glossary

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Ad Copy

Lettering imprinted on any item. Usually an advertiser's name, sales message, trademark or slogan.

Advertising specialty

Useful or interesting article or merchandise, usually carrying an imprinted advertising or promotional message, given with no obligation. Also known as a giveaway adcentive or promotional product.

Airbrush

Graphic technique in which ink is applied with compressed air, similar to spray painting, to render a soft, airy effect.

Analog color proof

Off-press color proof made from separation films.

Application

a.k.a. "app" "program" "software" Used interchangeably with program and software, this is a general term for a program that performs specific tasks, such as word processing, database management, e-mail sending or retrieval, or Web browsing. Unlike system software, which maintains and organizes the computer system (such as the operating system), an app is an end-user program.

Art

All illustration copy used in preparing a job for printing.

Art proof

Artwork submitted for client approval, usually a black-and-white stat of the camera-ready art.

ASCII

Acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The general specification of bits in a computer to input, store, process, and output text characters.

Author's alterations (AAs)

Changes in type at the proof stages, made by and chargeable to the client.

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Bitmap

Any picture you see on a Web page is a bitmap. Bitmaps come in many file formats, such as GIF, JPG, TIF, BMP. They can be read and edited by paint programs and image editors such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. As its name suggests, a bitmap is a map of dots or pixels. If you zoom in or try to scale up a bitmap, it will look blocky.

Break for color

To separate, by color, elements to be printed in different colors.

Broken link (or) broken graphic

A link that no longer works or a graphic that does not appear when a Web page loads are said to be "broken." In other words, when a link or image is "clicked on" and it does not take you to the correct destination, but instead an error message appears, the link is broken. When an image doesn't load, and instead you see the alt text or some generic icon shapes, it's a broken graphic. Broken links and broken graphics occur for several reasons: the server hosting the Web site has shut down temporarily or has been restarted; the Web site has moved to an entirely new server; the file or files have been moved or deleted; or the HTML code is incorrect.

Browser

Used to view and navigate Web pages and other information on the World Wide Web.

Browser compatibility

A term used to compare the way a Web page looks on one WWW browser as opposed to another. For example, if you view NetLingo.com on Netscape, it will look pretty much the same as it does on Internet Explorer (illustrating browser compatibility). Some time ago, though, if you viewed NetLingo.com on the AOL browser, it would've looked jumbled (a case of browser incompatibility). The reason these incompatibilities exist relates to the way a browser interprets the code that creates a Web page (HTML). Browser compatibility can also refer to cross-platform compatibility, which is, for example, the way a page renders or displays on a Windows system as opposed to on a Mac. The differences are usually very slight, however, just enough to annoy some Web designers and their clients into spending great time and energy on beta-testing a Web site with every browser on every type of system. Browser compatibility is often mentioned in conjunction with the term browser support, but the two should not be confused.

Bug

Manufacturer's identification mark printed on a form or product, usually in an inconspicuous area.

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Camera-ready art

Any drawing, photos, illustration or lettering suitable for photographic reproduction.

Cartoon

Prior to the modern method of digitizing on-screen, an enlarged picture or cartoon of a design was drawn, using the industry-standard six to one ratio (the cartoon being six times larger than the resulting design).

CMYK

Cyan, magenta, yellow, black subtractive colors for process color reproduction.

Collateral materials

Advertising materials that are not transmitted to consumers via traditional ad media, such as catalogs, shelf cards, posters, specification sheets and trade information materials.

Color correction

Any method, such as masking, dot-etching, re-etching and scanning, used to improve color rendition.

Color families

Traditional tones are classic and timeless shades often deep and saturated. These colors include navy blue, forest green, burgundy, olive, along with khaki and cream.

Color proof

First or early printing of a finished color ad, combining impressions from each of the separate progressive color plates.

Color separation

Separation of multicolored original art by camera or laser-scan techniques to produce individual separated colors. There are four common separations: yellow, magenta, cyan and black.

Comprehensive layout

Final stage of a layout, finished to very closely resemble how the printed piece will look.

