 130 lb cover, or 14 pt to 16 pt.

Expert tipHeavier than text stock at the same lb number because cover is weighed on a smaller basic size. See basis weight.

In saddle-stitched booklets, inner pages stick out farther than outer pages once folded, so they get trimmed more. Creep compensation shifts inner page content toward the spine to fix this.

Expert tipMatters most for thick booklets (40+ pages) or heavy stock. Keep text out of the outer margins.

A brand of high-quality color proofing system. Analog Cromalin proofs were made from films; digital versions are made straight from files.

Thin lines printed in the corners outside the artwork that show where the sheet will be trimmed.

Expert tipOffset crop marks from the trim by at least the bleed amount (0.125″) so they never appear on the finished piece.

Cutting away parts of a photo to change its framing or proportions. In print layouts, it also means marking the area of an original image to be used and the scale to enlarge or reduce it.

Content designed to work across several channels, such as print and web. A cross-media campaign might pair a mailed postcard with a QR code and landing page.

Computer To Film. An older prepress method that outputs film separations from digital files, which are then used to expose printing plates. Largely replaced by CTP.

Computer To Plate. Printing plates are imaged directly from digital files by a laser platesetter, with no film. Faster, sharper and more consistent than CTF.

A custom tool made of sharp steel rules set in a board, used to cut paper or board into shapes a guillotine cannot make. See die cut.

A bright blue-green, one of the four process colors in CMYK printing. It absorbs red light. Cyan plays a key role in reproducing a wide range of colors by combining with magenta, yellow, and black in precise proportions. In commercial printing, accurate cyan ink calibration helps maintain consistent color reproduction across different print runs and materials.

Pressing a design into paper so it sinks below the surface. The opposite of embossing. Often paired with foil for logos on business cards and covers.

An instrument that measures optical density: how much light a printed ink layer absorbs. Press operators use it to keep ink levels consistent across the run.

A measure of how dark or heavy an ink layer prints. Higher density means more ink on the sheet. Target densities keep color consistent from sheet to sheet and job to job.

Creating print layouts on a computer with software such as InDesign, Affinity Publisher or QuarkXPress, combining text and images into print-ready pages.

Cutting paper or board into a custom shape, window or rounded corner using a cutting die. Used for door hangers, folders, hang tags and packaging.

A vector outline in the print file that shows where a die will cut, crease or perforate. Keep it on its own layer as a named spot color set to overprint.

Printing straight from a digital file with toner or inkjet, with no printing plates. Best for short runs, fast turnaround and variable data.

Expert tipAbove a few hundred to a few thousand pieces (it depends on size and stock), offset usually wins on unit cost and color consistency. Compare them in offset vs digital printing.

Printed marketing sent by post straight to prospects or customers, such as postcards, letters, catalogs and self-mailers. It works best when it pairs a clear offer with a tracked response path.

Expert tipUse a unique QR code, URL or promo code per mailing so you can measure response. See how to track ROI from flyers and posters.

Unwanted stretching or squashing of text or images when width and height are scaled by different amounts. Hold Shift (or lock the aspect ratio) when resizing.

The tendency of halftone dots to print larger than they are in the file, as ink spreads into the paper. Images can look darker or muddier than expected.

Expert tipNow called tone value increase (TVI). Uncoated stock gains more than coated, which is why it needs its own color profile.

A sheet folded in half, then in half again parallel to the first fold, creating four panels that nest together. Common for maps and menus.

Reducing the number of pixels in an image, usually to lower file size. Downsampling discards detail, so never go below 300 ppi at final print size.

Dots Per Inch. The resolution a printer outputs. People often use DPI to mean image resolution, which is technically PPI.

Expert tipThe rule for commercial print: images at 300 ppi at their final printed size. Large posters viewed from a distance can go lower. Read our print resolution guide.

Making holes through stacks of printed sheets so they fit in binders or on rings. Standard US binders use three holes.

Shipping printed orders straight to your customers or locations under your brand, without the printer’s name on the package.

