Riegel Printing Prepress & File Preparation Guide

He who fails to
plan, is planning
to fail.
-Winston Churchill
Helpful Tips:
Preparing Your Files for Print
Table of Contents
Programs That Riegel Supports
1
Setting Up Your Document
2
Typesetting3
Color4
Images6
Art Preparation
8
Creating a PDF
9
Collecting Files for Print
9
File Compression and Transmission
10
File Submission Checklist
11
Glossary of Graphic Arts Terms
12
Programs that Riegel Printing Supports
Macintosh
QuarkXPress®
Adobe® InDesign®
Adobe® Photoshop®
Adobe® Illustrator®
Adobe® PageMaker®
Macromedia Freehand®
PC
QuarkXPress®
Adobe® InDesign®
Adobe® Photoshop®
Adobe® Illustrator®
Adobe® PageMaker®
CorelDRAW®
Additional Formats Accepts
PDF Files
(see page for helpful tips on outputting PDFs suitable for printing)
Postscript Files
1
Setting Up Your Document:
Putting Your Best Foot Forward
Page size
This is the final trimmed size.
Margins/Live Area
It is good practice to allow your live area at
least 3/16” of space from the trim edges
of your document to ensure that no critical
copy/images are cut off during the trimming
process due to standard mechanical variances.
Bleed
Bleed is the printed color or image that
extends past the trimmed edges, and is
used to ensure that no white space occurs
between your design and the edge of the
final trimmed page. If you intend for your
design to print to the edge of the page,
you must allow it to extend at least 1/8”
beyond the trim edges. Adobe® InDesign®
allows you to enter a bleed value when
setting up your new document.
2
Typesetting
Fonts, Fonts, Fonts
Hands down, the single most important thing you can do with regard to fonts in order to insure a
seamless production workflow as well as protect the integrity of your design is to provide us with all
of the fonts that you use in your document. This is such an important step of preparing your files, we
are going to say it again... Please be sure to submit all font files with your document.
If you use vector images in your design (Adobe® Illustrator® or EPS file) that contain text, please be
sure to provide the fonts used within these images as well. When you package your InDesign® file or
collect your Quark document for output the programs will grab the vector image, however they will
not collect the actual font files used in these images. An alternative is to outline any text in vector art,
however you should also save a copy of the file with the original text in place for yourself, in case you
want to make changes to the copy at a later time. Once you outline text it can no longer be edited.
Have we mentioned the importance of submitting the fonts used with your files??? Oh, good!
Text Size
As a general rule of thumb, any text that is smaller than 12 point is best designed to print in a single
color to create the most clean crisp printed product, as it does not require registering multiple colors
in very small letters on press.
Reverse type is the use of a lighter color type on a darker background and can make a powerful
visual statement. However it is best to keep a few things in mind when using this technique.
First, use reverse type sparingly due to the strain it can put
on the eye when trying to read. Also smaller font sizes
are not recommended (usually 10 point and larger is
best) for the same reason. Finally reverse type works
best with sans serif fonts as some serifs can have
such thin horizontal strokes that they may plug up
or disappear all together.
Type Attributes in QuarkXPress®
When creating a document in Quark, do not use
the bold or italic stylizations that are offered in
the Attributes Menu or on the Measurements
Pallet. These are not true typefaces and while
they may print okay on your desktop printer they
are not compatible with high-end imagesetters and
platemakers used in commercial printing. Many if not
most fonts offer a bold or italic typeface which you can
select using the Style/Font Drop Down Menu.
3
Color
Defining Your Color Swatches
Just as you plan every element of your design, use of color should be considered as early in the
process as possible. How many colors will you use, 1, 2, 4 or more? Are you going to print only in
CMYK or will spot colors be used as well? These questions are important as they not only determine
what your final printed piece will look like but also how it will be produced.
One important issue to keep in mind from the outset of the designing process is the difference
between computer monitors and ink on paper, especially when it comes to color. Our computer
monitors emit color as RGB (red, green, blue) light. Whereas inked paper absorbs or reflects specific
wavelengths from light. Cyan, magenta and yellow pigments serve as filters, subtracting varying
degrees of red, green and blue from white light to produce a selective gamut of spectral colors.
Consequently, the same art displayed on a computer monitor may not match to that printed in a
publication. Therefore when choosing your colors for print it is best to do so using a swatch book
rather than selecting colors solely from your computer screen.
