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aberration Photography, the inability of a lens to create a perfect image in shape and in sharpness even when it is correctly focused on a subject. Aberrations are reduced by the compound construction of lenses, but the degree of correction varies according to lens quality.
abrasion resistance Paper and Printing, the ability of ink or paper to withstand deterioration from rubbing. Also referred to as: rub fastness, scuff resistance.
absorption Paper and Printing, the relative amount of ink and vapor absorbed by the paper during printing. Absorption can affect the quality of printing and must be compensated for in the pre-press process. See also: ink holdout.
accent mark a mark used over a letter in a word to modify its pronunciation. For instance, moiré which is pronounced "morray."
accordion fold Binding and Finishing, a term used to describe two or more parallel folds which open like an accordion. Also referred to as: fan fold, z-fold, zig-zag fold.
account executive an employee or representative of an advertising agency who takes care of specific accounts and acts as a client liaison to the art director and others creating advertising for the account.
achromatic color removal See gray component replacement.
acid-free paper paper that is made from pulp that contains little or no acid. Acid-free papers resist deterioration from age and are commonly used for fine art reproductions. Also referred to as: alkaline paper, archival paper, neutral pH paper, permanent paper, thesis paper.
acrylic Illustration, a fast drying, durable paint made from a synthetic resin. Acrylics are available in a wide range of colors and can usually be diluted with water.
action paper See carbonless paper.
additive primaries Printing, the colors red, green and blue. When lights of these colors are combined, they produce the sensation of white light. See also: subtractive primaries.
adhesive binding See perfect binding.
advance an amount paid prior to the start of work or during the execution of work. Advances may be paid to cover expenses or as a partial payment toward the total fee. Advances are very common for time-consuming projects. Also referred to as: deposit.
advance sheet Printing, a press sheet furnished to the customer prior to receiving the final product. Printers occasionally ask customers to approve advance sheets before binding begins. See also: press check.
aerial photography photographs taken from the air that are most commonly used for mapping, reconnaissance and survey. Most aerial cameras use a large file format often of unconventional size.
against the grain Printing and Binding, feeding or folding paper at right angles to the grain direction of the paper. Printing paper against the grain can result in poor fit quality on tight register printing jobs. Also referred to as: across the grain. See also: register.
agate Typography, a unit of type measurement normally used in newspaper classified ads to calculate column space. 1 agate line is equivalent to 5.5 points and 14 agate lines equal 1 inch. Agate was originally the name for 5.5 point type.
agate copy Typesetting, a term used to describe copy that is set in very small type.
agent See artist's representative.
agreement See contract.
airbrush Illustration, a mechanical painting tool which is powered by compressed air. The air and paint mix with one another to form a fine spray on the painting surface. Computer programs now give graphic artists the ability to create airbrush affects electronically without the use of an airbrush.
album format See horizontal format.
aliasing Computer Graphics, the undesirable jagged or stair stepped appearance of diagonal lines in a computer-generated image. Also referred to as: jaggies, sawtoothing. See also: anti-aliasing.
alignment Graphic Design, a term used to describe the relationship of visual elements to one another. There are no rules or formulas for alignment. Correct alignment depends strictly on the design of a printed piece.
alley the space between columns of type or images on a page. Not to be confused with gutter. See also: gutter.
all rights the purchase of unlimited rights of usage for the reproduction of art for an unlimited period of time.
alpha channel Computer Graphics, an 8-bit channel reserved by some image processing applications for masking or additional color information.
alterations Typesetting, any change in copy after it has been set. See also: author's alterations.
ambient light light generated from all directions, as opposed to light generated from one direction, such as back light.
american standard code for information interchange (ASCII) Computers, a standard format for representing numeric information. Information in ASCII allows digital equipment to interface. Pronounced "askey." See also: interface.
ampersand Typography, the name of the type character "&" used in place of "and."
analog color proof Printing Pre-press, an off-press color proof made from color separation films. See also: integral proof.
