Printing Terms | Recycled Paper | Watermarks
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Common Printing Terms

Acid-Free
Acid-free papers are manufactured in an alka-line environment, which prevents the internal chemical deterioration of the paper over time. The addition of calcium carbonate as a buffer also makes the paper resistant to the effects of an external acidic environment.

Aqueous Coating
Similar to varnish, an aqueous coating provides protection, sits on the sheet, dries quickly and hard.

Bristol
Solid or laminated heavy-weight printing paper made to a thickness of .006" or higher. It is often used for business cards, social announcements, posters and folders.

Color Substitution
A way to alter the look of an image, one ink is substituted for another, often in four-color process printing. Keep in mind that color is substituted on the entire separation affecting every place it appears within the image.

Color Transposition
Transposing color negatives (swapping magenta and cyan, for instance) is an easy and inexpensive way of achieving intriguing effects with conventional processes. Be sure to preview how the transposed colors will look on press by color proofing the image on the chosen paper stock before-hand.

Customark
A customark is a watermark made with a rubber printing plate treated with a tranparentizing solution that leaves a mark in the paper. This process produces a wire appearance in which the mark is lighter than the surrounding paper. It can be produced in smaller quantities and at a lower price than a genuine watermark which requires a dandy roll.

Die-Cutting
Die-cutting is done mechanically and by laser. Mechanical die-cutting is made using sharp steel rules formed into the desired shape and set into a wooden die. Mounted to a letter press, these rules are designed to cut, score or perforate when pressed against paper and a flat counter.

Drytrapping
Laying down one or several hits of ink, letting it dry and then printing ink or varnish on top of the dried ink(s).

Duotint
A single-color halftone printed over a screen of a second color halftone.

Duotone
Two halftone negatives scanned at different screen angles, and printed in two colors. The strength of the scan, the choice of ink colors, screen size and pattern, and the color and texture of paper provide tremendous options for various results of duotones.

Duplex
Duplex papers feature a different color on each side of the sheet, laminated together.

Embossing
Creating a dimensional image through the use of a metal die and counter die, the sheet is pressed between these dies, while heat is applied to expand the paper fibers. Dies can be made to form single-level, multi-level or sculpted images. Simple embossing can be done quickly with magnesium or copper dies- metals that photoengrave easily. Hand-tooled brass dies are necessary for beveled, textured, multi-level or sculptured patterns and long press runs.

Engraving
Designs are handtooled or photo-chemically etched into a metal die. The die is covered with ink and then wiped clean, leaving ink only in the "cut-in" design. Paper is then pressed between the etched die and a mirror-image counter die, transferring ink onto the sheet and creating an elegant raised impression.

Fluorescent Inks
Providing an electric quality to images, fluorescent inks have fluorescent dye added to their pigment. These are thin inks, and are dependent on light passing through them to bring out their iridescence. They also have poor light fast qualities for shorter shelf life than other inks.

Foil Stamping
Using a heat-pressure die-stamp process, foil is carried on a thin polyester film ribbon with heat applied when pressing the ribbon between the die and paper. The foil is released and fused onto the paper. While the foil-stamping process has not changed significantly over the years, the choice of foils includes metallic (matte and glossy), pastel, satin, pearlized, wood grain, holographic, marble, pigmented and clear stamps.

Formation
Refers to the uniformity and distribution of fibers within a sheet of paper. In a well formed sheet, solid ink coverage will go down smoothly. A poorly formed sheet will exhibit a mottled appearance when printed. Formation can be checked by holding the paper up to a light source: A well formed sheet appears uniform, while in a poorly formed sheet the fibers appear as clumps, giving it a cloudy look.

Four-Color Process
Process cyan, magenta, yellow and black are the primary colors of four-color printing, also known as CMYK.

Ghosting
A screening technique which entails scanning an image full-strength, then screening it back to reduce the dot size.

Halftone
Composed of thousands of tiny dots that fall within a tonal gray scale to simulate the look of a continuous-tone image, a halftone involves the use of one screen and one ink color.

