Here are some Frequently used Printing Terminology (E-K).

Electronic Printing a printing method that creates images using electrostatic charges, rather than by pressing ink onto a plate. Photocopiers and inkjet or laser printers use electronic printing. see also electrophotography, printing methods, xerography. Return to top

Electrophotography a printing process that uses principles of electricity and electrically-charged particles to create images. In photocopiers and laser printers, electric charges create the image on an electrophographic surface that works as a printing plate. This surface is cleared after each image or copy is made, and is used over again for the next copy. see also electronic printing, printing process, xerography. Return to top

Electronic Publishing A new process by which information is distributed in electronic formats. The internet is a prime example of electronic publishing. Also books on CD ROM are considered Electronic publishing. Return to top

Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) the more common name for molecular chlorine free, and a bleaching that dosn't use chlorine gas. Champion is a leader in ECF technology, using chlorine dioxide rather than elemental chlorine in the pulp and bleaching processes. see also bleaching, OD100 process, papermaking. Return to top

Em Space A lateral space equal to the width of the lower case letter "m". Likewise, En space, is the space of the lower case "n". Used in typography and typesetting. Return to top

Emboss A process by which a dye is used for raising an area of paper to create letterforms, shapes and textures. The dye can be made of magnesium, which is created from exposing light to the magnesium and leaving only the form of the artwork to be pressed into paper, or brass which is hand done, is more expensive but looks very good with beveled edges and fine detail. see also blind embossing, debossing. Return to top

Emulsion The chemically treated side of photographic film. (The dull side not the shiny side.) Depending on the printing process involved, film will be requested usually as "right reading emulsion down". Return to top

Enamel a general term referring to coated paper that has a higher basis weight than coated publication (magazine) paper, but a lower basis weight and caliper than coated cover paper. An example of enamel is Champion Kromekote Enamel. see also C2S, coated paper. Return to top

Engraving a printing process using intaglio, or recessed plates. Made from steel or copper, engraving plates cost more than plates used in most other printing processes, such as lithography. Ink sits in the recessed wells of the plate while the printing press exerts force on the paper, pushing it into the wells and onto the ink. The pressure creates raised letters and images on the front of the page and indentations on the back. The raised lettering effect of engraving can be simulated using a less costly process, called thermography. see also intaglio, plate, printing process, thermography. Return to top

Envelope paper that is folded and glued in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, for containing letter of other materials. Many printing jobs will end up in an envelope. The closer a finished piece is to an envelope size, the easier it will be to mail and the less chance it will be damaged by jostling around inside the envelope. An envelope maker can make just about any size envelope needed, but a custom envelope requires a custom die and carries a custom price. Return to top

EPS (EPSF) Encapsulated Postscript File. A vector based, computer graphics file format developed by Adobe Systems. EPS is the preferred format for many computer illustrations, because of its efficient use of memory and fine colour control. The artwork description is "plotted" by the computer. Example: point "A" has a line that goes to point "B" then continues to point "C", and is filled with a colour. (bitmapped artwork atributes a colour for every pixel on the computer screen and is not postscript). Return to top

Felt a fabric of natural or synthetic fibers used in the press section of a papermkaing machine to absorb water from the paper as it is manufactured. see also felt finish, papermaking. Return to top

Felt Finish a soft texture that affects the look but not the strength of an uncoated paper. A felt finish can be created at the wet end during the papermaking process in one of two ways; either with a roll that is covered with a felt, or with a rubber roll with a felt-patterned finish. An embossed felt finish is creat- ed off the machine, after the paper has dried. Champion Carnival Felt is an example of a paper with a felt finish created during the papermaking process. see also felt finish, finish, papermaking, wet end. Return to top