angle-of-view See field of view.
aniline ink a fast-drying ink often used in flexography. See also: flexography.
aniline printing See flexography.
anilox roller Printing, a roller used to transfer ink on a flexography press. Flexography uses aniline ink, so the ink roller is called an anilox roller. See also: flexography.
annotate to include explanatory or critical notes or comments either at the foot of a page, in the margins or in an appendix.
announcement envelope an envelope with a straight flap that is used to hold announcements, greeting cards and invitations. Some announcement envelopes are made with deckle edge flaps. See also: deckle edge.
annual a publication which comes out once a year.
anti-aliasing Computer Graphics, a computerized technique of reducing the stair stepped appearance of diagonal lines in an image by adding half-value pixels along the stair-steps. See also: aliasing.
anti-halation backing Photography, a dyed, light absorbing gelatin coating applied to the back of film to prevent halation. See also: halation.
anti-offset spray or set-off spray Printing, a dry, finely-powdered spray starch used during printing to prevent the transfer of wet ink from the top of one sheet to the bottom of the next sheet. Also referred to as: spray powder, powder, offset powder.
antique finish Paper, a paper with a rough surface similar to that of old handmade papers. Halftones do not reproduce well on antique finish papers. See also: halftone.
aperture Photography, the lens opening in a camera that controls the amount of light to which the film or paper is exposed, usually calibrated in f/numbers, which are fractions of the lens' focal length. See also: f/stop.
apochromatic Photography, color-corrected lenses which focus the three colors, red, green and blue, in the same plane.
application See application software.
application software Computers, as opposed to system software. A specific type of computer software that performs a task. Often simply called application, program or software. See also: software.
aqueous coating Printing, a clear, thin water-based coating applied to a press sheet for appearance and protection. Aqueous coating is an environmentally safe liquid solution that is applied to the sheet by one of the units of a printing press. This solution dries quickly and is available in a gloss or dull finish.
arabic numerals Typography, numerical figures 0 through 9, so called because they originated in Arabia, as opposed to roman numerals.
archival paper See acid-free paper.
archive any collection of material or information in long-term storage. Archives may include soft copy, such as data stored on disks or magnetic tapes, or hard copy such as artwork or photography. Also referred to as: morgue.
art board See board.
art director Graphic Arts, an individual who supervises and directs the production of all art and processes in the creation of a printed piece. Also referred to as: creative director, a.d., director.
artifact Computer Graphics, a visible indication (defect) caused by limitations in the reproduction process (hardware or software).
artist's representative an individual who handles marketing and conducts other business matters for authors, graphic designers, illustrators and photographers. Also referred to as: agent, art rep.
art staff a group of artists employed by a company such as an advertising agency or design firm that work under the supervision of an art director.
ascender Typography, that part of a lowercase letter that rises above the body of the letter, as in b, d, f, h, k, l, and t.
ascii See american standard code for information interchange.
associate Printing, to overlay several webs coming off a web press prior to folding. Also referred to as: marry. See also: web and web press.
asterisk Typography, a reference mark used in text to indicate a footnote or missing letters and words. Looks like this: *.
author's alterations Typesetting, changes, additions and deletions made by the author or client after copy has been typeset. Also referred to as: aa's, customer changes, alterations.
author's proof Typesetting, a proof sent to the author for the purpose of being returned marked "OK" or "OK with corrections."
autoflow Desktop Publishing, a feature in page layout programs that automatically flows text from column to column and page to page.
autotrace Computer Graphics, a draw program feature that automatically traces bitmapped images to create smooth-drawn images.
available light Photography, the existing light a photographer finds at the scene. Also referred to as: existing light.


