Printing terms glossary: plain English for print buyers

File setup terms

These words describe how your artwork file should be built. Getting them right prevents most reprints.

• Trim size: the final size of the piece after cutting, such as 3.5 × 2 in for a US business card.
• Bleed: extra image area beyond the trim, usually 0.125 in on each side, so color runs cleanly to the edge after cutting. The bleed explainer shows it visually.
• Safe area: the zone inside the trim, usually 0.125 in in from each edge, where text and logos should stay so they are never cut off.
• Crop marks: thin lines outside the page that show the printer where to cut. Many online printers do not need them; follow the upload instructions.
• PPI: pixels per inch, the resolution of an image at its printed size. 300 PPI is the common target for sharp results.
• DPI: dots per inch, the resolution of a printer's output. Often used loosely to mean PPI.
• Raster: an image made of pixels, such as a photo. It loses quality when enlarged.
• Vector: artwork made of mathematical paths, such as most logos. It stays sharp at any size.
• Outlined fonts: text converted to shapes so it prints correctly even if the printer does not have your font.
• PDF/X: a family of PDF standards designed for reliable print output, with fonts embedded and color defined.
• Preflight: an automated check of a print file for errors like missing bleed, low resolution or RGB color. The free PDF health check runs one for you.

Color terms

Color is where screens and paper disagree most. These terms explain why.

• CMYK: cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), the four process inks used in most full color printing.
• RGB: red, green and blue light, the color model of screens. RGB files must be converted to CMYK for print, which can dull bright colors. See RGB vs CMYK.
• Process color: a color built by mixing CMYK dots on paper.
• Spot color: a premixed ink printed as a single color, used for exact brand matching on offset presses.
• Pantone: the best known spot color matching system, with numbered swatches used by designers and printers.
• Rich black: black built from all four inks rather than black alone, giving a deeper tone on large areas. Not recommended for small text.
• Registration: how precisely the different color plates or passes line up. Poor registration shows as colored halos.
• Overprint: printing one color on top of another without removing the one below.
• Knockout: removing the color underneath an object so the top color prints on bare paper.
• Color shift: the visible difference between screen color and printed color, especially in vivid blues, greens and oranges.

Paper terms

Paper vocabulary mixes two measurement systems and several paper families, which causes confusion.

• Basis weight: the weight in pounds of 500 sheets of a paper family's basis size. Because the basis size differs by family, 80 lb cover is heavier than 100 lb text.
• GSM: grams per square meter, the metric weight measure. It is the same for all paper families, so it is the easiest way to compare.
• Text weight: lighter, flexible paper for flyers, brochures and booklet pages.
• Cover weight: stiffer paper for cards, postcards and booklet covers.
• Bond: office and letterhead paper, such as 20 lb or 24 lb.
• Caliper: paper thickness, measured in thousandths of an inch.
• Points (pt): caliper expressed in thousandths of an inch. A 14 pt card is 0.014 in thick. The 14 pt vs 16 pt comparison shows what the difference feels like.
• Coated: paper with a smooth surface layer, such as gloss, silk or matte, that keeps ink on the surface for sharper images.
• Uncoated: paper without a coating. Softer color, natural feel, easy to write on.
• Grain direction: the way paper fibers line up. Folding along the grain is cleaner than folding against it.
• Opacity: how much you can see through a sheet. Low opacity lets the back side show through.

Press and production terms

• Offset printing: a process that transfers ink from metal plates to a rubber blanket and then to paper. Economical for long runs.
• Digital printing: printing directly from the file with no plates. Ideal for short runs and personalization.
• Plate: the image carrier used on an offset press, one per ink color.
• Makeready: the setup work and test sheets needed before a press produces sellable sheets.
• Gang run: printing several customers' jobs together on one large sheet to share setup cost.
• Imposition: arranging pages on a press sheet so they end up in the right order after folding and cutting.
• Signature: a printed sheet folded into a group of pages, often 8, 16 or 32, that becomes a section of a booklet.
• Variable data: printing different content, such as names or numbers, on each piece in one run.
• Run length: the number of pieces printed in one job.

Finishing terms

Finishing happens after printing and gives a piece its shape, protection and feel.

• Scoring: pressing a crease into heavy paper so it folds cleanly without cracking.
• Perforation: a line of small cuts that lets part of a piece tear away, such as a ticket stub.
• Die cut: cutting a custom shape or hole with a shaped blade, such as a door hanger hole.
• Kiss cut: cutting through a sticker's top layer but not the backing, so stickers peel off the sheet.
• Aqueous coating: a clear, water based coating that protects against scuffs.
• UV coating: a clear coating cured with ultraviolet light, usually high gloss.
• Spot UV: a glossy coating applied to selected areas only, such as a logo, for contrast. Compare it with foil in foil vs spot UV.
• Lamination: a thin plastic film bonded to paper for durability and water resistance.
• Soft touch: a matte laminate or coating with a velvety feel.
• Foil stamping: metallic or colored foil applied with heat and pressure.
• Embossing: a raised design pressed into paper from behind. Debossing presses it in from the front.
• Painted edges: color applied to the edges of thick cards.

Binding terms

• Saddle stitch: folded sheets nested and stapled through the spine. Page counts come in multiples of 4.
• Perfect binding: pages glued into a wraparound cover with a flat, printable spine.
• Wire binding: pages punched and held by a metal coil or loop, so the booklet lies flat.
• Creep: inner pages of a thick saddle stitched booklet pushing outward, which needs extra margin at the outer edge.
• Gutter: the inside margin next to the spine.
• Self cover: a booklet whose cover is the same paper as the inside pages.
• Plus cover: a booklet with a heavier cover sheet added to the inside page count.

Proofing and ordering terms

• Proof: a preview of the job for your approval before printing. Approving it means you accept any errors in it.
• Soft proof: a digital proof viewed on screen.
• Hard proof: a printed proof, the best way to judge color and paper.
• Turnaround: the production time from approval to shipping, not including transit.
• Reprint: running a job again, ideally from the same file and specifications so it matches.

Get the free print size cheat sheets

The free print size cheat sheets turn the file setup terms above into numbers, with trim, bleed and safe area for business cards, postcards, flyers, posters and vinyl banners on printable pages.

Before you order, confirm these terms

• Trim size and bleed match the product.
• Text sits inside the safe area.
• Images are 300 PPI at print size.
• Color is CMYK, with spot colors noted if needed.
• Paper weight and coating are specified in the quote.
• Finishing and binding are listed line by line.
• You know whether you are approving a soft or hard proof.