Software program that allows the operator to manipulate black and white and color images, changing such things as color, tone, contrast, size, scale and content.

A text-based page description language that describes how to handle both text and graphics for printing.

Amplitude modulation. In printing, used to refer to conventional halftone printing techniques in which dots of various sizes (amplitude) are used to reproduce the tones and colors of a continuous tone image, with large dots used to reproduce the darker areas and smaller dots used to reproduce the lighter areas.

The American National Standards Institute, a not-for-profit organization that oversees the creation, promulgation and use of norms and guidelines in a wide range of activities, including paper production and printing.

Short for application software. Typically available for rapid download to add functionality to smartphones, computers and other devices.

Short for application software. Typically available for rapid download to add functionality to smartphones, computers and other devices.

A water-based lacquer applied as a coating for protection and appearance.

AR technologies join the real and virtual worlds, providing a computer-modified view of reality to enhance clarity or interest. Increasingly used in marketing with its ability to add interactivity and show products from different views and in a variety of settings. QR codes enable use of augmented reality to increase the effectiveness of print communications.

The dimensions of a ream of paper used to determine basis weight. In the U.S., the basic size for book papers is 25" x 38"; writing papers have a basic size of 17" x 22"; cover papers have a basic size of 20" x 26".

The weight in lbs. of a ream (500 sheets) of paper in the basic size of that grade. Also called substance weight, particularly in bond or business grades of paper.

Many online citations in Ed #14 were created using this URL “shortening” software. Bit.ly shortens long website addresses so that users may more easily type an address in their browser.

Stamping raised letters or images into paper using heat, pressure and a die, but without using foil or ink to add color to the raised areas.

Refers to a website or section of a website in which an individual posts an ongoing series of entries to convey commentary, descriptions or other content on a given subject. Formed through the combination of “Web” and “log.”

Originally used to refer to paper used for printing bonds and other certificates, it is now a generic term applied to business papers; also called writing or ledger papers. Bond papers are generally less opaque than an equivalent weight book paper.

Printing papers that are generally used in the graphic arts (exclusive of newsprint and board); also called text or offset.

The density, or thickness, of a paper measured as pages per inch (ppi). Individual sheet calipers do not necessarily total to ppi, because of how the sheets pack together.

The process of compressing a sheet of paper between heavy rollers to smooth the surface of the paper and improve its ability to reproduce images. Calendering reduces the paper’s caliper and bulk.

The thickness of a sheet of paper, generally expressed as one-thousands of an inch (0.001"), mils or points.

A measure of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions (measured as carbon dioxide equivalents, CO2e) associated with the production, distribution and disposal of a product or service. Methods to determine carbon footprints of products, services and other organizational boundaries are still evolving.

Achieving a net zero carbon footprint of a product, service or other organizational boundary by first reducing carbon emissions through reductions in energy and material use, switching to low or no carbon energy sources, recycling, reuse and then purchasing carbon offset credits to reduce the balance of the carbon footprint to zero. It is important to identify the scope and methodologies in making any carbon neutral claims as the methodology for measuring total carbon footprints is still evolving.

A financial instrument designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in both compliance markets (under governmental cap and trade programs) and voluntary markets. One carbon offset credit equals one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent. Typical projects that generate carbon offset credits include: installation of renewable energy projects such as wind, solar, biomass, hydro electricity; recovery of landfill gas (methane) produced from decomposition of waste in modern landfills; energy efficiency projects; and forestry projects that increase the sequestration capacity of a given land over is current land use (e.g. converting degraded agricultural land to a natural forest).

Small areas lighter than the highlight, such as the “sparkle” in a cut glass vase.

A third-party certified system that traces the path logs take from the forest, through the pulp manufacturing process, to the paper mill, all the way through to the certified product sold to an end-user.

A network of resources, software and information that resides on the Internet—“in the cloud”—rather than on the user’s computer or server.

Abbreviation for cyan, magenta, yellow and black—the four colors used in most color commercial printing. When printed using transparent inks, the three subtractive primaries—cyan, magenta and yellow—act as individual filters to transmit and absorb light reflected from the surface of the paper to create the colors seen by the eye. Intermediate colors—colors other than the subtractive primaries—are formed by laying one film of ink over another. Black is added to enhance the depth and extend the tonal range of all hues.

