Glossary of Print Terms: From Bleed to Vector, in Plain English

Plain-English definitions of the words you'll hear at a print shop, from file setup to finishing. Need help with a file? See How to Set Up Your File to Print, or browse our Printing FAQ.

A

Acid-free: Paper made without acids that yellow and break down over time. Needed for archival and fine-art prints.

Adobe RGB (1998): A color space with a wider range of colors than sRGB. A good choice for giclée and photo files.

Aluminum composite panel (ACM): A rigid sign board made of two thin aluminum sheets around a plastic core. J-Bond is one brand.

ANSI sizes: Engineering sheet sizes: A 8.5 x 11, B 11 x 17, C 17 x 22, D 22 x 34, E 34 x 44 inches.

ARCH sizes: Architectural sheet sizes: A 9 x 12, B 12 x 18, C 18 x 24, D 24 x 36, E1 30 x 42, E 36 x 48 inches.

Archival ink: Pigment ink made to resist fading for decades. Used for giclée and canvas prints.

Artboard: The page or canvas area in a design program like Illustrator.

As-built drawings: Drawings updated to show how a building was actually built, including field changes.

B

Banding: Visible stripes in a print, usually in smooth gradients or from a printer issue.

Bid set: The set of plans and specs contractors use to price a project.

Bitmap / raster: An image made of pixels, like a photo or scan. It gets blurry when enlarged too far.

Bleed: Extra image (usually 1/8") past the trim line so color runs cleanly to the edge after cutting.

Blueprint: Traditionally a white-on-blue copy of a drawing. Today it means any printed set of construction plans.

Bond paper: Plain, uncoated paper used for plans and everyday printing (for example, 20# bond).

C

CAD: Computer-aided design: software such as AutoCAD or Revit used to draw plans.

Canvas wrap (gallery wrap): A canvas print stretched around a wooden frame so the image continues around the sides.

Card stock / cover stock: Thick, stiff paper used for business cards, postcards, flash sheets and covers, measured in pounds (lb) or points.

Cast vinyl: Thin, premium vinyl that conforms to curves and lasts longer outdoors than calendered vinyl.

Chipboard: Stiff gray cardboard used as a backer to keep prints flat.

CMYK: Cyan, magenta, yellow and black: the four ink colors many presses use. IDR prefers RGB files; our system handles the conversion.

Coated / uncoated: Coated paper has a smooth gloss, silk or matte finish; uncoated paper is plain and easy to write on.

Color profile (ICC): Data inside a file that tells printers and screens exactly what each color should look like.

Color space: The range of colors a file or device can show, such as sRGB, Adobe RGB or CMYK.

Contour cut: Cutting a sticker, decal or sign along the shape of the design instead of a rectangle.

Coroplast: Corrugated plastic board used for lawn, real estate and temporary signs.

Crop marks / trim marks: Small lines at the corners of a print that show where to cut.

D

Die cut: Cutting paper or material into a custom shape.

Digital printing: Printing straight from a file with no plates. Best for short runs and quick turnaround.

DPI (dots per inch): How many ink dots a printer places per inch. Often used to mean image resolution (PPI).

DTF (direct to film): A transfer method that prints a design onto film and then applies it to a surface.

Dye-sublimation: Printing that uses heat to turn ink into gas and bond it into fabric or coated items.

E

Encapsulation: Sealing a print between two layers of plastic film with a sealed edge, for heavy handling or wet areas.

EPS: An older vector file format for logos and artwork.

F

Finishing: Everything done after printing: trimming, laminating, mounting, grommets, hemming, folding and binding.

Flatbed printer: A printer that prints directly onto flat or rigid items laid on a bed, like our Mutoh UV printer.

Flattening: Merging all layers and transparency in a file into one, so it prints as it looks.

Foam board: Lightweight board with a foam center, used for indoor mounted posters and presentation boards.

Font embedding: Saving the fonts inside a PDF so text prints correctly on any computer.

G

Gamut: The full range of colors a printer, ink or screen can reproduce.

Gatorboard: A stronger, more rigid foam board for displays that need to last.

Giclée: Fine-art inkjet printing with archival pigment inks on cotton rag or canvas. Pronounced zhee-KLAY.

Gloss / matte / satin: Finish levels from shiny (gloss) to flat (matte), with satin in between.

Gradient: A smooth blend from one color to another.

Grommet: A metal ring set into a banner edge for hanging. Usually every 2 feet.

GSM: Grams per square meter: a measure of paper weight. Our giclée paper is 310gsm.

H

H-stake: A steel wire stake shaped like an H that holds a Coroplast sign in the ground.

Halftone: Tiny dots of ink in different sizes that create the look of shades and photos.

Hem: A folded and sealed banner edge that adds strength.

I

Imposition: Arranging several pages or pieces on one large sheet for printing.

