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Being able to talk the language of print is important for communication between printers and customers. Printing Industry of Minnesota provides this Glossary to help facilitate the process.
5000K Lighting - Light measu ring 5000 degrees Kelvin (the color temperature of bright daylight). A component of industry-standard viewing conditions for inspecting transparencies, proofs, and press sheets.
A4 - ISO paper size 210 mm x 297 mm used for letterhead.
AI - Adobe Illustrator's metafile format, which is actually a type of Encapsulated Postscript.
Ablation - Method of imaging digital proofs or CTP plates by vaporizing small amounts of material, typically with a thermal laser. Also refers to the process of writing data to optical memory with a laser that burns holes into thin metal film.
Abort - A computing command that instructs the system to abandon a program or ignore all data transferred after a given point.
Access - (1) A noun indicating the ability to log on to the Internet or another network. (2) A verb meaning ot retrieve data from a hard drive or other physical storage medium or another computer connected via network or modem.
Access Control - In a network, a means of ensuring the system’s security by requiring users to supply their names and passwords each time they log on.
Access Control List - In a network, a database that holds the names of the valid system users and notes the level of access that each has been granted.
Access Time - The interval between the instant at which a call for data is initiated and delivery of the data is completed.
Achromatic - Having no color or hue.
Actinic Light - Light that exposes a coating or emulsion.
Additive Color Theory - The mixture of red, green and blue light, the primary colors of light, to produce white light.
Adhesive Binding - Applying a glue or another, usually hot-melt, substance along the backbone edges of assembled, printed sheets; the book or magazine cover is applied directly on top of the tacky adhesive.
Address - (1)A character or group of characters that identifies a particular part of computer storage or some other data source or destination. (2)In data communication, the unique code assigned to each device or workstation connected to a network.
Addressability - In a line of printed digital information the number of positions per unit length, usually per inch, at which successive pixels are placed.
Against the Grain - At right angles to the direction of the grain of the paper.
Airbrush - A function of a color imaging system to add or remove printing ink of any value in a designated picture area.
Alias - An alternate or duplicate label for a data element in a computer system. For example, one email address may have several aliases representing different departments or individuals. On a Macintosh, an alias icon makes a program, such as Microsoft Word or QuarkXPress, accessible from different areas on the desktop instead of just where the actual program is stored.
Aliasing - A “staircase” or jagged effect that occurs when display resolution is too coarse to minimize the broken or crooked appearance of certain electronic design elements. Aliasing is more visually pronounced in diagonal lines, curves and circles.
Alpha Channel - An eight-bit channel reserved by some image-processing applications for masking or retaining additional color information.
Alteration - Any change made by the customer after copy or artwork has been given to the service bureau, separator or printer. The change could be in copy, specifications, or both. Also called AA, author alteration or customer alteration.
Amberlith - The orange or red acetate material that artists cut into elements or shapes to put on areas of keylines indicating where halftones, tints, etc., are to be positioned. Also called rubylith.
Analog - Of a circuit or device having an output that is proportional to the input. Not binary.
Analog Device - A computer or other device that uses continuous signals of varying intensity rather than digital signals that can only be "on" or "off." Some color scanners use hard-wired electronic circuits to perform analog color correction and tone reproduction, while other scanners use digital data to perform similar functions.
Analog Workflow - Traditional workflow that relies heavily on film and photosensitive materials and processes.
Anilox - This inking system is commonly used in flexographic presses. An elastomer-covered fountain roller runs in the ink pan and is adjustable against a contacting, engraved metering roll. Ink is flooded into the engraved cells of the metering roll, excess is doctored off by the wiping or squeezing action of the fountain roll or a doctor blade, and that which remains beneath the surface of the metering roll is transferred to the printing plates.
Anti-offset Powder - Finely powdered starch sprayed on the printed surface of coated paper as sheets leave the press to prevent wet ink from transferring from the top of one sheet to the bottom of the next sheet.
Antivirus Program - The essential software that is used to detect and destroy rogue applications designed to damage a computer.
Application Files - The files that contain the data created by software programs; also called data files.
Application Program - The computer software designed to perform actual jobs as opposed to the system programs that manage equipment operation.
Applications Program Interface (API) - System software that allows computer programmers to create interface features or, in a network, determine how the various features will be used.
Aqueous Coating - Water based coating applied like ink by a printing press to protect and enhance the printed surface.
Archival - (1)A document that can be expected to be kept permanently as closely as possible to its origin al form. An archival document medium is one that can be "expected" to retain permanently its origin al characteristics (such expectations may or may not prove to be realized in actual practice). A document published in such a medium is of archival quality and can be expected to resist deterioration. Permanent paper is manufactured to resist chemical action so as to retard the effects of aging as determined by precise technical specification s. Durability refers to certain lasting qualities with respect to folding and tear resistance. (2)Data preserved in its origin al state for a long period of time. The definition of length is flexible - anywhere from five to more than 100 years - depending on the storage medium.
