Text, graphics and illustrations arranged individually or in any combination for subsequent printing. Artwork will normally be computer-originated, in which case it will be supplied as an electronic file.

Changes made by the customer, usually at the proofing stage.

ISO International sizes intended primarily for posters, wall charts and similar items where difference in size of the larger sheets in the A series represents too large a gap. B sizes are also used for our printing services to print B sized finished work (e.g. a B5 booklet), or a bespoke size where the job fits more economically onto a B sized sheet than an SRA sheet size.

To print on the reverse of a sheet which has already been printed on one side

Where the image to be printed extends (usually by 3mm) over the crop marks. This makes trimming easier and means the finished documents will run to the edges, rather than having unsightly white paper showing.

A type of finishing where the design or text is only visible as a raised area on the paper/ board.

Where a design is stamped into the paper/board, usually in a metallic foil.

Uncoated paper often used for stationery.

Thickness of paper measured in Microns, as opposed to the weight

Abbreviation of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. These make up the standard 4 colour process used for printing in full colour.

Paper which has a coating on one or both sides. This can have a gloss or silk (matt) finish. Coated papers are used for the majority of printed products. Coated materials can have a different number of coatings. The more coatings, the better quality material is produced.

Where a line is scored to allow for easier and tidier folding. We score any board over 170gsm, as this helps us prevent cracking on the fold.

These should be set up in the artwork, lines marking where the paper is to be trimmed after printing.

Where an irregular shape is cut from the paper instead of trimming square edges.

Dots per inch, or the image resolution. For print, all images in a document should always be a minimum of 300dpi

Where holes are drilled. This is essentially hole punching but on a larger scale.

A mock-up of the finished product. This can be printed or unprinted, depending on the purpose.

Where designs are pressed in to the paper to leave a raised effect

Where printed material is fully enclosed and sealed in plastic. This leaves a small, clear plastic border around the sheet where it is sealed.

Paper sizes used for envelopes. These correspond to A-sizes for exaample a C4 envelope will hold A4 sheets.

C3 – 324 x 458 mm

C4 – 229 x 324 mm

C5 – 162 x 229 mm

C6 – 114 x 162 mm

DL – 110 x 220 mm 

The size a finished product once trimmed and folded

After trimming, the size before folding or finishing.

The process of applying foil to paper or card through the combination of pressure and heat

There are a large number of different folding options.

• Concertina (Z fold)
• Cross Fold
• Gate fold
• Roll fold
• Simple Fold (In half)

Colour printing by means of the four colours yellows, magenta, cyan and black.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC.org) is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organisation established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.

Printing in CMYK, as opposed to using spot colours.

The direction of the fibres of paper, It is easier to fold with the grain.

These papers have a smooth surface and a high shine.

Abbreviation of grams per square metre. A method of indicating the thickness of papers & boards.

The pages of the artwork are arranged such that after printing, cutting and folding, the pages will be in the correct order.

A non-impact printing process in which droplets of ink are projected onto materials.

A piece of paper or card laid between the leaves of a book and not secured

To die-cut the top layer but not the backing of a two layered sticker/label.

Where a plastic film is fixed to one or both sides of the paper. It acts as a protective barrier if the print needs to be more durable.

Where a document is oriented so the long edges are at the top and bottom

The most popular print process, a metal plate is treated so that the image area attracts the ink, while the wet non-image areas resist them.

All work associated with setting up the print press and finishing equipment before production.

The term applied to copy, which is to be reproduced.

One side of a sheet of paper. For example an A4 sheet has 2 pages.

Pantone is a standard, for colour reproduction to meet a specifications, control and quality requirement.

Abbreviation of Portable Document Format. A universal file format which combines images and text.

Where pages are glued into the cover with a square back spine.

Where a document is oriented so the long edges are on either side.

A Page Description Language (PDL) developed by Adobe, which describes the contents and layout of a page.

A version of a document produced specifically for the purpose of review and approval.

The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy a given need.

Where a document is wire stitched on the spine. This can also be known as stapled.

This helps prevent set off and is a coating applied over the print.

A folded sheet of paper forming part of a book.

Where the cover and text pages are on the same paper stock

Silk papers have a low surface shine, a smooth finish, but not glossy.

A sheet-fed printing press uses individual sheets.

Refers to solid colours which are found in commercially obtainable colour ranges such as Pantone®, these are mostly used in addition to CMYK where CMYK is not available e.g. Printing gold or silver. When using Pantone colours, it is worth bearing in mind for future jobs that should you want to print in CMYK, the chosen Pantone® may not have a suitable CMYK equivalent, which may in turn lead to the expense of using additional plates.

Method of packing printed products by surrounding them with plastic.

To stitch through the side from front to back at the binding edge with thread or wire.

A high gloss finish applied to specific areas of print. This differs from gloss laminating which has to cover the whole sheet.

Tagged Image File Format, a file format for exchanging bitmapped images between applications.

Tagged Image File Format, a file format for exchanging bitmapped images between applications

Paper which has not been coated.

Litho printing using UV cured inks, which are instantly dried. This allows printing on a range of substrates including polyprop, pvc, mirriboard and window cling.

To apply a varnish to printed products to enhance there appearance.

This is a fully made up, printed proof. The same machine and materials will be used as for the finished product.