This glossary explains some common print and design terms clients will typically hear. I’ve included some examples for terms that are better explained visually.
- 4-Color
- Printing done using the CMYK color model. The piece being printed is usually separated into four different plates (one for each ink being applied). (See “CMYK“)
- Brief
- In graphic design, a brief is a document that describes what the project should accomplish as well as details necessary for the project’s success. The brief is put together after the client and designer have met and discussed the project (also called a “project plan” or “specification”).
- Caliper
- The thickness of a piece of paper stock, usually measured in thousands of an inch (also called a ‘mil’). Heavier paper stocks are generally used for printed material such as magazine covers, business cards and mailers.
- CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow Key/Black)
- Color model used in printing where all colors are derived by layering these four basic colors of inks.
- Comp
- Preliminary sketches or ideas used to guide the client and designer toward the best solution. For more information, see the “About” page under “Process”.
- Dot Gain
- The amount a droplet of ink will soak into paper, causing objects to grow slightly when printed. Dot gain should always be taken into consideration to keep the edges of printed images and text sharp.
- DPI (Dots Per Inch)
- The number of dots per square inch of any printed image which uses a sprayed ink printing technique, such as inkjet or laserjet printers. The higher the DPI, the more detail the image will contain.
- Duotone
- Color printing process using only two ink colors.
- GIF (Graphic Interchange Format)
- A file format best used for line drawings, logos and simple graphics. GIF files typically have a .gif extension.
- Grain
- The direction the paper fibers run, usually the same direction as the longest edge of the paper.
- Grammage
- The density of paper expressed in grams per square meter (hence ‘grammage’). In the US, most professionals will refer to this as “paper weight”. This does not refer to the thickness of the paper, which is instead called the caliper of the paper.
- Halftone
- Printing and imaging process that uses fine dots to trick the eye into seeing a continuous color. Photos reproduced in newspapers typically use a halftone process, rendering everything as a complex series of colored dots of varying size.
- Hexachrome
- Color model that uses standard CMYK, but adds Orange and Green inks (also known as CMYKOG). This is a proprietary system created and owned by the Pantone Corporation (soon to be a part of the X-Rite Corporation).
- JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
- A file format and compression algorithm best used for continuous tone images like photographs. JPEG files usually have an extension of .jpg, .jpeg or .jfif.
- Kerning
- In typesetting, kerning refers to adjusting the space between a pair of adjacent letters to improve legibility and flow. (See “Tracking“)
- Kill fee
- A fee due to the creative professional in the event a job is canceled by the client. Kill fees usually range from 25% to 100% of the contracted amount, based on how much work has been completed. ifredsayred writes kill fees into every contract in the event of job cancellation.
- Leading (prounounced ‘led-ing’)
- The amount of space between lines of text in a paragraph.
- LPI (Lines Per Inch)
- The number of lines per square inch of printed paper which uses Halftone printing, such as in newsprint and magazines. The higher the LPI, the more detail the image will contain.
- Offset
- Printing process where the plate does not directly touch the paper. Instead the ink from the plate is rolled onto a flexible mat (called a ‘blanket’) which then transfers the ink to the paper.
- Paper Weight
- (see “Grammage“)
- Pixel/Raster
- An image created using pixels, or squares of different-colored light. Typically used for photographs.
- PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
- A file format similar but superior in quality to the GIF format, also used for line art, logos and simple graphics.
- Process Color
- (see “CMYK“)
- Proof
- A sample of the work in progress shown to the client for approval. Also, a printed sample given to the designer by the printer to check for errors. Proofs are a very important part of the workflow, allowing the client, designer and printer a chance to correct any issues before a job goes into production, saving time and money.
- Resolution
- The amount of detail an image contains. Low resolution images appear blocky and blurry – typically the higher the resolution, the higher the quality of the image and the larger the file size.
- RGB (Red Green Blue)
- Color model used for screens and monitors where all colors are derived by tinting specific pixels one of these three colors.
- Silkscreen
- A printmaking technique that uses fine mesh stencils to guide ink where it should go on the item being printed. Silk screening is used to place images onto t-shirts, ceramics, paper, wood, and CDs/DVDs.
- Spec Work (short for “Speculative”)
- Unethical business practice which can be described as “create a design for me, and I’ll pay you if I like it.” Essentially it comes down to asking Graphic designers and other creative professionals to work for free, which devalues the work, and disrespects the client’s needs. For more information about “spec work”, see the NO!SPEC website. Ifredsayred has a studio policy against any type of spec work.
- Spot Color
- An ink color that cannot be derived from a non-standard (not CMYK) ink. Also, spot colors refer to inks with special qualities such as fluorescent or metallic coatings.
- Tracking
- The amount of space between individual letters in text. (See also “Kerning“)
- Tritone
- Color printing process using only three ink colors.
- Vector
- Graphics created using anchor points and lines rather than pixels. Because vector images can be scaled larger or smaller without losing their quality, logos and line art are created using a vector-based program like Illustrator® rather than pixel-based programs such as Photoshop®.
- Web Printing
- Offset printing technique used by newspapers and magazines. Here the “web” has nothing to do with the World Wide Web, rather it refers to the rolls of paper used as the print medium in contrast to the single sheets used in sheet-feed printing.
This glossary explains some common print and design terms clients will typically hear. I’ve included some examples for terms that are better explained visually.