Archival Image - An image meant to have lasting utility. An "archival" digital image is generally an image kept stored.
Archival Standards - The standards to be met by a type of recording material or process in order for this material to have and retain specified characteristics necessary for permanent records.
Archival Storage - The long-term storage of image information on photographic, magnetic, or other media.
Archive - (1)A group of compressed computer files. (2)a repository specifically designed for preservation, storage, display and use of archival records. (3)A collection of permanently valuable historical records documenting a particular subject or activity or transaction. Also the repository where such a collection is kept. (4)A repository that intends to preserve information for access and use by one or more Designated Communities.
Artifact - A visible defect in an electronic image, caused by limitations in the reproduction process (hardware or software). Aliasing patterns are an example of artifacts.
Artwork - comprehensive. Design produced primarily to give the client an approximate idea of what the printed piece will look like. Alternative terms: comprehensive; comp.
Ascender - The part of a lower case letter which rises above the main body, as in “b” or “d”.
ASCII - Acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange, the international standard codes that are used by most computers to symbolize letters, numbers, punctuation and certain special commands.
Assembling - Collecting individual sheets or signatures into a complete set with pages in proper sequence and alignment. Assembling is followed by binding.
Asset Management - Wrapper format s must support indirect references to content ‹ that is, references to objects which are themselves references to Content. This is a basic requirement used to support all manner of different material management systems. Effective asset management is required by the users. This may be provided by either manual or automatic methods as appropriate. Wrapper referencing of Content can work most effectively where automation tools are provided for storage administration tasks and to ensure cohesive referencing when files are moved or copied.
Assets - Things that a user sees or hears, e.g., bit map, audio ,text.
Audit Trail - An established method for tracing the changes made to pictorial or text data during each stage of processing.
Author’s Proof - Prepublication copy sent to the author for approval. It is returned marked "OK" or "OK with changes."
Automatic Indexing - Indexing of a text done by computer without human intervention (usually by finding the words occurring most frequently within the document ).
Automatic Picture Replacement (APR) - Scitex’s implementation of the process in which a low resolution image is automatically replaced by the high resolution version of the image.
Automatic Plate Changing - Presses equipped with automatic plate changing capability.
Autotrace - A feature found in some graphics programs that allows conversion of bitmapped images into an object-oriented format. See also: bitmap.
Background Processing - Procedure by which a computer can execute one function, such as printing, while the user simultaneously executes another function, such as word processing or image editing.
Back Up - In printing; to print the second side of a sheet already printed on one side. In computers; to make a copy of your work on a separate disk in case something happens to the original.
Banding - An electronic prepress term referring to visible steps in shades of a gradient.
Bandwidth - The capacity of a network to carry data, usually expressed in bits per second (bps).
Bandwidth on Demand - A concept in which a user can obtain more bandwidth as the application warrants. It enables users to pay for only the bandwidth they use, when they need it.
Bar Code - A binary coding system using a numerical series and bars of varying thicknesses or positions that can be read by optical character recognition (OCR) equipment. Bar codes are used in printing as tracking devices for jobs and sections of jobs in production.
Baseband - A frequency band that uses the complete bandwidth of a signal.
Baseband Transmission - Transfer of a digital or analog signal in its original form without modulation.
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) - The code that controls basic hardware interactions, such as the keyboard and hard drive, on a computer system.
Basic Size - 25” x 38” for book papers, 20” x 26” for cover papers, 22 fi” x 28 fi” or 22 fi” x 35” for bristols, 25 fi” x 30 fi” for index.
Basis Weight - Weight in pounds of a ream (500 sheets) of paper cut to a given standard size for that grade; example: 500 sheets of 17” x 22” 20 lb. bond paper weighs 20 pounds. In countries using ISO paper sizes the weight, in grams, of one square meter of paper.
Baud - A speed of data transmission, pronounced “bod”. Today, modems measured in baud are relics.
Bearers - The flat surfaces or rings at the ends of press cylinders that come in contact with each other during printing and serve as a basis for determining packing thickness.
Binary - A number representation consisting of zeros and ones used by practically all computers because of its ease of implementation using digital electronics. Any file format for digital data encoded as a sequence of bits but not consisting of a sequence of printable characters.
Binder’s Creep - The slight but cumulative extension of the edges of each inserted spread or signature beyond the edges of the one that encloses it in a saddle-stitch bind.
Binding - The fastening of the assembled sheets or signatures along one edge of a publication.
Bit - The smallest unit of binary information. It has one of two possible values—zero or one—used to indicate "on" or "off" or "yes" or "no" in the storage and transfer of electronic information and images. A contraction of the term "binary digit."