An energy generation process (also referred to as combined heat and power) common at pulp and paper mills where electricity and heat are simultaneously produced from a common fuel source. In this process, a fuel source is combusted to heat water to produce high temperature and pressure steam. The steam is used to turn a turbine to produce electrical energy and then the excess heat is used for industrial processes and/or space heating. Cogeneration systems are very efficient because they capture and use energy that otherwise would be wasted.

Color images on the computer are created by combining different color channels. In RGB, the most commonly used color model, the channels are red, green and blue.

Basic dry-toner technology charges images onto belts or plates, which transfer them to paper.

The hardware, software and procedures used to ensure the accurate, consistent and repeatable representation of color throughout the print production process.

Basic dry-toner technology charges images onto belts or plates, which transfer them to paper.

First suggested by French photographer Hippolyte Bayard, the technique of combining separate photographic negatives to create a single image.

Embossing and foil stamping an image in one pass through the embossing press. All embossed areas are foil stamped, and a cutting edge ensures that the foil is cleanly cut around the image area.

A method of preparing images for printing in which the image is electronically scanned, with digital information then used to create a printing plate, without the use of conventional film.

Photographs and those images having a range of shades not made up of dots.

The relative difference between the light and dark areas of a photograph or other image. The greater the difference between the light and dark areas, the higher the contrast.

A business that makes products such as boxes, bags, envelopes and displays, that may require laminating or coating.

The traditional measure of the price of a direct mail marketing project, gained by dividing the number of pieces printed by the total cost of printing it.

The true measure of the success of a direct mail marketing campaign, gained by dividing the total cost of the project by the number of sales, leads or contacts that the campaign generates.

A method of preparing images for printing in which the image is electronically scanned, with digital information then used to create a printing plate, without the use of conventional film.

The increasingly sophisticated practice of gathering, analyzing and identifying patterns in data to create advantage. Used in marketing to better define and develop a deeper understanding of target audiences for increased efficiency and effectiveness. Explosion of e-commerce and social media have exponentially increased the amount and depth of data available to marketers.

Lowering type or an image below the surface level of the paper.

A device used to cut or form material in a press or stamping machine.

Also known as digital imaging (DI). Digital offset presses work like a standard sheetfed offset press, with the difference that pre-mounted plates are imaged right on the press.

Printing by one of a number of imaging systems, with the images generated from digital data. Digital printing systems include production color laser, laser copiers/printers, and ink-jet as well as digital offset technologies.

Dot gain is the tendency for all printing dots—halftone, stochastic or hybrid—to grow larger on-press, a part of every printing process. Dot gain occurs at all tonal values, but is most visible in the midtones and in the deep shadows. Dot gain is either real (gains that result from printing processes) or perceived or “optical.” Optical dot gain is the result of an optical illusion; although it is not physically present, its illusion is, and its gain must be considered).

Dots—or lines—per inch, the measure of the size of the dots used in conventional halftone screens, with higher numbers representing finer screens. Most commercial printing today relies on 150- or 175-line screens.

Printing one or more layer of ink and then letting it dry before printing additional inks or varnishes on the same area.

Printing a black and white photograph or other image using two shades of the same color or two different colors.

Printing on both sides of the substrate during one pass through the press.

ECF indicates paper made from either virgin or recycled fiber that is bleached using alternative chlorine compounds (such as chlorine dioxide) as a substitute for elemental chlorine. ECF bleaching reduces harmful byproducts, relative to elemental chlorine bleaching. The ECF process has been recognized by both the European Commission and the United States Environmental Protection Agency as “Best Available Technology.” According to the Alliance for Environmental Technology, more than 85 percentage of the world’s bleached chemical pulp makes use of ECF bleaching technologies.

Raising type or an image above the surface level of the paper.

Recovered fibers, previously used in paper and board products, incorporated into new products.

A thin sheet of plastic or nylon bonded to a printed product for protection or to increase gloss.

A business that provides trimming, folding, binding, laminating, off-press coating and other post-press services.

The simplest and most economical foil stamping process; it does not perceptibly raise the stamped area above the surface, and usually leaves no impression on the reverse side of the sheet.

