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This is a basic list of words that may help understand printing terminology.
Full Service Print Center
Glossary
This is a basic list of words that may help understand printing terminology.
| Page: | A one-sided section of a folded piece, defined by the crease of the fold. |
| Page layout (noun): | The composition of a document page. |
| Page layout (verb): | Positioning text and graphics in the regions of a page. |
| Page makeup: | Assembling all the necessary elements required to complete a page. |
| Pagination: | The process of dividing a document into pages for printing; also, the process of adding page numbers, as in a running head or folio. |
| Panel: | Two-sided sections of a printed piece as defined by the crease of the fold. |
| Pantone Matching System (PMS): | The Pantone systems is the most popular color matching systems in the printing industry and was developed for color identification. The system assists clients, designers and printers in the communication process for color specification on printing projects. Each PMS color has a unique number and formula for ink mixing. PMS colors are also referred to as "spot" colors. A mixture of inks that will provide a specific color defines a true PMS color (e.g. PMS 185 is a very common bright red color). Pantone also provides a matching system that allows process printers (using only CMYK inks) to closely, but not exactly, match any of the PMS standard ink colors. Pantone, PMS and the Pantone Matching System are trademarks of Pantone,Inc. |
| Parallel fold: | The first fold of any folding style. Parallel folds are parallel to each other. |
| Path: | In graphics, a path is an accumulation of line segments or curves to be filled or overwritten with text. |
| Perfect Bound: | Binding procedure where adjacent pages are stacked together, the spine edge is glued, and the cover is glued onto the spine. |
| Pica: | Picas are used to define column widths when setting type. Picas are based on the point system of typography. 12 points equal one pica and one pica is approximately 1/6 of one inch. |
| PICT: | A file format for defining bitmapped object-oriented images on the Macintosh; often used as a preview for EPS files. PICT format is not recommended for use in files intended for separation. |
| Pitch: | A measure of horizontal character spacing; formed as a contraction of "per inch". Most commonly used in typing classes. |
| Pixel: | Short for picture element, sometimes called a pel. One spot is a rectillinear grid of thousands of such spots that are individually painted to form an image produced on the screen by a computer or on paper by a printer. Just as a bit is the smallest unit of information a computer can process, a pixel is the smallest element that display or print hardware and software can manipulate in creating letters numbers or graphics. |
| Pixelation: | Visible individual pixels of a bitmapped image. |
| Plates: | Plates are the carriers of the images that are to be printed on paper. One printing plate is required for each ink color printed. Plates can be made out of paper, poly (plastic film), and metal. Plates can be made from different sources, direct (daylight camera), Laser Printer, Imagesetter, or burned from film with UV light. |
| Plotter Proofs: | Press proof, low resolution to allow check for color placement, text flow and graphic placement prior to output of film. |
| PMS Colors: | see Pantone Matching System. |
| PMT: | Acronym for photomechanical transfer. PMTs are created using film negatives or positives and result in a high resolution, positive black and white image on permanent photographic paper. Logos and logotype are converted into PMT for artwork and scanning purposes. |
| Point (Type): | Points are used to define vertical measurements of letterforms and spacing. Typesizes are defined in points. There are approximately 72 points in an inch. |
| Point (Paper): | The thickness of cover/card stock is often described in units called points (ie 10pt Cover). A point is one one-thousandth of an inch. Also referred to as the "caliper." |
| Portable Document Format (PDF): | File format developed by Adobe that allows sharing of files between computer platforms and outputting files without having the native application. |
| Post Script: | A page description language from Adobe Systems that offers flexible font capability and high quality graphics. The best known page description language, Post /script uses English like commands to control page layout and to load scale outline fonts. Because PostScript uses scalable outline fonts, it can create a font of any size giving the user flexibility in creating documents. |
| PostScript Type 1 fonts: | Adobe fonts encrypted with "hints" to enable the print controller to render the letters smoothly. |
| PostScript Type 3 fonts: | A collection of curved outlines of PostScript line graphics. |
| PostScript: | A page description language developed and marketed by Adobe Systems. PostScript can be used by a wide variety of computers and printers, and is the dominant format used for desktop publishing. |
| PPI: | (Pixels per Inch) A measure of the amount of scanned information. The finer the optics of the scanner, the higher the scan resolution. |
| Preflight: | Evaluation and analysis of a digital file to ascertain whether it has all the elements necessary for accurate output and conformance to printing requirements. |
| Prepress: | A collective term for the steps necessary to go from original artwork (in mechanical or digital form) to film, to page imposition, to printing plates. In the digital process, these steps are carried out by computerized systems and or "Computer-to-Plate". |
| Press Check: | For jobs where the customer and or printer want to ensure that all quality standards have been met. The customer is welcome to check the start up copies at the beginning of their run. |
| Print ready: | A file that is ready for raster image processing. The digital equivalent of camera ready. |
| Process Colors (CMYK): | The four basic colors of ink used in process color printing are cyan, magenta, yellow and black. These ink colors are transparent and "process" with each other when overprinted in predetermined amounts. i.e. when cyan overprints yellow, it produces green, when yellow overprints magenta, it produces orange. Controlled screen tint combinations of the four basic colors allow the full spectrum of colors to be produced on a printing press. Also called Four Color Process. |
| Production artist: | A graphic artist trained in layout and page makeup |
| Proof, Blueline: | Test sheet printed from an electronic file or created via a film "burn". Used to reveal errors or flaws or to predict results on press. Proofs for commercial printing jobs. Bluelines show position of type and visuals and reveal any errors in stripping. They are known by many other names, such as brownline, Dylux, ozalid, silverprint and VanDyke. |
| Proportional spacing: | The allocation of space to a letter according to its size. For example, the letter m has more allotted space than the letter l. |
| Punchcutting: | Cutting the master image of a typographic letter at its actual size on a blank of steel. The blank is used to make a matrix; molten lead flows into a matrix, producing a single piece of type. |