Different Types of Color - Process and Spot
Four-color process - also known as CMYK or process - is the method of printing using cyan,
magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) inks to simulate full-color images. Each of the colors in process
printing requires its own plate. A spot color is any color generated by an ink (pure or mixed) that is
printed using a single plate. When combining process and spot methods more than 4 plates will be
used, one for each of the process inks (CMYK) and one for each spot color.
Recognizing Different Ink Types in InDesign® & QuarkXPress®
InDesign® Swatches
QuarkXPress® Colors
Process Color
Process Color
CMYK
Spot Color
RGB
Spot Color
4
Color:
Continued
Consistency
Once you define the colors within your document, the definitions of these colors must remain
consistent between all of the graphics used within the document. For example, if you use a
Pantone® PMS color in a logo that is placed in your final document, you must be sure the swatch
that you are using within the final document is also the same Pantone® PMS color. If you use the
Pantone® PMS in the placed logo and then use the CMYK simulation of that Pantone® color in
other design elements the two versions of the same color will not match. Another example of the
importance of consistency is if you are designing a piece that will print 2 colors, let’s say Pantone®
367 and Black, and you then add a title bar at the top of the page that is the CMYK simulation of
Pantone® 367 - you now just took this job from a 2 color to a 5 color piece (not to mention the fact
that again, the Pantone® and CMYK versions of the same color will be slightly different).
Gradient Swatches
A gradient is a graduated blend between two or more colors or tints of the same color. You can
create a gradient swatch using either CMYK colors or spot colors, but should not combine CMYK
and spot color types in a single gradient.
How Paper Effects Color
The printing process is based on the subtractive color system, meaning we see color based on how
light is absorbed and reflected by the inks we put on the paper. The ink between the viewer and the
light source or reflective surface subtract wavelengths from the light, giving it color. Understanding
this principle makes it easy to see that the paper that we choose for our printed product plays a vital
role in the color reproduction. The optical and surface properties of the paper itself impact how light
is reflected and therefore how color and tonal values are received by the eye.
The brightness and whiteness of a paper are its optical properties and they are vital factors to the
color and contrast possible on that stock. The brighter and whiter the paper the more light it reflects
and the wider the amount of contrast and gamut of color the printed images will be able to achieve.
The less bright and white a paper is the lower its ability to reflect light and therefore the narrower
the contrast and color range possible.
The surface properties are the texture and finish of the sheet. Smoother coated paper is more
reflective because it does not diffuse the light as the texture of a coarser uncoated sheet will.
5
Images:
Because a picture says a thousand words
Linked Images
Page layout programs, such as InDesign® and QuarkXPress®, use low-resolution previews within
your document which are linked to the actual high-res images. Therefore it is critical that you supply
all linked images with your document when submitting it for print. The images are collected to a
single folder for you when you “Package” your document with InDesign® or “Collect for Output”
with QuarkXPress®.
Raster vs Vector
There are two types of computer graphics, raster images and vector-based graphics. The most
basic difference between the two are that raster images, also known as bitmaps, are made up of
thousands of pixels, whereas a vector is composed of mathematically-defined geometric shapes—
lines, objects and fills.
In a raster image, each pixel is a tiny square with an assigned color value. They are created using
a grid of pixels to define the image. When you attempt to increase the size of an image created in
a raster based program, the pixels defining the image can be increased in either number or size.
Increasing the number of pixels or making the pixels bigger in an image results in the original data
being spread over a larger area. Spreading the pixels over a larger area causes the image to begin
to lose detail and clarity. When an image is scanned, the image is converted to a collection of pixels
called a raster image. Scanned graphics and web graphics are the most common forms of raster
images.
Vector Graphics are most commonly created and edited in programs such as Illustrator®, Freehand,
Corel Draw, Flash, Inkscape, Fireworks, or other “vector” illustration programs. Because vector
images are defined by math, not pixels. They can be scaled up or down without any loss of quality.
Resizing Raster and Vector Art
Vector Artwork
Vector Artwork @ 200%
Rasterized Artwork
Rasterized Artwork @ 200%
6
Images:
Continued
More on Raster Images
Resolution: Raster graphics are resolution dependent. They cannot
scale to an arbitrary resolution without loss of apparent quality. The
resolution of a raster image or scanned image is expressed in terms of the
dots per inch or dpi. A printer or scanner’s resolution is also measured in dots
per inch.
