Art Papers
Are the premium quality coated ranges, with high quality, woodfree
pulp and double or triple blade coating to form even surfaces with
superior dimensional stability.
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Binding and stitching
There are several ways to bind and stitch documents and detailed
below are the most common:
Bitmapping or pixilating
In terms of troubleshooting, this generally refers to an image of
poor quality resolution, where the image has not been constructed
using the correct number of pixels and as a result the image breaks
down into blocks/areas of colour.
Bleed
Print area outside trim marks - usually a minimum of 3mm
Board
Defined as paper that is over and including 180gsm
Bulk/Thickness/calliper
This is measured by and expressed in microns. (1000mic=1 millimeter)
Burst Binding
Although more expensive, this method is similar to perfect binding,
though it is stronger and more durable. The sections are scored
with a knife along the spine and when the glue is applied this penetrates
the grooves, adding extra strength. NOTE: A minimum 3mm spine is
required for this method of binding.
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Calendaring
A paper finishing machine/process which involves feeding reels through
high pressure rollers to smooth the surface. Gloss papers are the
most calendared and thus, thinnest.
Calibration bars
A strip of tones and solids used to check printing quality throughout
the process as a negative and positive, proof or printed sheet.
Cast Coated Paper
Ultra high gloss surface manufactured by a heated mirror surfaced
drum, (can be double/single sided).
CMYK
The initials indicating the printer's primary colours - cyan, magenta
yellow and black.
Coated
Paper which has been coated with a mixture of china clay and or
calcium carbonate combined with starch and latex binder.
Coated Paper
These are differentiated by their surface and printing qualities.
CTP (Computer to plate)
Where plates are exposed rather than film, eliminating several pre-press
production stages. This does away with distortion from films and
finer dots and line images can be achieved.
Colour bars
A coloured strip on the edge of the sheet which enables the printer
to check by eye or instrument the printing characteristics of the
ink.
Concertina Fold
When paper is folded with each fold in the opposite direction to
the
one before it.
Cromalin proof
These are produced using light sensitive film which becomes tacky
upon exposure. Coloured powder is then dusted over the film and
sticks to the image area. For each colour a separate film is used
and built up in layers. ie. CMYK + specially mixed Pantone(TM) colours.
Cut out
where an image or part of an image is "cut out" from its
original background once scanned.
Cutter Guides
The drawn line showing the shape that the document should be cut
post printing. Also used to show where creasing and folding occurs.
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Debossing
Relief printing or stamping in which dies are used to raise the
surface of the paper around the characters.
Dot Gain
The name given to the increase of size in halftone dot as it is
transferred from film to plate to printed sheet. This change is
called 'dot gain percentage' and will always be a plus factor. The
press dot gain must be anticipated at reprographic stage.
Die cutting
A form is made consisting of knives, blunt for creasing and sharp
for cutting. The die is placed in a converted letterpress (printing
machine) and used to cut out and crease the required item e.g. folder
etc.
Duotone/Tritone/Quadtone
A halftone created by two/three/four screens, plates and colours.
These create a richer, deeper and more contrasting image than a
one colour/mono tone.
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Embossing
Relief printing or stamping in which dies are used to raise characters
above the surface of the paper.
EPS: Encapsulated Postscript
These files contain all the necessary information required to rip
the file to print. However the information can only be read and
cannot be altered or added to in any way unless the user has the
relevant software.
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Foiling
Where an extremely fine sheet of coloured film is applied to a blocked
or embossed design.
Folding
The most common way to finish a job is to fold the sheet prior to
binding or trimming to size. At this stage all line-ups and read
acrosses will be created.
Fonts
Another name for typeface.
Formation
The dispersion of fibres within a printed sheet. The uniformity
of the fibres affects the even distribution of ink (poor formation
can result in ink mottle).
French fold
A term used to describe a sheet of paper that has been printed on
one side only then folded to create a 4pp that is bound along the
open edge to form a 2pp.
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Gate fold
Where a sheet has two folds that meet together.
Gloss Paper
Has the most reflective, smooth surface which makes results in maximum
ink lift. It is also generally the fastest drying.
Grain
The direction that the fibres lie in a sheet of paper, (ie; short
grain on short edge of sheet etc). Converting parallel to the grain
affords a smoother fold than working against the grain (and minimises
cracking on coated paper).
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Halftone
T he reproduction of a continuous tone image
(eg: photograph/transparency)
Hard Copy
Laser proofs of final file.
