Glossary of printing Terms & Printing Terms Definitions
Job Description: What type of printing item you need to quote for or you want to be printed ? For Example: Book Printing, Magazine Printing, Brochure Printing, Catalogue Printing etc. Quantity: How many of your printed item do you need ?
Number of Pages: How many pages does your book, magazine or brochure have? This is different from how many leaves. One leave consist of two pages.
Trim Size Folded: The size of your final printed piece once folder. For example, one 4 page brochure in spread size of 17″ x 11″ once folder, “trim size folded” will be 8 1/2 x 11″.
Flat/Spread Size: This is the flat and trimmed size of your printed piece before folding. For Example, a 4 pages brochure of 8 1/2 x 11″ in trim size folded, when spread out as a 2 page “Spread Size” will be 17″ X 11″ (Note: In printing the width is always the first dimension given).
Text Stock: The paper you require for the inside of your book or magazine etc. If there is no separate cover, then the text stock for the entire piece will be the same. (i.e. a “self cover” ).
Cover Stock: This is the paper you require for the outside 4 pages of your book or magazine. It is different from the text paper in thickness. If it is not, then your piece is containing a “self cover”.
Text Ink: The ink you require for the inside pages of your piece.
Bleeds: A bleed occurs when your design allows the ink to print to the every edge of paper. If your bleed on one side goes completely across the side from top to bottom, that would be 3 bleeds and not 1. To accommodate the bleed, the printer must make the bleed area larger than the final trim size. The page is then trimmed right through the bleed area. Thus bleed requires more paper and printers charge extra for the extra paper required.
Fold Type: The type of fold you require to finish your piece. A letter fold is a paper in thirds with each end folding towards the center.A “Z” fold differs in that one third of the sheet folds to the front and the other to the rear and so on. Accordian Fold: Two or more parallel folds that open like an accordian. Accordian fold is used for brochures and maps.
Fold Marks: Making at the top edge of a page showing where the folds should be.
Die score or cut: To die score a piece it is necessary to make a “steel rule” die, which is composed of thin pieces of steel that will be used to stamp a line or rule where your piece needs to fold. This action compresses the paper and allows for ease of folding and prevents cracking. Die cut is to create a steel rule die and to cut like a cookie your piece. For example, presentation folder with pocket. The glue flap that is used on the pocket, as well as the pocket and the slit cut to hold a business card are examples of die cutting.
Foil: To foil stamp a stamping tool is created, known as a die and for stamping a material onto the paper. The material usually is seen as metallic gold or silver.
Embossing: Raised Letters or design on paper or other materials. The effect is produced by uninked dies or blocks. Form: The assembly of pages on a printed sheet. When folded the form is called a signature.
Saddle Stitch: Two staples added to the center of the piece on the fold line, with the head of the staple on the outside of the folded piece. Perfect Bind: A squared off edge, with scored hinges for ease of opening and glued in pages define this type of bindery. For Example, “Soft Cover Book” and opposed to a “case bind” which is hard cover binding.
Case Bind: With Case Bind or Case In, books are typically hard bound books. The book covers, called “cases”, consist of rigid or flexible boards that are covered on the outside and on the edges with cloth or other material.
Blind Folio: Page Nos. are not printed on the page. Card Stock: Card Stock is also known as cover stock. A stiff paper used for postcards, catalog covers and other items that require rigidity. Coated Paper: Paper coated with clay, white pigments, and a blinder.
Uncoated Paper: Paper without coating, applied for smoothness. Uncoated paper is absorbent and soft in appearance. Gloss: A shiny coating on paper. Gloss coating allows very little ink absorption and provides excellent colour definition u0026amp; contrast.
Matte: A coated paper finish and not shiny like a gloss, but provides excellent bright image.
Grain: In paper making, the direction in which most wood pulp fibers lie within the sheet due to the direction of flow as the paper is made. Folding paper against the grain break more wood pulp fibers than folding with grain resulting in an uneven less precise fold.
