Jargon A-Z
Print Jargon Buster : Standard ISO Paper Sizes Standard Folds Jargon A-Z
A-Z of commonly used printing terminology
Click on a letter below to view details.A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O S T U V W
Deckle EdgeThe rough, uneven edge of handmade paper.
Densitometer
An electronic precision instrument used to measure the quantitive
colours or density of a colour transparency or printed image.
Die
An intaglio engraved stamp used for impressing a design.
Die Cutting
Used to punch out irregular shapes or windows in a sheet. If a window
is to be the same shape as the image behind it, the design should
make the window slightly smaller to allow for misregister. The dies are
usually made by hand from steel and although there are set up costs,
the process can prove economical through the use of a Platen machine.
Round corners on labels or cards can be provided by a separate
machine, suitable for short runs.
Die Stamping
The process by which a raised image is stamped onto the paper itself
(with dies, as in blind embossing), but with the additional use of ink to
create a printed finish, in relief, with high ink gloss.
Dot
The smallest basic element of a halftone.
Double Spread/Page Spread
Two facing pages of a publication.
Down Time
Loss of time in a given job due to machine breakdown etc., or
when time is a chargeable factor.
Drilling
To make holes in paper or binding with a rotating die.
Dummy
(1) The prototype of a proposed book or publication in the correct
format, binding paper and bulk, but with blank pages.
(2) A mock-up of a design showing the position of headings, text,
illustration and other designed details.
Duotone
Strictly speaking, a monochromatic image consisting of two halftones
made from the same original to two different tonal ranges, so that when
printed - in different shades of the same colour - a greater tonal range
is produced than is possible with a single colour. However, the term is
generally used, wrongly, to describe a duplex halftone.