Felt Side the top side of the paper, which comes in contact with the dandy roll and felts during the papermaking process. The bottom side of the paper, which comes in contact with the wire (forming fab- ric) or the papermaking machine, is called the wire side. The felt side of a paper may appear to be softer, while the wire side of a paper may have more "tooth." During printing, the softer texture of the felt side of an uncoated paper may pick up slightly more ink than the wire side of the same sheet, and the printer may have to adjust ink densities to compensate for this. Paper is generally packed and shipped as it is made: felt side up. see also finish, papermaking, tooth, two-sidedness, wire side. Return to top

Fiber filaments of plant tissue, such as cottom fiber and wood fiber. Some specialty papers may contain synthetic fibers, such as rayon or nylon. see also ingredients of paper. Return to top

Fiber-added Paper paper with visible fibers, flecks, and specks. The term may be a bit misleading because all paper is made from fiber. The most common fiber additives are wood chips, coloured cotton fibers, and coloured rayon fibers. see also recycled paper, recycled-content paper. Return to top

Filler materials like clay added to pulp before it's formed into paper. Fillers improve a sheet's smoothness, brightness, and affinity for ink. see also clay, ingredients of paper. Return to top

Finish the surface characteristics of a paper. Finishes may be created on-machine or off-machine. On-machine finishing can be done two ways: for a smooth or vellum finish, pressure is imparted on the sheet with a finishing "stack." Laid of felt finishes are made with a marking roll, which actually presses the pattern into the paper shile it's still wet. Off-machine finishes are called embosses. This is a separate step that presses the paper between a steel pattern roll and either a hard cotton backing roll (to create the finish on both sides), or a plastic roll (for smoothness on one side). Several generic terms describe the various finishes of uncoated paper, such as vellum, smooth, and laid. Individual paper manufacturers may not use these terms consistently, instead unsing unique finishes or unique names for common finishes. see also calendering, embossed, papermaking, supercalender. Return to top

Finishing preparing printed pages for use. Most printed jobs require one or more finishing steps, such as trimming, folding, or binding. see also binding, folding, trimming. Return to top

Flexography a direct (not offset) printing method that uses relief plates, similar to rubber stamps, which are made from rubber or photopolymer. The flexible plates are wrapped around a cylinder on the printing press. "Flexo" workds best when printing large areas of solid colour, making it popular for printing plastic bags, wrapping paper, and milk cartons. It's also used for the Sunday colour comics and newspaper inserts. Rubber manufactures, eager to find new uses for rubber, have invested heavily in flex- ographic research, and improvements have been made in ink coverage and four-colour registration. see also four-colour process, offset, plate, printing process, registration, relief. Return to top

Floatation a method for removing ink from paper during the deinking process by floating if off the paper. see also deinking. Return to top

Fluorescent Dye a colouring agent added to paper to increase its brightness. Fluorescent dyes give white papers added brilliance in natural light and may add a slight cast like blue or green. see also brightness, refractiveness, whiteness. Return to top

Fuorescent Inks printing inks that both emit and reflect light. Generally, these inks are brighter and more opaque than traditional inks. Using one or more fluorescent inks can actually brighten a printed image - especially four-colour process printing on uncoated stock. On the down side, fluorescent inks are not colourfast and will fade in bright light and sunlight over time. They can also have a negative effect on dot gain and trapping, making the printing less sharp and without as much detail. see also dot gain, trapping. Return to top

Focaltone A proprietary colour matching system for process colour. Return to top

Foil Stamping to cover paper with a thin, flexible sheet of metal or other material. The foil, which may be clear or opaque, comes in a range of colours, and is carried on a plastic sheet. Stamping separates the foil from the plastic and makes it adhere to the paper. Foild stamping can be combined with embossing or debossing as an added design element. see also debossing, embossing. Return to top

Folding doubling up a sheet of paper so that one part lies on top of another. Folding stresses the paper fibers. To create a smooth, straight fold, heavy papers, like cover stocks and bristols, need to be scored before they're folded. Multiple fold strength is important in printed pieces like books, maps, and pamplets. It's far less important in one-fold opera- tions like greeting cards or envelops, where fold cracking is the vital consideration. Folding strength is negatively affected y the drying heat of various printing and finishing operations. see also binding, finishing, gatefold, imposition, scoring, signature. Return to top

