Aqueous Coating

It is used to protect and enhance the printed piece. Aqueous coating is applied to all 100lb gloss book and 100lb gloss cover.

Barcode

A series of vertical bars and spaces that represent any numerical series, most often a correct ZIP Code for the delivery address on a mailpiece. The barcode facilitates automated processing by barcode readers and scanners. A barcode also can be used to convey information for Delivery Confirmation and Signature Confirmation services. Barcodes that may be used for postal processing are POSTNET and UCC/EAN Code 128.

Binding

The method used to secure loose pages in a book is called binding. Saddle stitch binding, coil binding, and perfect binding are examples of binding.

Bleed

Printed colors that extend past the edge of a page. To cut the job to its actual size the processor has to make sure the job gets printed with 1/8 of an inch bleed some jobs may require more than that. For example if the job is a business card (3.5″ x 2″) the file size with bleed would be (3.625″ x 2.125″).

Card Stock

Also called cover stock. Mostly heavyweight papers are called cards stock. The thickness of card stock is indicated with point sizes such as 14pt, 16pt. Some people will also refer to 100lb gloss cover as a card stock.

CMYK

The primary colors used in 4-color printing. CMYK are used to reproduce full color on the printed sheet. CMYK also called PROCESS COLOR.
C: Cyan (Blue)
M: Magenta (Red)
Y: Yellow
K: Key (Black)

Coating

The mixture of clay materials that are applied to paper to improve the smoothness of the paper’s surface and improve ink holdout during the printing process. Examples are Aqueous coating (AQ) and UV coating. UV coating adds a gloss finish to the product and also improves the vibrancy of the printed colors. Spot-UV can be applied to selected portions of the piece, while keeping the rest a matte finish.

Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS)

A service offered to mailers, service bureaus, and software vendors that improves the accuracy of matching to delivery point codes, ZIP+4 codes, 5-digit Zip Codes, and carrier route codes on mail piece. CASS provides a common platform to measure the quality of address matching software and to diagnose and correct software problems.

Coil Binding

Book binding that consists of a spiral wire or plastic that is wound through holes. Also referred to as spiral binding.

Color Proof / Epson Proof / Match Print

An image, created by using color inks. Showing what the final off-set printed product will look like. Color proofs within GraphicInk are called Epson proofs and are a 85%-90% match with the final product.

Crop Marks (Guide Marks)

Lines printed in the margin of sheet that indicates to the cutter and bindery where the finished product should be trimmed. They are also used to show what part of a photo should be used and what part should be cropped off.

Direct Mail

Another name for advertising mail sent to targeted markets. It can be any mail class, but it is usually Standard Mail.

Dots Per Inch (dpi)

A measurement of resolution of input, output and display devices. 300 dpi means that when printed, each square inch of your image will contain a grid of 300 dots in width and height, for a total of 90,000 dots of ink. The higher the dpi (the more dots or pixels per inch) the more crisp the printed image will be. Our electronic (digital files) have to have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Anything less than that is considered as low resolution and may appear blurry when printed.

Embossing

A process of imprinting an image by applying pressure to the backside of a material to change the surface, giving it a three-dimensional or raised effect. Embossing can be referred to as raised lettering.

Finished Size / Trim Size

The size of a printed product after all production operations has been completed.

Finishing

Operations to a document after it have been printed. The finishing operations could include bindery work such as, folding, trimming, binding, die cutting, inserting or any post press process that must be completed.

Foil

The application of metallic gold or silver foil on paper using a heated die. The foil is adhered to the surface leaving the design of the die on the paper. Our Foil Stamp Printing adds a custom touch to your printed product by applying a thin film of metal to paper that creates a high grade, eye-catching result.

Folding

The process of bending printed sheets in a specific area. Folding is one of our popular bindery jobs.

4-Panel Roll Fold

A type of fold where the piece is folded inward at one end and then folded inward again one or more times. It is as if you are rolling the piece up.

Accordion Fold

A sheet which has been printed on only one side then folded twice in right angles to form a W-shaped four page uncut section. We are able to fold up to 4 panel (8 page max). 5 panel (10 page)+ will be send out to get folded. Accordion folds are usually 100lb book papers. Such as, brochures and catalogue.

