ResourcesGlossary

A

accordion fold — Brochure or direct mail piece that folds alternately inward and outward so that the piece opens and closes like an accordion.

AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) — The primary purpose of AJAX is to help make web applications function more like desktop applications (See also JavaScript, XML).

alt attribute — an alternate line of text written with the image tag in HTML that describes what the image is. Required by W3C standards, this text is displayed if an image is broken or can not be seen. From an accessibility standpoint, an alt attribute is important for blind or otherwise impaired users because it can be read by screen readers (See also web accessibility).

analog color proof — Off-press color proof made from sublimation films (i.e. Matchprint®, Color Key, Fuji® print, Chromalin®).

animated GIF — An animated graphic file made up of a series of graphics files stored in a sequence of frames and displayed on an internet browser (See also GIF).

applets — Mini applications that can run in a browser where HTML language is present and run from JAVA scripts.

aqueous coating — Overall high gloss or matte water-based coating printed in-line through a heating unit for instant drying. Protects the surface of the sheet and can make a lesser quality paper look better and colors brighter.

ascender — The portion of a lower case letter that rises above the main body of the letter (as in b, d and h).

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) — A text file format containing letters, digits, and symbols from the ASCII character set. Standard on IBM-compatible personal computers.

autoflow — Computer text placement in which text flows continuously onto successive pages.

Bback to top

bandwidth — Bandwidth is the amount of data that is requested from your website over time. Bandwidth is expressed in terms of kilobits per second (Kbps).

baud rate — The speed that data is transmitted over a network (xx mbps).

bezier curve — The description of a character, symbol, or graphic by its outline. It is used by drawing programs to define shapes.

binary — A text and file format that is standard on the Macintosh® computer.

bit — The smallest unit of binary information, with a value of “1” or “0”.

bitmap graphic — A graphic-image document formed by a series of dots or pixels with a specific number of dots or pixels per inch. Can be a variety of format types, including TIFF, JPEG, BMP and others.

blanket — In offset printing, a rubber surfaced fabric which is clamped around a press cylinder, which transfers the image from the plate, and onto the paper.

bleed — A photo, solid color, or any graphic image that prints off the edge of the trimmed sheet. (Technically, to achieve this effect, the sheet is actually trimmed after it is printed.) Also, what printers claim to do when asked to cut prices.

blog — Short for web log, it is a type of website, that has short frequent updates made to it. Similar to a journal or “what’s new” page, blogs can be created by anyone, usually an individual, to serve nearly any purpose.

BMP (Windows Bitmap) — A file format for Microsoft® Windows for bitmap images.

bounce rate — The bounce rate is the percentage of visits that come to the site and only view one page before leaving. This is a good metric to have, as you can then determine how popular your site is as well as how effective (or not effective) your navigation is. A high bounce rate is generally considered to be negative.

breadcrumb — A style of website navigation that helps your visitors always know where they are. Taken from the story Hansel and Gretel, breadcrumbs are displayed as a series of steps that trace the current page you are on back through each layer back to the home page. i.e. Home>Resources>Glossary

browser — Application program that interprets and displays HTML universally across the internet. Popular browsers include Mozilla Firefox, Apple’s Safari and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

byte — A unit of digital information, equivalent to one character or 8 bits and can consist of up to 256 values.

Cback to top

cache — A computer memory feature. Allows repetitive application functions to be stored in the computer’s memory so RAM can quickly process redundant functions.

CGI (Common Gateway Interface) — A program or script for the internet usually written by a programer that can perform an action (i.e. submit forms).

child — An XHTML element that rests within another (the parent). Unless otherwise specified, the child shares all the style definitions of its parent (See also parent, CSS).

chokes and spreads — Overlap of overprinting images to avoid color or white edges around an image or type.

Chromalin® — DuPont’s color proof made from powdered toners through a laminating procedure to produce color proofs from either film negatives or positives. Used for color approval before printing (very accurate).

class — A label used in an XHTML document to apply CSS styles to a group of tags. By assigning a class to elements in a web page, each element can then be controlled site-wide by editing the class style definitions on the external CSS document. (See also CSS).

cloud computing — Term describing using the internet to store and access ones digital information, as opposed to a physical computer. This style of file management is increasingly present as we take the internet more places with the rise of mobile web media and social networking (See also mobile devices)

CMS (Content Management System) — A framework for creating websites that automates many of the procedures. Useful for large-scale websites that involve a great volume of content that is continually updated.