Content

Textual information, images, art, diagrams, videos that appear on the Web site.

Content management

Process by which information is modified on a Web site.

Continuous tone art

Photography, painting or other piece of art in which black-and-white tones gradually merge into one another.

Copy

Written content of advertising or editorial matter in the media.

Copy testing

Tests to determine consumer response to advertising copy and more broadly, to the total content - written and visual - of advertisements.

Cost per thousand (CPM)

Traditionally called CPM, because the "M" represents the Roman numeral for thousand. The figure is calculated by dividing circulation or audience by a thousand and dividing the result into the cost of the advertising unit.

Coverage

The geographic area reached with specified intensity by an advertising medium. Also that reaction of an audience that is reached one or more times by a particular advertising schedule.

Crop

To eliminate a portion of a picture, illustration or photography that contains unnecessary material, or to highlight a certain area of the image.

Crop marks

Indicators on artwork to show where an illustration is to be cut or sized.

Cross platform independence

Feature on the Web enabling people from different computer systems to easily access information on the Web.

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Debossing

Depression of an image into a material such as paper, leather or suede, so the image sits below the product surface.

Die

Mold into which molten metal, plastic or other material is forced to make a specific shape. Also, a tool of very hard material used to press a particular shape into or onto a softer material.

Die charge

Charge by the supplier for creating a die from artwork supplied by the supplier.

Die-cutting

Using sharp steel blades to cut shapes from printed sheets.

Digital color proof

Off-press color proof produced from digital data without the need for separation films.

Direct-mail

Ad medium that employs the postal system to deliver advertisements to prospects.

Download

To transfer a file(s) from another computer to your computer. There are a few methods of doing this on the Internet. HTTP, FTP and as E-mail attachments are the most common. When you "load" a Web page into your browser you are essentially "downloading" the page from the server it is hosted on. One of the most resourceful things about the Internet is that you can download almost any type of computer file or program. Lots of them are "shareware" which means you can try them before you buy them.

Drop Shadow

Graphic device in which type is reproduced with an offset second image on one edge, giving a shadow effect that visually lifts the primary type and makes the image appear three-dimensional.

Dummy

Simulation of a finished printed piece.

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Earthtones (Color Families)

Neutral shades reminiscent of colors found in nature, such as deserts, mountains, and valleys. Many of these shades serve as a base of apparel, particularly in clothing (suits, etc.). Colors include tan brown, sage, and charcoal.

EPS (or) .eps

Encapsulated Postscript A type of graphics file written in the PostScript language.

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Fire Wall

Software application that restricts unauthorized people on the Internet from accessing an internal Web site.

Flexography

Imprinting method for paper in which a flexible rubber plate is wrapped around a cylinder. As the paper moves under the plate, it is pressed against it by another roller, and the ink is transferred on the paper.

Four-color process

Printing process that creates color productions by overprinting screens that individually print reds, yellows, blues and blacks of variable specified intensities.

Frames

Number of separate HTML documents that interact with each other on a single Web page.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol. A protocol agreed upon to transfer files over the Internet from one location to another.

Fulfillment house

Service firm that processes premium and specialty orders, often packaging and mailing the items. Other services offered include warehousing, accounting, and coupon-redemption management.

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GIF

Graphics Interchange Format Developed by Compuserve using compression technology from Unisys. On the World Wide Web pictures and graphics you see on Web pages are usually in GIF format because the files are small and download quickly. Another type of graphics format used commonly are JPEG these files download even faster and contain a better resolution but cannot be interlaced so many Web page authors tend to opt for using GIF's instead to get that "melting" onto the screen effect that happens with interlaced images.

GIF89a, GIF animation, or multi block GIF

A type of GIF format which allows a series of images to be displayed one after another or on top of each other.

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Halftone

Engraving made by photographing through a glass screen that breaks the subject into small dots of varying intensities of gray, ranging from white to black.

Hardware

Computer and peripherals as distinguished from software, which is a program for operating hardware.

Hologram

Combination of several layers of refractive material that causes the image to have a three-dimensional effect.

