Whenever you work within a new industry, the jargon can make you feel like you've entered a foreign country. The printing industry has its own language, with some terms that sound like a word you know, but mean something totally different. Here are eight print terms you should know to start:
"Scoring paper" is a way of preparing a sheet of paper so that it folds cleanly, without cracking. A crease-line or "score" is pressed into the paper at its folding point usually with a metal die. Single sheets or small quantities can be scored by hand.
Die cutting is a process where flat materials like paper or cardboard are cut or distorted by a sharp metal edge being pressed into the stock to cut or shape it in a specific way. A die is the metal plate that acts like a cookie cutter to shape a printed piece.
The most common reasons for die cutting are trimming to a specific shape, adding perforations to promote ideal tearing locations, and scoring the material to control where things fold. All of these give the creator the ability to get the printed piece to function the way it was intended it to. Learn more about die cutting.
When you send a job to a printer, always ask for a proof if one is not already supplied. This is your time to take one last look to make sure that it’s exactly what you envisioned. This is your "last chance" to check size, color, copy, image resolution, pagination and folds. Learn more about what to look for in a print proof.
A spread is a set of two facing pages in a print publication, such as a booklet, magazine, catalog, or newspaper. The two pages face each other, one on the left and one on the right. When setting up your pages for print, we will position them so when they are bound together they appear in the correct order.
Saddle-stitch or "stitching" is the use of two or more metal staples to hold a booklet together. This method is best used on smaller booklets ranging between 8 and 64 pages and is usually the most economical way to bind. It is often used for wall calendars, magazines and catalogs. Learn more about saddle-stitching.
Bleeds are an extension of the art that will print right up to the edge of a page. These art elements – whether fills of color, strokes or images – should be extended beyond the final product's actual edge to account for any deviations in the cutting equipment. Without bleeds, your finished product may show a sliver of white along an edge. A bleed provides a cushion or wiggle room for error. Learn how to add a bleed to your files.
Plates are used in the offset printing process. The layout is separated onto plates based on ink color (C, M, Y, K, and other spot colors), which holds the design for the ink to stick to. They act like a stencil and allow the ink to be laid down onto the paper only where a design has been applied to the plate. Digital printers do not use plates in their printing process.
A signature is a layout of pages on an offset press sheet, configured so they line up properly for cutting, folding and binding into a book format. Designers do not have to worry about laying out their pages in signatures, we prefer files are submitted as single pages and our printing software will create the ideal layout for our presses. But do remember that booklets and books must be designed in increments of four pages. Odd numbers don't work for book binding!