B
backbone See spine.
background Photography, the area of a photograph behind the main subject, as opposed to foreground. A background can be anything from colored paper to a natural scene or specially built set.
backing paper Binding, a long strip of paper that reinforces the spine in casebound books. See also: spine.
backing up Printing, printing the reverse side of a sheet that has already been printed on one side.
backlighting 1) Photography, any light coming toward the camera from behind the subject creating a rim of light along the edge of the subject. 2) Printing Pre-press, the light in a graphic arts camera placed behind the copy to burn out unwanted imperfections.
back lining Binding, a fabric or paper adhering to the backbone or spine in a hardcover book. See also: spine.
backslant Typography, a typeface which slants backward, as opposed to italic which slants forward.
back up Computers, a copy of a document or program that can be used if the original is destroyed. To back up is to make a copy, usually on a disk.
backup copy a duplicate copy of an original that is produced in case the original is lost or damaged.
bad break Typesetting, an incorrect end-of-line hyphenation, or a page or column beginning with either a widow or the end of a hyphenated word. See also: widow.
bad copy Typesetting, any manuscript that is illegible, improperly edited or otherwise unsatisfactory to the typesetter. Typesetters usually charge extra for setting type from bad copy.
bailment an obligation on the part of the individual(s) with whom art is held to take reasonable care of it. Bailment is a legal requirement and applies to situations such as leaving a portfolio for review.
balance Graphic Design and Illustration, the harmony of color and proportion in the elements of an illustration or design.
balloon Illustration, a circular enclosure of copy found in cartoons. Also referred to as: bubble.
banding Computer Graphics and Digital Pre-press, an undesirable defect in which visible parallel streaks appear in the dot pattern of halftone screens or screen tints output by laser printers or imagesetters.
bandwidth Internet, the amount of information that may be moved through a connection. Measured in bits-per-second, bandwidth determines the speed at which information may be transferred via the Internet.
barn doors Photography, an attachment used on spotlights and floodlights to control the direction of light and width of the light beam.
baronial envelope an envelope with a deep pointed flap that is used to hold greeting cards and invitations.
barrel fold See letter fold.
base art Graphic Design, the dominant art upon which overlays are added. See also: overlay.
baseline Typography, an imaginary horizontal line upon which all characters in a given line rest.
base negative Printing Pre-press, the dominant negative to which other negatives should be registered. The base negative is normally consistent to the base art.
basic size Paper, the standard size for a specific type of paper. Each type of paper has a basic size that is used only to calculate basis weight. Basic size has no meaning other than its relationship to basis weight. Paper is available in smaller or larger than basic size. See also: basis weight.
basis weight Paper, the weight, in pounds, of 500 sheets (one ream) of paper cut to its standard size. Also referred to as: ream weight, substance weight.
bastard cut Binding, any cut that is not made at a right angle to one edge of the sheet.
bastard size a term used to describe the non-standard size of any material used in the graphic arts. Bastard size is most often used when referring to paper size. Working in bastard sizes often creates a situation where excess paper from the parent size stock is paid for, but not used. Avoid using bastard sizes, especially on long runs. See also: parent size stock and North American paper sizes.
baud rate Computers, the number of bits-per-second that information can be sent, by modem, from one computer to another. The most common rates are 1200 baud, 2400 baud and 9600 baud. See also: bit and modem.
bellows Photography, the collapsible sleeve section of a camera that allows for position adjustments to the lens in relationship to the film plane.
belt press Printing, a web press that uses rubber plates mounted on variable length flexible belts. Belt presses are used most often to produce mass-market books and because of their soft relief plates, can print quickly on rough paper. Also referred to as: cameron press.
bezier curves Computer Graphics, in object-oriented programs, a curve whose shape is defined by anchor, or control points set along its arc. See also: object-oriented.
bible paper a strong, very thin, opaque book paper used for such printed products as bibles and dictionaries. Also referred to as: india paper.
bid See estimate and quotation.
bimonthly a publication which comes out every two months.
binder Binding, an individual who works in a bindery. Also, a machine that binds.