Home page

Entry point to a Web site. The first page that viewers see. Also the Web page that loads when a browser is first started up.

Hot type

Type composed by machine and made from molten metal.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

Language that defines styles for Web pages such as headings, paragraphs, lists, tables as well as characters such as type size and typestyle (boldface, italic, etc.).

HTTP

Hyper text transfer protocol. A protocol agreed upon to access information on the Web.

Hyperlink - a.k.a. "link"

The text you find on a Web site which can be "clicked on" with a mouse which in turn will take you to another Web page or a different area of the same Web page. Hyperlinks are created or "coded" in HTML. They are also used to load multimedia files such as AVI movies and AU sound files.

Hypertext

Enables users to read and navigate text in a nonlinear way. Instead of reading in a linear structure, such as a book, readers can skip easily from one point to another.

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Imagesetter

Device that outputs type, line art, and photos in position.

Imprinted product

Merchandise featuring a company's logo, slogan, or other corporate identification.

Ink jet

Printer that reproduces by projecting ink onto paper without the mechanical impact of plates.

Interlaced GIF

Interlaced GIFs appear first with poor resolution and then improve in resolution until the entire image has arrived, as opposed to arriving linearly from the top row to the bottom row. This is great to get a quick idea of what the entire image will look like while waiting for the rest. This doesn't do much for you if your Web browser doesn't support progressive display as the image is downloaded, but non-progressive-display Web browsers will still display interlaced GIFs once they have arrived in their entirety. You can make transparent and interlaced GIFs through the Web without running any utility software on your own system through the Visioneering image manipulation page, which will access your image through the Web and produce an enhanced version for you to save.

Internet

a.k.a. "the Net" Originally designed by the U.S. Defense Department so that a communication signal could withstand a nuclear war and serve military institutions worldwide, the Internet, was first known as the ARPAnet. A system of linked computer networks, international in scope, that facilitates data communication services such as remote login, file transfer, electronic mail, and newsgroups. The Internet is a way of connecting existing computer networks that greatly extends the reach of each participating system. For a brief history of the Internet click on the more button below for an article by Vincent Cerf, the father of the Internet. When you see internet written with a lower case "i" it usually refers to a group of local area networks (LANs) that have been connected by means of a common communications protocol. Many internets exist besides the Internet, including many TCP/IP based networks that are not linked to the Internet. The Defense Data Network is a case in point.

Internet service provider

Charges startup and monthly fees to users and provides them with the initial host connection to the rest of the Internet usually via a dial-up connection.

Intranet

An internal Web site harnessing the power of the Web to deliver information and perform transactions via a dial-up connection.

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Java

Developed by Sun Microsystems, Java is a programming language that is specifically designed for writing programs that can be safely downloaded to your computer through the Internet and immediately run without fear of viruses or other harm to your computer or files. Using small Java programs (called "Applets"), Web pages can include functions such as animations, calculators, and other fancy tricks. Java is a simple, robust, object-oriented, platform-independent multi-threaded, dynamic general-purpose programming environment. It is best for creating applets and applications for the Internet, intranets and any other complex, distributed network.

Java applets

Mini programs that run on a Web page or a Web site to perform complicated tasks.

JPEG File

Joint Photographic Experts Group is a standard compression format for high-resolution color images.

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Kern

To add or delete space between pairs of adjacent characters. Also known as letterspacing.

Keyline drawing

Outline drawing on finished art to indicate the exact shape, position and size for such elements as halftones, line sketches, etc.

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Laminated

Coated with clear plastic, or two separate sheets of paper joined together as a single sheet to provide a special thickness or varying colors from side to side.

Lenticular printing

Process of creating multidimensional, animated or bi-view effects by photographing with an extremely fine screen and placing plastic made up of tiny lenses over the top.

Letterpress printing

Printing method in which ink is carried on a raised surface to the page or object being printed.

Line art

Black-and-white illustration of reproduction quality.

