Biz Printing USA – Advanced Graphics & Printing Services

Printing Glossary – Terms starting with P

# 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

Page

One side of a leaf in a publication

Page Count

The total number of pages in a book, magazine or publication. Sometimes referred to as the extent.

Page Proof

Proof of type and graphics as they will look on the finished page complete with elements such as headings, rules and folios

Pagination

The numbering of individual pages in a multi-page document

Painted Sheet

Sheet printed with ink edge to edge, as compared to spot color. The painted sheet refers to the final product, not the press sheet, and means that 100 percent coverage results from bleeds off all four sides

Panel

One page of a brochure, such as one panel of a rack brochure. One panel is on one side of the paper. A letter-folded sheet has six panels, not three

Paper Plate

A printing plate made of strong and durable paper in the short run offset arena (cost effective with short runs)

Parallel Fold

Method of folding. Two parallel folds to a sheet will produce 6 panels

Parchment

A hard finished paper that emulates animal skin used for documents, such as awards, that require writing by hand.

Parent sheet

A sheet that is larger than the cut stock of the same paper.

Pasteboard

Chipboard with another paper pasted to it

Paste-up

To paste copy to mounting boards and, if necessary, to overlays so it is assembled into a camera-ready mechanical. The mechanical produced is often called a paste-up

PE

Proofreader mark meaning printer error and showing a mistake by a typesetter, prepress service or printer as compared to an error by the customer

Perf Marks

On a “dummy” marking where the perforation is to occur

Perfect Bind

To bind sheets that have been ground at the spine and are held to the cover by glue. Also called adhesive bind, cut-back bind, glue bind, paper bind, patent bind, perfecting bind, soft bind and soft cover. See also Burst Perfect Bind

Perfect Binding

A binding process where the signatures of a book are held together by a flexible adhesive.

Perfecting press

A printing press that prints on both sides of a sheet in a single pass through the press.

Perforating

Taking place on a press or a binder machine, creating a line of small dotted wholes for the purpose of tearing-off a part of a printed matter (usually straight lines, vertical or horizontal)

Photoengraving

Engraving done using photochemistry

Photomechanical Transfer

Brand name for a diffusion transfer process used to make positive paper prints of line copy and halftones. Often used as alternate term for photostat. Abbreviated PMT

Photostat

Brand name for a diffusion transfer process used to make positive paper prints of line copy and halftones. Often used as alternate term for PMT

Pica

A typesetting unit of measurement equaling 1/6th of an inch.

Picking

An occurrence in printing whereby the tack of ink pulls fibers or coating off the paper surface, leaving spots on the printed surface.

Pickup Art

Artwork, used in a previous job, to be incorporated in a current job

Pin Register

Technique of registering separations, flats and printing plates by using small holes, all of equal diameter, at the edges of both flats and plates

Pinholing

Small holes (unwanted) in printed areas because of a variety of reasons

Pixel

Short for picture element, a dot made by a computer, scanner or other digital device. Also called pel

Planographic Printing

Printing method whose image carriers are level surfaces with inked areas separated from noninked areas by chemical means. Planographic printing includes lithography, offset lithography and spirit duplicating

Plastic comb

A method of binding books whereby holes are drilled on the spine, and a plastic grasping device is inserted to hold the pages together.

Plate

Piece of paper, metal, plastic or rubber carrying an image to be reproduced using a printing press

Platemaker

(1) In quick printing, a process camera that makes plates automatically from mechanicals. (2) In commercial lithography, a machine with a vacuum frame used to expose plates through film

Plate-ready Film

Stripped negatives or positives fully prepared for platemaking

Pleasing Color

Color that the customer considers satisfactory even though it may not precisely match original samples, scenes or objects

PMS

The abbreviation of the Pantone Color Matching System.

PMT

Abbreviation for photomechanical transfer

Point

A measurement unit equal to 1/72 of an inch. 12 points to a pica, 72 points to an inch.

Portrait

A document layout in which the height is greater than the width. (the opposite of Landscape)

Positive Film

Film that prevents light from passing through images, as compared to negative film that allows light to pass through. Also called knockout film

Post Bind

To bind using a screw and post inserted through a hole in a pile of loose sheets

PostScript

A tradename of Adobe Systems, Inc. for its page description language. This language translates a digital file from an application into a language a compatible printer or other device can use to create its output.

Ppi

Pages per inch or pixels per inch.

Premium

Any paper that is considered better than grade #1 by its manufacturer.

Prepress

Camera work, color separations, stripping, platemaking and other prepress functions performed by the printer, separator or a service bureau prior to printing. Also called preparation

Prepress Proof

Any color proof made using ink jet, toner, dyes or overlays, as compared to a press proof printed using ink. Also called dry proof and off-press proof

Preprint

To print portions of sheets that will be used for later imprinting

Press Check

When a client visits a printing company to view actual printed sheets of their project before a full production press run is started.

Press Proof

Printed sample made on the press that a project will be printed on to show exactly how it will actually print using the paper, ink and plates to be used for the final press run.

Press Time

(1) Amount of time that one printing job spends on press, including time required for makeready. (2) Time of day at which a printing job goes on press

Pressure-sensitive

Self-adhesive paper covered by a backing sheet.

Price Break

Quantity at which unit cost of paper or printing drops

Printer Pairs

Usually in the book arena, consecutive pages as they appear on a flat or signature

Printer Spreads

Mechanicals made so they are imposed for printing, as compared to reader spreads

Printing

Any process that transfers to paper or another substrate an image from an original such as a film negative or positive, electronic memory, stencil, die or plate

Printing Plate

Surface carrying an image to be printed. Quick printing uses paper or plastic plates; letterpress, engraving and commercial lithography use metal plates; flexography uses rubber or soft plastic plates. Gravure printing uses a cylinder. The screen printing is also called a plate

Printing Unit

Assembly of fountain, rollers and cylinders that will print one ink color. Also called color station, deck, ink station, printer, station and tower

Process Camera

Camera used to photograph mechanicals and other camera-ready copy. Also called copy, camera and graphic arts camera. A small, simple process camera may be called a stat camera

Process Color (Inks)

The colors used for four-color process printing: yellow, magenta, cyan and black

Process printing

A system where a color image is separated into different color values (cyan, magenta, yellow and black or CMYK) by the use of filters and screens or digitally with a software program and then transferred to printing plates and printed on a printing press, reproducing the original color image.

Production Run

Press run intended to manufacture products as specified, as compared to makeready

Progressive proofs

Any proofs made from the separate colors of a multi-color printing project.

Proof

Test sheet made to reveal errors or flaws, predict results on press and record how a printing job is intended to appear when finished

Proofreader Marks

Standard symbols and abbreviations used to mark up manuscripts and proofs. Also called correction marks

Proportion Scale

Round device used to calculate percent that an original image must by reduced or enlarged to yield a specific reproduction size. Also called percentage wheel, proportion dial, proportion wheel and scaling wheel

Publishing Paper

Paper made in weights, colors and surfaces suited to books, magazines, catalogs and free-standing inserts