Bitmap - An image represented by an array of picture elements, each of which is encoded as a single binary digit.
Blanket - In offset printing, a rubber-surfaced fabric that is clamped around a cylinder. The image is transferred from the plate to the blanket, and from there, transferred to the paper.
Blanket Cylinder - The cylinder that carries the offset rubber blanket, placing it in contact with the inked image on the plate cylinder and then transferring the inked image to the paper carried by the impression cylinder.
Bleed - Printed image which extends beyond the trim edge of the sheet or page.
Bleed Tab - A bleeding ink square at the edge of a page that functions as a guide for locating specific material.
Blind Image - Image that is debossed, embossed or stamped, but not printed with ink or foil.
Blocking - Sticking together of printed sheets causing damage when the surfaces are separated.
Blueline - Prepress photographic proof made from stripped negatives where all colors show as shades of a single color on white paper. Also called brownline, silverprint, Dylux®.
Body - (1)The printed text of a book not including endpapers or covers. (2)The size of type from the top of the ascenders to the bottom of the descenders.
Body Type - Text set in paragraph or block form, as distinguished from heads and display type matter. Alternative term: body matter.
Boilerplate - Standard text that is stored electronically and can be rearranged and combined with fresh information to produce new documents.
Bond Paper - A grade of writing or printing paper where strength, durability and performance are essential requirements; used for letterheads, business forms, etc. The basic size is 17” x 22”.
Book Paper - A general term for coated and uncoated paper. The basic size is 25” x 38”.
Boolean - based on the case-sensitive operators AND, OR, and NOT - serves as the basis of machine intelligence and, hence, computer searches.
Boot - To start up a computer. During the boot-up sequence, the computer carries out hardware diagnostic tests, determines what peripherals are connected, and loads the operating system.
Bottling - The process of skewing pages to compensate for paper thickness as it is folded. Primarily used on signatures designed for large web or large sheetfed presses.
Breakacross - A photo or other image that extends across the gutter onto both pages of the spread. Alternative terms: crossover; reader’s spread.
Break for Color - In artwork and composition, to separate the parts to be printed in different colors.
Brick-and-mortar - Located or serving consumers in a physical facility as distinct from providing remote, especially online, services.
Bridge - The unit that interconnects two or more local-area networks that use the same logical link control protocol but may use different medium access control protocols. The term can also refer to the equipment used in a connection of local loops, channels, or rings to match circuits and facilitate data transmission.
Brightness - In paper, the reflectance or brilliance of the paper.
Bristol - Type of board paper used for post cards, business cards and other heavy-use products.
Broadband - A frequency band that can be divided into several narrower ones to support simultaneous transfer of voice, video, and data. See also: baseband.
Broadband Transmission - Using analog signals, carrier frequencies, and multiplexing techniques to permit more than one node on a network to broadcast at a time
Bronzing - Printing with a sizing ink and then applying bronze powder while still wet to produce a metallic luster.
Browse - To search the Internet’s World Wide Web or another computer network or database for information.
Browser - A browser is a program that provides a way to look at, read, and even hear all the information on the World Wide Web. The word "browser" seems to have originated prior to the Web as a generic term for user interfaces that let you browse text files online. By the time the first Web browser with a graphical user interface was invented (it was called Mosaic), the term seemed to apply to Web content, too. Technically, a Web browser is a client program that uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to make requests of Web server s throughout the Internet on behalf of the browser user. Currently, the most popular browser is Netscape Navigator. Microsoft's Internet Explorer is gaining usage as Windows 95 installations grow. A commercial version of the origin al browser, Mosaic, is in use. Other browsers include the browsers for the online services, America Online, Compuserve, and Prodigy, but these are beginning to offer Netscape or Internet Explorer in addition to or as a replacement for their own. Lynx is a text-only browser for UNIX shell and VMS users.
Buckle Folder - A bindery machine in which two rollers push the sheet between two metal plates, stopping it and causing it to buckle at the entrance to the folder. A third roller working with one of the original rollers uses the buckle to fold the paper.
Buffer - (1)A device that separates the other devices in a system. (2)An intermediate area for the storage of electronic data.
Buffer Capacity - A measurement of the amount of data that can be stored in a frame buffer in a computer system.
Bug - A computer program error.
Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs) - Small, often local or regional repositories for electronic files and text messages related to a very specific topic. A certain BBS may or may not be accessible through the Internet or may require a long-distance phone call via computer modem to establish contact.
Bump - Ink applied from a fifth or higher plate in four-color process printing, usually to strengthen a specific color; also referred to as a touchplate.
Burn - Exposure of a plate to light through a negative to create an image for printing.
Burnish - The term used to describe the rubbing down and securing of copy to a keyline.