LISTSERV

An automatic mailing list server developed by Eric Thomas for BITNET in 1986. When e-mail is addressed to a LISTSERV mailing list, it is automatically broadcast to everyone on the list. The result is similar to a newsgroup or forum, except that the messages are transmitted as e-mail and are therefore available only to individuals on the list. LISTSERV is currently a commercial product marketed by L-Soft International. Although LISTSERV refers to a specific mailing list server, the term is sometimes used incorrectly to refer to any mailing list server. Another popular mailing list server is Majordomo, which is freeware.

Logo or Logotype

Style of lettering or design of a company used as a trademark to identify itself.

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Matte finish

Dull paper finish without gloss or uster.

Mechanical

Final make-up of printed advertisement before transformation onto a printing plate.

Midtones (Color Families)

Transitional colors such as dusty blue, rose pink, sunflower yellow, and salmon that cross seasons and climates, and are less intense than jewlel tones.

MIME

Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions A protocol for internet email that enables the transmission of nontextual data such as graphics, audio, video and other binary types of files. An e-mail program such as Eudora is said to be "MIME Compliant" if it can both send and receive files using the MIME standard. When non-text files are sent using the MIME standard they are converted (encoded) into text - although the resulting text is not really readable. Besides e-mail software, the MIME standard is also universally used by Web Servers to identify the files they are sending to Web Clients, in this way new file formats can be accommodated simply by updating the browsers' list of pairs of MIME-Types and appropriate software for handling each type.

Modem

MOdulator/DEModulator. Device that converts computer data into high-frequency signals or vice versa, for transmission over phone lines.

Moire

Screen pattern caused by the clash of dot patterns when two or more screens are used.

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Nav bar

short for "navigation bar" The set of directional tools you are presented with on a Web site. The options listed and hyperlinked on a web page - usually determined by the names of the sections of a Web site. Inherent to the name "Web" almost all web pages are "linked" in numerous places to numerous other pages. Nav bars are supposed to help in guiding a user through the tangled mess.

Navigation

How viewers on a Web site find their way through the content of that site.

Nonrepro blue

Color that does not reproduce in final production, used to mark instructions and corrections on camera-ready art.

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Offset lithography

Printing process in which the image is transferred to a rubber blanket, which in turn applies it to the surface to be printed.

Offset printing

Printing process in which a positive image is transferred to a rubber blanket in reverse, which in turn applies it to the surface to be printed, right reading.

Opacity

Heaviness of ink coverage.

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Pad printing

Method of imprinting in which a recessed surface is covered with ink. When the plate is wiped clean, ink remains in the recessed area. A silicone pad then presses against the plate, pulls the ink out of the recesses and is pressed directly against the product.

Pagination

Process of performing page makeup automatically.

Pantone Matching System (PMS)

Color scale used to precisely match colors for printing. Each hue has a coded number indicating instructions for mixing inks to achieve that hue.

Paste-up

Act of producing mechanical art.

Pastels (Color Families)

Soft sunwashed colors such as sky blue, seafoam green, coral, baby pink, and butter yellow that are used predominately in spring and summer deliveries and in warmer climates.

Photostate

Black-and-white reproduction of original art, generally not acceptable as "camera-ready" art.

Plate

Rubber or metal image carrier that transfers ink to the printing surface.

Position proof

Color proofs for checking position, layout and/or color breakout of image elements.

Positive

Image reproduction with the same density values as the original.

Press Proof

Proof of a color subject made on printing press in advance of the production run.

Progressive proofs

Color proofs that show the reproduction of each color plate separately and in combination with each other. Also called color keys

Promotional product

Useful or interesting article of merchandise usually carrying an imprinted advertising or promotional message.

Proof

Impression of type or artwork on paper to allow the correctness and quality of the material to be checked.

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Raster graphics

Raster-based graphics have become a standard technology and are popularly known by their GIF and JPEG formats. Raster graphics use pixel-by-pixel definitions as opposed to vector graphics which use computer algorithms to describe shapes, lines, animation, etc.

Register marks

Cross-hair marks applied to negatives, artwork, photographs or mechanicals to ensure precise register on the final product.

Resolution

Density of dots for any given output device. The unit of measurement is dots per inch (dpi).

