At JPL Print we cut through the print terminology waffle and keep things super-simple for you. But if you are interesting in learning more about some of the daily terms and phrases we use; please feel free to swot up on the information below.

A

• Acrobat: A popular industry-standard programme from Adobe® which opens PDF (Portable Document Format) Files. Pro version enables features such as editing text, creation of PDF files and forms.
• Adobe®: Software publishing company which offers a premium suite of industry-standard creative and marketing applications for PC and Apple MAC. Main graphics applications include Adobe® Photoshop, Adobe® Illustrator, Adobe® Indesign and Adobe® Acrobat.
• Artwork: A digital file which contains all required elements – usually text, colours and images for a printer or publisher to print or display media. Artwork is usually supplied in PDF / JPG / AI / PNG file formats, although other formats can be used. We prefer print quality PDF format wherever possible.

B

• Banding: Describes problems with print quality – usually horizontal 'bands' of inconsistency in the finished print, due to print head issues or low ink/toner levels.
• Banners: Often printed onto hard-wearing PVC, mesh or fabric and supplied with eyelets for displaying outdoors, banners are large format prints which can communicate a message or a brand from far away.
• Binding: Refers to the process of attaching sheets of printed media together to create catalogues and booklets and can be done via number of methods such as perfect binding, case binding, spiral binding and saddle stitching.
• Bleed: An extra margin – usually 3-5mm depending on the print product, that extends beyond the final trim size of a print – indicated by crop/trim marks. This additional area accommodates slight variations in cutting accuracy during the finishing process, ensuring that graphics or colours reach the very edge of the document without leaving unwanted white borders when trimmed.

C

• Canva: An online graphic design creation tool which utilises templates and a simple interface to enable a range of users – including non-designers, to create and publish professional designs for various print and web media.
• Case Binding: A method of combining sheets of paper together using a method of sewing with a hardcover to create a book.
• CMYK: Each letter within this acronym represents a colour used in the digital or litho 4-colour printing process – C=Cyan / M=Magenta / Y=Yellow / K=Black. Different ratios of each of the colours used in combination with each other can produce any colour within the colour spectrum/gamut of the output device and printed in the printing process.
• Compliment Slips: A printed material – commonly cut to 1/3^rd of an A4 sheet (99x210mm) which usually contains a company or organisation’s branding, address and the words ‘with compliments’ – used to accompany documents or products when sent to customers or stakeholders. Compliment slips often contain a handwritten note from the sender. Compliment slips, offer a personal touch and can enhance customer relationships, as well as providing brand reinforcement.
• Copyright: A legal system used to protect intellectual property which automatically applies to creative works including text, images and designs and prevents unauthorised use of these works without the copyright owner’s permission.
• CorelDRAW: An industry standard software package which utilises vector graphics to create print-ready artwork. Alternatives to CorelDRAW include Freehand and Adobe® Illustrator.
• Cover Paper: Describes the often-heavier weight paper used as an outer jacket to provide durable protection and a visually attractive representation of the book’s inner pages.
• Crop Marks: Crop marks are thin lines printed outside the corners of artwork that indicate where the paper should be trimmed after printing. These marks are crucial for commercial printing as they guide the cutting process to achieve the exact intended dimensions of the final piece. Crop marks work in conjunction with bleed areas to ensure that images or colours extend properly to the edge of the document without unwanted white borders. When preparing artwork for professional printing, these marks are automatically added by design software like Adobe® InDesign or Illustrator during export. Typically positioned about 5mm from the artwork's corners, crop marks ensure precision in the finishing process, particularly for designs requiring edge-to-edge printing. They serve as the critical communication between designer and printer about exactly where cuts should be made.

D

• Deboss: The opposite of emboss. Debossing is a technique in which graphical or typographical elements of a design are pressed into a media such as paper or board to create a sunken effect.

• Die: Manufactured from metal, a die is used to cut out bespoke shapes from paper or other materials.
• Die Cut: The process in which a die is used to cut out bespoke shapes from paper or other materials.
• Digital Printing: A fast and flexible printing process where artwork is printed directly from a digital file and colours are created – usually from 4 colours – CMYK without the need for metal plates to specify ink ratios.

E

• Eco-ink: Environmentally friendly ink which is created from sustainable components.

• Emboss: The opposite of deboss. Embossing is a technique in which graphical or typographical elements of a design are pressed into the reverse of a media such as paper or board to create a raised effect when looking at or feeling the media’s front.
• Encapsulation: A premium finishing process where printed materials are sealed between two sheets of clear plastic film, creating a waterproof barrier with a 3-5mm sealed border extending beyond the document edges. Unlike standard lamination, encapsulation uses thicker plastic film without adhesives, providing superior protection against handling damage, moisture, UV rays, and environmental conditions. This makes it ideal for frequently handled items requiring cleaning or sanitization, such as menus, maps, outdoor signage, and ID badges. While standard lamination maintains flexibility for folding, encapsulation offers maximum durability for materials exposed to harsh conditions or heavy use, making it the preferred choice when long-term protection is essential while maintaining document visibility.