Expert tipUseful for agencies, resellers and online stores. See our dropshipping and fulfillment service.

The process that sets printed ink so it will not smudge. Offset inks dry by absorption and oxidation; UV inks cure instantly under ultraviolet light.

Expert tipHeavy ink coverage or coated stock needs more drying time before finishing, which can affect turnaround.

A smooth coated paper with low shine. It sits between matte and gloss: easy to read with no glare, yet images still look sharp.

An image printed with two inks, often black plus a spot color. Duotones add depth to photos and save cost compared with four-color printing.

European Color Initiative. A group of experts that develops free, open color standards and ICC profiles, such as the FOGRA-based profiles used across Europe.

A finishing technique that presses a design up from the back of the paper so it stands out in relief. Blind embossing has no ink or foil.

A matching pair of metal dies (male and female) that press paper between them to create an embossed or debossed design.

Encapsulated PostScript. An older vector-friendly file format for logos and graphics. Still accepted, but press-ready PDF/X is now the preferred format.

The step where the image is transferred onto a printing plate with light or a laser, one plate per color. Today this is done by CTP; older workflows exposed plates through film.

The last proof you approve before your job goes to press. Your approval confirms content, layout and specs, and becomes the reference for the finished print.

Expert tipCheck spelling, phone numbers, bleed, size and page order before you approve. Errors visible on an approved proof are usually not covered by reprint policies. See our Print Quality Guarantee.

The size of the printed piece after trimming. See trim size.

Everything that happens after printing to complete the product: cutting, folding, binding, coating, laminating, die cutting, foil and packing.

A high-speed printing method using flexible relief plates and fast-drying inks. Mainly used for labels, flexible packaging, corrugated boxes and bags.

Expert tipFlexo prints on films, foils and board that offset cannot handle, using an anilox roller to meter ink.

A single printed sheet used to promote an event, offer or business. Usually unfolded and printed on one or both sides.

Expert tipSee standard flyer sizes, flyers vs brochures, or order flyer printing.

Applying a thin metallic or colored foil to paper with a heated die, for shiny gold, silver or holographic details on logos and titles.

Expert tipHot foil is pressed with a die; digital (cold or sleeking) foil sticks to toner or adhesive and needs no die, which suits short runs.

A page number printed on a page. Also refers to a sheet folded once to make four pages.

A set of letters, numbers and symbols in one style and size, such as Raleway SemiBold. Fonts must be embedded in your PDF or converted to outlines before printing.

Expert tipFormats: OpenType, TrueType and PostScript Type 1 (now discontinued by Adobe). See TrueType vs PostScript fonts.

The size and shape of a printed piece, such as US Letter (8.5″ x 11″) or A4 (210 x 297 mm). Also used for the file type, such as PDF or TIFF.

Printing full-color images with the four CMYK inks. Also called full color or process color.

Expert tipColor counts are written per side: 4/4 is full color both sides, 4/0 is full color front with a blank back, 4/1 is full color front and black back.

A folding method in which a sheet of paper is folded twice at right angles, creating a four-page piece. Commonly known as a French fold in the US printing industry, this technique is also called a cross fold or quarter fold. The sheet is typically printed on one side, with the printed content appearing on the outside after folding.

Forest Stewardship Council. An independent certification showing that paper comes from responsibly managed forests and is tracked through the supply chain. See also PEFC.

File Transfer Protocol. A method for sending large files between computers. Many printers now use secure upload links or cloud services instead.

Storing, packing and shipping printed products for you, often to many addresses. See our dropship and fulfillment service.

A design where color or images run off every edge of the finished piece. Requires bleed in the file. Read our full bleed printing guide.

Printing many different customers’ jobs together on one large press sheet, using the same paper and ink setup. Setup costs are shared, so the price per job drops.

Expert tipIdeal for standard products like business cards, flyers and postcards. Read gang run printing: meaning and best use cases.

