Printing Terms

Artwork - The electronic elements of copy and images that collectively comprise a desired printed output. Usually used to elicit a call to action or convey a message.

Bitmap Graphics - A display technology that allows control of individual pixels on a screen to produce graphic elements of superior resolution, thereby permitting accurate reproduction of arcs, circles, or other curved images.

Bleed - Printing that extends to the edge of a sheet or page after trimming. As opposed to having a white/unprinted boarder around the image

Camera Ready Art/Copy - Comprises text and images laid out on a page in the proper size and position and ready to be imaged to a printing plate

Clip Art - General illustrations, figures and designs available in various electronic graphics file formats for printing.

CMYK - Abbreviation for Cyan Magenta, yellow and black process colors or inks. The 4 colors which when used in such a way produce full-color images as realized with reflective light image viewing such as printing. The four colors used in the Four-Color printing process.

Dots Per Inch (DPI) - The number of dots per inch used when measuring the resolution of a screen image or printed page. The higher the number is, then the sharper the type and images.

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) - A standard file format for importing and exporting PostScript® language files among applications in a variety of heterogeneous environments

Final Proof - The last proof before sending material to the printer, showing all corrections.

Fonts - Typefaces in different styles that give documents personality.

Graphics - Term used to refer to any presentation or generation of information in visual form. The visual effects within a document.

Ink-Jet Printing – A printing system that can produce text images directly on paper from data files by using streams of very fine drops of dyes digitally controlled to produce images. Usually used for printing addresses, postal barcodes and other variable images.

PDF (Portable Document File) - A file format for the transfer of electronic designs across multiple computer platforms. Documents in the PDF format can be viewed from any computer regardless of the fonts or software programs used to create the original.

Pixel - The smallest dot that can be produced on a computer screen.

Register – In printing, it is the fitting of two or more printing images in exact alignment with each other.

Resolution - The sharpness of text and graphics provided by any printer or output device, measured in dots per inch.

RIP (Raster Image Processor) – A device &/or program that translates the design program coding from the page layout to the actual patter of dots supplied to a printing device such as a printing press.

TIFF – (Tagged Image File Format) A file format for graphics suited for representing scanned images and other large bitmaps such as photographs.