CMYK colors — A color model that defines color using the four process colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black (See Process Colors).

coated stock — Any paper stock with a clay finish or gloss finish. This enables the ink to sit on top of the paper, rather than be absorbed. It helps to result in high quality reproduction of photographs.

color separation — Positives or negatives made from full-color art used to make plates. Full-color is separated (filtered) into four screened (dot) separations: magenta (red), cyan (blue), yellow, black (CMYK).

continuous-tone art — Any photograph or illustration that has a graduation of colors, or gray tones.

contrast — Tonal gradation between highlights, midtones and shadows in an original or reproduction.

cover stock — A heavier, more durable stock of paper. It provides rigidity (fibers are arranged differently).

crash — A computer program which quits unexpectedly. Also the sound made as the operator hits the floor after losing five hours of work. Always save your files periodically to avoid this situation and backup your work!

crop — To eliminate an unwanted section of photograph or piece of art.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) — A language for the Web to define the style (look and feel) of a Web page. Cascading Style Sheets can define: fonts, colors, layouts, and more. At a basic level, it is a list of definitions that tell the browser how to render the data that makes up an HTML document. The current state of web design is largely a product of the embrace of CSS, now entering its third iteration.

Cufón — A technique developed by Simo Kinnunen that uses Javascript to display special fonts dynamically on the web. One of the easier-to-implement font-replacement alternatives, Cufón recreates XHTML text with vector images (See also @font-face, sIFR)

cutlines (caption) — Legend/description accompanying a photograph or artwork.

Dback to top

DCS (Desktop Color Separation) — An EPS file format that is pre-separated into five files. One is a color preview file used for low resolution placement. The other four are the cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) channels.

deboss — Printing an image; then stamping it out so that the image is depressed under the paper in relief.

descender — The portion of a lowercase letter that hangs below the main body of the letter (i.e., g, p and g).

DHTML (Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language) — The fusion of XHTML, the DOM, Cascading Style Sheets, and JavaScript to create a dynamic and interactive Web document (See also XHTML, DOM, CSS, Javascript).

die cut — An outline or other cut alteration to a square print sheet. (Usually accomplished with a letterpress press or high speed Bobst press [die cut and score].)

dither — Placing colored pixels next to each other so that they appear to blend, producing another color that is not present. Used when there is only a limited amount of colors that can be displayed.

DNS (Domain Name Server) — Converts IP addresses into domain names (See also IP address).

DOM (Document Object Model) — A universal convention for representing and displaying the structure of objects on the internet, such as HTML, XHTML and XML documents (See also HTML, DHTML, XHTML, XML).

Domain Name — A “URL” usually for a company or business (web page address) which is registered and usually ends in .com or .net or .org (http://www.mediaii.com).

DPI — Dots per inch. Used in reference to output or monitor resolution.

Dreamweaver — Adobe’s WYSIWYG HTML web editor. Originally a Macromedia product before being acquired by Adobe (See also WYSIWYG)

Drupal — An open-source Content Management System software (See also CMS)

DSL — Digital Subscriber Line. A high-speed internet connection that is “always on”. 3-5 times faster than ISDN which is 10 times faster than a 56K modem.

download — To receive an electronic file from a remote computer or server and save to a local computer hard drive.

drop-out halftone — Halftone photograph with parts dropped out to show paper color. No tonal value in the extreme highlights.

duotone — Black-and-white photograph (halftone) printed in two colors. Usually black and a second spot (PMS) color.

dye sublimation (dye sub) — High quality color printer that outputs directly from a computer file. Usually prints up to 12” x 18” maximum size. Can be expensive, but is near photo quality. Is being replaced by photo-quality inkjet printers that come in sizes from letter-sized paper to poster-sized.

Eback to top

em — A unit of measure which is the square of a typeface’s point size. Traditionally, an em is the width of a face’s widest letter, the capital letter M. For instance, if the M is 10 points wide, an em is equal to 10 points.
In web design, ems are a preferred measurement for text because its relative proportions allow it to be easily resized. Text set in ems rather than points is generally more accessible for those with impaired vision.

embedded styles — What CSS is called when the style definitions are written inside the XHTML document, as opposed to being on an external style sheet. (See also CSS)

emboss — Printing an image; then stamping it out, so that image rises above the paper in relief.

en — A unit of measure equal to half of a typeface’s point size. Traditionally, an en was half the width of an em.