A fold where the left and right panels fold inward to meet in the middle, like doors. A double gate fold adds one more fold down the center.

Expert tipThe two inside panels are made about 1/16″ to 1/8″ narrower than the outer panels so they close flat without buckling. See types of brochure folds.

A faint, unwanted image or pattern that appears in a printed area, often caused by ink starvation on the press or by heavy solids next to images.

Open-source software that reads, renders and converts PostScript and PDF files. Used inside many print workflows and RIPs.

A paper treatment that gives a smooth, shiny surface, usually by friction or polished rollers. Related to calendering.

A coated paper finish with a high shine. Makes photos and colors pop, but can reflect light and show fingerprints.

General Requirements for Applications in Commercial Offset Lithography. The US standard for sheetfed commercial offset color on coated paper, often paired with G7 press calibration.

The direction most fibers lie in a sheet of paper. Paper folds cleanly with the grain and may crack against it.

Expert tipBooklet and catalog pages should run grain parallel to the spine so pages turn and lie flat.

A printing method where the image is engraved into a metal cylinder as tiny cells that hold ink. It gives rich, consistent images over very long runs, such as magazines and packaging.

Expert tipCylinders are expensive, so gravure only pays off at millions of impressions. It is not the same as flexography, which uses raised plates.

Printing practices that reduce environmental impact, such as recycled or FSC paper, vegetable or low-VOC inks, and reduced waste.

The edge of the sheet held by metal grippers as it travels through the press. A narrow strip there cannot be printed, which is one reason jobs are printed oversize and trimmed.

Grams per square meter. The metric way to measure paper weight, used worldwide. Unlike the US lb system, it does not depend on paper grade.

Expert tipRough guides: 100 lb text is about 148 gsm, 80 lb cover is about 216 gsm and 100 lb cover is about 270 gsm. See the paper weight chart.

A heavy, programmable cutting machine that trims large stacks of paper at once. A clamp holds the stack still while an angled blade cuts straight down with high precision.

Expert tipUsed to trim books, brochures, flyers and business cards to their final size.

The inside margin where two facing pages meet at the spine, or the space between columns of text. Keep important content out of the gutter on bound pieces.

A pattern of tiny dots of varying size or spacing that creates the illusion of continuous tone in print. Up close you see dots; at reading distance you see a smooth image.

A printed card attached to a product with string or a loop, showing the brand, price, size or care details. Common in apparel, gifts and retail packaging.

Expert tipUsually 14 pt to 16 pt cover stock with a drilled hole, often die cut to a custom shape. Order custom hang tags.

A printed physical proof of your job, used to check color and finish before the full run. More accurate than a screen preview, and slower and costlier than a soft proof.

A small spot or donut-shaped blemish on a print caused by dust, paper fibers or dried ink on the plate or blanket.

A German spot color system named after three ink makers: Hostmann-Steinberg, Kast + Ehinger and H. Schmincke. It has 120 spot colors and 3,520 tints for coated and uncoated paper. Common in Europe; Pantone dominates in the US.

A standard color profile file, defined by the International Color Consortium, that tells software how a device or printing condition reproduces color.

Expert tipCommon print profiles: GRACoL and SWOP in the US, FOGRA in Europe and Japan Color in Japan. Ask your printer which one to convert to.

Adobe’s professional software for creating vector graphics such as logos, icons and dielines.

The part of the sheet that can carry printed ink, inside the gripper and outside any non-print zones.

Arranging pages on a large press sheet so they come out in the right order and orientation after printing, folding and trimming.

Expert tipPrepress software handles imposition automatically. Your file should be single pages in reading order, not printer spreads.

Adobe’s professional layout software for multi-page documents like brochures, catalogs, booklets and magazines.

The total of the four CMYK percentages in the darkest area of a design. Too much ink causes slow drying, smudging and set-off.

Expert tipPrinters set a limit, often 300% to 340% on coated stock and lower on uncoated and newsprint. A rich black like 60/40/40/100 totals 240%.

