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Glossary of some printing & publishing terms & abbreviations

 A 
 B 
 C 
D & E
F & G
H, I, J & K
L & M
N & O
P & Q
 R 
 S 
 T 
U & V
W, X, Y & Z
Glossary of WWW technical terms
If you can't find it here, check the acronyms or Glossary of technical terms

"Dictionaries are like watches: The worst is better than none, and the best cannot be expected to go quite right." Dr Johnson

A

A series; A system of paper sizes
AA  AC; author's alteration /correction
A/W; abbreviation for artwork
Accordion fold; parallel folds which open like an accordion (aka concertina fold)
Acetate; transparent plastic sheet with images, sometimes in layers or placed over artwork to protect and allow designer to write instructions
Acknowledgements; part of the prelim pages where thanks and special permissions are recognised
Acid-free; paper resists yellowing from age, made from pulp containing little or no acid
Addendum; additional material normally printed at the start of main text
Additive Colour; adds the primary colours red, blue and green
Advance; Money paid to the writer to allow them to live while the book is written and published but offset against the royalties the book will earn
Advanced copies; books sent by printer or publisher before publication date
ADSL the domestic, high-speed data link
Against the grain; at right angles to the grain of the paper
Agent, Agency; person or organisation representing authors and selling their work
Airbrush; paint is applied in a fine mist with compressed air
Align; to line up type or graphics
All up; a term to denote that all text has been set
Alteration; Change in copy or specifications implying it is after production has begun
Ampersand; is the & sign
Angle brackets; are the <> characters
Annotate; Provide additional comments or explanations to a text
Apostrophe; In English it has two main functions- 1: marks omissions 2: assists in marking the possessives of all nouns and many pronouns
Appendix, appendices; Supplementary material to a text which is inserted as a section at the end of the main text
Aqueous; any water-based product
Arabic numerals; 0123456789 (ie not Roman numerals i,ii etc)
Art paper; smooth, coated paper
Artwork; original photos and illustrations including copy
Ascender; part of lower case letter above the upper half of the vertical in letters such as b or d
ASCII; American Standard Code for Information Interchange - the digital representations of letters and symbols - with numerous national variations so this is a non-standard standard
Autobiography; A person's life story written by the person themself
Author's Alterations (AA)
Author's copies; Complimentary copies given to an author on publication - normally 6!
Authors corrections (AC); at proofing stage
Index

B

B series; set of paper sizes for chart and posters
Back lining; A strip of paper, linen or gauze glued to the spine of a traditionally bound book to give strength
Backing up; to print the second side of printed sheet possibly aligned back-to-back
Backlist; Books in a publisher's catalogue that are not being actively promoted but are still in print and available
Balloon; a circle or bubble enclosing copy in an illustration
Banding; packaging using rubber or paper bands to bind
Banner; title extending across page width
Bar code; Machine readable code printed on products
Base artwork; requires additions such as halftones before printing
Baseline; for the bases of letters
Basis/Basic Size/Weight; (mainly North America) in pounds of a ream of paper cut to the basic size. Europe uses ISO paper sizes
Bed; the base on which the paper is held in a press
Bind/Binding; join leafs or signatures with stitching, glue etc
Bleed; layout that extends beyond the trim marks on a page; pictures ‘bleed’if they go to the edge of the page which is often intentional
Blind Folio; an unprinted page
Block; bound pages of a book
Block out; Mask part of a picture
Blog: Diary-style personal website
Blow up; an enlargement
Blueline; marks with special pencil on proof that do not show up on printing plates
Blurb; a short description of a book/author on a book jacket
Board; paper generally more than 200gsm
Body size; the height of the type normally measures in points
Body; or body text; main text not including the headlines
BOGOFF; Buy One Get One For Free
Boiler Plate; repetitive type similar to a template
Bond paper; durable high-quality paper grade used for letters and legal forms
Bookland; A mythical land that allows a 10 bit isbn to be transformed into on with the European Article Numbering (EAN) 13 digits. The 'national' prefix is 978 + ISBN
Bookplate; A label pasted inside the cover possibly with the owner's name
Book Block; trimmed pages before a cover is added
Border; design surrounding printing on a page
Bounce; repeating registration problem
Breve; a curved phonetic mark ˘ to indicate a short vowel 
Bristol board; a board for drawing
Broadside; printed on one side of a large sheet of paper
Bromide; a photographic print normally part of plate making
Bulk; measure of thickness of paper in thousandths of an inch or number of pages per inch
Bullet; a large dot preceding text
Burn; make a permanent copy of a digital file on CD
By-line; the name of the writer or photographer printed with a magazine or newspaper article
Index