Gutter: The inside space between pages. To be specific, the inside margin towards the back or binding edge.
Imposition: Arrangement of pages on press sheet, so that pages are in proper order when the sheet is folded.
Inserts: Extra printed pages inserted into printed pieces. Interleaves: Extra blank pages inserted loosely into printed pieces.
Design Tips:Your image is an asset and your stationery and printed materials provide your potential customers the first look at your Company. People who endeavour to produce their publications or graphic design work on their own computer can often be successful. However, depending on time or ability, you may need to hire someone or delegate some of this tasks.
Fonts: Fonts are art elements for all practical purposes. True Type or Adobe Type 1 Fonts are the industry accepted standard for post Script output. The use of non-True Type and other forms of fonts frequently will halt or complicate output of your files. Keep a list of fonts used in the document and in the artwork you used to create support files for the documents. To select font size or type size, avoid smaller then 6 point. In case of your reverse types, avoid the types too small or delicate, to make reverse readable.
Colour: The Printing process depends only two colour models, CMYK (process colours) and Pantone ( spot colour ). Please make sure that all colours you are sending are based on these two models only. Images and art using RGB colour have to be converted to one of these models before a file can be imaged. Avoid Colour pallets that do not confirm with the commercial printing process. This includes software programs that have vaguely named colours like “sky blue” or “olive green”.
Page Set up: Create page based on exact size for output. Bleeds: Please do not assume the extra space to allow for bleeds. Bleeds extend into the area that will be trimmed in the binding process. Do not select default page size like “Letter” or “tabloid” to fulfill the requirement for a bleed.
Resolution of Scan: Make sure that all scanned images are at 300 dpi when placed at 100% of out put. Page Layout Programs: Page layout programs are the backbone of desktop publishing. If you only get one program to start, it should be one that can handle all the text and tabular copy that is expected. Although drawing application can handle text, they are inefficient when large amount of text are to be used. The two programs mostly used for page layout are Adobe’s In Design and Quark Press. These two do an excellent job of handling text and importing graphics.
Graphic Illustration Programs: There are the drawing programs. They let you create and edit vector based illustration and logos. Mostly used for drawing in Adobe Illustration. The file generated from these programs can be saved in near native application format, or be exported into Encapsulated Post Script (EPS) for placement into a Page Layout Program.
Image Manipulation Programs: These programs allow you to edit scans and to draw bitmapped artwork. The program mostly used for photo and bitmap editing is Adobe Photoshop. The file generated from photo editing programs can be saved in there native application format , or be exported into EPS or Tag Image File Format (TIFF) for placement into a Page Layout Program.
Postscript, Acrobat Distiller and PDF: Postscript and PDF are closely related. Postscript is often used to produce PDF files for printing.
PDF: PDF is file format used to represent a document independently of application software, hardware and operating system used to produce PDF files for printing.
Proofing: Once the Desktop publishing is complete, you should carefully proof your publication once final to make sure it is exactly what you want.
Fonts: Fonts are art elements for all practical purposes. True Type or Adobe Type 1 Fonts are the industry accepted standard for post Script output. The use of non-True Type and other forms of fonts frequently will halt or complicate output of your files. Keep a list of fonts used in the document and in the artwork you used to create support files for the documents. To select font size or type size, avoid smaller then 6 point. In case of your reverse types, avoid the types too small or delicate, to make reverse readable.
Colour: The Printing process depends only two colour models, CMYK (process colours) and Pantone ( spot colour ). Please make sure that all colours you are sending are based on these two models only. Images and art using RGB colour have to be converted to one of these models before a file can be imaged. Avoid Colour pallets that do not confirm with the commercial printing process. This includes software programs that have vaguely named colours like “sky blue” or “olive green”.