A separate printed piece placed inside a booklet, magazine, mailing or package, such as a reply card or product leaflet.

The international paper size system used outside North America. A4 is 210 x 297 mm and each smaller size is half the one before (A5, A6). Every size keeps the same 1:1.414 ratio.

A lossless compression standard for black-and-white (one-bit) images, used inside some PDFs and fax systems.

Job Definition Format. An XML standard that carries job specs (size, quantity, stock, finishing) through a print workflow so systems can share data automatically.

Vibrating a stack of sheets so the edges line up neatly before cutting, folding or binding.

Joint Photographic Experts Group. A common image format that uses lossy compression to keep files small. Save at maximum quality for print; repeated saving degrades the image.

A fine white clay used as a filler and coating pigment in paper. It improves smoothness, opacity and print quality.

Adjusting the space between two specific letters so text looks evenly spaced. Auto-kerning does this using spacing data built into the font.

Expert tipIn InDesign and Illustrator, place the cursor between two letters and press Alt/Option + left or right arrow. Spacing across a whole word or line is tracking.

Cutting through the top layer of a sticker or label but not the backing sheet, so stickers peel off easily. See how to print stickers.

When an object on top removes (knocks out) the colors beneath it, so it prints on bare paper. The default for most colors. The opposite is overprint.

A strong, brown paper made from sulfate pulp, used for bags, wrapping, mailers and rustic-style tags. “Kraft” is German for “strength”.

A device-independent color model from the CIE (International Commission on Illumination). L is lightness, a runs green to red and b runs blue to yellow. Used to measure and match color precisely.

Bonding a thin plastic film to printed paper for protection and a premium feel. Options include gloss, matte and soft-touch (velvety) lamination.

Expert tipLamination is far tougher than aqueous coating or varnish and resists water, tearing and scuffs, which is why it suits menus, covers and frequently handled pieces.

A page orientation where the width is greater than the height. The opposite of portrait.

Printing on wide printers or presses, usually anything bigger than tabloid (11″ x 17″), such as posters, banners and trade show graphics.

Expert tipViewing distance decides the resolution you need: large pieces seen from several feet away can print well at 150 ppi at final size. See standard poster sizes and how big a poster board is.

Separate stacked levels in design software that hold different elements, such as images, text or dielines. Layers make files easier to edit and check.

A tri-fold where both outer panels fold in the same direction, one over the other, like a business letter in an envelope. The most popular brochure fold. A roll fold rolls three or more panels inward.

Branded stationery with your logo and contact details printed at the top. See what a letterhead is used for or order letterhead printing.

A printing method based on the fact that oil and water do not mix. Image areas on a flat plate attract oily ink, non-image areas attract water. Invented with limestone in 1796, it is the basis of modern offset printing.

The area inside the trim where important text and logos are safe from being cut off. See safe zone.

A large print quantity, typically thousands of pieces or more. Long runs favor offset printing, where setup cost is spread over every piece.

Lines Per Inch. The number of rows of halftone dots per inch, also called screen ruling. Higher LPI gives finer detail.

Expert tipCommercial offset on coated stock typically runs 150 to 175 LPI; newspapers run about 85 to 100. A good rule: image resolution should be about twice the LPI, which is where 300 ppi comes from.

A purplish-red, one of the four process colors in CMYK printing. It absorbs green light.

All the setup work before a production run: mounting plates, loading ink and paper, and adjusting until a sheet matches the approved proof.

Expert tipMakeready is a fixed cost per job, which is why unit prices drop sharply as quantity rises, and why gang runs are cheaper.

A template page in layout software that holds repeating elements such as page numbers, headers and grids. Changes to it update every page that uses it.

A non-shiny paper or coating finish with no glare. Easy to read and write on, with softer-looking colors than gloss.

One million pixels. Used to describe camera sensor size. A 12 MP photo (4000 x 3000 px) prints sharply at about 13″ x 10″ at 300 ppi.

A physical or digital model showing how the finished piece will look. A blank physical mock-up (a “dummy”) checks size, fold, page count and paper feel.