bindery Binding, an establishment or department of a printing plant that executes the folding, collating, stitching, gluing, inserting, trimming and casing-in after sheets have been printed. Some binderies specialize in different types of binding, such as book manufacturing, while others offer additional finishing services, such as scoring, perforating and round cornering.
bindery proof See book proof.
binding the actual act of folding, collating, stitching, gluing, inserting, trimming and casing-in. See also: perfect binding and saddle stitch.
bit Computers, short for binary digit. The smallest unit of information in a computer, a 1 or a 0. It can define one of two conditions, on or off.
bitmapped Computers, an image formed by a rectangular grid of pixels. The computer assigns a value to each pixel, from one bit of information (black and white), to as much as 24 bits per pixel (color images).
bits-per-second Computers, a standard unit used to measure the rate of transmission of digital information. See also: baud rate and bit.
biweekly a publication which comes out every two weeks.
black-and-white originals or reproductions in single color as opposed to multicolor. Abbreviated bw.
black printer Printing, a term used to describe a flat, plate or printing unit that is used for the printing of black ink in four-color process printing. See also: flat, four-color process printing and plate.
black type Typography, type that is heavier than bold. Also referred to as: heavy type, ultrabold type, blackface, extrabold type.
blanket Printing, a rubber-surfaced material clamped to the blanket cylinder of an offset press that transfers ink from plate to paper.
blanket cylinder Printing, the cylinder of a printing press on which the blanket is mounted. See also: blanket.
blanks Printing, pages on which there is no printing. Blank pages in a printed piece should be indicated when material is given to the printer so that the pages will not be misplaced during pre-press preparation.
blast Gravure Printing, to contact print a bromide sheet from a halftone negative. See also: bromide and gravure printing.
bleed Printing, any printed image which extends beyond the trim edge of a sheet or page. Bleeds can extend beyond 1, 2, 3, or all 4 sides of a sheet.
blind debossing See debossing.
blind embossing See embossing.
blind folio a page number which is counted, but not seen on the printed page.
block Computers, a group of digits, characters or words that can be handled as one unit.
blocking Printing, the undesirable sticking together of printed sheets, usually due to piling them too high before the ink can adequately dry. Blocking causes damage to the printed sheets once they are separated.
block printing See letterpress printing.
blow-up See enlargement.
blue book a general term for any book that offers a list of people or services in a particular field.
blueline Printing Pre-press, an off-press proof made on a light-sensitive blueprint paper from stripped (assembled) film negatives or positives. Bluelines are used as a proof to check the position, assembly and overall clarity of elements to be printed. Also referred to as: blue, blueprint proof, dylux proof, ozalid, position proof.
blur 1) Photography, areas of an image that are unsharp. Blur is created or caused by camera or subject movement, or by selective or too inaccurate focusing. 2) Computer Graphics, the reduction of contrast on a photograph in a computer file.
blush Printing, a term in gravure printing for scum caused by a defective doctor blade or cylinder. See also: doctor blade and scum.
board Graphic Design, an alternate term for mechanical. Also referred to as: art board.
body copy Typography, regular reading copy or text, as distinguished from display type. Also referred to as: body matter, body type, text, text type. See also: display type.
body type Typography, type from 6 point to 14 point, generally used for body copy. Also referred to as: body copy, body matter, text, text type.
boldface Typography, a heavier version of a regular typeface that is used for emphasis. Abbreviated BF. Also referred to as: bold type.
bold type See boldface.
bond paper a durable grade of writing and printing paper that is available in a wide range of quality levels and color. Bond papers are commonly used for business stationery, certificates and legal documents. They are made in basis weights of 13, 16, 20 and 24 pounds. Also referred to as: business paper, writing paper.
bookbinder Binding, a bindery specializing in the binding of books.
book block Binding, a term used to describe signatures that are folded, collated, sewn and trimmed, but not yet covered. See also: signature.
booklet any saddle stitch publication with at least eight pages but no more than eighty.
booklet envelope a large envelope used to hold booklets that opens along its long edge. See also: catalog envelope.
