Glossary of Print Lingo

1/1: One color (usually black) two-sided document

4/4: Full color two-sided document

Acetate: Thin, flexible sheet of transparent plastic used as a protective cover

Aqueous Coating: Water-based coating applied to ink, giving a high gloss look with smudge resistant features

Artwork: Digital files to be used for print

Bleed: Pictures or text that go to the edge of the page

Bind: The process of fastening sheets into a book or booklet (glue, wire, coil, tape, staple, etc.)

CMYK: Digital printing process colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, black)

Coated Stock: Paper treated with clay to give a smooth look (option of glossy, matte, or silk finish)

Collate: Gathering paper in the correct order during finishing

Cover Stock: Heavier piece of paper used for the front page of booklets

Crop Marks: Printed cut lines on a sheet to indicate where to trim the job for finishing

Die Cutting: Process of cutting shapes out of desired substrate

Finish size: The size of the sheet of paper after folding

Flat size: Size of the sheet of paper before folding

Flood: To completely cover the page with ink

Grain: The direction in which paper fibers lie

Impressions: The total number of printed pages

Kiss Cut: Cutting out the top layer of a pressure sensitive sheet

Leaves: Total amount of paper sheets used

Matte Finish: Dull, shine-free surface

Margins: Non-printing areas of the page

Paper Weight: The degree of thickness of a sheet of paper

Perforating: Punching a dotted line in a sheet, making it easier to tear away

PMS: “Pantone matching system” used to print spot colors; each PMS colors has its own number

Pixel: The square unit of measure for images on a computer screen

Proof: An exact copy for the user to review and approve before running a job

Scoring: Partially cutting through a thick stock, enabling it to fold more easily

Spine: The binding edge of a book

Spot Color: Colors that can only be reproduced using their own ink

Substrate/Stock: The material that is being printed on

Transfer Tape: Peel and stick tape used for creating cut-out vinyl products (lettering, logos, etc.)