Burnthrough - Condition existing when enough light penetrates a masking sheet to expose the film or plate beneath the sheet. Masking sheeting should prevent light from penetrating to the film, but accumulated exposures—as in step-and-repeat exposures—sometimes sensitize the film, causing burnthrough.
Butt Register - Register where ink colors meet precisely without overlapping or allowing space between. Also called butt fit and kiss register.
Byte - A single group of bits (most often eight) that are processed as a unit. Also the smallest addressable unit of main storage in a computer system.
CGM - Computer Graphics Metafile, an American National Standards Institute/International Standards Organization metafile format for images of pretty much any kind.
Cache - Small portion of high-speed memory used for the temporary storage of frequently used data.
Calender - To make the surface of paper smooth by pressing it between rollers during manufacturing.
Calibrate - To adjust the scale on a measuring instrument such as a densitometer to a standard for specific conditions.
Calibration - A process by which a scanner, monitor or output device is adjusted to provide a more accurate display and reproduction of images.
Caliper - The thickness of paper, usually expressed in thousandths of an inch (mils). Also, a device on a sheetfed press that detects double sheets or on a binding machine that detects missing signatures or inserts.
Callout - A portion of text, usually duplicated from accompanying text, enlarged, and set off in quotes and/or a box to draw attention to what surrounds it.
Camera-Ready - Copy and all other printing elements are ready photography.
Case Bind - To bind using glue to hold signatures to a case made of binder board covered with fabric, plastic or leather. Also called cloth edition, hard bind or hard cover.
Cassette - (1)A portable housing or container for daylight transportation of either exposed or unexposed photographic materials, which makes it possible to operate an imagesetter in a daylight environment. (2)In magnetic tape applications, a plastic cartridge that contains tape which is 1/4 in. or narrower, takeup reels, and a read/record head pressure pad.
Cast Coated Paper - Paper dried under pressure against a heated, polished cylinder to produce a high-gloss enamel finish.
Catalog - (1)A list of items that records, describes, and indexes the resources of a collection, a library, or a group of libraries. cataloging: the process of preparing a catalog or entries for a catalog. This includes the classification and assignment of subject headings for books and materials and determining all points of access to the record. (2)When the library and information community discuss metadata , the most common analog y given is the library catalogue record. Priscilla Caplan, for example, has defined metadata as a neutral term for cataloguing without the "excess baggage" of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules or the MARC format s [1]. The most well-known metadata initiative, the Dubin Core Metadata Element Set, has the specific aim of supporting resource discovery in a network environment.
CD-ROM - Compact disk–read only memory. A laser encoded optical storage disk that can store 650 Megabytes to over 1 Gigabyte.
Centimeter - Metric measurement of length. 2.54 centimeters = 1 inch.
CEPS - Color Electronic Prepress System.
Chalking - Refers to improper drying of ink. Pigments dust off because ink has been absorbed too rapidly into the paper.
Character Generation - Constructing typographic images electronically as a series of dots, lines, or pixels on the screen of a cathode-ray tube (CRT).
Character Recognition -The function of systems that automatically read or recognize typed, printed, or handwritten characters or symbols and convert them to machine language for processing and storing in electronic systems. See also: optical character recognition.
Charge-Coupled Device - A component of an electronic scanner that digitizes images. A CCD consists of a set of image-sensing elements (photosites) arranged in a linear or area array. Images are digitized by an external light source that illuminates the source document, which reflects the light through optics onto the silicon light sensors in the array. This generates electrical signals in each photosite proportional to the intensity of the illumination.
Chill Rolls - On a web offset press, the section located after the drying oven where heatset inks are cooled below their setting temperature.
Choke - A slight size reduction of an opening into which an image will print.
Chopper Fold - Conveying a signature from the first parallel fold in a horizontal plane, spine forward, until it passes under a reciprocating blade that forces it down between folding rollers to complete the fold.
Chroma - The attribute of color that specifies its amount of saturation or strength.
Chrome - A slang term meaning the color transparency used as the original copy.
CIE - International Commission on Illumination. A standards institute most well known in the graphic arts for its work in color space definition.
Client - A networked personal computer or workstation that requests information or applications from a centralized server.
Client/Server Environment - A network system that uses a designated computer for centralized resource access.
Clipboard - A temporary electronic storage area in a computer software program where text or graphics can be held for reuse.
Cloning - A function on a CEPS used to duplicate a pixel or many pixels in another area of a picture. It can be used to add or remove detail. Some manufacturers call this function “pixel swopping”.
Closed Loop - A process in which all control functions have been automated, including sensing output errors and correcting the input to compensate for the error.
CMYK - Abbreviation for cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), the four process colors.
Coated Paper - Paper with a coating of clay or other substances that improves reflectivity and ink holdout.