C

C1S and C2S; coated one side and coated two sides
Calender /Calendered; roll paper surface smooth by pressing during manufacture
Calligraphy; Fine or ornamental handwriting
Calliper; paper thickness
Camera ready copy or CRC; artwork pasted up ready for reproduction
Cap line; an imaginary line across the top of capital letters
Caps; an abbreviation for capital letters
Caption; text identifying a picture or illustration
Caret marks; mark-up pointer for the printer indicating an omission awaiting an insertion or correction
Cartridge; a thick paper used for printing, drawing or wrapping
Case Bind; also cloth bind or hard cover Bind using glue to a board cover
Cast off; a typographic calculation to work out the space copy will take
Catch line; a temporary headline to identify proof
Centred point; a dot that is raised from the line and used for currency
Chalking; deterioration of a printed image caused if ink absorbs into paper too fast or has long exposure to sun making image look dusty. Also called crocking
Character count; the number of characters; i.e. letters, figures, signs or spaces in a piece of copy
Chase; a metal frame in which metal type and engraved blocks are locked to make a page
Chrome; a term to measure colour transparency or saturation
Chromalin; colour photo used to check accuracy of colours by printers
CIP; Catalogue in Publication data operated by British Library and Library of Congress.
Close up; a proof correction mark to reduce the amount of space between characters or words indicated as (')
CMYK; abbreviation for cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), the four process colours
Coated paper; printing papers surface coated with clay for a smoother finish
Co-Edition; Co-publishing; A work published simultaneously by separate publishers in different formats or language markets
Collate; organize printed matter in the order specified
Colour Balance; amounts of the colours required
Colour bar or guide; quality control spots of ink on the edge of a sheet
Colour Blanks; sheets with photos or illustrations, but without type
Colour Cast; unwanted colour in an image
Colour Correct; adjust the process colours to achieve desirable colours
Colour Separation; process to divide continuous-tone colour images into four half-tone negatives
Colour Sequence; order in which inks are printed, also called rotation
Column inch; a column inch is one column wide by one inch deep and used to measure area in newspapers (to calculate the cost of display advertising)
Column rule; a light vertical line used to separate columns of type
Comb bind; bind by inserting the teeth of a flexible plastic comb through holes punched along the edge of a stack of paper
Commercial A; the @ sign (aka the at-each cost)
Compose; to set copy into type
Composite film; Combining two or more images on one or more pieces of film
Compositor; person who sets type (typographer in US)
Concertina fold; a method of folding giving a concertina or pleated effect
Condensed; a style of typeface in which the characters have an elongated appearance
Condition; storing paper to allow moisture content and temperature to reach that of the production area
Continuous-tone; photographs and illustrations with shades rather than dots
Contrast; a measure of tones in an image ranging from light to dark
Copy; all material used in the production of a printed product
Copyright; protection to the originator of material to prevent use without their permission
Corner marks; marks printed on a sheet to indicate the trim or register marks
Cover Paper; thick paper used for products such as posters and covers of paperbacks
Cover Parts;  1-outside front, 2-inside front, 3-inside back, 4-outside back
Coverage; extent to which ink covers usually expressed as light, medium or heavy
CPI; Characters per inch
CPL; Characters per line
CPS; Characters per second as a measure of a line printer
CRC; camera ready copy
Creep; unwelcome habit of middle pages to stick out or margins to move. Shingling is the solution
Crimping; punctures holding business forms together
Crop marks; printed lines showing where to trim a printed sheet
Crop; cut off parts of a picture or image
Cropping; cut parts of an image not required
Cross head; like a headline but set in the body of the text
Crossover; artwork that continues from one page of a book or magazine across the gutter
Cure; dry inks or coatings after printing sometimes with heat
Cursive; a typefaces that resembles hand writing
Cut flush; a method of trimming a book after the cover has been attached
Cutting Die; trims or marks paper
Cyan; blue - one of four standard process colours
Index