Inkjet: Printing that sprays tiny drops of ink onto the material. Used for plans, banners and giclée.

J

J-Bond: A brand of aluminum composite panel: rigid, flat and weatherproof. Our go-to for business signs.

JPG: A common compressed image format. Fine for photos when saved at high quality.

L

Laminate: A clear film applied to a print to protect it from scratches, water and fading.

Large format / wide format: Printing on rolls or sheets wider than standard office paper, usually 24 inches and up.

Laser cutting / engraving: Using a laser to cut shapes or etch designs into wood, acrylic and other materials.

Line weight: The thickness of a line in a drawing. Too thin, and it may not show up on paper.

Lithography (offset): A traditional printing method that transfers ink from plates. Best for very long runs.

Lossless / lossy: Lossless formats (TIFF, PNG) keep all image data; lossy formats (JPG) shrink files by dropping some.

M

Margin: The space between the content and the edge of the page.

Mesh banner: A banner with tiny holes that let wind pass through. Good for fences and windy sites.

Mirror edge: On a canvas wrap, the image edge is mirrored onto the sides so nothing important wraps around.

Mounting: Attaching a print to a rigid board such as foam board, Gatorboard or PVC.

O

Offset printing: See Lithography.

One-way vision film: Perforated window vinyl that shows a graphic outside while you can still see out from inside.

Outlines (convert to outlines): Turning text into shapes so fonts can't change. The text can no longer be edited.

Overlaminate: See Laminate.

P

Pantone (PMS): A numbered color-matching system used to specify exact brand colors.

PDF: Portable Document Format: the best way to send most print files, because it keeps fonts, images and layout together.

PDF/X: Versions of PDF made for printing (PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-4) that lock in fonts and color settings.

Perfect binding: Gluing pages into a square spine, like a paperback book.

Pigment ink: Ink made with fine solid particles that resists fading better than dye ink.

Pixel: The smallest square of color in a digital image.

Pixelation: Visible squares in a print when an image is enlarged beyond its resolution.

Planroom: A service that hosts plans and specs for bidding. Ours is idrplanroom.com.

Plotter: A large-format printer for plans and drawings.

Pole pocket: A sleeve sewn or welded into a banner edge to slide a pole through.

PPI (pixels per inch): How many image pixels fit in one printed inch. This is the resolution number to check in your file.

Preflight: Checking a file for problems (resolution, fonts, bleed, color) before it prints.

Print-ready: A file that can go straight to print without changes.

Proof: A sample (on screen or printed) you approve before the full job runs.

PVC board (Sintra): Lightweight, rigid plastic sheet for indoor and outdoor signs.

R

Raster-to-vector: Converting a scanned image of a drawing into editable CAD lines.

Reprographics: Reproducing documents by printing, copying and scanning, especially plans and drawings.

Resolution: How much detail an image holds, measured in DPI or PPI at the printed size.

Retractable banner stand: A portable stand whose banner rolls into the base. Popular for trade shows and conventions.

RGB: Red, green and blue: the color mode screens and cameras use. IDR's preferred color mode for files.

Rich black: Black built from several inks for a deeper look on large areas. Not for small text.

RIP (raster image processor): Software that turns a file into the dots a printer lays down and manages color.

Roll-to-roll: Printing on material that feeds from one roll to another, used for banners, vinyl and labels.

S

Saddle stitch: Binding folded pages with staples through the spine, like a booklet.

Safe zone: The area inside the trim where text and logos are safe from being cut off.

Scale: The ratio between a drawing and the real object, such as 1/4" = 1'-0".

Score: A crease pressed into heavy paper so it folds cleanly.

Short run: A small quantity print job. Digital printing makes short runs affordable.

Spot color: A single pre-mixed ink color, often a Pantone color.

sRGB: The standard RGB color space for screens and most cameras. Works well for print too.

Static cling: Window film that sticks without adhesive and can be removed and reused.

Substrate: The material being printed on: paper, vinyl, canvas, aluminum, wood and so on.

SVG: A vector image format often used for logos and laser-cutting files.

T

TIFF: A high-quality image format with no quality loss. Ideal for giclée and photos.

Trim size: The final size of a piece after cutting.

Turnaround: How long a job takes from approved file to ready for pickup.

U

UV DTF: Full-color, UV-cured transfers and stickers that stick to glass, metal, plastic and more.

UV printing: Printing with ink that's cured instantly by UV light, so it can print directly onto many materials.

V

Vector: Artwork made of lines and shapes instead of pixels. It stays sharp at any size.

Vinyl banner: A durable printed banner, usually 13 oz vinyl, for indoor or outdoor use.

W

Weight (paper): How heavy and thick a paper is, shown in pounds (#, lb) or GSM.

Wind slits: Small cuts in a banner that let some wind through to reduce strain.