Coating - An unbroken, clear film applied to a substrate in layers to protect and seal it, or to make it glossy.
Collate - In binding, the gathering of sheets or signatures.
Color Balance - Maintaining the ratio of cyan, magenta and yellow ink to produce a picture with the desired color and without an unwanted color cast or color bias.
Color Bars - The color strip on proofs that is used as a guide for the printer in determining the amount and density of ink needed.
Color Cast - Discoloration of an entire image or portion of an image caused by an overabundance of one color.
Color Correction - The deliberate adjustment of one or more colors to achieve a desired result. With inks, process colors are not pure colors; each is contaminated with the other two colors and has a hue error that requires compensation in the separation images.
Color Electronic Prepress Systems (desktop) - Computer systems using microcomputers and software for high-quality color manipulation and preparation.
Color Electronic Prepress Systems (high-end) - Dedicated computer work stations and systems designed exclusively for highest-quality color manipulation and preparation.
Color Fidelity - How well a printed piece matches the original.
Color Key™ - 3M’s negative overlay proofing films which visually simulate process printing inks.
Color Management Systems - Electronic characterization, calibration and control systems that help to assure color consistency and accuracy throughout the print production process from scanning through previewing on screen and proofing to reproduction on press.
Color Proof - A visual impression of the expected final reproduction produced on a substrate with inks, pigments or dyes. 3M Match Print™, DuPont Cromacheck® and Kodak Double Check® are examples of color proofing systems.
Color Reference - A set of process inks printed on standard paper and used for color control.
Color Scanner - An electronic piece of equipment that utilizes a laser or other high intensity light to make color separation negatives from either reflective prints or transparencies.
Color Separations - The four-color negatives or positives which are the result of changing full color photos or art into the four process colors (yellow, magenta, cyan and black) by the use of filters.
Color Sequence - The order in which the four-color process inks are printed on the plate.
Color Specification System - Charts or swatches of preprinted color patches of blended inks, each with a corresponding number, used to allow designers, printers and customers to communicate color with more accuracy.
Colorimeter - An instrument for measuring color the way the eye sees it.
Comb Bind - To bind by inserting the teeth of a flexible plastic comb through holes punched along the edge of a stack of paper.
Combination Folder - A bindery machine or in-line finishing component of a web press that incorporates the characteristic of knife and buckle folders.
Composite Art - Mechanical on which copy for reproduction in all colors appears on only one surface, not separated into overlays. A tissue overlay is used to indicate color breaks.
Composite File - A PostScript file that represents color pages containing picture elements specified in terms of RGB (red, green and blue) color space as opposed to black and white “gray level” pages which represent separations.
Composite Proofs - Single test sheet showing position and color of all elements as stripped up.
Comprehensive - A detailed dummy or sketch of a design, intended to give a clear sense of how the finished piece should look.
Compression - Reducing the size of a file for storage purposes or to enhance the speed of data transfer by eliminating the redundancies and other unnecessary elements from the original. See also: data compression.
Computer-to-plate (C2P) - Describes a system in which the use of desktop publishing software, electronic prepress workstations and platesetters allows the imaging of metal plates for any format of press without the use of film, stripping or traditional platemaking. This process results in lower costs while shortening the amount of time needed to get a job on the press. Sometimes also called C2P to distinguish it from CTP, or computer-to-press.
Computer-to-plate (metal) - Producing metal plates directly from digital files without producing a set of film negatives.
Computer-to-plate (polyester) - Producing polyester plates directly from digital files without producing a set of film negatives.
Computer-to-press (CTP) - Describes a printing system that includes desktop publishing software, electronic prepress workstations and a new type of press which is capable of rapidly changing the images it is printing without the use of removable plates. Sometimes called CTP, to distinguish it from C2P, or computer-to-plate.
Concept Creation - Selecting images and generating and approving ideas from thumbnails and rough layouts during the graphic design process.
Condensed Type - Type whose width has been reduced without affecting its height.
Condition - To keep paper in the pressroom for a few hours or days before printing so that its moisture level and temperature equal that in the pressroom.
Contact Print - A photographic print made from a negative or positive in contact with a sensitized paper, film or printing plate.
Content Proof - A proof that shows the customer the correct text and position of image elements but does not necessarily show accurate color reproduction.
Content Provider -One who owns or is licensed to sell content.
Continuous Tones - Commonly identified as the film for the four colors of a separation before it is broken into dots.
Continuous-Tone Digital Proofing - Producing a proof with reliable color but no halftone pattern (photorealistic) directly from a digital file, usually by inkjet or dye sublimination process, without producing a set of film negatives.
Contrast - The amount of difference between the lightest and the darkest areas in a photo or artwork.