Frequency modulation. Used in printing to refer to stochastic printing techniques in which the number of dots, and sometimes their size as well, is changed to reproduce the different tones and colors in a continuous tone image, with relatively more, closely spaced dots used to reproduce dark areas and relatively fewer, more widely spaced dots used to reproduce light areas. (Compare to AM)

A general term for hot stamping materials, typically made of a film carrier that is coated with a release agent, a color or lacquer coat or tinted metallized aluminum, and an adhesive coat. Under heat and pressure the release agent separates the color or lacquer coat from the film carrier so it can be transferred to the surface to be stamped.

To flat stamp foil and then register emboss to foil, print or both on a second pass through the press.

The application of a Mylar-backed material to paper. A heated die is stamped onto the foil, transferring the coating to the paper.

A color that tends to change or fade under different lighting, in the presence of heat or other changes in the environment, or over time—an unstable color.

A calibrated scale that provides a series of gray levels of known density, arranged in order from the lowest, lightest, density to the highest, darkest, density. Used to describe an image that contains shades of gray, as well as white—a black and white image.

A collective term for the following gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride, which, according to most scientists, contribute to climate change.

The basis of almost all commercial four-color printing, in which gradations of tone and color are achieved by a system of minuet dots, applied by the printing press.

An area of contrasting lightness or brightness. In printing, the lightest areas of the image.

A three-dimensional image of an object that is captured on a photographic film or plate, using a laser as a light source.

A fully digital liquid-toner printing system that enables every element to be varied as required.

Methods of printing that combine stochastic and conventional printing techniques to create the illusion of continuous tones. Although the techniques vary, they generally use stochastic techniques in the highlights and shadows and traditional screening elsewhere.

An operation that completes any printing process in one pass, such as printing, varnishing, folding, gluing, coating, etc.

An ink-related printing problem caused by excess ink on the paper, which glues the sheets together. The excessive ink coverage is typically the result of setoff or slow drying ink, due to poorly adjusted press settings.

Personal and commercial printing devices that spray droplets of black or process-color liquid ink onto the sheet to reproduce the image.

Abbreviation for "International Organization for Standardization", which develops and publishes standards for a variety of technical applications, including paper, communications, printing and data processing; also certifies quality control programs (ala ISO 9000).

Dots—or lines—per inch, the measure of the size of the dots used in conventional halftone screens, with higher numbers representing finer screens. Most commercial printing today relies on 150- or 175-line screens.

The weight in lbs. of 1000 sheets of paper of a given basis weight and size; M is the Roman numeral for 1000.

Used in both manual retouching and in Photoshop to isolate a portion of an image so that changes affect only the selected area and not the rest of the image.

Embossing made using a very light pressure that barely raises the dimension of the paper or foil surface. Often used to capture the texture of skin or other surfaces, or to highlight portions of images.

One millionth of a meter. The typical unit of measure for the diameter of stochastic dots.

The tonal value halfway between highlights and shadows.

A unit of length equal to one-thousandth of an inch, used to measure the thickness of film laminates.

The age demographic generally defined as thoseborn between the mid-1970s and the early 2000s. Also known as Generation Y or Echo Boomers, this group has grown up with instant communication technologies such as the Internet, mobile telephones, instant messaging (IM), text messaging and other social forces, including MTV, social media and sophisticated video games.

A distracting, often wavy, pattern that appears in printed images. Subject moirés appear when the image that is reproduced includes grid or line patterns such as those found on fabrics or fences that clash with the pattern of the halftone dots. Screen moirés are caused by misaligned screens or imprecise register.

Spots, blotches or different colors or shades that appear in the solid portions of a printed image. Mottling is typically caused by the uneven absorption of ink, the use of the wrong ink for a particular substrate, or incorrect press adjustments.

Raising (or lowering) type or an image two levels or more above (or below) the surface of the paper.

Thermoplastic polyamides that can be extruded in fibers, sheets and other materials. One of the materials used to produce laminating films.

To print or coat at a separate time on a different press or coater. Often used in reference to varnish. Same as separate pass.