Expert tipFor folded or bound jobs, a dummy is the quickest way to check fold direction, panel order and page sequence before a full run.

An unwanted wavy or checkered pattern caused when two regular dot or line patterns overlap at the wrong angle. Correct screen angles prevent it.

Multi-part forms where writing on the top sheet transfers to the sheets below without carbon paper. NCR stands for “No Carbon Required”. Used for invoices, receipts and work orders.

Expert tipOrder carbonless form sets in 2-part, 3-part or 4-part sets.

A low-cost, lightweight uncoated paper made mostly from mechanical pulp, used for newspapers and inserts. It absorbs ink, so it needs low ink limits.

Sheets of paper glued together along one edge with a chipboard back, printed with a logo or design. A useful branded item for offices, real estate agents and hotels.

Expert tipPads are usually 25, 50 or 100 sheets on uncoated text stock so people can write easily. See ways businesses use notepads or order notepad printing.

The most common commercial printing method for medium and large runs. Ink goes from a plate to a rubber blanket and then onto paper, based on the principle that oil-based ink and water repel each other.

Expert tipEach CMYK color has its own aluminum plate and print unit. Offset gives the most consistent color and lowest unit cost at higher quantities. See offset vs digital printing and offset vs print on demand.

How much a paper stops printing on one side from showing through to the other. Higher opacity matters for double-sided pages, catalogs and booklets.

A cross-platform font format from Adobe and Microsoft that works on Mac and Windows and supports large character sets. Today’s standard font format.

Converting live text into vector shapes so the printer does not need your fonts. Keep an editable copy, because outlined text cannot be retyped.

A setting that prints one color on top of another instead of knocking it out. Black text often overprints to avoid white gaps from misregistration.

Expert tipAccidental overprint on white or light objects can make them disappear in print. Check Overprint Preview in Acrobat Pro.

The small number of extra or missing pieces in a delivered quantity, because press counts are never exact. Printing trade customs allow a small tolerance; check your printer’s terms and conditions.

One section of a folded piece. For example, a tri-fold brochure has three panels.

The Pantone Matching System, a numbered library of standardized ink colors used worldwide for brand colors. A Pantone color is mixed from a set formula, so it matches far more closely across jobs than CMYK.

Expert tipPaper still affects the result, which is why Pantone books show coated (C) and uncoated (U) versions. See the Pantone Color of the Year.

Portable Document Format, created by Adobe. It keeps fonts, images and layout intact on any device, which makes it the standard format for print files.

A family of ISO standards (ISO 15930) that define PDFs built for reliable printing. All fonts must be embedded and colors clearly defined.

Expert tipPDF/X-1a: CMYK and spot colors only, flattened transparency. PDF/X-3: allows color-managed RGB. PDF/X-4: keeps live transparency, layers and ICC color, and is now the recommended choice for most modern workflows. PDF/X-2 was rarely used and is obsolete. See how to prepare your print files.

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. A global umbrella certification for sustainably managed forests, similar in purpose to FSC.

A binding method where pages are glued to a wraparound cover at a square spine, like a paperback book. Used for catalogs, manuals and thicker booklets.

Expert tipNeeds enough pages (often 40+) to form a spine. Compare in perfect binding vs saddle stitch.

A line of small cuts that lets part of a printed piece tear off cleanly, such as a ticket stub, coupon or reply card.

Adobe’s software for editing photos and other raster images.

The smallest square unit of a digital image. The more pixels in a given area, the more detail an image can hold. See resolution.

When an image looks blocky because its resolution is too low for the print size, so individual pixels become visible. Fix it with a higher resolution original, not by upscaling.

A thin sheet, usually aluminum for offset, that carries the image for one ink color and transfers ink during printing.

The press cylinder that holds the printing plate. On an offset press it works with the blanket cylinder and the impression cylinder.