Conventional Dot - A halftone dot with the classic square format: middle tone dots are square, while the extremely small black dots or white openings are round.
Conversion - The process of preparing document s, capturing, and indexing current files for use on an imaging system.
Cookie - A collection of information, usually including a username and the current date and time, stored on the local computer of a person using the World Wide Web, used chiefly by web sites to identify users who have previously registered or visited the site.
Copy - Original job material (paste-ups, film, photos and other graphics) furnished for the print job.
Copyfitting - Adjusting copy to the allotted space, by editing the text or changing the type size and leading.
Coverage - The amount of ink on a page or sheet, usually given in percentages.
Crash - Coarse cloth embedded in the glue along the spine of a book to increase strength of binding.
Creep - The shifting position of the page in a saddle-stitched bind. Creep moves the inside pages or signatures away from the spine.
CREF - Computer-ready electronic files.
Cromacheck® - DuPont’s negative overlay color proof.
Cromalin® - DuPont’s one piece proofing system in both positive and negative forms.
Crop - To opaque, mask, mark, cut, or trim an illustration or other reproduction to fit a designated area.
Crop Marks - Symbols placed in the margin outside the image area that indicate to the printer and bindery the area to be printed and/or trimmed from the image.
Cropping - (1)Indicating what portion of the copy is to be included in the final reproduction. (2)Trimming unwanted areas of a photograph film or print.
Cross Direction - In paper, the direction across the grain. Paper is weaker and more sensitive to humidity in its cross direction.
Crossover - A reproduction that extends across two facing pages in a book or magazine and crosses over the binding.
CTP - Computer-to-press.
Cure - To dry inks, varnishes or other coatings after printing to ensure good adhesion and prevent set-off.
Curl - The distortion of paper due to differences in structure or coatings from one side to the other or from absorption of moisture on the press.
Cursor - The blinking line approximately the length of one character that, as displayed on a computer screen, marks the current working position in a file and can be moved to any other point in the file by shifting the position of the mouse and clicking on the new position, by clicking on a command in a dialog box, or by executing function key commands.
Cutoff - Circumference of the impression cylinder of a web press, therefore, the length of the printed sheet on roll to sheet presses or the length of the repeat pattern on roll to roll presses.
Cyan - One of the three subtractive primary colors used in process printing. It is commonly known as “process blue.”
Cylinder - Part of a system of large rollers on an offset lithography press. The plate cylinder transfers an image onto the blanket cylinder, which is then offset onto a press sheet passing between the blanket and impression cylinders.
DCS1, DCS2 Desktop Color Separation - Developed by Quark. A DCS1 file is composed of five files. The main file is a composite with a low-resolution preview and pointers to the separation files. There are four separations files, one for each process color. DCS2 adds spot color capabilities, and single file as well multi-file formats.
Dampening - Moistening non-image areas of lithographic plates with water-covered rollers.
Dampening System - The mechanism on a press for transferring fountain solution to the plate.
Data - Text, audio, video, and images stored in a form that can be understood by a computer.
Data Blocks - The maximum size of continuous data blocks that can be recorded as a single block of data. Larger data blocks transfer and store data more efficiently.
Data Compression - A software or hardware process that reduces the size of images so that they occupy less storage space and can be transmitted faster and easier. This process is accomplished by removing the bits that define blank spaces and other redundant data, and replacing them with a smaller algorithm that represents the removed bits. Data must be decompressed before it can be used. See also: compression.
Data Conversion -Technique of changing digital information from its original code so that it can be recorded by an electronic device using a different code. Data created in one software format may be converted to another before printing. Data must also be converted for various output devices, such as when RGB colors are converted to CMYK.
Data File - Text, graphics, or pictures that are stored electronically as a unit.
Data Integrity - (1)The fact that data are not modified. (2)Refers to the validity of data . Data integrity can be compromised in a number of ways: Human errors when data is entered Errors that occur when data is transmitted from one computer to another Software bugs or viruses Hardware malfunctions, such as disk crashes Natural disasters, such as fires and floods There are many ways to minimize these threats to data integrity. These include: Backing up data regularly Controlling access to data via security mechanisms Designing user interfaces that prevent the input of invalid data Using error detection and correction software when transmitting data.
Data Processing - (1)Changing raw data or information into a usable format by using a computer. (2)The systematic manipulation of information; for example, handling, merging, sorting, computing.
Data Shift - In process color printing, it describes a shift in one of the channels of data that comprise the image file and could cause inconsistent color in some areas in the image.
Data Transfer Rate - The sustained speed at which data can be written or read and conveyed by a device, generally given in kilobytes per second (KBps) or megabytes per second (MBps).
Database - An electronic program that is used to efficiently organize, store, retrieve, and modify information, such as a mailing list. The data can be quickly rearranged and sorted or searched alphabetically or numerically.