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS or EPSF) — A draw-type graphic document or bitmap image that is created using PostScript code or an application that produces a PostScript code. This file format contains a low-resolution screen preview that is usually a TIFF or JPEG format.

Fback to top

favicon — A small graphic that appears next to your site’s URL in the browser window and when your site is bookmarked.

finder — The desktop file manager on the Macintosh operating system. Also defines the person who gets the best deal on a computer and tells everyone else.

Fireworks — Adobe software that edits vector and bitmap images. Ideal for producing images for the web, Fireworks integrates easily with Dreamweaver.

five color (or more) — Every time a sheet is run through a set of print rollers, it is considered a color. A full color separation requires four sets of rollers. (The fifth, and subsequent colors, can mean a special color, not provided by the color separation process, aqueous coating, a varnish, color match, etc. …)

fixed-width layout — A website layout that uses a defined pixel width, as opposed to a percentage (See also liquid layout).

Flash — Adobe’s animation software using vector graphics. Aquired from Macromedia, Flash is prevelant in web design for its interactivity and ability to embed video.

flat color (spot color) — Solid PMS (Pantone Matching System) color generally used for accent.

flop — Photographic process that changes the facing of a photograph or artwork. (For instance, if the subject was pointing to the right in the original, he would be pointing to the left in the flopped format.) Also usually the end result of the boss’ daughter’s creative idea for the corporate ad campaign.

flush (right, left) — Having type set so that it is aligned either to the right or left. Also, what to do with bargain basement art.

fold — In web design, the “fold” is the line at which your browser window ends — the user needs to scroll to see anything below this line. Taken from newspaper terminology, generally the most important information on a site is shown above the fold, although there is no one universal height at where the fold sits.

font — Complete set of type characters in a particular style (face).

@font-face — A CSS declaration that allows designers to use any font at their disposal on the web by linking to an uploaded typeface. Traditionally, font choice was limited to only a small number of “web safe” fonts. @font-face has been around for years, it is only recently, with the advent of CSS3, that browser support has been consistent enough for wide-spread use (See also CSS).

forms — The arrangement of pages on paper as it is printed on the press. The forms must be organized properly for the bindery process to be done correctly (See Printer’s Spreads).

French fold — Brochure or direct mail folder that is printed on only one side, then folded into a four-page folder. The blank side is hidden. (Many greeting cards are French fold.)

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) — A software utility used to upload or download files, usually directly to a server that stores web page files.

Gback to top

gatefold — An ad or brochure that opens out to two additional pages, usually from the center or double gate 8-4 additional pages.

geek — What all computer programmers have irreversibly turned into since 2000. A term of endearment. Also, a Best Buy employee who will fix your computer in a black-and-white Volkswagen.

GIF — Compuserve’s Graphic Interchange Format. Developed for sending and receiving graphic files over the web using indexed color mode (256 colors) and small file sizes. For the most part obsolete, having been replaced by the PNG which can display more colors (See also PNG).

gigabyte — A unit of data consisting of 1,024 megabytes.

Google Analytics — A tool from Google that allows you to track your site’s performance.

grain — The way cellulose fibers in a sheet of paper line up, giving direction to the paper. (You want a folded piece to fold with the grain, not against it. This prevents cracking.)

grainy — Dim, distracting pattern in a photograph that lessens impact. Often caused by low resolution images. (Like “snow” in a television picture.)

gray balance — The dot values or densities of CMYK that produces a neutral gray.

grayscale — Black and white mode including grays. The maximum 256 levels of grayscale includes a full range of gray tones.

Greek text — Used in an initial layout to indicate text or type where text or type will eventually be written and placed. i.e. Lorem ipsum dolor.

gripper — In sheet-fed and web printing, metal fingers that clamp on paper and control its flow through the press.

gutter — The separation between two facing pages. And the separation between pages in a press layout to allow for bleed. This space also allows the printer area to run their hold down wheels. Also where printers with single color presses that claim four color capabilities end up.