Color: With any scanned color image, a large number of colors will be required to
render a raster image reproduction of the original source artwork accurately. Due to this
complexity changing the colors in a raster image can be very difficult in that you must
be able to isolate a specific color or range of colors and tell your software to change the color. This
can be quite a challenge for even experienced Corel PhotoPAINT or Adobe® Photoshop® users.
File Size: In order to accurately reproduce a raster image file, your graphics software must keep
track of a large amount of information, including the exact location and color of each pixel in the
collection of pixels. This results in huge file sizes for raster graphics. Higher resolutions (dpi) and
greater color depths, produce bigger file sizes.
File Formats: Common raster image formats include BMP (Windows Bitmap), PCX (Paintbrush),
TIFF (Tag Interleave Format), JPEG (Joint Photographics Expert Group), GIF (Graphics Interchange
Format) , PNG (Portable Network Graphic), PSD (Adobe® Photoshop®) and CPT (Corel PhotoPAINT)
More on Vector Images
Resolution: Vector images are defined by math, not pixels. They can be scaled up or down
without any loss of quality.
Color: Since vector images are composed of objects not pixels, you can
change the color of individual objects without worrying about individual
pixels.
File Size: Vector images do not need to keep track of each individual
pixel in an image, only mathematical descriptions. For this reason
vector files are very small in file size.
File Formats: Common vector formats include EPS (Encapsulated
PostScript), WMF (Windows Metafile), AI (Adobe® Illustrator®), CDR
(CorelDRAW®), DXF (AutoCAD), SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) and PLT
(Hewlett Packard Graphics Language Plot File)
7
Art Preparation:
Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Artwork
Start with the Best Art Possible: There is a commonly used adage “garbage in, garbage out”.
And while it may be crass, it is a well known phrase for a reason. The better the art you use from the
very beginning, the better your final printed product will be.
Make Image Changes Before Importing To Your Files: Edit your images however you like;
rotate, crop, add filters, scale in the original graphic application (Photoshop® or Illustrator®) before
placing them into your page-layout program (InDesign® or QuarkXPress®).
Be Mindful of Resolution: Keep in mind when you increase the size of a raster image there
will be a subsequent loss of resolution. When producing a digital image it is best to start big
because you can always scale down with no loss of quality.
Remember Your Medium: Images should be supplied as CMYK, not RGB.
Don’t Rely on Your Monitor: Because of the difference between monitors and ink on paper
it is always best to choose your colors using a swatch book rather than based on what you see on
your computer screen. Also when color correcting or manipulating images rely on the numerical
color gauges in Photoshop®, rather than what you see on the screen.
Keep Tabs on Your Colors: Be sure you keep in mind the scope of your job when adding colors
to your swatches. Always double check that there are the correct number of process or spot colors
in your final document.
Work in the Appropriate Software: Illustrator® is a vector based
drawing program best suited for projects such as logos, packaging, posters
and single page layouts. Photoshop® is a pixel-based program that enables
you to color-correct, size and manipulate scanned images or digital photos
(rasterized art). Neither Photoshop® nor Illustrator® are intended for
to create multi-page documents. To build a multi-page document use
a page-layout program such as InDesign® or QuarkXPress®.
Build to Size: Unless your document is too large for your
software, all files should be built at the actual final size. An single
page 8.5” x 11” should be build as such and a 2 page spread should
be build as two 8.5” x 11” pages rather than a single 17” x 11” form.
8
Creating a PDF and Collecting Files for Print:
Wrapping It Up
PDFs (Portable Document Format) are cross platform files that can be opened on either a PC or a
MAC. This print-ready file format preserves all fonts, formatting, graphics and colors of any source
document, independent of the application and platform used to create it and can also be viewed on
multiple platforms without loss of quality. However PDFs embed data making last minutes changes
to content and color difficult and in some cases impossible. Print ready PDFs should be submitted
exactly as you want them to print.
When Creating a Press Ready PDF:
Graphics files must be linked to high resolution art and should not be downsampled
Colors must be setup properly; i.e. Spot vs Process and all images must be CMYK not RGB
Embed the fonts
Include the bleeds and crop marks
Collecting Files for Print Using QuarkXPress® & InDesign®: QuarkXPress®’ “Collect
for Output” and InDesign®’s “Package” features will do all of the work for you when it comes to
getting your files ready for submission. The programs will collect all necessary elements of your
files (fonts and images) with the exception of fonts used in placed graphics. Remember if you use
a vector image that contains text, you will need to manually locate that font and include it with your
file submission.