Double Gate Fold

Single gatefold, with an additional fold on the center.

Double Parallel Fold

A type of folds where the piece is folded in half and then folded in half again. The folds are parallel to each other. Also known as a quarter fold.

French Fold (quarter fold)

A sheet which has been printed on one side only and then folded twice at right angles to form a four page uncut section.

Gate Fold

When both sides of an oversize page fold into the gutter in overlapping layers.

Half Fold

Is fold in half.

Half-Tri Fold

A sheet is folded in half and then tri-folded.

Tri Fold

A fold where a three panel piece has both side sections folded inward, one on top of the other each section is approximately 1/3 the length of the piece. Also known as a C-fold or letter-fold.

Z Fold

A paper fold represented by back and forth folds into three panels.

Full Bleed

Printing that goes to the edge of all four sides of the page.

Gloss Finish

A coating on paper that provides a higher reflection of light, which results in a shiny appearance. Gloss coatings reduce ink absorption, which allows excellent contrast and color definition.

Gloss Paper

Paper with a gloss finish, usually used for higher quality printing. Examples are 100lb gloss book, and 100lb gloss cover.

Gray Scale

A strip of paper containing gray tones ranging from white to black. So gray scale refers to black and white printed material.

Head to Head

Printing on the front and back of a sheet is setup so that the top of both sides is printed at the same end of the sheet. You would turn the sheet like the page of a book to read the reverse side.

Head-to-Toe

Printing on the front and back of a sheet so that the tops of each side are printed at opposite ends from each other. The top of one side is opposite the bottom of the other. You would turn the sheet over from top to bottom to read the reverse side. Also referred to as head-to-tail or tumble.

Insert

A letter, card, or similar item placed inside another mail piece (host piece).

Landscape

Printing a page so that when positioned for reading the width is greater than the height.

Margin

The non-printed areas around the image area of a page.

Matte Finish

A coated paper finish that is flat, not shiny like a gloss, but still keeps much of the ink from being absorbed by the paper and produces an excellent image. Matte/ Dull finish is applied to all 14pt jobs and 16pt jobs unless it is Spot UV.

Offset Printing

The transfer of an inked image from a plate to a blanket cylinder, which in turn transfers the image to the printing material as it passes between the blanket and the impression cylinder and pressure is applied. Also referred to as offset lithography.

Open End Envelope

An envelope with an opening along its short dimension.

Open Side Envelope

An envelope with an opening along its longest dimension.

Overprinting

Printing an image over an area that has already been printed. In printing process colors, one process color is printed over another creating a secondary color, which is a combination of two primary colors. Sometimes in the files that customers send us there will be overprinting issues. Such as type or logos not printing. Customers should be aware that we do not check for this and their overprinting situation must be evaluated before sending the files to us.

Pantone Matching System (PMS)

A registered name for an ink color matching system used to compare, match and identify specific colors. To do so we use a pantone book. It contains pantone colors with their closest CMYK values.

Perforation

Creating a series of holes so that the paper can be torn more easily along the line that is formed. Postage stamps and tear-off cards are common products that require perforation.

Pixel

The smallest unit of a digitized image created by a digital device, such as a computer, camera, or scanner. Pixel is short for “picture element.” The more pixels per inch the better the resolution. On computer monitors, the display is divided into rows and columns containing thousands or millions of pixels. Each pixel is composed of three dots representing the three color channels of red, green, and blue light that are necessary for creating a color image on computer monitors and television screens. Because of their small size, the pixels appear to merge, simulating a continuous tone image, but when magnified they appear to be tiny square blocks of light, as shown in the illustration.

Permit

Authorization required to mail without affixing postage. A postage imprint, also referred to as an indicia (The imprinted area in the upper right corner of the mail piece that indicates postage payment), is used instead. An advance payment is made to the post office and postage payment is deducted from that deposit.

Presentation Folder

We offer different kinds of presentation folders, Inner pocket with round cut corner: (1 or 2, left & right pockets are optional) Inner pocket with straight cut corner: (1 or 2, left & right pockets are optional) Business card slit, left or right is also optional.