Two meanings in print. For paper, a point is 1/1000 of an inch of thickness, so 16 pt card is 0.016″ thick. In typography, a point is 1/72 of an inch and sets font size.

A page orientation where the height is greater than the width. The opposite of landscape.

A single card printed on sturdy stock, often mailed. Popular for direct mail, promotions and thank-you notes.

Expert tipSee types of postcards or order custom postcards.

A large printed sheet for display, used for events, retail, offices and campaigns. See standard poster sizes, poster printing mistakes, poster printing costs or order poster printing.

A page description language from Adobe that describes text, images and graphics for output devices. It is the foundation of PDF and of many RIPs.

Pixels Per Inch. The resolution of a digital image at a given print size. 300 PPI at final size is the standard for sharp commercial printing. Often called DPI.

Checking a print file for problems before printing: resolution, color mode, fonts, bleed, size and transparency.

Expert tipEvery ChilliPrinting file goes through an automated preflight check, and you can add an expert manual check. See file checks and proofs.

Every task between receiving your file and starting the press: preflight, color conversion, trapping, imposition, proofing and platemaking.

Being at the printer (in person or by video) to approve the first sheets off the press before the full run continues. Common for high-value, color-critical B2B jobs.

Using printed materials such as flyers, brochures, catalogs, posters and direct mail to reach and convert customers. It often works alongside digital channels in one campaign.

Expert tipExplore the types of print marketing and recent print marketing statistics.

Printing items only when they are ordered, often one at a time, using digital presses. No inventory, but a higher unit cost. See offset vs print on demand.

The number of copies printed in one job. Run length decides which printing method is most cost-effective. See short run and long run.

A relief block (metal, wood or photopolymer) with a raised image, used in letterpress printing. Different from a flat offset plate.

The four standard inks, CMYK, combined to print full-color images. The alternative is spot colors.

A preview of your job, digital or printed, to check before printing. Proofs catch content and layout errors before they are printed thousands of times.

Photoshop’s native file format. It keeps layers, masks and effects. Flatten and export to PDF or TIFF for printing.

Cutting holes or shapes in paper with a punch tool, such as hang-tag holes, binder holes or die-cut shapes.

A square barcode that phones scan to open a link. On print, make it at least 0.8″ (2 cm) wide, dark on light, with a clear quiet zone around it, and test it before you print.

A sheet folded in half and then in half again at a right angle, creating four panels. Used for greeting cards, invitations and event programs.

Software or hardware that converts your PDF or PostScript file into the high-resolution dot data a printer or platesetter uses.

Converting vector shapes or text into pixels. Rasterizing text at low resolution makes it look fuzzy in print, so keep text vector whenever possible.

A standard paper count of 500 sheets. Used to calculate basis weight.

Paper made partly or fully from recovered fiber. “Post-consumer waste” (PCW) content means fiber from used paper, not factory scrap.

How precisely each ink color lines up with the others on the sheet. Out-of-register printing shows color fringes or white gaps.

A small target-shaped mark printed outside the trim in every ink color. When all colors line up exactly on the mark, the job is in register.

The amount of detail in an image, measured in pixels per inch (PPI) for files and dots per inch (DPI) for printers.

Expert tipUse 300 ppi at final size for commercial printing, 150 to 200 ppi for large posters viewed from a few feet away. Read the print resolution guide.

Red, Green, Blue. The additive color model used by screens, cameras and scanners. Convert RGB images to CMYK (or use a PDF/X-4 workflow) before printing, and expect bright colors to soften.

A black made by adding cyan, magenta and yellow under 100% black for a deeper, denser solid. A common recipe is 60/40/40/100.

Expert tipUse rich black only for large solid areas. Keep small text at 100% K only, or tiny misregistration will make it look blurry.

Any press that prints from curved plates on rotating cylinders. Most modern presses are rotary. See web press.

Binding folded sheets by stapling through the spine fold, like a magazine. Fast and economical for booklets, programs and catalogs.

Expert tipPage count must be a multiple of 4, and it works best up to about 64 pages, depending on stock. Watch for creep. See perfect binding vs saddle stitch.