Hback to top

hairline — Very thin black line used in design.

halftone — Process by which a photograph is scanned and then converted to a series of very small dots (screens can run from 65 to 200 dots per inch depending on need and clarity). The photo can be printed and create the illusion of continuous tone.

hard drive — Data and application storage area within a computer or externally. Information is “read from” or “written to” areas of the hard drive. Areas of the hard drive are used in collaboration with RAM to complete a software request (See RAM). Also refers to the effort to complete a project received by 5:00 p.m. for a 7:00 a.m. delivery.

hexadecimal — The 6 digit code used to define colors on the web. For example, black is #000000.

high res (hi rez) — High resolution (print quality) electronic image usually 300 dpi at size of 5” by 7”.

HLS colors — A color model that defines colors using percentages of hue, saturation and lightness (See also HSB colors).

HSB colors — A color model that defines color using percentages of hue, saturation and brightness. HLS and HLB are similar but different in the degree of lightness and brightness needed to produce color.

hole punch — Process by which printer drills holes into printed matter (3-hole punch is common).

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) — Programming language that a web browser interprets and displays.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) — A language used for web browsers to preface some URLs (web addresses).

hyperlink — What makes the internet a world wide web. Line of text that tells your browser to go to another webpage.

Iback to top

ID — A label used in an XHTML document to apply CSS styles to a specific tag. An ID can only be used once per page (See also CSS, class).

Illustrator — An Adobe drawing software application program used to create vector graphics.

imprint — Printing information on an already printed piece.

impositions — The appropriate layout of pages in a press form for the binding process. Also repeatedly asking to have your job done first.

InDesign — An Adobe graphic design and layout software application.

inkjet Printer — Method of color output directly from computer file. Output size can range from large format (36” wide to any length) to letter size (8 1/2” x 11”). inset — Art placed inside other art or art surrounded by type.

inline style — A style definition written directly inside the tag it affects in the body of an XHTML document, as opposed to an external CSS document. Differs from an embedded style sheet, which is written in the header (See also CSS).

intranet — Able to give and receive information usually within a company via a network. Boundaries can be defined to specific company’s needs. (A company may make it possible for clients or vendors to access information on their intranet.)

IP (Internet Protocol) address — a string of four numbers separated by dots. These numbers can then be translated into a domain name.

Iris — High quality prepress inkjet proof color output directly from a computer file up to 55” wide (any length). Can be calibrated to match printing press output.

ISDN (Integrated Signal Digital Network) — A digital phone line capable of running at a speed of 128kbps (kilobytes per second).

ISP (Internet Service Provider) — A company that offers monthly online services to enable someone to be connected to the internet.

Jback to top

JAVA® — Programming language used for the web developed by Sun Microsystems. Also, what graphic artists consume plenty of during an all-nighter.

JavaScript — A scripting language used on the web to enhance usability and create dynamic content. Despite the name, there is no relation to JAVA.

Joomla — an open-source CMS software written in PHP (See also CMS).

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) — A file compression technique named after the group of photographers who developed it. Electronic file size can be decreased drastically but in exchange, pixel information is lost which decreases image quality. It is a good method for file archives or web graphics.

JQuery — A JavaScript library that makes it easier to use the language, allowing for plugins that can create dynamic effects such as animation (See also JavaScript).

justified — Copy that is flush right-and-left (See Flush).

Kback to top

kerning — Adjusting the spacing between letters.

keyline — An old method (thank God) with type set and pasted in position on an art board. Space is designated for photographs, etc., with all necessary instructions for the printer. (Drinking coffee in close proximity to them will age your artist or printer considerably. But your artist is probably really old if these are used.)

keyword — A word or phrase that is associated with your site, what gets looked at by search engines when people browse the web (See also SEO).

kilobyte — A unit of data consisting of 1,024 bytes (pixels)(See also Byte).

knockout — An area on a printer’s spot color overlay in which an overlapping color is deleted so the background color shows through.