Form the assembled pages and images as printed on a single large sheet, before trimming. With the correct imposition, the pages of a form will be in correct order after folding and trimming. Once folded and trimmed, a form becomes a "signature." see also folding, imposition, signature, trimming. Return to top

Formation the uniformity of fibers in a sheet of paper. For example, paper with fine formation has evenly dispersed fibers, and will be smoother and more uniform than a paper with uneven forma- tion. The tighter the fibers are bound, the more uniform the surface, and the better the printed sheet usually looks. see also fiber, grain. Return to top

Four-colour Process a method that uses dots of magenta (red), cyan (blue), yellow, and black to simulate the continuous tones and variety of colours in a colour image. Reproducing a four-colour image begins with separating the image into four different halftones by using colour filters of the opposite (or negative) colour. For instance, a red fil- ter is used to capture the cyan halftone, a blue filter is used to capture the yellow halftone, and a green filter is used to capture the magenta halftone. Because a printing press can't change the tone intensity of ink, four-colour process relies on a trick of the eye to mimic light and dark areas. Each halftone separation is printed with its process colour (magenta, cyan, yellow, and black). When we look at the final result, our eyes blend the dots to recreate the continuous tones and variety of colours we see in a colour photograph, painting, or drawing. see also colour separation, continuous tone, dots per inch, halftone, screen subtractive colour, touchplate. Return to top

Fourdrinier a papermaking machine with a horizontal continuous wire belt. A slurry of pulp is poured or sprayed onto the wire (forming fabric); the water is then drained off and pressed out; and the paper is dried. see also papermaking. Return to top

Freesheet paper that contains no more than 10% mechanical wood pulp. Most freesheet papers are "free" of mechanical (groundwood) pulp. see also pulping wood, uncoated freesheet, uncoated paper. Return to top
Furnish fully prepared pulp and all its ingredients: fiber, fillers, sizing, and pigments - diluted with water and ready for the papermak- ing machine. Furnish contains about 99% water. see also paper, pulp, slurry. Return to top

Gatefold two or more parallel folds on a sheet of paper with the end flaps folding inward. see also folding. Return to top

GIF An eight bit (256 colours or shades of grey) or less computer file format by Compuserve. Commonly used to post photographic images to computer bulletin boards and the internet, GIF files are almost never used for professional printing. Return to top

Gloss the property that's responsible for coated paper's shiny or lustrous appearance; also the measure of a sheet's surface reflectivity. Gloss is often associated with quality: higher qua- lity coated papers exhibit hight gloss. Champion Kromekote is a paper noted and sold for its exceptionally high gloss. see also cast coating, coated paper. Return to top

Grade a type or class of paper identified as having the same composi- tion and characteristics. Grade is a generic paper category, such as writing, offset, cover, tag, and index paper. It can also refer to the quality level of the paper; or to a mill's specific brank of paper, such as Champion Carnival, Benefit, or Kromekote. Return to top

Grain the direction in which more fibers lie in a sheet of paper. As paper is formed, the slurry of fibers moves forward on the forming wire at high speeds, aligning the fibers in the direction of the movement and creating the grain. At the same time, the machine shakes the slurry of fibers from side to side, so that the fibers crisscross. This crisscrossing creates a web of fibers, and gives the paper strength in both directions while maintaining a predominant grain, or direction. As the moisture in the air changes, the individual fibers take in moisture and swell sideways, rather than from end to end; this explains why paper will expand or shrink across the grain, and is more flexible along the grain and stiffer against the grain. For books and other bound work, the grain should run parallel with the binding, creating a smoother fold, making the pages easier to turn, and allowing the paper to swell across the grain. If the binding runs across the grain, the free ends of the paper will swell or shrink with moisture changes, but the bound ends will not. The book will buckle and the binding will weaken. With sheet paper, the grain direction is indicated by underscor- ing the dimension along which the grain lies, or by changing the order of the numbers. For example, a 23"x35" sheet is grain long; a grain short sheet is indicated by 25"x35", or 35"x23". On web paper, the grain runs along the length of the paper web. see also binding, formation, grain long, grain short, papermaking, slurry. Return to top