F

• Finish: Refers to the final appearance, texture or finishing touch which is applied to a printed product such as matt, gloss or satin to enhance the product’s visual aesthetic.
• Flyers: A popular and cost-effective single-page marketing media – often printed onto A5 or A4 paper sizes and used in an advertising or promotional context to distribute information or marketing messaging.
• Foil: Foil stamping or foiling adds an eye-catching and luxurious component to printed materials – especially when combined with the lamination and /embossing/debossing process.
• Freehand: An industry standard software package which utilises vector graphics to create print-ready artwork. Alternatives to Freehand include CorelDRAW and Adobe® Illustrator.

G

• Gimp: (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is an open-source and free software package which utilises raster graphics which can be used for basic editing and image manipulation tasks to prepare print-ready artwork. A premium alternative to GIMP is Adobe® Photoshop.
• Gloss: Gloss in commercial printing refers to a paper finish with a smooth, reflective surface that enhances colour vibrancy and image contrast. This high-shine coating is created by applying clay and other materials to the paper surface during manufacturing, then polishing it to achieve its characteristic sheen. Gloss finishes excel at reproducing sharp photographic details and vibrant colours, making them ideal for image-heavy materials like magazines, catalogues, and brochures. The reflective quality of gloss paper makes text slightly harder to read under direct light due to potential glare. Compared to matte or silk finishes, gloss paper provides superior ink holdout, preventing absorption that might dull colours. This finish is particularly popular for marketing materials where visual impact and colour reproduction are priorities.
• Gloss UV: A shiny finish applied to part of all of a printed page or material to provide impact and enhance its appearance and feel.
• Gloss Laminate: A thin plastic material with a gloss finish which is applied to a printed product to enhance durability and appearance.
• GSM: (Grams per Square Metre) is used as a standard to allude to the weight and quality of paper and printed material. Usually, the higher the GSM, the thicker the material.  

H

• Heidelberg: A well-known printing brand which revolutionised printing in the early 1900s and is still used today – particularly for the offset printing process. We currently use a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75 for our digital printing projects.

I

• Illustrator: An industry standard software package published by Adobe® which utilises vector graphics to create print-ready artwork. Alternatives to Illustrator include Freehand and CorelDRAW.
• InDesign: An industry standard software package published by Adobe® which is used to arrange graphic and text elements on pages and layouts to create print-ready artwork. An industry standard alternative to InDesign is called QuarkXPress.

L

• Laminate: Provides a protective layer to printed materials to enhance appearance, feel and durability. Lamination helps to protect printed materials from wear and tear and is available in several finishes including gloss, matt, soft-touch and anti-scuff.
• Litho Printing: Another term to describe the offset printing process, litho or lithographic printing is a process in which ink is transferred to paper using metal plates.

M

• Matt: A type of paper with a dull non-reflective finish which reduces glare by absorbing light and creates a soft and velvety appearance.
• Matt Laminate: A thin plastic material with a matt finish which is applied to a printed product to enhance durability and appearance.
• Offset: Another term to describe the litho or lithographic printing process in which ink is transferred to paper using metal plates. The plate doesn’t come into direct contact with the paper itself. It is the rubber blanket which transfers the images or text to the paper – hence the term ‘offset printing’.

P

• Pantone®: A strictly controlled colour matching system which enables consistent colour reproduction across different printing processes. The Pantone® standard provides an essential process which enables brand colours to be represented accurately.
• PDF: An industry standard digital file (Portable Document Format) created by a number of programmes including Adobe® Acrobat and other Adobe® applications, which is highly versatile and preserves the layout and formatting of documents intended for printing purposes and many other uses.
• Perfect Binding (PUR): A method of gluing combined pages to the spine of a cover – commonly used to create a softcover catalogue, book or magazine.
• Photoshop: An industry standard software package published by Adobe® which utilises raster graphics to create print-ready artwork. A free alternative to Photoshop is called GIMP.
• Plate: Metal plates - commonly made from aluminium, are used to carry images and text, which are then transferred via ink to a rubber blanket which is then applied to paper. The plate doesn’t come into direct contact with the paper itself. It is the rubber blanket which transfers the images or text to the paper – hence the term ‘offset printing’.
• PNG: A common digital file format (Portable Network Graphics) which is used to display graphics which particularly contain transparent elements. PNGs are made up of RGB colours and are commonly used for on-screen and web applications and are therefore not used for printing purposes. TIFF files provide all of the same functions as PNGs, and although are generally larger in terms of file size, they utilise CMYK colour composition, can contain layers and are more suitable for designers who create and edit graphics and are used in professional printing contexts as a result.

