It can be difficult to communicate with people in different fields. It can be frustrating, especially if the success of your job depends on their expertise. We’ve broken down 12 common terms to help you avoid that frustrating feeling when talking to your printer and ensure you get what you requested.
Artwork
Artwork is everything that was originally on the document before it was sent to the printer. The artwork includes text, images, and graphics.
Binding
Binding involves combining pages to form booklets, magazines, or brochures. Binding your prints can be done in many ways, such as with glue, wire, or stitching. Your chosen method will depend on the final product you want to create. Remember that some bindings have a minimum page requirement.
Bleed
The term bleed is used to describe any design element that extends beyond the edge of your paper. You should aim to have a minimum of 3mm bleed on your document. This will help to ensure no unwanted white edges on your artwork if it has frameless elements. It can be difficult to print to the edge of paper.
CMYK
CMYK is an acronym for cyan (blue), yellow, magenta, and black. This is the main color palette used for digital printing. Images in your document should always be printed in CMYK. Before exporting the document, you must convert images to another color format, like RGB. Otherwise, colors may not print as you intended.
Crop Marks
Crop marks are black lines placed in the corners of your document. The crop marks are usually a few millimeters high and indicate where the page will be cut.
Digital printing
Digital printing, or 4-color printing, is commonly used for small print runs of 250 to 1,000 copies. It is most cost-effective when used in this way. Unlike offset printing, it also requires less prep work before the job.
Finish
The surface of the stock paper you print on is called a finish. There are paper types with different finishes, which can change the look of your document. You can apply some finishes to your print, like lamination and varnish.
Offset printing
Offset printing is an alternative to digital printing for jobs that require more than 1000 copies. The setup is a bit more complicated as each color requires a separate plate. Offset printing is not usually used for small print jobs. The print is then run through the plates. The offset printing press is capable of using both Pantone and CMYK colors.
Pantone colors
Pantone developed the Pantone Color Matching System in 1963. It is a system of color codes that includes CMYK and RGB. They allow printers to maintain color consistency throughout the spectrum.
PPI/DPI
PPI and DPI abbreviations are “pixels per inch” and “dots/inch.” Both terms refer to an image’s resolution and can be interchanged. The better the quality of an image is, the higher its PPI/DPI number. For digital use, you need only 72 dpi.
Proof
Your printer will prepare your file before it goes into production. It is converted into a PDF file and sent to you to review. This document, called “proof,” ensures that unexpected design or text flaws are not in the final product. When you have given your thumbs-up, the document is ready to go!
RGB
RGB stands for Red, Green, and Blue. These shades help to bring colors to your digital screens. If you are viewing an image on your computer, it is likely RGB. To ensure that the colors of your document remain the same if you wish to print a file in RGB, you will need to convert it into CMYK.
The dictionary of print design and printing doesn’t stop here. These terms will help you better understand your printer and get the best out of your next printing job.
