Glossary of Terms
We take great pride in making our clients feel confident about their jobs during the production process. To help you gain a better understanding of what’s happening with your project, we’ve compiled a glossary of terms that we commonly use in our industry.
Glossary of Commonly Used Industry Terms
There are currently 51 names in this directory beginning with the letter P.
Parchment
A hard finished paper that emulates animal skin; used for documents, such as awards, that require writing by hand.
Perfect
A term used to describe the binding process where the signatures of a book are held together by a flexible adhesive.
Perfect Binding
Binding process where backs of sections are cut off, roughened and glued together, and rung in a cover.
Perfecting
Printing both sides of the paper (or other material) on the same pass through the printing machine.
Perforating
Punching small holes or slits in a sheet of paper or cardboard to facilitate tearing along a desired line.
Phloxine
A blue red pigment used mostly in news inks; not a good ink for lithographers as it bleeds in alcohol and water.
Photoengraving
Making printing plates by exposure of line and halftone negatives on sensitized metal, converting the image into an acid resist, and etching the print to the relief required for letterpress printing.
Photomechanical
The platemaking process where plates are coated with photosensitive coatings and exposed to photo negatives or positives.
Photostat
A photographic print creating an image using photography and electrostatic processes; also called a stat.
Picking (1)
When the tack of ink is stronger than the surface strength of the paper, some lifting of the paper surface occurs; this is referred to as picking.
Picking (2)
An occurrence in printing whereby the tack of ink pulls fibers or coating off the paper surface, leaving spots on the printed surface.
Pin Register
Using metal pins fitted into preset holes of copy sheets, films, plates and presses that will assure the proper registration.
Pinholing
Failure of printed ink to form a completely continuous film, visible in the form of small holes in the printed areas.
Plastic Comb
A method of binding books whereby holes are drilled on the side closest the spine, and a plastic grasping device is inserted to hold the pages together.
Plate
Reproduction of type or cuts in metal, plastic, rubber, or other material, to form a plate bearing a relief, planographic or intaglio printing surface.
Plate Finish
Any bond, cover or bristol stock with an extremely smooth finish achieved by calendaring.
Platemaking
Making a printing plate from a film or flat including preparation of the plate surface, sensitizing, exposing through the flat, developing or processing, and finishing.
Positive
Film that contains an image with the same tonal values as the original; opposite of a negative.
Press-Proof
Actual press sheet to show image, tone values and colors as well as imposition of frame or press-plate.
Process Inks
Printing inks, usually in sets of four colors. The most frequent combination is yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, which are printed, one over another in that order, to obtain a colored print with the desired hues, whites, blacks, and grays.