• Print Quality: The overall visual excellence and accuracy of the printed output, significantly influenced by paper finish selection as well as artwork quality. Gloss finishes enhance colour vibrancy and contrast, making images appear sharper with deeper blacks and more saturated colours, but can create glare that affects readability. Matt finishes reduce glare and fingerprint visibility while providing excellent readability for text-heavy documents, though they may slightly reduce colour intensity. Silk or satin finishes offer a middle ground with moderate reflectivity that balances image quality and readability. The paper's texture, weight, brightness, and opacity also impact print quality by affecting ink absorption, colour reproduction, and show-through. Matching paper finish to project requirements is essential. Photographs benefit from gloss, while corporate documents often require the professional appearance and practicality of matt or silk finishes.
• Print Quality Artwork: Print quality artwork refers to digital files that meet specific technical requirements to produce high-quality printed materials. This typically means files with a resolution of at least 300 DPI (dots per inch), correct CMYK colour format, appropriate dimensions, and proper file formatting. Print-ready artwork ensures that colours reproduce accurately, images appear crisp without pixelation, text remains legible, and the final printed product matches the designer's vision. Commercial printers use these specifications to ensure consistency across print runs and to avoid common issues like blurriness, colour distortion, or poor reproduction of fine details.
• Procreate: A digital illustration and painting app for tablets which can be used to create artwork for printing purposes.

Q

• Quark Xpress: An industry standard software package which is used to arrange graphic and text elements on pages and layouts to create print-ready artwork. An industry standard alternative to QuarkXPress is called Adobe® InDesign.

R

• Raster: Also known as a bitmap, raster graphics use a grid of pixels to display an image. DPI, which stands for dots per inch specifies the number of dots per square inch within a document. Common raster filetypes which utilise pixels include JPG. PNG, GIF and TIFF. Raster graphics are the opposite of vector-based graphics which use mathematics to display an image.
• Resolution: Resolution describes the level of detail in an image and is measured in DPI (Dots per Inch) for print files and PPI (Pixels per Inch) for digital files. Higher PPI in digital files results in more vibrant and crisp images, while higher DPI in print files produces sharper and more detailed printed images. Typically, digital images range from 72 to 150 PPI, whereas images intended for print require 300 DPI or higher. Resolution is crucial in ensuring output quality aligns with the intended use. When creating designs, it's essential to consider the final print size. Even if all elements in your design are 300 DPI, enlarging them significantly beyond their original size will reduce pixel density, potentially compromising quality. Therefore, it's best to obtain or create images at their intended resolution and size for printing.

• RGB: Each letter within this acronym represents a colour used in the digital process of displaying colours on a screen – R=Red / G=Green / B=Blue. Different intensities of coloured light used in combination with each other can produce any colour within the colour spectrum. If RGB artwork is supplied for use in print, it must be converted to CMYK. The conversion process often results in colour discrepancies and the artwork can appear dull in comparison to what you see on-screen, so it’s always best to create artwork with a CMYK palette to avoid issues.

S

• Saddle-Stitch: A cost-effective method of binding which involves stapling the centre of folded pages together. Commonly used for booklets, brochures and magazines.
• Satin: A premium paper finish which is non-reflective and is positioned between the vibrancy of gloss and the subtlety of matt finishes. It is prone to scuffs and fingerprint marks.
• Seal/Sealer: A protective coating or film used to finish printed products to enhance durability or appearance. Sealing methods include matt laminates and gloss laminates – a thin plastic film applied to the print, varnish/oil-based seals or water-based aqueous seals.
• Self-Cover: Describes a booklet, brochure, book or magazine, where the cover material is the same specification as that used within the inner pages.
• Silk: A common paper stock which has a smooth feel and is coated to achieve a slightly glossy finish.
• Single-Sided: A term used to describe a print which is printed on only one side.
• Spiral Binding: Also known as coil or wiro/wire-o binding, spiral binding utilises a method of binding pages together with a spiralised metal coil - enabling the book or catalogue to lay flat on a surface in an open state. Spiral binding is useful to bind many pages together and is commonly used for writing pads and diaries.
• Spot Colour: Often used within artwork to define a specific colour – usually a Pantone which requires colour consistency with branding for example. Other examples of spot colours used within an artwork file, can specify an area which is to be foiled or to contain spot UV.
• Spot UV: A clear varnish which is applied as a finishing process to specific areas of a printed product to highlight features such as logos, products or type. Spot UV is predominantly glossy. A process known as raised spot gloss or Scodix™ can produce a raised (3d) effect relative to the surface of the print.

T

• TIFF: A common digital file format (Tagged Image File Format) which is used to display graphics which particularly contain transparent elements. TIFF files provide the same functions as PNGs (which are used for web and on-screen applications), and although they are generally larger in terms of file size, they can be created using RGB, CMYK and spot colours, can contain layers and are more suitable for professional printing contexts as a result.

V

• Vector: The opposite to raster graphics, vector graphics use mathematics to display an image, and as a result, can be scaled infinitely, with no loss of quality. Logos should be created as vectorised graphics so that they can be used at both small sizes on business stationery, as well as at larger sizes on banners and other large formats for example without any loss of quality.

W

• Watermark: Digital watermarks in relation to commercial printing, allude to an image or text which is printed very faintly. Traditional watermarks are integrated into sheets of paper during the manufacturing process.