Grain Long grain running along the length, or long side, of a sheet of paper (23"x35"). Fibers line up parallel to the long side of the paper. This book in your hands is an example of grain-long binding. see also grain, grain short. Return to top

Grain Short grain running along the width, or short side, of a sheet of paper (35"x23"). Fibers line up parallel to the short side of the paper. see also grain, grain long. Return to top

Grammage weight in grams of a quantity of paper cut to sheets that measure one square meter. see also weight. Return to top

Graphic A non text item, illustration, photograph or artwork. Return to top

Graphic Design A way of communication with visual elements and information to present an idea or concept. Return to top

Graphic Designer The person who puts Graphic Designs together, many of whom now use computers, drafting and illustration techniques and other tools to create with. Return to top

Gravure a printing process that uses intaglio, or recessed, image carri- ers. The image carrier, which is flat or cylindrical, moves through an ink pool. A blade scrapes excess ink off the plane of the plate, leaving ink in the recessed wells. A second cylinder presses the paper onto the plates, where it picks up ink from the wells. The high speed of gravure presses and the durability of the metal intaglio plates make gravure an economical printing method suitable for large print runs (more than two million copies). see also intaglio, plate, printing methods. Return to top

Greek Usually nonsense words and letterforms that are not legible, used in a design to aproximate the "colour" of a page. Used primarily before final text is available for a client comps. Return to top

Gripper the row of clips holding the sheet of paper as it speeds through the press. see also gripper edge. Return to top

Gripper Edge the leading edge of paper that moves through a printing press or folding machine. No printing can take place on the outside 3/8" of the paper on the gripper edge. see also gripper. Return to top

Groove Finish a textured paper like Champion Carnival Groove, with shallow, parallel furrows or grooves running along the surface. This finish is created by embossing the paper after it comes off the paper- making machine. see also embossing, finishes. Return to top

Groundwood Paper paper that contains between 10 and 75% of groundwood pulp. The groundwood pulping process, also know as mechanical pulping, leaves many natural impurities, like lignin, in the paper. As a result, groundwood paper is less bright and ages faster than freesheet paper, which is made from chemical pulping. Groundwood paper isn't recommended for any printed matter that is expected to last over time. The advantages of ground- wood are that it's lightweight, bulky, and economical. An example of a groundwood paper is Champion Maineweb, manufactured for catalogs and magazines. see also bulk, freesheet, lignin, pulping wood, uncoated groundwood. Return to top

Guillotine a machine used to trim stacks of paper, which works like the original French guillotine worked. A cutting blade moves between two upright guides and slices the paper uniformly as it moves downward. see also trimming, trim size. Return to top

Halftone a printed picture that uses dots to simulate the tones between light and dark. Because a printing press cannot change the tone of ink, it will only print the ink colour being used on press. This works well for printing text or line art: the press simply puts a full dose of ink for each letter or line on the paper, creating small solid areas of ink. But black-and-white photographs are continuous tone images, and printing a photograph this way would have the same result: large solid areas of ink. White areas of the photograph would have no ink; black areas would have black ink; and gray areas would have black, not gray ink. The halftone mimics the continuous tone of a black-and-white photograph by converting the picture to dots. Photographing a continuous tone image through a screen creates a duplicate image made of dots. Darkers areas of the photograph have bigger dots and lighter area of the photograph have smaller dots. To the human eye, the black of the dots blend with the white of the paper to create shades of gray. The result is strinkingly similar to the continuous tone of a photograph. see also continuous tone, duotone, four-colour process, quadratone, screen, tritone. Return to top