Presort

The process by which a mailer groups mail by ZIP Code so that it is sorted to the finest extent required by the standards for the rate claimed. Generally, presort is performed sequentially, from the lowest (finest) level to the highest level, to those destinations specified by standard and is completed at each level before the next level is prepared. Not all presort levels are applicable to all mailings.

Press Check

Printed sheets from the press that are pulled once all the makeready has been completed. The sheets are checked for quality and accuracy before authorization is given to go ahead with the full production run. Sheets may be pulled throughout the run to do press checks to assure that quality is being maintained. We DO NOT do press checks for customers.

Press Proof

A proof that is produced on the press using the inks and paper specified for that order. We do not produce press proof unless we want to check color for a rejected job.

Press Run

The total quantity of pieces printed during one printing.

Proofs

A copy of the artwork representing the finished product. It is used for review and approval.
1. PDF proof. PDF proof is an electronic proof.
2. Epson Proof. Is a printed proof, which also called hard copy proof it is a 85%-90% match with the final printed product and it is sent through mail for the customer to approve before the job is printed. The person in charge of sending the proofs to the customer is the person who is processing the orders.

Proofread

Checking a proof for errors or discrepancies from the original copy.

Punching

Drilling of holes through a stack of paper. We use hole punching if a customer wants to have that on any printed piece. Applicable & popular sizes are 1/8″ & 5/16″. We can provide a different size, other than above mentioned, upon request.

Quotation

A price, given by the printer or distributor, based on the specifications supplied for that product.

Resolution

The measurement of output quality expressed in pixels (dots) per inch on a computer monitor or dots per inch on printed media. For example, a monitor displaying a resolution of 800 by 600 refers to a screen capable of displaying 800 pixels in each of 600 lines, which translates into a total of 480,000 pixels displayed on the screen. When referring to printed media, a 300 dpi (dots per inch) printer for example, is capable of outputting 300 dots in a one-inch line, which means that it has the ability of printing 90,000 distinct dots per square inch (300 x 300).

RGB

The additive primary colors, red, green and blue, used to display color in video monitors.

Round Cornering

Using a machine to die cut the corners of forms, cards and books to create a rounded corner.

Saddle Stitching

The method of binding the pages of a section where the folded pages are stitched through the fold from the outside, using a wire staple (stapling).

Scoring

A crease applied, in a straight line, to a sheet of paper to allow it to fold easier and more accurately.

Based on our equipment we score any sizes between:

3″ x 4″ (min) to 11″ x 17″ (max)
on 100lb book, 14pt & 16pt papers.

Score in half, is the most popular.

Shrink Wrapping

A method of wrapping packages or products with a plastic film and then applying heat so that the wrap fits tight to the product. Shrink-wrapping is used to package a product in specific quantities and is also used for protection purposes. It also adds some stability to the product when storing. Also referred to as plastic wrapping. We do not offer shrink-wrapping.

Spot Coating / Spot UV

Coating paper only in specific areas as opposed to all over coating. In a Spot UV job the job gets a UV coating in only specific areas and does not get any AQ coating in any other places. Spot UV can be referred to as spot varnish.

Swatch Book

A booklet containing samples of paper or ink colors.

Template

A preset model that acts as a structure for setting up a similar product.

Typesetting

The process of converting text into type used for printing.

UV

Ultra Violet. The part of the spectrum where the wavelength of light is shorter than the wavelength of visible light.

UV Coating

A liquid coating applied to the printed piece, which is then bonded and cured with ultraviolet light. This coating is used to provide a protective coating to the printed image. Please note that you CAN NOT write or imprint on UV coated jobs.

Window Envelopes

An envelope with a die cut opening that is intended to have information show through from the piece inside the envelope.

Zip

Zipping is a way to compress electronic files A compressed file is considered “zipped.”

ZIP Code

A system of 5-digit codes that identifies the individual post office or metropolitan area delivery station associated with an address. ZIP+4 is an enhanced code consisting of the 5-digit ZIP Code and four additional digits that identify a specific range of delivery addresses.

ZIP+4 barcode:

A nine-digit POSTNET barcode consisting of 52 vertical bars. Also see Postal Numeric Encoding Technique.