Page Set up: Create page based on exact size for output. Bleeds: Please do not assume the extra space to allow for bleeds. Bleeds extend into the area that will be trimmed in the binding process. Do not select default page size like “Letter” or “tabloid” to fulfill the requirement for a bleed.
Resolution of Scan: Make sure that all scanned images are at 300 dpi when placed at 100% of out put. Page Layout Programs: Page layout programs are the backbone of desktop publishing. If you only get one program to start, it should be one that can handle all the text and tabular copy that is expected. Although drawing application can handle text, they are inefficient when large amount of text are to be used. The two programs mostly used for page layout are Adobe’s In Design and Quark Press. These two do an excellent job of handling text and importing graphics.
Graphic Illustration Programs: There are the drawing programs. They let you create and edit vector based illustration and logos. Mostly used for drawing in Adobe Illustration. The file generated from these programs can be saved in near native application format, or be exported into Encapsulated Post Script (EPS) for placement into a Page Layout Program.
Image Manipulation Programs: These programs allow you to edit scans and to draw bitmapped artwork. The program mostly used for photo and bitmap editing is Adobe Photoshop. The file generated from photo editing programs can be saved in there native application format , or be exported into EPS or Tag Image File Format (TIFF) for placement into a Page Layout Program.
Postscript, Acrobat Distiller and PDF: Postscript and PDF are closely related. Postscript is often used to produce PDF files for printing.
PDF: PDF is file format used to represent a document independently of application software, hardware and operating system used to produce PDF files for printing.
Proofing: Once the Desktop publishing is complete, you should carefully proof your publication once final to make sure it is exactly what you want.
Important DTP Steps for Re-verification:
Use only Postscript Type-1 fonts. Do not mix True Type with Postscript Type-1 fonts. 2.Convert Type to graphics in EPS files.
Avoid “nested” EPS files. Copy and past elements from one EPS file to another, instead of using import of place functions.
Avoid large solid areas in your design.
All scans should be saved as CMYK or Grayscale in TIFF format. Do not use RGB image or JPEG’s.
Make sure that all of your pantone colours are converted to process CMYK.
File Preparation Tips
Preferred File Format: An Acrobat distilled PDF is the best method to send us a file. PDF are the most popular file type in the graphic industry. PDF eliminates the need for the program that the original artwork was created in. If saved properly, they also eliminate the problems that occur with different type fonts.
How to Make a PDF: Most newer version of desktop publishing programs have the ability to export the art as a PDF or they give you the option to print to a PDF. In either case, make sure that you embedded the fonts and have converted all the images to CMYK. These are options in the PDF controls. Usually, you will have the option to export for Screen on export for Press. Just select the export for Press or Print option and this will ensure the high resolution PDF. For those programs that do not have these options you will need to save your work as a Postscript File and then use Adobe Acrobat Distiller to convert into a PDF. Once again make it sure that export option is set to Press or Print and that all the type is embedded.
Overview: Please make your files clean and simple. Supply only the files that we shall need to output your job. Always keep a backup of the files that you supply to us.
Please look into the Issues Before File Submission
Fonts: Supply all the fonts used in your document, including fonts used in any linked EPS files. Make a folder for the fonts you have used and put all required font files in that folder. We recommend Postscript Type 1 font and be sure to include both screen and printer font files.
Type Style: Do not use the “type style” provided by your layout application ( such as Bold, Italics, Outline etc). For Example, only bold your type by selecting the bold version of the font.
EPS Graphics: Convert all of your typesetting to paths ( or outlines ) when saving EPS graphics out of Illustrator or Free Hand. This will minimize font re-justification problems during the processing of your file.
Linked Image: When sending native application format files, also provide all external image files. All images must be in CMYK, grayscale or bitmap colour modes. Images must be saved in either TIFF or EPS format. Do not use JPEG. Be sure to update your links in the layout files whenever you alter any of the original images. Many programs, such as QuarkXpress and FreeHand have a feature called “Collect for Output” which can help you to gather your fonts and images for project submission.