We have compiled an alphabetical list of some of the terms most frequently used or queried in embossing, foil blocking and printing. To go to a specific part of the glossary just click on one of the letters on the alphabet bar.
	A-sizes The international ISO range of metric paper sizes, the largest being AO (841x1189mm). The sizes reduce proportionally from AO by folding in half each time. Antique A high-quality, bulky paper with a rough finish. Art paper Coated paper with a gloss finish. Artwork Reproduction-quality origination, for making films.
	B-sizes The international ISO range of metric paper sizes designed for work requiring a larger format than standard A sizes. Banker An envelope with a diamond flap on the long edge. Bleed The printed area which runs over the trimmed edge of a page. Usually 3 to 5 mm Blind An embossing/debossing without foil or ink, i.e. an impression only. Bromide Also known as PMT. Photographic light-sensitive paper used to produce positive camera-ready artwork.
	C Abbreviation for Cyan in the four-colour printing process. C-sizes The international ISO range of metric sizes for envelopes, designed to accommodate equivalent A sizes. Coated paper Also known as Art paper. Gloss paper coated with china clay that can have a Gloss, Matt or Satin finish. Collate To gather sections of printed work in the correct sequence for binding. Copy Text content. Crop marks Printed lines beyond the page area which indicate where the page should be trimmed. See also Trim and Tick marks. Cyan One of the four process colours (blue) in litho printing.
	Debossing An impression which is sunk into a surface (opposite of embossing). Deckle edge Paper with an untrimmed feathery uneven edge . Die Metal object crafted from artwork and used to create embossings, cut shapes or apply foil. Die-cutting The process by which shapes are cut from paper or card. Dot A single element from which half-tone reproduction is produced. Duotone A two-colour half-tone image.
	Embossing A raised impression on a surface (opposite of debossing). Emulsion Photosensitive coating on repro films.
	Film separations Camera-ready artwork produced on reprographic film and separated for colour (one colour per film). Flat colour Solid areas of colour (as opposed to halftone), usually matched to Pantone colours. Foil blocking The process by which foil is applied to a surface using a metal die. Fold lines Tick marks which indicate where a sheet is to be folded. Often dotted, to distinguish between folding and trimming. Foot The bottom of a page. Four-colour process Colour printing using the three primary colours (cyan, magenta and yellow) plus black.
	gsm Grams per square metre, used to define stock weights. Guillotine A machine for cutting paper. Gutter The margin on a sheet which will be bound into a book or the gap between multiple images on a sheet.
	Hairline A very fine line. Head The top of a page. Hickey A spot on a printed sheet caused by dust or ink imperfections.
	Imposition The arrangement of pages on a flat sheet so that the section will read in the correct order when folded. ISO sizes International range of sizes for paper and envelopes. See A, B and C sizes. Ivory board Smooth board commonly used for business cards due to its fine finish.
	Jacket The removable cover of a book / brochure. Justification The spacing of words to fit a specific width grid, with straight margins on both sides. Opposite of ragged.
	K Abbreviation for Black in the four-colour printing process. Kiss-cut Usually referring to self-adhesive labels, the cutting of a shape without cutting through the backing paper, enabling the self-adhesive item to be peeled away leaving the sheet intact. Knock up To line up the edges of a stack of paper.
	Laid paper Paper with distinctive lines running parallel through the entire sheet. Lamination A film applied to printed sheets (commonly matt, satin or gloss) for protection or to achieve a particular finish. Laser cutting Very fine cutting by laser, where traditional die-cutting cannot achieve the required level of detail. Litho Print process by which specific areas of a printing plate are chemically treated for the image areas to take ink and the non-image areas to take water. Capable of very fine detail and photographic-quality reproduction.
	M Abbreviation for Magenta in the four-colour printing process. Machine proof Proof produced on the same press, and by the same process, as the final job. The most accurate type of proof. Magenta One of the four process colours (red) in litho printing. Make-ready Setting up a press to run a job. A number of sheets will be run through for each colour / process before the make-ready is considered complete and the job ready to run. Mark-up Instructions written on artwork / proofs for the printer to follow. Monochrome One colour.
	Numbering Usually done offline, the process by which collated sheets are consecutively numbered, e.g. for order books.
	Offset litho See Litho. Opacity The level of opaqueness in a sheet of paper, important when trying to avoid show-through. Overprinting Printing over a previously printed sheet; also specified where colours must not reverse out of each other. Overs Additional copies run to the amount specified.
	Pagination Page numbering. Pantone matching system Widely-used system of colour matching on Coated and Uncoated stock, also known as PMS. Perforating Piercing a series of holes in to a sheet of paper, usually to enable tearing. Pocket (envelope) An envelope with its opening flap on the short edge. Process colours The three primary colours used in process printing (cyan, magenta and yellow) plus black. Proof A copy made before the full job is run, in order to check quality and accuracy of origination and specification.
	Quantity The number of finished copies.
	Ragged Text with irregular line lengths set to a maximum width, usually with an even left margin. Register The positioning of plates correctly to form a composite image. Rubbing The unintentional transfer of ink from one sheet to another, usually associated with uncoated or matt coated paper. Run-on To continue printing on the same run.
	Set-off The unintentional transfer of wet ink from one sheet to another, usually due to the sheets being stacked too high or moved before properly dry. Score An impression made into a sheet to enable folding without cracking. Sheet fed Printing in sheets as opposed to rolls of paper. Show-through Lack of opacity in a sheet causing the image on one side to be visible on the other. Spot varnish Varnish applied to a specific area of the printed sheet.
	Tint A less opaque colour achieved by applying a screen, specified as a percentage of the solid colour. Trim marks/Tick marks Trim marks....Printed lines which fall outside the image area, and indicate where the sheet should be cut. Can also be used as register marks if no others appear. Sometimes called Tick marks.
	Uncoated Paper with no china clay coating.
	Varnish Transparent coating applied for protection or effect.
	Wallet An envelope with a square flap on the long edge. Watermark An image impressed into the body of a sheet of paper during the manufacturing process. Work and turn Printing the front and reverse sides of a sheet using a single plate. Each sheet yields two copies of the same item. Wove Paper without inherent lines (as distinct from laid).
	Xerox Electrostatic copy produced with toner powder.
	Y Abbreviation for Yellow in the four-colour printing process. Yellow One of the four process colours in litho printing.