Lback to top

laser printer — Quality office printer which uses toner and heat at high speeds to create documents. Postscript printers are capable of printing complex fonts and graphics.

layout — Formal artistic rendering of brochure or advertising idea for concept approval. Also, used to refer to the press sheets imposition (See Imposition).

leading — The amount of space measured in points between lines of text.

line drawing — Illustration not requiring a halftone separation (black-and-white).

line reproduction — Process by which a printer reproduces black-and-white drawings (Does not require halftone separations).

line screen (65, 133, 150, 200) — Halftone (or color separation) dots to the linear inch; 65 is common for newspaper reproduction, 133 is common for most trade magazines, 150 and 200 is common for much of the literature that is printed today.

liquid layout — A website layout that determines the width of its elements by a percentage of the total width of the browser window. Also known as a fluid layout (See also fixed-width layout).

LPI — Lines per inch. Used in reference to line screen.

low res (lo rez) — Low resolution (72 to 266 dpi) electronic image. For print these images are FPO (for position only). Low res images are suitable for web pages, PowerPoint or on-screen (computer monitor) presentations.

Mback to top

make-ready — Sheets used on press to get position and color.

margin — In web design, the space surrounding an element on the outside.

mask — Used to protect open or selected areas of a digital image on film or plate.

Matchprint — See Chromalin.

metadata — Literally, data about data. Any information about a website's technical content. Often metadata, like keywords, are used by search engines (See also keyword, SEO).

megabyte (MB) — A unit of data consisting of 1,024 kilobytes or 1,048,576 bytes.

mobile device — Any portable electronic capable of accessing the internet, like smart phones. An increasingly prominent method people use to visit your web site.

moiré — An undesirable pattern of dots (wavy or checkered) that is caused by incorrect screen angles of overprinting halftones. Can occur when an already screened or patterned photograph is scanned.

M-weight — The weight of 1,000 sheets of paper of various sizes.

MySQL (My Structure Query Language) — A database management systems, often used along with PHP for storing and maintaining user data (See also PHP).

Nback to top

network — Having more than one computer connected to each other. Ideal for transferring information and sharing files.

Oback to top

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) — A technology that allows scanner software to recognize letters on a printed sheet that has been scanned and saved into a text document (this is useful to avoid extensive retyping of large printed documents). Never perfect in interpretation so always check for accuracy.

OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) — A standard for exchanging data between programs. OLE includes the ability to edit an object in the program that created it directly from the importing program, and automatically update imported objects when the original object is modified.

overprinting — Printing over an area that has already been printed.

Pback to top

padding — In web design, the space surrounding an element on the inside.

parent — An XHTML element that contains another (the child). Generally, a parent passes its styles onto its children (See also child, CSS).

Pay Per Click (PPC) — an Internet advertising model used on websites, in which advertisers pay their host only when their ad is clicked.

PDF (Portable Document Format) — Allows retaining of page composition and integrity utilizing a compressed file size for transporting files quickly and easily. Also great “Mac to PC” and “PC to Mac” cross platform flexibility.

perfect-bound — Bindery procedure where signature sheets are glued to the cover (Usually done for catalogs with 76 pages or more).

perfecting (press) — A press capable of printing on both sides of the paper at once (Most presses print one side at a time).

permalink — On a blog, the fixed URL for a post.

Photoshop — An Adobe raster-based image software application program primarily used to manipulate photos that have been scanned, or to create or manipulate graphics.

photostat — A photographic copy. Also called a “stat.”

PHP (Hypertext PreProcessor) — A scripting language used to create dynamic web pages. Requires a server environment to run.

pica — 12 points, or 1/6 of an inch.

pict — A Macintosh picture format for computer graphic documents. For viewing only and is generally not acceptable for prepress.

pingback — When another blog links back to yours.

pixel — A pixel is one dot of a screen image.

plate — Usually an aluminum sheet that can be exposed utilizing positive or negative films to create an image or type to be printed.

PMS (Pantone Matching System) Color — A printing standard for various shades of color.

PNG (Portable Network Graphic) — A graphics format for lossless, highly compressd rastered images. Supports transparency on images, unlike JPEGs.

podcast — An audio recording posted online bearing similarities to a radio show. The name is a portmanteau of “broadcast” and “iPod,” which originally was the preferred method of listening.

point — Unit of measurement; there are 72 points to an inch.

positioning — CSS declaration of where XHTML elements show up on the page. Choices include absolute (out-of-flow), relative (in-flow), and fixed (out-of-flow, never moves, regardless of scrolling).

positive — The print or transparency recording the original photographic subject.

posterization — A conversion of continuous tone art to black-and-white art. Multiple colors are then reduced to a few simple flat colors.