D & E

Dagger and double dagger; symbols used as reference marks for footnotes
Data Compression; technique of reducing the amount of storage required to hold a digital file to reduce the disk space the file requires and allows work to be processed or transmitted more quickly
Deckle Edge; of paper left ragged as it comes from the papermaking machine. Also called feather edge.
Defamation; (also called vilification, slander, and libel) starts with the communication of a statement that makes a false claim ...read on
Depository; Use now to mean a web-based location for material. Often called a Subject Depository as they tend to be based around certain disciplines. (See self-archiving)
Descender; the part of a lower case letter that extends below the line
Desk Copy; a copy requested by an education institution with a view to adopting the title for a course - The desk copy is the copy used by the department.
Diacritic; small sign added to a letter to alter pronunciation
Diazo; light sensitive diazonium coating used for making printing plates
Die; a device for cutting, scoring and embossing
Display type; larger type normally 18 point or larger
DOI; digital object identifier - actionable id part of metadata
Dot Gain, Growth or Spread; halftone dots spread on the paper reducing detail and contrast
Dot; the basic element of halftones
Dots-per-inch; measure of resolution Abbreviated DPI
Double Bump; print twice to give two layers of ink
Double page spread or DPS; textual material on the left hand side continues across to the right hand side
DPI; dots per square inch, a measure of resolution for monitors, printers and scanners, typically 60, 300 and 1200 respectively
DRM; Digital Rights Management provides the software locks put on information distributed digitally to prevent unauthorised distribution
Drop cap; a large initial letter at the start of the text that drops into the line or lines of text below
Drop-out; part of artwork that does not print
Dummy; A mock-up of the layout at finished size
Earning out; Enough copies of the book are sold so that the agreed royalties cover the amount of the publishers advance
Em; a square unit with edges equal to the chosen point size, named from the letter M which was the widest letter
Emboss; an image pressed into paper to create a relief
Encapsulated; PostScript computer file with images and PostScript commands - EPS  format
End pages; material after the main text
End papers/sheets; the four pages at the front and back of a book pasted to the cover boards
Engraving; printing method using a plate, also called a die, with an image cut into its surface
EP; abbreviation for envelope
Escalators; Bonuses paid to the author based on the work meeting certain goals set out in the writer's contract
Etch; an image cut into metal, glass or film by abrasive chemicals
Eurobind; A patented method of binding perfect bound books so they will stay open
Extent; page count in a book
 
Index

F & G

Face; an abbreviation for typeface
Fast Colour; inks that resist fading
Fine Screen; ruling of 150 lines per inch or more
Flats; diagram showing imposition and colours for plate making
Flood; To cover a printed page with ink, varnish, or plastic coating
Flop; The reverse side of an image
Flush left; copy aligned to left margin
Flush right; copy aligned to right margin
Flyer; cheaply produced circular for promotional distribution
Flyleaf Leaf; side of the end paper not glued to the case at the front and back of a casebound book
Foil blocking/emboss/stamping; a process for stamping a design on a book cover without ink by using a coloured foil with pressure from a heated die or block
Foldout/Gatefold; sheet bound into a publication, often used for a map or chart
Folio (page number); actual page number in a publication
Font (or fount); a set of characters in a typeface
Form letter; a letter template in which the address and other details can be semi-automatically inserted by a word processor
Form; type and blocks assembled in pages in a metal chase for printing
Format fee; payable as a part of an option if the idea or concept of a work is re-used
Four colour process; printing in full colour using four colour separation negatives; yellow, magenta, cyan and black
Foxed; book pages discoloured with brownish marks
French fold; two folds at right angles to each other fold to form a four page uncut section
Full measure; a line set to the entire line length
Full point; a full stop
Galley proof; copy of text for checking before it is finally assembled for print run
Galleys; the long metal trays used to hold type after it has been set and before the press run
Glossary; A word list. The etymology from the Greek means 'to make stand out'.
Gatefold; fold-ins for oversize pages such as maps in a book
Gathering; the operation of inserting the printed pages, sections or signatures of a book in the correct order for binding
GEM; Digital Research's Graphics Environment Manager
General Publishing, also referred to as trade publishing; publishing intended for the general consumer market
Generation; first generation of original copy should yield the best quality
Ghosting; Image appears too light because of ink starvation or a faint printed image that appears where it was not
Ghost-writing; writing a book, often an 'autobiography' for someone else
Gilding; gold leaf on the page edges
Gloss; A shiny look reflecting light which is achieved with ink that dries without penetration
Glyph; A symbol or stylised figure, such as an arrow, that imparts information nonverbally
Golden ratio; proportion of height to width thought to produce the most pleasing result 1;1618
Gothic; typefaces with no serifs and broad even strokes
Grain Direction; direction of fibres in paper
Granularity; a property of data which allows it to be incorporated in a way determined by the user 
Grammage; weight of paper in grams per square meter (gsm)
Graphic Arts Film; emulsion which yields high contrast images (also litho film and repro film)
Gravure; a rotary printing process using an etched metal plate
Grey Balance; Printed cyan, magenta and yellow halftone dots that reproduce a neutral grey
Green box; Returned stock for restocking (see red box)
Grey scale; range of luminance values from white to black
Grind off; approximately 3 mm of spine ground off before perfect binding
Gripper Edge; of a sheet held by grippers on a sheet-fed press
Grippers; metal pins on a printing press that move the paper through the press
GSM; Grams per square metre
Gutter; in newsprint, central blank area between left and right pages. With books, the inside margins toward the binding edge
Index