A process through which a business identifies its individual customers, differentiates among those individuals, interacts with customers and records responses, and customizes communications for individual consumers

Varnish or other coatings that are applied across the entire sheet. Also known less commonly as flood varnish.

Also known as customization: creating a document by varying the text, graphics and layout to attract the attention and meet the needs of an individual customer.

A dry substance, usually pulverized, that becomes a paint, ink or dye when suspended in a liquid vehicle.

An ink-related printing problem that results when the coating of the paper is partially removed as it passed through the press and then sticks to the printing blanket and plates. Piling produces blotchy images that are outlined by non-printed lines. It is usually the result of faulty ink or an excessively soft coating on the paper.

Short for “picture element". The smallest individual component of a digital image, usually a colored dot. The greater the number of pixels per inch, the greater the resolution.

Short for “picture element.” The smallest individual component of a digital image, usually a colored dot. The greater the number of pixels per inch, the greater the resolution.

A polymer used in the production of resins, plastics and textile fibers. One of the materials used to produce laminating films.

A plastic polymer used in packaging and as fiber for apparel. One of the materials used to produce laminating films.

A paper or board product that has completed its life cycle as a consumer item and would otherwise have been disposed of as solid waste. Post-consumer materials used in the manufacture of recycled fiber include office paper, cardboard, newspapers and magazines.

Dry-toner printing systems that print process colors (CMYK) at high speeds (up to 6,600 sheets per hour) and often combine printing with finishing.

Stands for Persistent Uniform Resource Locator. PURLs are Web addresses that direct users to Web-based sources whose underlying URL (Web address) can change. Also referred to as personalized URLs, PURLs used in conjunction with direct mail can enable Web content to be customized to the individual visiting a site.

Pixelated, two-dimensional bar code readable by scanners, camera-equipped computers, smartphones and other devices for “quick response”—used for item tracking and, increasingly, communication of product and other information. After scanning a QR code, an application-equipped device can display text-based information or connect the user to Web content.

Pixelated, two-dimensional bar codes readable by scanners, camera-equipped computers, smartphones and other devices for “quick response”—used for item tracking and, increasingly, communication of product and other information. After scanning a QR code, an application-equipped device can display text-based information or connect the user to Web content.

Printing a black and white photograph or other image in four different shades or colors. This publication refers primarily to quadtones made using the four process colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black—CMYK.

The tonal area between highlights and midtones.

An electronic device that receives design files and outputs streams of bits directly to a digital printer, imagesetter, or platesetter or to a computer display.

Paper and board collected through commercial, residential, and industrial recycling programs for reuse as a raw material in paper and board manufacture or other products.

The correct positioning of an image with regard to the edges of paper and other printing on the same sheet, especially when printing one color on another.

The process of altering an image, especially to remove defects or change its content. Retouching includes correction of mechanical problems, such as removing shadows or dust, as well as alterations to the image. Retouching may be performed with pencils, a brush and inks, or with an airbrush on a negative, before printing, or on a print. Digital retouching, which makes changes to pixel values to enhance or change the appearance of the image, is typically done on a computer before printing.

Abbreviation for red, green and blue—the three additive primaries, used to create colors on computers screens, televisions and other light-emitting electronic devices. By mixing any two of the primaries—in overlapping colored beams of light projected on a video screen, for example—the intermediate colors are reproduced. White is formed by combining all three additive primaries, while black is their total absence.

A brilliant red ink or dye, first introduced in 1888.

An ink-related printing problem in which dry ink can easily be rubbed off the surface of the printed sheet. Rub is typically caused by inadequate bonding between the ink and paper on which it is printed It is sometimes possible to salvage a project that suffers from rub by overprinting with a varnish.

A gridwork of fine lines or dots, opaque and distinct from one another, used to produce halftone images. Halftone screens come in a variety of rulings as measured by the number of crosshair lines per square inch.

The angles at which halftone, duo tones, tri tones, and color separation printing films are placed to reproduce colors.

Raising or lowering an image with a variety of shapes, angles and edges, as opposed to flat levels. Typically used to capture organic shapes, such as the contours of a person’s face or the musculature of an animal.

A print or photograph made using a brown ink. Printing a black and white photograph in a brown tone, often used to create the impression that the image is an old one.