9
File Compression and Transmission
Compression is a process used to reduce the size of files without losing any information and is
typically applied to a single file.
Archiving allows a hierarchy of files and folders to be grouped together for compression. This is
ideal when dealing with files for print as they include multiple components; i.e. font folders, image
folders, PDF and the document for print. Examples of Archive Formats are StuffIt (.sit), StuffIt X
(.sitx) and Zip.
Mediums for Submitting Files: CD, DVD, CD-R/RW are all acceptable
File Transmission Methods:
Riegel FTP: You can access our Company FTP site by going to our web page at www.
riegelprintinginc.com. Once you click on the FTP link you will be prompted to enter your user name
and password, which will have been provided to you by your Account Executive or Customer Service
Representative. You then follow the simple on screen instructions to safely transmit your file to us.
This is our preferred method for receiving files.
Email: In some instances files will be small enough to transmit via Email, in which case you can
submit your files directly to your Account Executive or Customer Service Representative.
10
File Submission Checklist
Did You Include?:
❒ Page Layout Documents (QuarkXPress®/InDesign® file)
❒ PDF and/or Hard Copy Proof of Each Creative Submitted
❒ All Fonts Used in Your Page Layout Documents
AND Graphics Files
❒
All Linked Graphics (Photoshop®/Illustrator®/Freehand/CorelDRAW®)
Be sure to convert any RGB images to CMYK. If you change your
graphic file names after they have been collected for submission,
be sure to go back and relink them in your page layout file.
❒ Completed Purchase Order or Approved Estimate detailing the final finished size, color configuration, paper stock, quantity,
finishing instructions, shipping information and due date
❒ Special Instructions
For que
s
further tions or
assistan
ce
please
do not
hesitate
to con ta
ct
us at
6 09 -7
71 - 0 55
5
11
Glossary of Graphic Arts Terms:
AA Abbreviation for author’s alterations.
Bleed A printed color or image that extends
Absorption In paper, the property which
past the trimmed edges of a page, usually an
1/8th inch.
causes it to take up liquids or vapors in contact
with in. In optics, the partial suppression of
light through a transparent or translucent
material.
Blind Embossing A design which is
stamped which is stamped without metallic
leaf or ink, giving a bas-relief effect.
Accordion Fold In binding, a term used for
Caliper The thickness of paper, usually
two or more parallel folds which open like an
accordion.
expressed in thousandths of an inch (mils). In
board it is expressed as “points”.
Acrobat Adobe® software that embodies the
Clipping path A vector-based outline used
PDF format.
to “clip” or silhouette an image from its
surroundings so only the desired part will print.
Against the Grain Folding or feeding paper
CMYK Acronym for the subtractive process
at right angles to the grain direction of the
paper. Also known as crossgrain.
colors used in four-color process printing. The
letters stand for cyan, magenta, yellow and key
(black). Black is added to enhance color and
contrast. Also called process colors.
Aqueous Coating A clear coating that is
used to protect printed pieces. It provides
a protective surface that deters dirt and
fingerprints.
Coated Paper Paper having a surface
coating which produces a smooth finish.
Surfaces vary from eggshell to glossy.
Backing Up Printing the reverse side of a
sheet that is already printed on one side.
Collate In binding, the gathering of sheets
Basic Size In inches, 25 x 38 for book papers,
and signatures.
20 x 26 for cover papers, 22½ x 28½ or 22½ x
35 for bristols, 25½ x 30½ for index.
Color Balance The correct combination of
ream (500 sheets) of a specific paper grade
that has been cut to its basic size.
cyan, magenta and yellow to (1) reproduce a
photograph without a color cast, (2) produce a
neutral gray, or (3) reproduce the colors in the
original scene or object.
Binding The fastening of papers to create a
Color Correction Any method such as
Basis Weight The weight in pounds of a
brochure or book. The most common binding
styles are saddle-stitch, perfect- bound, sidestitched, case or edition, and mechanical.
masking, dot-etching, re-etching and scanning,
used to improve color.
Color Separation A laser scanning
Blanket In offset printing, a rubber-surfaced
method used to separate full-color artwork or
transparencies into the four primary printing ink
colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
fabric which is clamped around a cylinder, to
which the image is transferred from the plate,
and from which it is transferred to the paper.