H I J & K

Hairline; A very thin line or gap
Half-tone Screen;  piece of film or glass covered in parallel lines. Two screens placed approximately at right angles break the image below into dots
Half-tone; technique of breaking original tone into a pattern of dots of varying size. Light areas have small dots and dark areas have large dots
Halo Effect; faint shadow around half-tone dots printed. Also called halation or fringe
Hanging punctuation; punctuation outside the margins of the text
Hard copy; output of a computer printer as compared to digital data on a disk
Head(er); the margin at the top of a page
Helvetica; a sans serif typeface
Hickey; unplanned spots that appear during printing due to dust
Highlight; lightest areas in a picture compared to midtones and shadows
HLS; abbreviation for hue, lightness, saturation in graphic software
House style; copy editing rules for spelling, punctuation, etc used in a publishing house or publication
Hue; specific colour such as yellow or green
Icons; pictorial images used on screen to indicate function in software
Image area; part of paper which can be printed
Imposition; positioning of pages so they will be in order when page is folded and cut
Impression; another word for printing but colour images take multiple impressions
Impression; putting an image on paper
Imprint; (noun) the name and place of the publisher and printer normally required by law (verb) add print on a previously printed sheet
Ink Balance; relationship of the densities and dot gains of process inks to each other and to a standard density of neutral grey
Ink Jet; printing by spraying droplets of ink
Intaglio; printing method with two levels- gravure and engraving are examples of intaglio
International paper sizes; ISO paper sizes based on A, B and C series A is for printing and stationery, B for posters and C for envelopes
ISBN; International Standard Book Number
ISTC; International Standard Text Code
Italic; type with sloping letters
Ivory board; a smooth board used for business cards
Job Lot; discounted paper possibly not of first quality
Jogger; vibration machine to stack printed materials evenly
Justify; alignment of text with both margins
K (Kilobyte); 1024 bytes, a binary 1,000 Abbreviation for black in four-colour process printing in CMYK
Kerning; adjustment of spacing between certain letter pairs
Keyline; an outline drawn on artwork showing position of an illustration
Kill fee; payment due to a writer if they do not get the right to adapt their work as a script
Knock out; mask out an image
Kraft paper; a tough brown paper used for wrapping and packing
Index