Hickey
Printing defect caused by a dust particle holding the paper or board
away from the printing surface.
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In-line/wet-on-wet
the application of varnish on the last unit/a single pass through
the press.
Iris proof or digital proof
A digital proof reproduces a halftone effect digitally without the
need of film. 'Iris' is a brand of digital proof.
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JPEG
Is a compressed file format and should not be used to output for
printing. Quite often a JPEG image may appear fine on screen but
when ripped to film, certain components of information are missing
and when printed the image is different (often the colour is lost).
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Lamination
A process of applying a transparent plastic film to the surface
of a printed sheet. This is used to make the final sheet more durable
and less likely to mark or scratch.
Laminates come in different types of finishes - Matt, Gloss and
Silk, the latter being the most durable. There are also different
makes of laminates eg: OPP and Acetate.
Lithographic Printing
A process in which printing and non-printing surfaces are on the
same plane and the substrate makes contact with the whole surface.
The printing part of the surface is treated to receive and transmit
ink to the paper via a blanket, the non-printing surface is treated
to attract water and thus rejects the ink from the ink roller which
touches the whole surface of the sheet.
Loop Stitching
Similar to saddle stitching, however the wires contain a loop which
enables the final document to be stored in a ring binder.
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Machine proofs
Not to be confused with wet proofs, machine proofs are the most
accurate and most expensive type of proof. Called machine proofs
because they are actually produced on the final printing press.
Produced in the same way as the final document
Metallic & Fluorescent inks
These inks contain special colourants which deteriorate on prolonged
storage over 12 months. Fluorescent inks may need to double or even
triple pass to achieve the desired effect.
Make ready
Attachment of plates, adjustment of blankets, setting of registration,
balancing of ink colours and other press preparation prior to print
run.
Matt Paper
Has a duller sometimes less smooth surface, thus producing a "flatter"
image/colour with minimal glare.
Mottling
An uneven impression especially in flat areas. It is usually caused
by too much pressure or unsuitable paper or ink.
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Off-line/wet-on dry
The application of a wet varnish or ink colour onto a layer of dried
ink that has been run previously in a pass through the press.
Offset
Standard, multi-purpose grades: generally available in a broad range
of sheet sizes in paper weights, with limited/no board range. Can
be used for stationery as well as leaflet and brochure work.
Offset Printing
A lithographic method of printing in which the ink is first transferred
from the plate to an offset (rubber) blanket and then onto the stock.
Overs
The quantity of unit production, work delivered into the customer
above the net amount ordered and also an allowance to cover wastage.
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Pagination
Numbered pages throughout the document.
Remember: generally all books are made up in sections of 4.
Unless there are fold-outs the number of pages within a book must
be divisible by that figure.
Pantone(TM)
Is an international printing colour system which provides an accurate
method of matching and controlling colours.
Part-mechanical Paper/ Commodity Papers
Are cheaper (coated) grades which include the woodchip waste in
the pulp. These can often be seen as grey patches in the sheet and
this can form a less even printing surface.
Perfecting
A process whereby a sheet is printed on both sides at the same time.
Perfect Binding
Folded sections are collated and glued along the spine and then
inserted into a cover which holds the pages together. Care must
be taken with perfect bound books because constant use can result
in a broken spine and pages can start to pull out.
NOTE: A minimum of 3mm spine width is required for this method of
binding.
Proofing
Once ripped, there are essentially four main ways to proof a job.
Pulp
A mixture of cellulose fibres and water, which is the basic ingredient
for paper.
Pulpboards
Often manufactured at the same mills as offset grades, these boards
have a high weight to bulk ratio, making them particularly cost
effective for mailing.
PUR
As perfect binding, but with a stronger (PUR) glue.
Note: PUR glue requires 24 hours to cure/set
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Recycled Pulp/paper
This can contain as little as 10% post-consumer waste (by The Stationery
Office Guidelines). Recycled paper is assessed by its content values
of virgin fibre and broke, pre-consumer waste and post-consumer
waste.
Register Marks
Marked place in the same relative position on sets of printing plates
so that when the marks are superimposed in printing the image falls
into the correct position/is "in fit".
Resolution
The resolution of a reproduction is determined by how many pixels
are used digitally to recreate the image. The greater the number
of pixels, the higher the resolution. When printing it is important
that all digital image files are of the correct resolution.
This is defined by dots per inch (dpi). As a rule of thumb:
• Where possible, images should be placed within a digital
document at 100% size.