12
Glossary of Graphic Arts Terms:
Continuous Tone An image which contains
Diecutting The finishing process of using
gradient tones from black to white.
sharp steel rules to cut special shapes from
printed sheets, for example labels, boxes and
containers. Diecutting can be done on either
flatbed or rotary presses.
Contrast The tonal gradation between the
highlights, middle tones and shadows in an
original or reproduction.
Digital Printing Printing by plateless
Creep Sometimes called “push out” it is the
imaging systems that are imaged by digital data
from prepress systems.
distance margins shift when paper is folder
and/or inserted during finishing. The amount of
creep will vary depending on both the number
and thickness of the sheets and must be
compensated for during layout and imposition.
Digital Blueline A digital blueline is prepared
from supplied electronic files output to a color
laser or ink-jet printer. The paper is then cut,
folded, and bound to represent the finished
product. The digital blueline is used to be
sure that all images and type are present and
positioned according to job requirements. Then
the digital blueline is used by the pressmen and
the bindery department to be certain the job is
being produced as designed.
Crop To eliminate portions of the copy, usually
on a photographs or plate, indicated on the
original by cropmarks
Cross Direction In paper, the direction
across the grain. Paper is weaker and more
sensitive to changes in relative humidity in the
cross direction than the grain direction.
On multiple color jobs, the colors and color
breaks are shown as they will appear. Note
that the colors are approximations only. The
accurate colors - especially PMS colors - will be
seen on press.
Crossover An image or type that continues
across a spread of a brochure, book or
magazine to another page.
A digital blueline should be viewed in person,
as more complex documents may be difficult
to visualize online. The digital blueline is also
used as an approval means allowing the job to
continue to press.
Cutscore In diecutting, a sharp-edged knife,
several thousandths of an inch lower than the
cutting rules in a die, made to cut part way into
the paper or board for folding purposes.
Density The degree of darkness (light
Dot Gain In printing, the amount a dot grows
absorption or opacity) of a photographic image.
which extends below the main body, as in “p”.
when printed, caused by the ink spreading as
it is absorbed by the paper. Dot gain causes
darker tones and stronger colors.
Desktop Publishing Process of composing
DPI (Dots-per-inch) In offset printing,
pages using a standard computer, off-theshelf software, a device independent page
description language like PostScript and
outputting them on a printer or imagesetter.
the number of dots that fit horizontally and
vertically into a one-inch measure. Generally,
the higher the dpi, the sharper the printed
image.
Descender The part of a lowercase letter
13
Glossary of Graphic Arts Terms:
Drawdown A test of the ink color on the
Finishing Post-press operations, including
actual paper stock that will be used to evaluate
how it looks.
trimming, scoring, folding and binding.
Font A typeface family that includes all letters
Dry trap Printing over dry ink, which, unlike a
and numbers in the same style.
wet trap, requires a separate pass through the
press.
Form Pages of a book or brochure that are
printed on the same sheet of paper as it passes
through the press. Once the sheet is folded
and trimmed, the form becomes a “signature.”
Dummy A preliminary layout showing the
position of illustrations and text as they are
to appear in the final reproduction. A set of
blank pages made up in advance to show size,
shape, form and general style of a piece of
printing.
Four-color process Method of printing
using cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK)
inks to simulate full-color images. Also called
full-color printing and process printing.
Duotone A term for a two-color halftone
FPO (For position only) Usually a low-
reproduction from a one-color photograph.
resolution image (72 or 100 dpi) file used only
to indicate placement and size. It is meant to
be replaced by a high-resolution image before
printing.
Duplex Paper Paper with a different color or
finish on each side.
Embossed Finish Paper with a raised or
depressed surface resembling wood, cloth,
leather or other pattern.
Generation Each succeeding stage in
Embossing Impressing an image in relief to
Grain In papermaking, the direction in which
achieve a raised surface; either overprinting or
on blank paper (called blind embossing).
most fibers lie which corresponds with the
direction in which the paper is made on a paper
machine.
reproduction from the original copy.
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) File
format for images or graphics.
Grindoff The 1/8th inch along the spine that
Fanout Distortion of paper on the press due
is ground off of gathered signatures before
perfect binding.
to waviness in the paper caused by absorption
of moisture at the edges of the paper,
particularly across the grain.
Gripper Edge The leading edge of paper as it
Felt Side The smoother side of the paper
Gripper Margin Unprintable blank edge of
for printing. The top side of a sheet in paper
manufacturing.
paper on which grippers bear, usually ½“ or
less.