L & M

Laid finish; implies simulating the surface of handmade paper
Laid; paper with a watermark pattern showing the wire marks used in paper making
Laminate; a thin transparent plastic coating applied to paper providing protection or accent colour
Landscape; format in which width is greater than height. Portrait is opposite
Lap Register; ink colours overlap slightly compared with butt register
Laser printer; high quality image printing using a laser beam to transfer dry powder to paper
Lateral reversal; image transposed left to right as a reflection of the original
Lay Edge; the edge of a sheet of paper feeding into a press
Lay Flat Bind; perfect binding that allows a publication to lie fully open
Layout; a sketch of a page with instructions
Lead or Leading; originally strips of lead inserted between lines of metal type added between lines of type to space them
Leaf; sheet of paper
Legend; caption below an illustration or directions about a how to position an illustration
Letraset; a proprietary name for dry transfer lettering used in artwork
Letter fold; two folds creating three panels. Also called barrel fold
Letterpress; uses raised image to produce an impression by pressing paper against the inked surface
Library picture; picture not specially commissioned, available normally for a fee
Ligature; letters joined to a single bit of type; connecting stroke in handwriting
Line copy; high contrast copy i.e. not half-tone
Linen Finish; cloth pattern visible on paper surface
Lines per inch; rows of dots per inch (in a halftone)
Linotype; manufacturer of phototypesetting machines
Literary Agent, Literary Agency; person or organisation representing authors and selling their work
Lithography; printing process where printing area will accept oil based inks while rest is water coated
Loose leaf; method of binding which allows the insertion and removal of pages
Loupe; A magnifying glass
Low Key; details in shadow
Lower case; small letters
M Weight; weight of 1,000 sheets of paper in any specific size
Magenta; Process red, one of the 4 process colours
Magnetic ink; machine readable, still used on cheques
Manilla; tough brown paper
Manuscript (ms); the original handwritten or typewritten work
Margins; non printing areas
Mark up; copy prepared with typesetting instructions
Mask; Block light from parts of a printing plate
Masthead; details of publisher
Matt art; a coated printing paper with a dull surface
Matt finish; non-glossy paper or ink finish
Mechanical Bind; using a wire or plastic comb or coil through holes drilled in the bound edge
Mechanical separation; overlays for each colour
Mechanical tint; a pre-printed sheet of dots, lines or patterns
Mechanical; camera ready art
Metadata; Information attached to digital data to enhance its searchability, but not normally displayed
MG (machine glaze); high gloss finish on one side
Middle/mid-tones; in a photograph that are approximately half as dark as the shadow area
Midlist; term used in publishing to denote books which are neither lead titles nor genre fiction
Mnemonic; can never remember what this means
Mock-up; the rough visual for a design
Modern; type styles dating from end of the 19th century such as Times Roman
Moiré pattern; normally undesirable pattern when halftones are made with inappropriately aligned screens
Monospace; a font where all characters occupy the same width
Montage; an assemblage of several images
MS (Manuscript); original written or typewritten work
Multicolour Printing; colour printing that is not the four-colour process
Index

N & O

Neutral; Greys without a colour hue
News Print; low quality, absorbent paper used for newspapers
Newton Ring; flaw caused by dust that produce rainbow rings
Nipping; a stage in book binding where sheets are pressed to expel air at the sewing stage
Non-impact Printing; uses lasers or ink jet to transfer images to paper
Non-reproducing blue; a blue colour that can be filtered from the camera & used to mark up artwork and in TV to superimpose images
OCR (Optical Character Recognition); converts a scanned image into the digital codes that can be edited in a computer
Offprint; a reprint of an article previously published in a magazine
Opacity; amount of show-through on a printed sheet
Opaque; to cover flaws in negative
Oprah effect; boost to sales from exposure on a high profile TV show
Option; the negotiated right of assignment for plot, characters or place in a book
Orphan; part of a paragraph on its own at the top or bottom of a page
Orthography; method of representing a language, or the sounds of language, in written symbols; also study of spelling
Ostracon (pl Ostraca); inscribed pottery
Over Run; additional print run beyond order
Overlay; acetate overlays with separate colours and type
Overprint; print one image over a previously printed image
Overs; additional printing to compensate for spoilage
Ozalid; a trade name describes a method of copying page proofs from paper or film
Index

