We’ve put together a list of the most commonly used print, web and design terms and phrases.
You're welcome to download the pdf HERE, but please don't reproduce it for commercial purposes.
| Acrobat |
An Adobe application that allows you to view, print and/or edit pdf files. |
| Anti-aliasing |
Makes the edges of graphics and text smoother and sharper. |
| Bitmap/Raster images |
Bitmaps and raster images are composed of dots or pixels. Their potential for scaling up for large format output is limited. |
| Bleed |
Images and backgrounds often run right up to the edge of the page. To ensure you won’t see a gap on the final printed product, we add 3 to 5mm of the image or background outside the page bounds.
As this increases the size of the paper needed to print the job, overall production costs may be slightly higher than without it. |
| Calibration |
A correctly calibrated monitor is essential if you want what you see on your screen to be as close as possible to the printed output. Monitor settings vary significantly from computer to computer, so what you see on your screen could (and probably will) look totally different to what someone else sees. |
| Chromalins |
High quality colour proofs. |
| CMYK |
CMYK refers to the four process colour inks: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. |
| Coated Paper |
Coated papers are available in gloss, dull, and matte. Images reproduced on coated paper are usually brighter and sharper than on uncoated papers. The smooth surface helps to reflect light evenly. |
| Colour Separations |
As full colour images are made up of the 4 CMYK colours, these need to be separated so each colour has its own printing plate. The colours are then printed individually, and on top of each other, to give the final full colour result. The same goes for spot colours – each colour needs its own plate. |
| Contrast |
The difference between the lighter and darker areas in an image |
| Copy |
The wording and text. |
| Crop Marks |
Small horizontal and vertical lines outside the corners of the page (on the pasteboard or in the ‘slug’ area) indicating where the page is to be trimmed. |
| Debossing |
A technique whereby elements are ‘pressed’ into the paper. |
| Desktop Publishing |
The process of using a computer and specialised software to create high quality printed documents. |
| Die-cut |
A metal die is used to precision cut paper, either on the edges or to cut out a shape. |
| DPI |
DPI is used to measure the resolution of graphics or images and refers to the number of dots per inch that a printer is capable of achieving. The higher the DPI, the better the final output will appear. Web graphics are saved as 72 or 96dpi and for print, 300dpi is the standard. |
| Duotone |
An image consisting of two colours, one dark and the other light which fill the highlights and shadows. Duotones can add a perception of mood to an image. |
| Embossing |
Embossing can be done either as a finishing option, in which the targeted area is actually raised off the page, or by using a graphics application which creates an illusion of it being raised. |
| Feather |
An effect applied to an image, whereby the edges are blurred or softened. |
| Folios |
The page numbers that are visible on the final printed copy |
| FTP |
FTP or File Transfer Protocol, enables you to upload or download any files via the internet. |
| GIF |
GIFs or Graphic Interchange Format files – one of the two most common file formats for web graphics but is not suitable for print media. Can be static or animated. |
| Gradient |
A gradient or vignette is a gradual transition from one colour to another. |
| Gutter |
In a document made up of facing pages, the gutter is the combination of the two inside margins. |
| Imposition |
Setting up pages on a printed sheet so that when folded and trimmed, the pages will be in the correct order. |
| Interlace |
Interlaced images, used in web graphics, appear initially as low resolution images on a web page instead of waiting for the entire image to appear. After several passes, the higher resolution image is visible. The bigger the file size, the longer it will take for the image to finish loading. |
| JPEG |
JPEGs (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files are usually composed of more colours than GIF files and are more suitable for images containing more info (pixels). |
| Kerning |
The space between individual letters, which can be altered to create a better visual ‘fit’ in paragraphs or sentences. |
| Knockout/Overprint |
Usually, when two objects of different colours overlap, the top object needs to knockout the bottom, or the resulting colour of the common area will be incorrect. Black type is usually set to overprint, to avoid gaps caused by misregister in the printing. |
| Leading |
The amount of space between different lines of type. |
| Pantone (PMS) |
A standard colour matching system used for accurate colour reproduction. |
| Point |
The unit of measurement usually used for type size and leading. |
| PDF |
PDF (Portable Document Format) files are cross-platform – viewable and printable on virtually any platform – and ideal for viewing proofs and for finished artwork, as all fonts and images can be embedded. |
| PNG |
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) files can contain millions of colours and offer better compression (using lossless data compression) than GIFs., though they are not viewable in some older browsers. Where transparency is needed, (eg for placing a logo/object on top of a background) PNG files are ideal. |
| Process Colours |
CMYK – cyan, magenta, yellow and black are referred to as process colours. |
| Registration |
As colour separation are printed one colour at a time, each plate needs to be lined up correctly, so that different colours don’t appear to ‘bleed’ out from under each other and images remain sharp, Misregistration will cause an image to look out of focus. |
| RGB |
RGB (red, green and blue) is used for web graphics and monitors as opposed to CMYK, which is used for print. |
| Serif/Sans serif |
Serif typefaces (fonts) have tails (or feet) on the ends of strokes, eg. Times Roman whereas sans serif typefaces don’t have these, eg. Arial/Helvetica. |
| Saturation |
The intensity of colour in an image. The higher the saturation, the brighter an image will appear. |
| Thumbnail |
A thumbnail is a smaller version of a graphic or image. |
| TIFF |
TIFFs (Tagged Image File Format) are the preferred format in the graphics industry, for eg. when a graphic has to be imported into another package.. |
| Vector Graphic |
A vector graphic is made up of editable/moveable paths and points. Vectors can be enlarged to almost any size, without any loss of quality. Ideal for logos and icons. |