PostScript® — Adobe’s code or language that enables a computer screen to display, or printing device to interpret complex graphics and text.

PPI — Pixels per inch. Used in reference to digital image resolution (Same as DPI).

prepress — All the steps necessary to prepare a job for offset printing (sheet-fed or web press) including electronic file organization, color proof, RIP and digital and plates.

press-proof — Printed sheet directly off the press for the author to check (At this point, only absolutely necessary changes should be made. All changes require much time and expense).

primary color — The three primary colors are: magenta (red), cyan (blue), and yellow (The 4-Color process utilizes the three primary colors plus black).

printer’s spreads — Pages are assembled in the proper order for proofs, printing and bindery.

process color — The effect of full-color printing achieved through use of the 4-color separation process. A full range of color can be provided by this process.

psuedo-class — In CSS, a conditional style applied to a tag. For example, a:hover refers to a style that gets applied only when a link (<a>) is in its hover state (mouse-over) — :hover is the pseudo-class (See also CSS).

Qback to top

QuarkXPress® — Quark’s page layout software application program used to layout projects primarily for print.

QuickTime® — Apple’s technology for running video and sound on a computer. It also refers to the speed at which most projects are required.

Rback to top

RAM (Random Access Memory) — Computer memory needed to run a software application or to complete a function in an application. It is also a god to most graphic artists — the more the better.

raster-based image — Bitmap image made up of information contained in each pixel or dot of image area (Photo-manipulation program images like Adobe’s Photoshop).

reader’s spreads — Pages assembled one after another, in chronological order, for preliminary proofing.

registration — Perfect lining-up of separations and elements from one film or plate to another for printing.

resolution — The number of dots per linear inch in a given area on a computer screen, scanned graphic or printer output.

reverse — White letters on a grey, black or dark color area.

RGB — Red, Green and Blue color mode where the absence of color equals white (light). Best used in web graphics and slide or on-screen (computer) presentations.

RGBA — Red, Green, Blue and Alpha. With the release of CSS3, most browsers are now capable of rendering transparent color, represented by alpha.

RIP (Raster Image Processor) — Converts desktop files into language required to produce high-resolution film or paper output from an imagesetter. It is a computerized process that creates in an electronic bitmap which indicates every spot position on a page in preparation for output.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) — XML that allows content from your website to be read and updated on other websites automatically.

RTF (Rich Text Format) — A text file format which allows text formatting to be retained.

Sback to top

saddle-stitch — Page binding process that uses a type of staple to hold together a printed piece in its spine.

sans-serif — A letterform that doesn't have little feet, or serifs, such as Arial (See also serif).

saturation — The vibrancy of a color. Low saturation means the color is closer to gray.

scanner — A device used to digitize (convert) continuous tone photographs or artwork into dots for printing.

score — Printing process by which a crease or partial cut is made in a sheet of printed paper (Usually done by a letterpress press). Also, what happens when a printer ‘lands’ a big budget advertiser.

screen Tru-Rite — High quality digital color prepress proof, output directly from computer file (23” x 29”).

secondary colors — All of the resulting colors that can be produced from the three primary colors plus black.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) — Adjusting the content and coding of your website so that there is a higher chance it will be found by your potential customers through internet searching.

serif — The stroke or feet on a letterform, such as found in the typeface Times New Roman (See also sans-serif).

server — A computer that is the host or core to a network of more than one computer.

sheetfed (press) — Presses that print on individual sheets of paper.

signature — A multiple of 4, 8, 16, or 32 pages that can be printed (depending on size of piece and weight of stock for folding). Also, the name given to a printed sheet after it has been folded.

sIFR (Scalable Inman Flash Replacement) — A font-replacement alternative for the web using Flash SWF files and JavaScript. Named for Shaun Inman, a developer who pioneered Flash font replacement (See also @font-face).

site host — Company that owns the server (computer) that stores web pages (electronic files).

social media — Web-based content that is centered around user interaction and creation. This phenomena has reshaped the internet in the past decade, with the rise of blogging and social networking, such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

soft proof — Proofing a page by viewing on a monitor or RGB screen.

spot color — A solid (PMS) color used usually for accent. (More expensive and more involved [negative, proof, plate, make-ready, ink and washup] than through a process color.)

spreads — A spread contains two or more adjacent pages (See also Reader and Printer Spreads).

stet — Proofreader’s instruction. Disregard new comment …let original information stand.