The transfer of ink from the printed side of one sheet to the reverse side of the next sheet. Setoff is usually caused by the application of too much ink of the failure of the ink to quickly set on the stock.

The dark, unilluminated parts of a photograph or other image. In printing, the areas of the image that are made up of dots that occupy 66 to 99% of the area. A solid black ink creates a 100% dot.

An undesirable condition where the printing on the reverse side can be seen through the sheet under normal lighting.

Smudging or smearing on the printed surface, cased by the failure of the ink to dry within the specified time. Possible causes include not enough drier in the ink, overly acidic stock, or excess humidity in the stock or the pressroom.

A mobile phone that offers advanced capabilities for computing and connectivity in a small, lightweight device, including Web surfing, text messaging and email, image scanning, high-resolution photography and video, among other functions.

A broad term for various Web-based means for connecting individual users with other users, sharing views and conveying information. Popular social media sites include Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, used for social and professional networking; Yelp, a site for local search, user reviews and other content; Twitter, for sending and reading short text-based messages called “tweets;” and YouTube, a file-sharing website for posting and viewing video content. Businesses are increasingly using social media to increase the effectiveness of traditional marketing media by helping them understand, learn from and communicate with consumers and potential customers.

Premixed, semi or fully opaque printing inks used for exact color match, as in a corporate logo (Examples: Coca Cola red or John Deere green). Used in place of trying to match exact colors by the combination of 3 or 4 process colors. Can also add visual impact and reduce the process ink costs.

Having to do with a random variable or variables; involving probability or chance. (From the Greek stochastikos, proceeding by guesswork, ultimately from stochos, aim, guess.)

A family of printing techniques in which continuous tone-like images are reproduced using micro dots of all the same size, with variable spacing between the dots (first-order stochastic printing) or variably-sized dots and variable spacing between the dots (second-order stochastic printing). Identified by a number of trade names, including Staccato®, Diamond™ and others. Also see FM printing

A type of commercial printing in which heat-sensitive powders are spread on wet ink and then melted to create type, color or images that are raised above the surface of the substrate. Thermography is often used in business cards and stationery, because it creates a look that is similar to engraving at a lower cost. However, the process typically cannot match the fine lines or crisp edges produced by engraving dies.

The tonal area between midtones and shadows.

The amount of contrast in the image ranging from black to white.

The dry or liquid inks used in digital printing systems, which range from desktop copiers to large digital presses. Toners are applied differently than conventional inks and behave differently, too. With their large pigment particles, dry toner-based systems typically cannot print at the high resolutions available with the best offset printing. Liquid toners behave more like conventional inks than dry toners, but often take more time to dry and harden.

Also known as bump plates or kiss plates, touchplates apply an additional screened color to an image or a portion of an image, to increase, or bump up, color saturation and contrast or reproduce a color that is hard to capture using only conventional process inks. Touchplates are often used for images with vibrant reds or blues, such as a child’s red wagon or a deep blue sky, or in images with a wide range of hues that may lie outside the range, or gamut, of CMYK colors.

Printing a black and white photograph or other image in three different shades or colors.

In color printing, the process of reducing colors and printing a full black in shadow areas. UCR can be used to improve trapping and reduce ink and makeready costs.

A solventless ink that is cured by ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

The production of promotional materials using digital printing that allows for text and images to be changed based on information about the recipient stored in a database.

Digital printing technology that enables elements such as text, graphics, charts and graphs, and imagery to be changed from one printed piece to the next without slowing or stopping the press. Leverages data on recipients, enabling mass cust-omization to each individual or household in large runs, as opposed to mass-production of one version. Also known as Variable Input Printing (VIP).

Liquid lacquer applied as a coating for protection and appearance.

A liquid such as oil or water in which pigment is mixed before being applied to a surface.

A type of variable data printing that prepares different versions of a promotion for different audiences, different market areas or other segments of the overall market.

Volatile organic compounds are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids and include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects and are a precursor to ground-level ozone formation.

Volatile organic compounds are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids and include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects and are a precursor to ground-level ozone formation.

Volatile organic compounds are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids and include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects and are a precursor to ground-level ozone formation.

The areas in print publications that do not carry any type or images—the unprinted surface of the paper.