Glossary
Leaflet printing phrases explained our way... Simple!
Artwork
A generic term we use to refer to the electronic file containing the visual information needed for us to generate print. Artworks can be composed of varying amounts of type, photos and illustrations. A graphic designer will more often than not produce artwork files for a printer to generate the final product from.
Bitmap / Photo
Typically photographic images are classified as bitmaps. The information needed to convey what they look like is composed of individual pixels. Different bitmap compression formats include JPEG/JPG; TIFF/TIF, PNG, PICT and BMP.
Bleed
Means excess artwork on the edge of a design, supplied on the artwork file. This excess is printed as part of the job & then trimmed off by a guillotine so all borders are left neat on the flyer or leaflet. Bleed is necessary where design elements go to the very edge of a printed sheet.
Coverage
Means the extent to which printing ink covers the surface of the paper we are using. Ink coverage can be expressed as either being light, medium or heavy according to how much ink is printed onto a sheet.
CMYK / Full Colour
Short for Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black. CMYK is a colour model used in our offset printing for full-colour documents. This print process uses inks of these four basic colors, to create of thousands of different colours for us everyday. We refer to this as full colour and all our print is done in this manner.
Graphic Design
The process of communication via a combination of type and visual elements, that when combined convey a visual message. Creative graphic design adds value and meaning to what it is, you're trying to communicate.
Dot Gain
Is an action where halftone dots print larger on paper than they appear
on print plates, reducing detail and lowering contrast. This is prevalent on uncoated paper stocks, due to the absorbtion of ink on the paper surface.
Fold / Folded
Refers to the process of machine creasing & folding printed sheets of paper to a smaller sizes to present page format leaflets. The different types of folding that we can offer includes parallel, roll and z-fold.
Gloss
Gloss paper has a shiny (glossy) surface hence the name. The printed ink on gloss paper tends to blend into the sheet i.e. the ink doesn't appear any more glossy than the paper itself. Gloss is a popular choice with the majority of our customers.
Grammage (GSM)
GSM refers to the different weight and thickness of a paper. We have a wide choice of paper weights to choose from here – from Economy 115gsm to Supreme + 200gsm and also our 300gsm board for thicker requirements.
Recycled
Exactly that, planet-friendly Recycled paper. Our Recycled paper has all the qualities of Silk but is manufactured from 70% recycled British waste and 30% sustainable pulp, making it 100% enviromental. If you want to sustain the planet we live in and do your bit, this is the way forward.
TIP: Promote Recycled paper use and add value to your business by letting your customers know that this is the way you conduct your communications with them.
RGB
Red, Green Blue. Colour model used for screen work and not suitable for print. Equipment such as digital cameras use this colour model as default. If we receive RGB images we need to convert them to CMYK for them to print correctly.
Silk
Silk paper has a very subtle shine compared to gloss. When the ink is printed onto Silk paper it will have less of a shine compared to a gloss paper.Being a more subtle finish than gloss, silk is generally used for co-orparate and informational printed literature,being well suited to this.
Uncoated
Silk and Gloss are known as coated papers due to the way the paper is manufactured to give them their appearance. Anything which is not treated in this manner can be called Uncoated. Uncoated papers are less smooth than Coated papers and when ink is printed onto them it sinks into the small gaps of the paper’s texture mixing with it form a complete design. We like this natural element of Uncoated paper and have sourced a pulp paper that has all the best qualities of Uncoated papers, which is their durability and tactile feel. Think Uncoated: think natural elegance.
Vectors / Illustrations
Typically illustration images are created from vector artwork. The information needed to convey what they look is composed of objects carrying mathematic definitions that dictate their colour, fill, outline etc. Different vector output formats include AI; SWF, FH, EPS, and DXF.
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