Database 2 - (1)Large compilation of information that can be immediately accessed and operated upon by a computer data processing system. Any organized collection of data, gathered and stored in a computer. (2)In electronic records, a set of data, consisting of at least one file or of a group of integrated files, usually stored in one location and made available to several user s at the same time for various applications.
Deboss - To press an image into paper so it lies below the surface.
Deckel Edge - The untrimmed feathery edges of paper formed where the pulp flows against the wire of a paper making machine.
Decompress - To return compressed data to its original size and condition.
Dedicated Telephone Lines - Specially leased lines than provide constant and direct access to a network at high speeds (1.544 or 45 Mbps).
Default - A method or value that software will use in processing information unless the computer operator specifies otherwise. For example, a scanning program has default settings for variables like brightness and contrast that apply unless the user requests something else.
Delivery - (1) The section of a printing press that receives, jogs and stacks the printed sheet. (2) The output end of bindery equipment.
Densitometer - Instrument used to measure density. Reflection densitometers measure light reflected from paper and other surfaces. Transmission densitometers measure light transmitted through film and other materials.
Density - The amount an object absorbs or reflects light is called “density level.” High-density objects absorb or stop light; low-density objects reflect or transmit light.
Descender - The part of a lower case letter which extends below the main body, as in “p”.
Desensitizer - Chemical agent used to make non-image areas of a printing plate repellent to ink.
Desktop - (1)Any computer or peripheral small enough to fit on top of a desk, as opposed to a mainframe computer. (2)The Macintosh (and now Windows) graphical user interface where screen elements are cast as icons or other representations that are meant to be analogous to a literal desktop. Examples of these elements include representing computer files as manila folders, and file delete functions as trash cans or recycling bins.
Desktop Black and White Scanners - Used to make black and white negatives or positives of images or line art.
Desktop Color Separation (DCS) - A color file format that creates five PostScript files, one for each color (CMYK) and a data file about the image.
Desktop Publishing - The creation of fully composed pages with all text and graphics in place on a system that includes a personal computer with a color monitor; word processing, page-makeup, illustration, and other off-the-shelf software; digitized type fonts; a laser printer; and other peripherals, such as an optical image scanner. Completely paginated films are output from an imagesetter.
Desktop Publishing Stripping - Electronic assembly of all elements in final imposition for direct output as composite negative or plate.
Detail Enhancement - The technique of exaggerating picture image edges with unsharp masking or peaking, so the observer can easily see the detail of the original in the final reproduction.
Die - Device for cutting, scoring, stamping, embossing or debossing.
Die Stamping - Printing from lettering or other designs engraved into copper or steel. Also called the intaglio process, it is used for the production of letterheads, business cards, etc.
Diecutting - Using sharp steel rules to cut special shapes from printed sheets. Diecutting can be done on either flatbed or rotary presses.
Digital - Method of representing information in numerical (binary) code. Unlike analog signals, digital ones are either "on" or "off." See also: analog device.
Digital Archive - (1)A digital library which is intended to be maintained for a long time, i.e. periods longer than individual human lives and certainly longer than individual technological epochs. (Sometimes formerly also "digital research library.") (2)The Task Force envisions the development of a national system of digital archive s, which it defines as repositories of digital information that are collectively responsible for the long-term accessibility of the nation's social, economic, cultural and intellectual heritage instantiated in digital form. Digital archive s are distinct from digital libraries in the sense that digital libraries are repositories that collect and provide access to digital information , but may or may not provide for the long-term storage and access of that information.
Digital Asset - Digital data stored in a file. It can be either data that was digitized, such as video frame data and audio samples, or data created in digital form, such as title graphics or animation frames. It can be stored in either a Media Data object or a raw data file. Also called Digital media data.
Digital Asset Management - File or asset storage and retrieval by a company for its customer.
Digital Camera - A photographic system that transforms visual information into pixels that are assigned binary codes so that they can be manipulated, compressed and stored or transmitted as electronic files.
Digital Color Proof - Proof printed directly from computer data to paper or another substrate without creating separation films first. Proof made with computer output device, such as laser or inkjet printer.
Digital Media Data - Digital data stored in a file. It can be either data that was digitized, such as video frame data and audio samples, or data created in digital form, such as title graphics or animation frames. It can be stored in either a Media Data object or a raw data file. Also called Digital asset.
Digital Photography - Direct electronic capture of an image within a camera without using film and processing.
Digital Plates - High speed or spark discharge plates that can be exposed by digital data from a prepress system.
Digital Printing - Printing by plateless imaging systems that are imaged by digital data from prepress systems.
Digital Soft Proof - A color video monitor display of a picture file, data file or text file.