P & Q

Page Count; total number of pages including blank pages
Page Printer; produce a complete page rather than a line
Page Proof; stage following galley proofs where type and sometimes graphics are laid out as they will look on the finished page
Pagination; the numbering of pages in a book
Pantone; a registered name for an ink colour matching system
Papyrus; Writing material made from layers, beaten stem of the plant
Parallel fold; two parallel folds to produce six panels
Paste up; elements mounted as camera-ready artwork
Pattern carbon; special carbon paper incorporated in multi-part business forms to transfer only certain areas of impact printing
PDF (Page Description Format); popular format for Adobe Acrobat reader for text and graphic material
PDL (Page Description Language); a programming language which enables text and graphics to be described in mathematical statements such as PostScript and DDL
PE; proof reader mark meaning printer error, compared to an error by the customer
Perfect Bind; bind sheets and cover with glue, common for paperback books
Pica; Unit of measure in typesetting One pica = 1/6 inch
Pin Register; used to align film to plates to press and ensures proper registration
Pinholing; unwanted holes in printed areas
Plate; paper, plastic or metal carrying an image to printing press
Point; a unit of thickness for paper, (1/1000 inch); for typesetting a unit of type height (1/72 inch or 1/12 pica)
Portrait; an upright image or page where the height is greater than the width and the opposite of Landscape layout
Pre-print; The stage between an article or books acceptance and its publication
PostScript; a page description language developed by Adobe Systems
Primary colours; cyan, magenta and yellow which mix to produce black or other colours
Process blue; blue or cyan colour in process printing
Process colours; cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow and black
Proof correction marks; a standard set of signs and symbols in the margin to indicate any corrections on proofs
Proof; a copy to check printing
Proportional spacing; each character has varying width
Pulp; the raw wood chips, rags or other fibres used for paper making
Quarto; sheet folded twice making an 8-page signature traditionally measuring about 9x12 inches
Quire; 1/20th of a ream (25 sheets)
QSOS; methodology for assessing open source software
Index

R

Rag paper; quality stationery made from cotton rags
Ragged left; type justified to the right margin with line lengths varying on the left
Ragged right; type justified to left margin
Ranged left/right; type aligned to left or right margin
Ream; 500 sheets of paper
Recto; right-hand page of an open book - The normal side to start a story or chapter
Red box; Book returns designed for recycling (see green box)
Reference marks; symbols in text linked to a footnote
Register marks; cross-hairs used to position film, plates or paper correctly
Register; correct positioning of an image
Resolution; measurement used to express image quality. Measured in dots per inch
Retouching; altering artwork to correct or improve an image
Reverse out; reproduce as white on solid background
Review copy; sent to the media and people with the hope that they will publish a review or promote the book (see also Desk copy)
Revise; as in first revise, second revise indicates the stages of corrections
RGB; red, green, blue - the additive colour primaries
RIP (Rest in Proportion); artwork to be enlarged or reduced in proportion to an image or text
Rip film; method of making print negatives from PostScript files from DTP
Roman; type-face
Rough; preliminary sketch
Royal; printing paper 20in x 25in (508 x 635mm) and also popular book size
RRP; Recommended Retail Price
Rule Line; used to separate or organize copy
Run; time taken to produce a given quantity of books and often taken to mean the quantity
Run on; copies printed beyond the specified number, perhaps to be sold at a much lower price
Running head or footer; a line of type at the top of a page which repeats a heading
Index

S

S/S; (Same size)
Saddle Stitch; bind by stapling sheets together in the seam where it folds
Sans serif; a typeface that has no small strokes at the end of main stroke of the character
SC (Super calendered) paper; paper with a polished appearance
Scaling; calculating enlargement or reduction to accommodate an image in a design
Self-archive; is a deposit for digital documents
Semantic web; is being developed to all different data sets to relate to each other
Semiotic; relating to signs and symbols
SEO; (Search Engine Optimisations) or the theory of how to raise your profile with search engines
Social networking; Uses special sites to allow users to create a profile and form communities. examples are Facebook, MySpace, Delicious
Score; crease paper along a straight line to fold accurately
SCORM; sharable content object reference model is a standard for tagging training material to allow users to access it in their own way
Screen Printing; method of forcing ink through mesh of fabric to print an image
Script; the dialogue and instructions for a play or film
Section mark ( ); a character used at the beginning of a new section
Section; a printed sheet folded to make a multiple of pages
Security paper; paper incorporating watermarks etc
Self Mailer; printed item which can be mailed without envelope
Separations; separate films with images for each print colour
Serif; a small cross stroke at the end of the main stroke of the letter
Set off; unintentional transfer of wet ink image to the back of next sheet
Shade; is made darker by the addition of black - not the same as tint
Shadows; darkest areas of an image
Sheet fed; a printing press which prints single sheets of paper, not rolls
Shingling; allowance to compensate for creep
Show-through; image that can be seen on the other side of paper
Side stitch; staple sheets along, one edge
Signature; sheets of pages which when folded become a part of a book. Formerly indicated by a letter to assist correct assembly
Size; compound based on starch added to reduce absorbency
Size (as in quantity);
Unit Relationship Sheets
1 quire   24 
1 ream 20 quire 480
1 bundle 2 ream 960
1 dozen   12
1 gross 12 dozen 144
1 great gross 12 gross 1,728
Skid; printers pallet
Slurring; smearing of the image
Slush-pile; informal term used to describe unsolicited submissions
Small caps; capital letters of equal size type to the lower case letters
Solid; area  with 100% ink coverage
Spine; back or binding edge of a book or publication
Spiral Bind; continuous wire or plastic looped through holes punched along bound edge
Spoilage; anticipated paper waste during printing
Spot Colour; ink applied to just part of a sheet
Spread; open page size of a book
STM; scientific, technical and medical
Stet; proof correction cancels a correction i.e. let the original copy stand
Stock; material, normally paper, to be printed
Strap-line; subheading used above the main headline in a newspaper
Stenography; a method for the rapid recording of words using symbols for common sounds or letter combinations. (shorthand)
Strip; positioning film for plate making
Subscript; small characters set below the normal letters
Substrate; any surface on which printing is done
Subtractive colours; also known as 'process colours' which with black are the inks used in colour-process printing - yellow, magenta and cyan
Superscript; small characters set above the normal letters
Surprint; re-printing again on the same substrate
Swatch; a colour sample
Index

