Demystifying Printing Jargon: A Guide to Common Printing Terms

Wherever technical precision is needed, an industry develops its own jargon. Printing companies are no exception, and we have a lot of printing jargon. Many of our long-term clients know exactly what they want and how to ask for it, but some of our customers haven’t been so involved in the printing industry. For them, when we talk shop we might as well be talking a foreign language. Here’s some printing jargon, demystified! ABC sizing Paper sizes are classified A, B and C. You are probably familiar with the A sizes (A4, A5 etc). The B sizes are bigger and used for posters and promotions. The C sizes refer to envelopes which the corresponding A sizes can neatly slip into. Artwork The final layout of text, drawings and photographs ready to be printed (sometimes abbreviated to A/W even though that takes twice as long to say!) Binding Any method of putting together the loose leaves of a book. Duplex Printed on both sides. Embossing Raised text that sticks up from the page is embossed. If the raised text is not in a different colour it is ‘blind’. Finishing Anything that is done to a project after the printing is completed. This might include guillotining the edges, folding into shape or binding. Lithography A method of printing that uses oil and water. For a fuller explanation read our blog on the history of lithographic printing. Proof A sample that can be checked for errors before a full print run. Ream A ream of paper contains 500 individual sheets. Saddle Stitch A type of binding that uses metal staples to stitch the pages together – not, as you might think, a needle and thread. Text All the pages of the book (not the covers). Typo An error in the text. There are so many technical terms used in design and printing that we couldn’t possibly list them all. This list covers the basics of traditional printing jargon – although the introduction of digital printing processes has introduced an entire other vocabulary from the world of computers! We’re happy to explain printing jargon to our customers at any stage of the printing process. Call us on 01603 488001 to find out how we can help with your printing project. Is there any printing jargon you don’t understand? Perhaps you have a funny story about a time you didn’t understand some printing jargon! Join the conversation and tweet us at @Colour_Print.