• Low resolution images tend to be between 72dpi - 120dpi at
100%
• High resolution images should be at least 300dpi at 100%
Ripping
RIP: Acronym for Raster Image Processor. Raster is the most common
method used by image/plate setters to "draw" images.
Roll fold
When each fold is in the same direction as the preceding one.
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Thread sewing
This is the strongest and most hard wearing of this type of finishing.
The sections are held together by a continuous sewn thread that
runs between all section.
NOTE: A minimum 3mm spine is required for this method of binding.
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Uncoated stocks
Can be graded/are generally sold by the following classifications.
UV Varnish
Not to be confused with gloss (machine) varnish.
This has a very high gloss finish and is applied by a roller in
a thick layer and then dried very quickly under UV lights to give
it its high finish.
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Set-Off
The marking of the underside of a printed sheet by the transfer
of ink from the sheet on top of which it lays.
Scanning
Squared-up: where the scanned image is to be reproduced with a square
border.
Screen Rulings
Much like dots per inch, screen rulings are used to break down the
image into tone and halftone using dots. Screen rulings are measured
in lines per inch or 'lpi'. The higher the number of lines per inch,
the finer the quality of print. Here is a rough guide to follow:
• 80lpi - 100lpi - newspapers
• 150lpi - flexography
• 133lpi for screen printing
• 150-200lpi- for general lithography
• 250lpi - 300lpi - for fine art
Sheet fed
A printing machine into which sheets are fed singly.
Sheet work
Images are imposed, printed on one side with one set of plates and
then with a second set of plates for the reverse. (To back up)
Shiner
A tint of a secondary colour run beneath a solid to make a richer
final effect.
Side stitching or stab stitching
Used for certain kinds of books or pads. The folded sections are
gathered one on top of the other and a wire stitch is forced through
from front to back. The wire stitch is usually about 3mm in from
the spine.
Silk Paper
Sitting in between these two has the advantages of superior ink
lift to matt stock and reduced glare.
Spot colour
Any area of colour that is not designated to print CMYK - i.e. a
Pantone(TM) colour.
Stationery/Office Printing
Designated and manufactured for laser /desktop printing or photocopying.
Can also include matching envelope ranges.
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Text & Cover
Often (though not exclusively) uncoated paper which is aimed for
high quality, demanding brochure work. Made with superior (and sometimes
unusual eg: tobacco, cotton, even beer mat!) pulps. They are usually
produced in smaller, more specialised mills, with machines run at
slower speeds to create superior printability.
Thermography
The process where freshly printed sheets are dusted with resinous
powder which forms a raised surface when fused with heat.
Transparent/Simulator Paper
Made from pulp containing sulphite which lends the paper its transparency.
These papers are non-porous, so fully oxidising litho inks must
be used.
Trapping
Where two or more colours abut and spread into each other. Used
to avoid a white line due to bad fit or misregister. Problems here
are generally due to paper/film stretch or errors in imagesetting
TIFF
Tagged image file format - this is a more versatile file which can
be altered and extended. Most tiff files are of a bitmapped format.
Twin-wire paper/machine
Manufactured with two continuous forming wires (joined together
to the underside with the paper at the centre), resulting in less
variation in side-to-side evenness.
Two wire saddle stitching
Is usually the cheapest method of binding publications. The document
is opened over a saddle shaped support under a mechanical head and
a wire stitch (staple) is forced through the spine. As a general
rule, the maximum size is A3 and the minimum size A6 (unless finished
two or more up and then guillotine trimmed down individually).
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Varnishing
To apply oil, synthetic, spirit, cellulose or water varnish to printed
matter to enhance its appearance or to increase its durability.
Spot varnishing is where a plate is created to selectively varnish
specific areas.
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Weight
Paper in the NZ is generally sold in terms of its weight (in grammes)
per set area (square meter). this is expressed/abbreviated as "gsm".
Wet proofs (flat bed proofs)
Produced from the final metal plates and gives a truer effect, usually
on the required stock. Produced on a one colour flat bed proofing
press. Each colour is printed one pass at a time. On a proofing
press the ink rollers run over the flat plate.
Work and tumble
When the image is printed in its entirety on both sides of a sheet
by using a different gripper edge on the back up, than on the first
printed side.
Work and turn
When the image is printed in its entirety (ie: its front and back)
on both sides of a sheet using the same gripper edge/set of plates.
