Common Terms used in The Printing Industry

Glossary of Offset Printing and Finishing Terms

A gift for my printing friends. Below I have prepared a list of the commonly used printing terms in commercial printing.

	ACCORDION FOLD Having folds like the bellows of an accordion, created by the paper being folded two or more times in a parallel direction.
	BACKING UP Printing the opposite side of a sheet, after the first has already been printed.
	BARREL FOLD When paper is folded two or more times in the same direction (sometimes called a wrap-around fold).
	BASIS WEIGHT The weight of a ream of paper (500 sheets) based on a standard size for each type of paper, which is: Book paper”25 x 38″, Cover”20 x 26″, Bristol”22 1/2 X 28 1/2″ or 221/2 x 35″, Index ” 25 1/2 x 30 1/2″, Business paper (including bond, ledger, mimeograph, duplicator and manifold) “17 x 22″, and Tag”24 x 36″. One ream of 25 x 38″, 80 lb. book paper will weigh 80 lbs. (Based on US paper Mills. In Eurpope a far better system is used…grms/ square centimeter)
	BLEED When the printed image extends to the trim edge of a sheet or page.

	BULK The thickness of a single sheet of paper, expressed in points. A point is one thousandth of an inch.
	CALENDERING When paper is passed between a stack of horizontal rollers, under pressure, to increase the smoothness and gloss of its surface and reduce its bulk.
	COLLATING Gathering or arranging printed sheets or signatures into the desired sequence, either by hand or by machine.
	FOLIO A page number; also the numbering of pages.
	FORM The positioning of positives or negatives ready for platemaking, sometimes known as a flat.
	FORMAT The final physical form of a printed piece, including size, design, type style, margins and printing requirements.
	FRENCH FOLD A sheet folded twice to make a 4-page folder, and usually printed on one side only. An example is a greeting card.
	GATE FOLD An outside page of a book folded so as not to extend beyond the edges. An additional fold-out like one would see in a magazine that has extended its cover. See page 10 for example.
	IMPOSITION The positioning of type pages, negatives or plates in proper relationship to each other, so that the pages will follow in sequence when the printed sheets are folded. The imposition is usually determined by the printer in consultation with the binder.
	INSERT A separate printed piece that is collated, tipped, or stitched into the binding of a book or magazine.
	LAYOUT A sketch or drawing of a subject which is going to be printed.
	MECHANICAL BINDING A method of punching holes near the spine of a book and inserting metal or plastic bindings so the book will lie flat when opened.
	MECHANICALS Art work and type proofs mounted in a camera-ready position.
	M WEIGHT The weight of one thousand sheets of paper, any size.
	OBLONG A book, catalog, or other printed piece bound on the short dimension.
	PAPER DUMMY An unprinted sample of a book or other printed piece, bound and presented in the correct size, usually using the desired grade of paper.
	PERFECT BINDING A style of binding in which all pages are trimmed at the binding edge and held together by glue. Large telephone directories, catalogs and most â€œpaperbacksâ€� are bound in this way.
	PRESS PROOF A press proof may be submitted to a client by a printer for color correction and copy O.K. It is an exact sample of the finished product in press sheet form.
	PROGRESSIVE PROOF Proofs of each individual plate showing each color to be printed separately and in combination, in the sequence they will run on the press.
	REPRO PROOF A carefully made proof of type matter on coated paper, which serves as photographic copy.
	RIGHT ANGLE FOLD Two or more folds at 90 degree angles to each other. See page 19 for example.
	ROUGH PROOF A rough example of what a finished product will look like.
	SADDLE WIRING, SEWING OR STITCHING A method of binding sheets by opening the sheets to the center of the fold and fastening all together by means of wire or thread. The folded sheets ride on a saddle while this type of stitching is being done.
	SALT PRINT Photographic copy of type and illustrations in position, generally not showing color break-up. Also called blue line, brown line, Fotoproof Ozalid, and Dylux.
	SCORING Making an indentation, generally in the heavier weights of paper, to facilitate cleaner and easier folding.
	SELF-COVER When the inside stock of a booklet also serves as the cover, and is usually printed on the same press sheet.
	SEWN BOOK A popular style of book binding, the signatures of which are gathered in sequence and sewn individually in 8′s, 16′s or 32′s. The sewing threads are visible at the center of each signature. Often called Smyth sewn.
	SHEET Represents two pages, for both sides of the sheet of paper.
	SHEET WISE When each side of a sheet is printed from a different plate or type form.
	SIDE WIRING OR STITCHING A method of binding sheets with wire from the front to the back on the side near the spine.
	SIGNATURE A folded, printed sheet forming a section of a printed piece or book. The number of pages in a signature is usually a multiple of four, and more often a multiple of eight. The word is generally omitted in specifications, as gathered or sewn in 16′s, etc.
	SLITTING The use of cutting wheels or knives on the press or folding machines to separate signatures into sections.
	SPINE (BACKBONE) The part of a book’s binding which connects the front and back covers.
	STOCK The material, paper or otherwise, which is to be printed.
	SUBSTANCE Alternative word for basis weight, used commonly when referring to bond papers.
	TIP-IN One or more sheets or signatures inserted and glued into a book or magazine, often on a different quality paper.
	WORK AND TURN When the same plate or form is used for printing both sides of a sheet, by turning the sheet using the same gripper, but opposite side guide.
	WORK AND TUMBLE When the opposite side of a sheet is printed by turning the sheet from the gripper to the tail edge, using the same side guide.