Tback to top

T1 Line or Connection — A high speed phone line used for accessing the internet and world wide web. Generally composed of fiber optic cabling. A T1 line has more bandwidth than ISDN for greater speed.

tag — A line of HTML that performs a specific function in the browser. Styles can be applied to tags with the use of CSS (See also HTML)

techie — What all graphic artists are considered today. While at the theatre, on the phone with friends or during a day at the park with another family the conversation may turn into one about RAM, hard drive size, bits and bytes.

text stock — A light weight stock of paper (Usually used for printed literature with many pages and has a different M-weight than a cover stock for the same size).

thumbnail sketch — Original rough sketch of idea for brochure, advertisement, etc.

TIFF — Tagged Image File Format. A computer document format as a standard for bitmap graphics including scanned images. Can be compressed using LZW compression without quality loss. The compression can cause problems with some prepress software so check with your printer before you compress.

tomorrow — When most projects are needed. The rest are needed yesterday.

transparency — A color positive on film rather than paper.

trim marks — Marks placed to indicate the edge of page.

two-color — Usually black plus another color; although it can sometimes mean two colors not including black.

two-up (four-up, etc.) — A printing form in duplicate to permit multiple copies to be printed at the same time, reducing press time and utilizing paper and press size most effectively.

typeface — See font.

Uback to top

uncoated stock — Any stock of paper without a coating. (Reproduction quality of photographs may suffer because the ink is absorbed into the paper.)

upload — To send an electronic file from a local computer hard drive to another, or to a server, via modem or network connection.

URL (Universal Remote Location) — Web page address.

user experience (UX) — The aspect of web design that takes into account how a user interacts with the site. User testing is done by having a variety of individuals try out a site while their responses are recorded. A good user experience is one where the site is easy to understand, easy to use and responds quickly and accurately to user interactions.

UV Coating — High gloss coating (overall or spot) with ultra violet light as the drying agent.

Vback to top

varnish — A fixative printed over an already printed piece. Can create an attractive gloss (or dulling effect) and eliminate ink smudging. (Usually necessary for heavy ink coverage.) Adds a fifth color to a print run and therefore cost increases. Can be added in specific areas on a design to add punch to photos and still keep the quality of the paper surface (perhaps a dull coat for contrast).

vector-based image — Image made up of mathematically described objects. Usually lines with control points that have a numerical location based on x and y coordinates (Drawing program graphics for Freehand and Illustrator).

vignette — An illustration or vector drawing in which the background fades gradually until it blends into another color or to nothing.

VRAM — Video RAM. The higher the VRAM on a computer, the better the refresh rate and the faster graphics or a video clip will appear (in resolution and speed).

Wback to top

web (press) — Presses that print from a roll of paper (Used for large runs and/or many pages such as newspapers and catalogs). Can run on both sides of the sheet simultaneously to speed production.

accessibility — Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web, including older people with changing abilities due to aging. It encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the Web, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities.

wireframe — The bare-bones initial layout a web designer creates to figure out layout and color scheme before adding content.

WMF — Windows Metafile Format which is compatible with most Microsoft programs like Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Word — A Microsoft word processing software application program.

Wordpress — A popular open-source CMS that is set up for blogging (See also CMS).

work-and-turn — In printing, a sheet is fed through the press for printing on one side and then turned over, right to left, or left to right for second side printing (Utilizes same edge by gripper).

work-and-tumble — In printing, after the first side of a sheet is printed, it is turned over, front to back, for second side printing (Utilizes opposite edge by gripper).

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) — The international organization that develops and maintains standards for how the internet is presented, so that there is consistency throughout the web.

WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) — the name given to visual HTML editors that operate simliar to programs like Photoshop, while writing the code automatically in the background.

Xback to top

XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language) — The 4th iteration of HTML, written to adhere to the rules of XML (See also XML, HTML).

XML (Extensible Markup Language) — Programming langauge used for writing other kinds of markup, such as those used for writing web applicatons (See also applets, HTML).