Ink Jet Printing
Used frequently for desktop publication, ink jet printing is available in a variety of color jobs.

Laser Die-Cutting
Laser die-cutting is technically not a die-cut, but an extension of the photographic process. A metal template made from black-and-white artwork performs the role of a film negative. Wherever there is a hole in the template, a laser beam passes through and vaporizes the exposed area of the paper. Extremely precise, lasers enable the creation of amazingly intricate patterns with ease.

Laser Printing
Mostly used in office equipment, laser printing uses toner adhesion in a heat process to apply "ink" to the sheet.

Letterpress
With letterpress, paper is pressed directly onto inked raised metal type of photoengraved images, resulting in a distinctive tactile effect that lithography cannot achieve. Once the most common method of printing, it is now considered a special technique.

Line Screen
The number of dots per inch. Printers select a line screen appropriate for the amount of ink that can be put on the paper, dot gain, absorption and brightness.

Match Inks
These inks are specified from ink color specification systems, and can be specially made to match a specific color.

Metallic Ink
Metallic powders are added to specially formulated vehicles to create gold, silver and copper inks, offering natural opacity, and making them good choices for dark colored papers. Any color can be turned into a metallic by adding metallic paste. Varnishing metallic inks will avoid tarnish and oxidation, but will also reduce the metallic sheen.

Mezzotint
Irregularly patterned screens that come in a range of textures from very fine to very coarse.

Opaque Inks
Containing white pigments that reflect light, opaque inks strengthen color density, and are often used on darker colored papers.

Pearlescent Inks
The base pigment is mica powder, which is treated with titanium dioxide. This has powdery flakes that give Pearlescent inks their sense of depth. Over time, Pearlescent inks have a tendency to yellow.

Posterization
This is the conversion into two line shots, one for deep shadow, and one for midtones, and is used to add visual interest

Quadtone
Use of four halftone screens scanned at different screen angles, and printed in four colors. The strength of the scan, the choice of ink colors and texture of paper provide tremendous options for various results from quadtones.

Six-color Process (Hi-Fi)
Process orange and process green is added to process cyan, magenta, yellow and black to extend the color palette, and to intensify color images

Split Fountain
A split fountain uses two or more ink color in a single press fountain and lets the oscillation of the press blend them together. A full spectrum of color can be achieved at a one-color cost. Because of the "mixing" of inks, frequent wash ups are required with a split fountain.

Stochastic Screening
Provides a random dot pattern, which tends to intensify colors and details, and is typically used for rescreening to avoid moire patterns.

Thermography
A raised appearance is achieved by dusting a fine resinous powder (matte, gloss or semi-gloss) over slow-drying ink, then applying heat to melt and fuse the resin onto the ink. Any offset ink color, or even a clear resin will work and the image area can be any size. Thermography provides the advantage of speed, economy and flexibility, and a look with its own unique appeal.

Touchplate
An additional plate that "touches" a designated spot with an extra hit of a select color. A touchplate allows greater control over a single color, purer saturation, and a stronger impact of that color.

Transparent Ink
Normally used inks, both process and match are transparent and glossy.

Tritone
Use of three halftone screens scanned at different screen angles, and printed in three colors. The strength of the scan, the choice of ink colors, screen size and pattern, and the color and texture of paper provide tremendous options for various results from tritones.

UV Ink
Ultra violet inks are used on presses, rather than with dryers between each press unit, allowing ink to dry quickly with more opacity and less absorption into the paper. Additionally, using UV white followed by process or match inks allows for printing on dark stocks in one pass, instead of the traditional drytrapping of opaque white ink followed with a second pass of additional colors.

Varnish
Used to protect ink colors, and reduce scuffing and fingerprinting, varnishes are available in a range from matte to gloss finishes.

Waterless Printing
A method of printing that reduces dot gain because the inks do not pick up water or fountain solution. Waterless printing typically creates denser colors and better contrast.

Printing Terms | Recycled Paper | Watermarks
Specifying Paper | Gradeline Guide | Cost Comparator