T

TAC (Total Area Coverage); percentages of coverage in the final film
Template; standard layout with basic page and layout dimensions
Thermography; resin heated to produce raised printing
Thumbnails; sketches, or small versions, of an image
Tied letters; letters joined to a single bit of type
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format); format for digital information
Tints; shade of a colour
Tip in; insertion of an extra page in a book after the normal process
Tissue overlay; transparent paper for protection of artwork
Tone; colour or shade printed onto page
Trade Publishing; term used inside publishing for publishing intended for the general consumer market
Transparency; photograph or picture which can be viewed by transmitted light
Trap; print one ink over another
Trim marks; register marks where to trim sheet
Trim Size; finished size
Trim; cut product to the finished size
Typeface; the raised surface carrying the image of a type character cast in metal. Also used to refer to a complete set of characters forming a family in a particular design or style
Typescript; a typed manuscript but still a manuscript
Typo; typographical error
Typographer; a designer of printed matter
Typography; planning printed material
Index

U & V

uc/lc; upper/lower case
UCC; Universal Copyright Convention
Under-run; print fewer copies than ordered
Unical: modification of the squared-capital form of manuscript writing which introducing curves (from about 4 BCE).
Up; multiple images printed in one impression on a single sheet
USP; Unique Selling Point is a feature that makes something such as a book 'special'
UV coating; laminate cured with ultraviolet light
Varnish; clear liquid applied after printing for glossy appearance and protection
Vellum; treated skin of a calf used as an ancient paper (still used in the UK Parliament for Parliamentary Acts) but generally used to describe a thick, rough book paper
Verso; left-hand page of an open book
Vignette; design or illustration that fades to white so has no border
VOC; volatile organic compounds
Index

W X Y & Z

Watermark; design created inside paper surface during manufacture
Web Gain; stretching of paper
Web press; type of press that uses rolls of paper rather than pages
Web; roll of printing paper
Weight; measure of paper thickness and boldness of a font
Wet Trap; print or varnish over wet ink
wf; correcting proofs to indicates wrong font
Widget; piece of code that can be installed in another HTML site
Widow; a few words left on the last line of a paragraph which falls on a new page
Wire mesh; used at the wet end of the paper making process
Woodfree; special paper made without wood pulp
Word wrap; adjustment of the words on a line to match the margins
Work and tumble; one side printed then turned to print the second side
Work and turn; two images printed on the same sheet which is cut to produce two copies
Wove paper; a finely textured paper without visible wire marks
Wrong Reading; image or text that is flipped or reversed
WYSIWYG; what-you-see-is-what-you-get
Xerography; the Xerox photocopying process using an electrostatic charge to attract powder to a rotating drum which is then sealed by heat

If you can't find it here, check the acronyms or Glossary of technical terms and there are publishing terms

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