The margin inside the trim line where text and logos should stay so nothing gets cut off. Typically 0.125″ (1/8″) inside the trim.

Pressing a crease line into paper before folding so it folds cleanly without cracking. Essential for cover stock and heavy coated paper.

The grid of dots used to reproduce tones and images in print, measured in LPI (lines per inch), not DPI.

The angle each ink’s dot pattern is set at, such as 15, 45, 75 and 0 degrees for CMYK. Correct angles prevent moire patterns.

A method that pushes ink through a fine mesh screen onto the surface, one color at a time. Used for apparel, signs, promotional items and thick specialty inks.

A paper finish with a slight sheen, between matte and gloss. See silk finish.

Printing a unique, increasing number on each piece, such as event tickets, raffle tickets, receipts and carbonless forms.

When wet ink from one printed sheet transfers onto the back of the sheet stacked on top of it. Caused by heavy ink, slow drying or stacking too soon.

A printing press that feeds individual cut sheets rather than a continuous roll. Most commercial offset work, such as brochures, catalogs and business cards, runs on sheetfed presses.

Expert tipSheetfed suits short to medium runs and a wide range of stocks; a web press wins on very long runs.

A small print quantity, usually under a few hundred or a few thousand pieces. Short runs suit digital printing and test campaigns. See benefits of short-run posters.

A large printed sheet that is folded into a group of pages, usually 4, 8, 16 or 32. Books and booklets are built from signatures, which is why page counts follow multiples of 4.

A smooth coated paper finish with a low sheen. Easier to read than gloss, with more color pop than matte. A popular choice for brochures and catalogs.

A smeared or doubled image caused by slight slipping between plate, blanket and paper during printing. Shows as dots that look stretched in one direction.

A digital proof, usually a PDF, that you check on screen. Fast and free, but on-screen color is only an approximation of print.

An area printed at 100% of an ink with no halftone dots. Solid density is the reference for measuring how much ink a press lays down.

A liquid component of some inks that keeps them fluid and evaporates as the ink dries. Also used for press washes.

Binding with a continuous plastic or metal coil threaded through holes along the edge. Pages lie flat and turn 360 degrees. Good for manuals, notebooks and cookbooks.

A premixed ink printed as its own color instead of being built from CMYK dots. Used for exact brand colors, metallics and fluorescents. Pantone and HKS are spot color systems.

A clear, shiny UV coating applied only to chosen areas, such as a logo, for a high-contrast gloss effect. Most striking on a matte or soft-touch background.

The standard RGB color space for the web, most monitors and consumer cameras. Adobe RGB covers a wider range of colors and is used by many professional cameras.

A printed design on adhesive-backed material that peels from a liner and sticks to a surface. Used for packaging, branding, product labels and giveaways.

Expert tipShapes are made with a kiss cut or a die cut. Read how to print stickers or order custom stickers.

The paper or material a job is printed on. Choosing stock means choosing weight, finish, color and coating. See paper types guide.

Specifications for Web Offset Publications. A US printing standard and color profile for web offset presses, mostly magazines and catalogs.

A US paper size of 11″ x 17″. Often used for posters, menus and folded brochures. Called Ledger when in landscape orientation.

Lighter, flexible paper used for flyers, letterhead, booklet pages and inside catalog pages. Usually 60 lb to 100 lb text.

A raised-print effect made by dusting wet ink with resin powder and heating it so it swells and hardens. A lower-cost alternative to engraving for business cards and invitations.

Printing with three process colors, cyan, magenta and yellow, without black. Rarely used in commercial work because the darkest shadows look muddy and brownish.

A printed pass for entry to an event or for a raffle, usually with a tear-off stub and a unique number to prevent fraud.

Expert tipCommon features: perforation, sequential numbering and security details. See why businesses use printed tickets or order ticket printing.

Tagged Image File Format. A high-quality, lossless image format widely used for print-ready photos and scans.