Finish The surface characteristics of paper
Grippers Metal fingers that clamp on paper
– such as gloss, matte, silk, velvet, satin,
and dull.
and control its flow as it passes through the
press.
passes through a printing press.
14
Glossary of Graphic Arts Terms:
Gutter The blank space or inner margin from
Impression Cylinder The cylinder on a
printing area to binding.
printing press against which the paper picks
up the impression from the blanket in offset
printing (or from the plate in direct printing).
Halftone The reproduction of continuoustone images, through a screening process,
which converts the image into dots of various
sizes and equal spacing between centers (AM
screening) or dots of equal size with variable
spacing between them (FM screening).
JPEG The Joint Photographic Experts Group
was formed to create a standard for color and
gray scale image compression. JPEG describes
a variety of algorithms (rules), each of which is
targeting for a type of image application. JPEG
is the default formats for most digital cameras.
Hard copy A paper printout at 100% size of
digital files. It is usually output on a desktop
laser or inkjet printer.
Kerning In typesetting, subtracting space
between two characters, making them closer
together.
Hard Dot Halftone dot with little or no
fringe and prints with little or no dot gain or
sharpening.
Knockout An area of background color
Hard Proof A proof on paper or other
that has been masked out (knocked out) by a
foreground object and therefore does not print.
substrate as distinguished from a soft proof,
which is an image on a computer or other video
display screen.
Lamination A plastic film bonded by heat
and pressure to a printed sheet for protection
and appearance.
Highlight The lightest or whitest parts
in a photograph represented in a halftone
reproduction by the smallest dots or the
absence of dots.
Layout The drawing or sketch of a proposed
Hi-res High-resolution image, usually 300 to
between two lines of type, measured in points.
printed piece.
Leading (pronounced ledding) The distance
350 dpi.
Letterspacing The placing of additional
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
space between each letter of a word.
The coding language that is used to create
Hypertext documents for use on the World
Wide Web.
Loose color Proof of a halftone or color
separation that is not assembled with other
elements on a page. Also, known as loose or
scatter proof.
Hue The main attribute of a color which
distinguishes it from other colors.
Low-res Low-resolution image, such as 72 or
Imposition The positioning of pages on a
100 dpi.
signature so that after printing, folding and
cutting all pages appear in proper sequence.
Makeready All work done to set up a press
for printing.
15
Glossary of Graphic Arts Terms:
Mark-up Instructions written on a hard-copy
Perfecting Press A printing press that prints
printout.
both sides of the paper in one pass.
Match color A custom-blended ink color that
Pixel Short for “picture element.” A pixel is the
matches a specified color in a color system
such as Pantone®, Toyo® or TruMatch®. It is not
built from a combination of CMYK.
smallest resolvable point of a raster image. It is
the basic unit of digital imaging.
Matte Finish Dull paper finish without gloss
which the plate is mounted.
Plate Cylinder The cylinder of a press on
or lustre.
Platesetter An image recorder which images
Middletones The tonal range between
directly on plate material.
highlights and shadows of a photograph or
reproduction.
PMS (Pantone® Matching System)
Color charts that have over 700 preprinted
color patches of blended inks, used to identify,
display or define special colors.
Moiré The undesirable screen pattern cause
by incorrect screen angles of overprinting
halftones.
Porosity The property of paper that allows
Offset The process of using an intermediate
the permeation of air, an important factor in ink
penetration.
blanket cylinder to transfer an image from the
image carrier to the substrate.
PostScript® A page description language
Opacity That property of paper which
developed by Adobe®® Systems, Inc. to
describe an image for printing. It handles both
text and graphics. A PostScript file is a purely
textbased description of a page.
minimizes the show-through of printing from
the back side or next sheet.
Overprint Printing one ink over another, such
Preflighting The test used to evaluate or
as printing type over a screen tint.
analyze every component needed to produce
a printing job. Preflight confirms the type of
disk being submitted, the color gamut, color
breaks, and any art required (illustrations,
transparencies, reflective photos, etc.) plus
layout files, screen fonts, printer fonts, EPS or
TIFF files, laser proofs, page sizes, print driver,
cropmarks, etc.
Overrun Copies printed in excess of the
specified quantity.