book paper as opposed to newsprint, writing paper or cover paper. A general classification for coated and uncoated paper that is suitable for such printed products as books, catalogs and magazines. Also referred to as: book weight.
book proof Binding, an assembly of folded, gathered and trimmed signatures put together in book form to simulate how the final product will appear. Also referred to as: bindery proof.
book weight See book paper.
border Graphic Design, a decorative rule that frames type and graphics. Also referred to as: frame.
bounce light Photography, flash or flood lighting used to illuminate a subject indirectly by reflecting it from a ceiling, wall or other surface.
box heading Typesetting, a heading with a rule around it.
bps See bits-per-second.
brace Typography, a character used to embrace or connect lines, particularly in mathematics. Looks like this: }.
bracketing Photography, the technique of shooting a series of pictures of the same subject and viewpoint that only vary in the amount of exposure given. Bracketing is done when there is doubt about the correct exposure and allows for a wider range of choices once photography is complete.
brackets Typography, a pair of marks used to set off matter extraneous or incidental to the context: [ ].
brainstorming the effort of two or more people to generate as many ideas as possible in a limited amount of time.
break for color Graphic Design, to indicate or separate the graphic elements of a job which are to be printed in different colors. Also referred to as: color break.
brightness Paper, a characteristic of paper referring to how much light it reflects.
bristol Paper, a heavy, board type of paper of finer quality used for post cards and other heavy-use products. Bristols are made to provide stiffness and rigidity. Also referred to as: bristol board, bristol paper.
broadside format See horizontal format.
broker See printing broker.
bromide Gravure Printing, a photographic paper print that is used to make an engraved cylinder for gravure printing. Bromides resemble velox prints but are more rigid and glossier than veloxes. They are mounted on a drum and scanned in the HelioKlischographic process of making cylinders. Also referred to as: brom. See also: gravure printing, HelioKlischography and velox.
brownline Printing Pre-press, as distinguished by color from a blueline. A light-sensitive print made from stripped (assembled) film negatives or positives. Brownlines are used as a proof to check the position, assembly and overall clarity of elements to be printed. Also referred to as: brownprint, vandyke. See also: blueline.
buffer Computers, a portion of computer memory designed to store information while it's waiting to be processed.
bug Computers, a hardware or software defect that hinders or stops the computer system. Bugs can usually be corrected by debugging. See also: debugging.
build a color See color build.
bulk Paper, the thickness of printing papers that is measured by pages-per-inch (PPI). See also: pages-per-inch.
bulking dummy Printing, a dummy produced for the purpose of demonstrating how thick a product will be when printed and bound. Bulking dummies use the actual paper specified for a job allowing customers to plan packaging and mailing. Bulking dummies are also used to determine the correct size for type to be set on the spine of a book.
bullets Typesetting, large dots which are used to highlight text.
bump See double bump.
burn 1) Printing Pre-press, a common term used to describe a plate or photographic exposure. 2) Photography, additional exposure given to specific areas of a photograph. As opposed to dodge, burning is usually done to increase details in highlight areas. See also: dodge and highlights.
burnish Graphic Design, a term used to describe the rubbing down and securing of copy to camera-ready art.
burst binding See burst perfect binding.
burst perfect binding a method of perfect binding in which notches are cut out of the spines of the signatures allowing glue to seep through to the edges of the pages. Burst perfect binding is stronger than perfect binding because the spines of the signatures are not ground off. Also referred to as: burst binding, notch binding, slotted binding. See also: perfect binding, signature and spine.
business envelope an envelope that opens along its long edge, such as the #10 in North American envelope sizes.
business form a general term referring to any printed document used to record information. Business forms include such products as invoices, purchase orders and statements.
business reply envelope an envelope which is pre-addressed and in compliance with postal requirements for bar coding and pre-payment.
byte Computers, a unit of digital information equal to one character or eight bits. See also: bit.