Digital Transmission - A communications mode in which the data to be transferred is represented as discrete (and discontinuous) electronic pulses or signals, the values of which are stored as a series of zeros and ones, otherwise known as binary digits.
Digital Workflow - Workflow that relies on electronic processes that eliminate the need for traditional film materials.
Digitize - To convert an image or signal into binary form.
Digitized Information - Text, photographs and illustrations converted into digital signals for input, processing and output in an electronic publishing system.
Digitizing Tablet - A device using a stylus and an x-y coordinate system to trace or draw images for input to a computer graphics system.
Dimensional Stability - Ability of a film to hold size throughout its cycle of use. Polyester-based films are more dimensionally stable than acetate bases; glass is more stable than polyester.
Direct Digital Color Proof (DDCP) - A proof made directly from the stored data file onto a substrate using a peripheral device such as a photographic exposure, dot matrix printer or ink jet printer without producing intermediate films.
Direct Screen - The method of color separating which adds dots at the same time the transparency is being photographically separated into the four colors.
Direct-to-plate - Often used as a synonym for computer-to-plate but less desirable to use because the acronym DTP can be confused with desktop publishing, which is also known as DTP (see computer-to-plate).
Direct-to-press Imaging - Unimaged plates are automatically mounted on the plate cylinder and then imaged with laser beams from digital data.
Disk, Floppy - A thin, flexible, removable magnetic disk used to store computer data. An example is a high-density 31/2-in. computer disk.
Disk, Hard - A platter-like magnetic storage device permanently encased in a computer system.
Disk Drive - The mechanism that rotates the magnetic disk and positions the read/write head(s) at the desired location.
Disk Track - One of several concentric circular recording bands where data is stored on a magnetic disk. Each track may consist of several sectors with a fixed memory capacity.
Dither - To fill the gap between two pixels with another pixel having an average value of the two to minimize the difference or add detail to smooth the result.
Document - (1)Recorded information regardless of physical form or characteristics. Often used interchangeably with record. (2)An individual record or an item of nonrecord materials or of personal papers 2.A collection of information that is processed as a unit.
Document Content - Document Content refers to the substance of the material or information within the document that is intended to be communicated.
Dot - The individual element of a halftone.
Dot Area - The size of the dot is indicated by the percentage of the area it occupies from zero to one hundred percent.
Dot Etching - Applying chemicals by hand to either negatives for increasing dot size which adds color; or, to positives for decreasing dot size which subtracts color.
Dot Gain - The increase in the printing dot size from the halftone film to the printed substrate resulting in darker tones.
Dots Per Inch (DPI) - A unit that describes the resolution of an output device or monitor.
Double Black Duotones - Image created from two halftones, one for highlights and the other for midtones and shadows. Both plates are inked with black for the most contrast.
Double Burn - Utilizing two or more negatives to expose an image on a plate or positive print.
Download - To transfer a file or files from a remote computer to a local computer’s hard drive.
Drawdown - Sample of inks specified for a job applied to the substrate specified for a job.
Drier - A substance added to ink to hasten drying.
Drop Out - The technique that can give a mediocre photo greater contrast by photographically removing some dots to create highlights that show the actual white of the paper.
Drum - The common name for the photoconductive cylinders used on scanners and plotters.
Drum Scanner - Color separation equipment on which the original transparency is wrapped around a hollow, plastic rotary cylinder.
Dryer - A unit on a web press that hardens the heatset ink by evaporating the solvent ingredient in it.
Dummy - A layout showing the size, shape, form and general style of a piece of printing.
Duotone - Two films are made by changing the screen angle for each and one plate is made for each film. A duotone is printed in two colors but both plates can be used for the same color ink for maximum contrast. When using black ink this is called a “double black”.
Duplex Paper - Paper with a different color or finish on each side.
Dylux® - DuPont’s light-sensitive proof in blue or black.
Dynamically-generated pages - Web pages, birthed at the time they are downloaded, often contain up-to-the-second data pulled into a template. Search engine results pages are dynamically generated.
EPS - Abbreviation of Encapsulated PostScript. Pronounced as separate letters, EPS is the graphics file format used by the PostScript language. EPS files can be either binary or ASCII. The term EPS usually implies that the file contains a bit-mapped representation of the graphics for display purposes. In contrast, PostScript files include only the PostScript commands for printing the graphic.
Easter egg - A small cartoon, animation, or other feature hidden by a programmer in the code of a game or application and triggered by an arcane sequence of keystrokes or mouse clicks.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) - (1)The communication or transmission of data as electronic messages according to established rules and format s in order to transact business. (2)Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). The computer-to-computer exchange of formatted, transactional information between autonomous organizations. (3)EDI is the exchange of routine business transactions in machine readable format . It covers many areas including, ordering, pricing, quoting, backordering, shipping, receiving, planning purchases as well as invoicing and payments | 
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