PDF (Portable Document Format)
Adobe®® Systems file format to facilitate
cross-platform viewing of documents in their
original form. PDF is a universal electronic file
format, modeled after the PostScript language
and is device- and resolution-independent.
Documents in the PDF format can be viewed,
navigated and printed from any computer
regardless of the fonts or software programs
used to create the original.
Prepress RIPing files, platemaking, and other
work performed by the printer, separator or
service bureau in preparation for printing.
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Glossary of Graphic Arts Terms:
Press Proof A proof of a color subject
Self Cover A cover of the same paper as the
made on a printing press, in advance of the
production run.
inside text pages.
Serif The short coss-lines at the ends of
Pressure-sensitive Paper Material with an
the main strokes of many letters in some
typefaces.
adhesive coating, protected by a backing sheet
until used.
Set-off When the ink of a printed sheet
Process Colors See CMYK.
rubs off or marks the next sheet as it is being
delivered. Also called offset.
Process Printing The printing from a series
Shadow The darkest parts in a photograph,
of two or more halftone plates to produce
intermediate colors and shade.
represented in a halftone by the largest dot.
Proof Print made from negatives or plates to
Sharpen To decrease in color strength, as
check for errors and flaws, predict results on
press and record how a printing job is intended
to appear when finished.
when halftone dots become smaller; opposite
of dot gain or dot spread.
Raster graphics Computer image made up
of pixels. Photoshop®® is the most common
raster program.
one plate, then turn the sheet over and print
the other side with another plate using the
same gripper and opposite side guide.
Ream Five hundred sheets of paper.
Show-through The undesirable condition
Register Fitting of two or more printing
in which the printing on the reverse side of a
sheet can be seen through the sheet under
normal lighting conditions.
Sheetwise To print one side of a sheet with
image in exact alignment with each other.
Resolution Ability of an input device to
Signature The name given to a printed sheet
record, or an output device to reproduce the
fine detail of an image.
after it has been folded.
Soft Dot Halftone dot with considerable
RGB Red, green and blue – the additive
fringe which causes dot gain or sharpening.
primaries used in monitors. They are not
printing colors.
Source File The original graphic file.
RIP (Raster Image Processor) This
Spiral Binding A book bound with wires
device is designed to interpret PostScript files
and create a document suitable for printing.
in spiral form inserted through holes punched
along the binding side.
Saddle Stitch To fasten to a booklet by
Spot Color or Varnish Specific color or
wiring it through the middle fold of the sheets.
varnish that is applied only to portions of a
sheet.
Score To impress or indent a mark in the
paper to make folding easier.
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Glossary of Graphic Arts Terms:
Stet A proofreader’s mark signifying that copy
Varnish A thin, protective coating applied to a
marked for correction should remain as it was.
printed sheet for protection and appearance.
Stock Paper or other material being printed.
Vellum Finish A toothy finish which is
relatively absorbent for fast ink penetration.
Substrate Any material that can be printed
Vector Graphics Graphics that use
on, such as paper, plastic and fabric.
mathematical calculations to describe lines and
curves. Illustrator®® is the most common vector
program.
TIF or TIFF (Tagged Image File format)
Raster file format used for image placement in
page layout programs. TIFs can sometimes be
tinted and modified in a page layout program
where EPS images cannot.
Vignette An illustration in which the
background fades gradually away until it blends
into the unprinted paper.
Tints Various even tone areas (strengths) of a
Viscosity A broad term encompassing the
solid color.
properties of tack and flow in printing inks.
Tolerances The specification of acceptable
variations in register, density, dot size, plate or
paper thickness, concentration of chemicals
and other printing parameters.
Wire-o Binding A continuous double series
Tooth A characteristic of paper, a slightly
Work-and-tumble To print one side of a
rough finish, which permits it to take ink readily.
sheet, then turn it over from gripper to back
using the same side guide and plate to print.
of wire looks run through punched slots along
the binding side of a booklet.
Trapping In prepress, refers to how much
Work-and-turn To print one side of a sheet,
overprinting colors overlap to eliminate the
white lines between colors in printing.
then turn it over from left to right and print the
second side using the same gripper and plate
but opposite side guide.
Trim Marks Marks placed on the copy to
indicate the edge of the page.
Trim Size The size of the printed piece in its
finished form.
Two-sidedness The property in paper
denoting the difference in appearance and
printability between its top (felt) and bottom
(wire) sides.
UV Coating Liquid applied to a coated sheet,
then bonded and cured with ultraviolet light.
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