A lighter shade of an ink made by printing it as dots at less than 100%, such as a 20% berry background.

A spot color matching system from Toyo Ink, widely used in Japan. Comparable to Pantone in the US.

Adjusting the space evenly across a whole word, line or paragraph. Kerning adjusts single letter pairs; tracking adjusts everything selected.

Converting transparent effects such as drop shadows and opacity into solid areas the printer can output. Required for PDF/X-1a; PDF/X-4 keeps transparency live.

Slightly overlapping touching colors so small press misregistration does not leave white gaps between them. A “spread” enlarges the lighter object; a “choke” shrinks the opening.

Expert tipTrapping is usually applied by the printer’s prepress software. It is not the same as bleed.

The final size of a printed piece after cutting, such as 8.5″ x 11″. Your file size is the trim size plus bleed.

A cutting machine that trims printed pieces to size. A three-knife trimmer cuts the top, bottom and face of bound books in one pass.

A font format developed by Apple and Microsoft. Works well in print if fonts are embedded in the PDF. Compare in TrueType vs PostScript fonts.

The number of business days needed to produce your order after you approve the proof. Shipping time is usually added on top.

Expert tipPlan for proof approval, production and transit. Approving proofs fast is the easiest way to hit a deadline.

The design of a set of letters, such as Raleway. A typeface family includes styles like light, regular, semibold, bold and italic; each style is a font.

Paper with no surface coating. It feels natural, is easy to write on and absorbs more ink, so colors look softer than on coated paper. Common for letterhead, forms and notepads.

The price of one printed piece, found by dividing the total job price by the quantity. Fixed setup costs make unit cost fall sharply as quantity rises.

Expert tipCompare quotes on unit cost at the quantity you really need, not total price alone. See how to reduce printing costs.

How many copies of an item fit on one press sheet. Printing 8-up means eight pieces per sheet, which lowers cost per piece.

A clear liquid coating cured instantly under ultraviolet light. Gives a very high gloss and strong protection. Applied overall or as spot UV.

Digital printing where text or images change on each piece, such as names, addresses, codes or numbers, in a single run. Powerful for direct mail and event badges.

A clear ink-like coating applied on press to protect printing or add gloss, satin or matte effects, overall or to selected areas (spot varnish).

Artwork built from mathematical paths instead of pixels. Vectors scale to any size with no loss of quality, which is why logos should always be vector (AI, EPS, SVG or PDF).

Expert tipUnlike bitmap images, vector graphics have no fixed resolution.

Converting a raster image, such as a scanned logo, into vector paths. For text, see outline text.

A design pressed into paper during manufacturing, visible when held to the light. Used on premium stationery and security documents. Also a faint printed image behind content.

A high-speed press that prints on a continuous roll (“web”) of paper instead of single sheets. Used for very long runs of magazines, catalogs, inserts and newspapers.

An outdoor advertising tactic where many identical posters are pasted side by side on walls and construction hoardings in busy areas to create a strong visual impact.

Expert tipNeeds high quantities at a low unit cost, which makes it a good fit for bulk printing. Plan one with how to run a wild posting campaign.

Binding with a double-loop metal wire through punched holes. Pages lie flat and the look is more polished than spiral. Popular for calendars and presentation books.

Expert tipMost wall calendars use Wire-O with a hanger hole.

An imposition where both sides of a job are printed on one side of the sheet, then the sheet is flipped and printed again with the same plates. Two copies result per sheet and one set of plates is saved.

The electrostatic process behind laser printers, copiers and many digital presses. A light-sensitive, electrically charged drum picks up toner only in the image areas, then the toner is transferred to paper and fused with heat.

A relief printing method where the image is carved into a wood block, leaving the printing parts raised. Used long before modern printing presses.

One of the four process colors in CMYK printing. It absorbs blue light and is the lightest of the process inks.

A fold with two parallel folds in opposite directions, so the sheet forms a “Z” and opens with three panels. Add more panels and it becomes an accordion fold.