Retouching

Process of improving/highlighting necessary details in a picture, photograph, print or drawing.

Reverse

Mirrorlike inversion of elements on a printing plate in relation to their order on the surface printed from it.

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Sans-serif type

Typestyle without cross strokes at the end of the main strokes.

Score

To impress a mark in a sheet of paper to facilitate folding and help it lie flat.

Screen

Series of dots used to reproduce halftones or blended colors. As the percentage of screen increases, the color prints darken.

Screen tints

Process in which shading and tinting are added to a line reproduction.

Screenprinting

Imprinting method in which the image is transferred to the printed surface by ink squeegeed through a stenciled screen stretched over a frame. Screens are treated with a light-sensitive emulsion, then film positives are put in contact with the screens and exposed to light. The light hardens the emulsion not covered by the film, leaving a soft area on the screen for the squeegee to force ink through. Also called silkscreening.

Search engine

Software system to locate information or to look at information on a Web site based on criteria entered.

Serif type

Any typeface with letters having a cross stroke at the end of the main stroke.

Set-up charge

Special charges added to certain products in a catalog. It covers the cost of preparing the type for the press and the actual printing.

Sketch

Initial rough drawing in pencil, ink or color to determine the arrangement of an artwork.

Solid

Printed area without type or other illustrations.

Spot color

Color used usually for accent

Step-and-repeat

Same image printed continuously in a pattern on the same sheet of paper.

Storyboarding

Creating a rough outline of what the Web site will look like.

Stripping

Attaching, putting together or assembling in negative film from the separate elements of an ad, brochure, flyer or other printed materials into one cohesive unit.

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Tagged Image File Format

(TIFF) A file format for exchanging bitmapped images (usually scans) between applications.

Tint block

A photoengraving used to print tints of any percentage of color.

Tip-in

Preprinted card bound or partially bound into a periodical.

Trade character

Visual identification or personification of a particular brand, merchandise, or advertiser.

Transparency

Full-color, translucent, photographic film positive.

Transparent GIF

Transparent GIFs are useful because they appear to blend in smoothly with the user's display, even if the user has set a background color that differs from that the developer expected. They do this by assigning one color to be transparent -- if the Web browser supports transparency, that color will be replaced by the browser's background color, whatever it may be.

Transparent ink

Printing ink that does not completely conceal the color of the carrying material beneath.

Trapping

Process of adjusting adjacent colors to account for misregistration, which occurs due to the complex machinery of the press and because materials stretch and shift during printing.

Type transfer

sheet of type created through a photographic and chemical process which can be transferred onto almost any surface by burnishing the back of the sheet.

Typeface

General term used to describe the styles of lettering available in typesetting.

Typeset

To create type of a quality usable for reproduction, whether electronically or mechanically.

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URL

Uniform Resource Locater points users to specific information on the Internet.

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Varnish

Thin, protective coating applied to a printed sheet for protection, appearance or to prevent fingerprinting.

Vector graphics

Vector graphics use computer algorithms to describe shapes, lines, animation, etc. The technology of vector graphics is growing in popularity because the images are scalable and smaller in file size, a plus for online viewing and downloading. Vector graphics were developed in response to the limitations of raster-based graphics (popularly known as GIF and JPEG) because raster graphics use pixel-by-pixel definitions.

Velox

Photoprint with halftone dot pattern in place of continuous tone, ready for line reproduction. (See PMI)

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Web server

Program that runs on a Web site and replies to users requesting information from that site.

Web site

Location on the World Wide Web that contains information in text and image form.

Web-fed press

Press that prints from a continuous roll of paper.

Weight

Visual effect of the thickness or thinness of text, rules or logos.

White space

Space on a page not occupied by type, pictures or other elements.

WWW

World Wide Web, a global interactive system of text and images that runs over the Internet.

WYSIWYG

An acronym for What You See Is What You Get, which means that the composite page viewed on the screen of a workstation essentially represents what the printer will output.

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Xerography

Formation of pictures or copies of graphic materials by the action of light on an electrically charged surface in which the image is usually developed with powders.