Hardwood Pulp pulp made from deciduous trees (trees that drop their leaves, such as maple and oak). Hardwood pulp has short fibers, which give paper bulk, body, and smoothness. Papers are often made from a blend of hardwood and softwood pulps, combining the qualities of both into a single paper. see also softwood pulp. Return to top

Headbox the compartment that holds pulp slurry before it is sprayed or poured onto the paper-forming wire of a papermaking machine. see also papermaking, slurry, wet-end. Return to top

Hexachrome A proprietary colour separation process, developed by Pantone, that uses six (6) instead of four process colours. Return to top

Hickey an irregularity in the ink coverage of a printed area. Hickeys are caused by paper or pressroom dust, dirt, or pick out on the printing blanket, all of which prevents the ink from adhering to the paper surface. see also dust, picking, pick out. Return to top

Hydropulper equipment used to slurry pulp. Water is added to dry pulp and fillers, and agitated until the mixture becomes about the consis- tency of oatmeal cereal. see also papermaking, slurry. Return to top

Illustrator An individual who draws or paints images for use in commercial art. Many new tools allow a variety of expressions with traditional media or new computer enhanced illustration techniques. Return to top

Imagesetter A high resolution device that prints directly to plate ready film. Many imagesetters outpur film at 2400 DPI (dots per inch). Return to top

Imposition also called image assembly; refers to assembling printed matter in a way that results in pages appearing in correct sequence. imposition process see also backing up, folding, form, make-ready, manufacturing order signature. Return to top

Impression Cylinder the cylinder or flat bed of a printing press that holds paper while an inked image from the blanket is pressed upon it. see also offset planographic. Return to top

Inch A unit of measurement equal to six (6) picas or seventy two (72) points. Return to top

Index Paper a stiff, inexpensive paper with a smooth finish. The high bulk but low weight of this paper makes it a popular choice for business reply cards. The basic size of index paper is 25.5"x30.5". see also basic size. Return to top

Ingredients of Paper all the materials used to make the mat of fibers known as paper. The one essential ingredient is cellulose fiber. The rest of the ingredients enhance the paper adding body, reducing cost, or changing colour. see also cellulose fiber, clay, filler, furnish, papermaking, pigment pulp, resin, sizing. Return to top

Ink a combination of pigment, pigment carrier or vehicle, and additives. Careful ink formulation by the printer can reduce or prevent smudging, unevenness, picking, and additional printing problems associated with ink. The ink used for a particular job depends on the paper specified and the printing process used. see also dry trap, tack, UV ink, vegetable-based ink, wet trap. Return to top

Ink Absorption capacity to accept or absorb ink. see also absorbency, ink holdout. Return to top

Ink Holdout resistance to the penetration of ink. Coated papers tend to have good ink holdout. The ink pigments sit on the surface of the coating, and are not absorbed into the spaces between the paper fibers. This minimizes dot spread and results in a sharp image. Uncoated papers tend to absorb ink into the sheet, but printers can compensate for this and still produce a very bright, sharp image on uncoated paper. see also coated paper, dot compensation, ink absorption. Return to top

Intaglio a method of printing in which an image or letter is cut into the surface of wood or metal, creating tiny wells. Printing ink sits in these wells, and the paper is pressed onto the plate and into the wells, picking up the ink. see also engraving, gravure, printing methods. Return to top

Jog to shake a stack of papers, either on a machine or by hand, so that the edges line up. Printers jog the paper to get rid of any dust or particles, and to ensure proper feeding into the press. Return to top

JPEG Joint Photographic Electronic Group. A common standard for compressing image data. Return to top

Kern To adjust the lateral space between letters. Return to top

Kraft Paper a paper manufactured using kraft pulp, usually noted for its strength. In the kraft pulping process, fiber is separated from lignin by cooking wook chips with steam and pressure. see also bleached kraft, lignin, pulping wood. Return to top