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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCommon commercial printing terms<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThese are terms you will\nfind helpful to know during the design and ordering phases of any print\nproject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CMYK<\/strong>. This is one of the most important printing terms to know because it represents the preferred printing method for coloring digital print files. CMYK<\/a> \u2013 cyan, magenta, yellow and black \u2013 is the combination of ink colors<\/a> most commonly used in the four color process or digital printing. Images in digital documents must be converted from other color formats to cyan, magenta, yellow and black before printing onto paper for accurate color matching.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCoated paper<\/strong>. When you want a type of paper that improves reflectivity and ink coverage and stability, printers will recommend a coated<\/a> paper. The most common categories of coated paper, gloss and matte, have a smooth finish that give off a professional look and feel. A coated paper feels different than other sheets of paper. In turn, uncoated paper has a more natural feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCreep.<\/strong> This occurs when producing Saddle Stitch Book Printing<\/a>, one of the most popular binding techniques for many types of print projects. Saddle-stitched<\/a> booklet<\/a> are created by folding printed sheets in half, then wire is sewn through to look like staples. However, this causes the innermost sheets of paper to push out and be trimmed more than the outer sheets, which is called creep. The more pages there are, the larger the creep. Printers must plan for this creep before performing the binding step. <\/p>\n\n\n\nCrop marks.<\/strong> To speed the printing process, most print\nprojects lay out multiple prints on one large sheet of paper. Crop marks show\nthe printer where to cut the large sheet to get the proper page size. They also\nindicate where to cut and separate the excess paper and other prints.\nPrintivity does not require their customer to include crop marks within their\ndesign.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDigital printing.<\/strong> Also known as four color process printing, digital printing<\/a> is designed for use with CMYK color. It requires less setup work for the printer and is most cost-effective for small-volume print jobs ranging from 1 to 5,000 sheets of paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFace Trim. <\/strong>After a Saddle-stitched booklet is folded and\nstapled, the final step is a cut across the “face” of the book (the\nedge opposite the binding). This ensures that the edge is crisp and all pages\nend at the same point. This trims off the creep, especially on books with\nlarger page counts<\/p>\n\n\n\nFit To Print. <\/strong>If the product was not ordered with Full Bleeds,\nwe will “Fit to Print” the file. This shrinks the content down a bit\nin order to create a white margin around the design (approximately 0.2″).\nThe white margin will show in the final printed product, but will ensure that\nno content is cut off during printing or binding.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFull Bleed.<\/strong> Print pieces are usually designed to have a small white margin at the edge of the page. Bleed is what occurs when content extends to the edge of the paper. Full bleed<\/a> involves printing to the edge of the paper with a continuous tone so that the finished product has no margins. Designing for full bleed requires a larger canvas than the final intended dimension and extending the design to the edge. If you don\u2019t design the page for a full bleed<\/a>, or if you don\u2019t want a full bleed, the finished product will have a 1\/8\u2033 white margin on each side of a sheet of paper. <\/p>\n\n\n\nGutter. <\/strong>The center of the book where the two pages meet. On Spiral and Wire-O<\/a> Booklets, the gutter is partially obscured by the coil. On Perfect Bound<\/a> and Hard Cover<\/a> Books, the gutter is only partially visible as it sinks down towards the spine. It is recommended that customers leave critical content at least \u00bd” away from the gutter.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOffset printing.<\/strong> Offset printing is commonly used for high-volume print jobs of 1,000 pieces and more. Instead of printing from a digital file, the printer sets up a different printing plate for each color and runs every print through each color printing plate to create the finished product. It takes more time to set up an offset printing job, but it allows both CMYK and Pantone colors to be used on the press. Offset is also commonly used to re-run large print jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPrinter Margin. <\/strong>No printing press or other device used can print exactly to the edge of a sheet. This outside margin that the press cannot print on is called the Printer Margin. This is why full bleed printing requires a larger dimension that is cut down to give the full bleed printed effect. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPMS.<\/strong> This refers to the Pantone Matching System, a\nset of universal colors that all printers can replicate. Each Pantone color\ncomes with CMYK, RGB, hexadecimal, and Pantone color codes. Using these codes\nimproves consistency throughout print materials. Currently, this system is only\navailable for stickers, folders, and vinyl banners.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPPI.<\/strong> An acronym for pixels per inch. PPI is sometimes referred to as DPI, or dots per inch. The number of PPI represents the resolution of images. A count of 72 PPI is the optimal resolution for a computer screen. A count of 300 PPI<\/a> represents the best resolution number for a printed image. The higher the PPI, the clearer the text and printed images will be. However, the print quality will not look much different after 300 PPI.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRGB.<\/strong> RGB stands for the colors of red, green, and blue. Documents and images viewed on a screen are usually in RGB. Because it is the preferred color mode for digital design, many graphic design programs have RGB set as the default color mode. Remember to change to CMYK because it is the preferred color mode for digital printing. Black and white printing is also a basic standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhile we hope you will\ntake the time to review the printing terms\ndiscussed in this blog to become more familiar with the printing process, you\ncan rest assured that the pros at Printivity will always be there for you. We\nare glad to answer any questions and walk you through the process of achieving\na great print project. Contact us<\/a> at 1-877-649-5463 or service@Printivity.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n![\"Stack](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/PhotoRetouch_SS_pg47_v3-1024x768.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1\")
Shop Saddle Stitch Booklets at Printivity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Presentation](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/presentation-folders-pdp.jpg?ssl=1\")
Shop Folders at Printivity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Postcards_Transparent.png?ssl=1\")
Shop Postcards at Printivity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Coated paper<\/strong>. When you want a type of paper that improves reflectivity and ink coverage and stability, printers will recommend a coated<\/a> paper. The most common categories of coated paper, gloss and matte, have a smooth finish that give off a professional look and feel. A coated paper feels different than other sheets of paper. In turn, uncoated paper has a more natural feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creep.<\/strong> This occurs when producing Saddle Stitch Book Printing<\/a>, one of the most popular binding techniques for many types of print projects. Saddle-stitched<\/a> booklet<\/a> are created by folding printed sheets in half, then wire is sewn through to look like staples. However, this causes the innermost sheets of paper to push out and be trimmed more than the outer sheets, which is called creep. The more pages there are, the larger the creep. Printers must plan for this creep before performing the binding step. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Crop marks.<\/strong> To speed the printing process, most print\nprojects lay out multiple prints on one large sheet of paper. Crop marks show\nthe printer where to cut the large sheet to get the proper page size. They also\nindicate where to cut and separate the excess paper and other prints.\nPrintivity does not require their customer to include crop marks within their\ndesign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital printing.<\/strong> Also known as four color process printing, digital printing<\/a> is designed for use with CMYK color. It requires less setup work for the printer and is most cost-effective for small-volume print jobs ranging from 1 to 5,000 sheets of paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Face Trim. <\/strong>After a Saddle-stitched booklet is folded and\nstapled, the final step is a cut across the “face” of the book (the\nedge opposite the binding). This ensures that the edge is crisp and all pages\nend at the same point. This trims off the creep, especially on books with\nlarger page counts<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fit To Print. <\/strong>If the product was not ordered with Full Bleeds,\nwe will “Fit to Print” the file. This shrinks the content down a bit\nin order to create a white margin around the design (approximately 0.2″).\nThe white margin will show in the final printed product, but will ensure that\nno content is cut off during printing or binding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Full Bleed.<\/strong> Print pieces are usually designed to have a small white margin at the edge of the page. Bleed is what occurs when content extends to the edge of the paper. Full bleed<\/a> involves printing to the edge of the paper with a continuous tone so that the finished product has no margins. Designing for full bleed requires a larger canvas than the final intended dimension and extending the design to the edge. If you don\u2019t design the page for a full bleed<\/a>, or if you don\u2019t want a full bleed, the finished product will have a 1\/8\u2033 white margin on each side of a sheet of paper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gutter. <\/strong>The center of the book where the two pages meet. On Spiral and Wire-O<\/a> Booklets, the gutter is partially obscured by the coil. On Perfect Bound<\/a> and Hard Cover<\/a> Books, the gutter is only partially visible as it sinks down towards the spine. It is recommended that customers leave critical content at least \u00bd” away from the gutter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Offset printing.<\/strong> Offset printing is commonly used for high-volume print jobs of 1,000 pieces and more. Instead of printing from a digital file, the printer sets up a different printing plate for each color and runs every print through each color printing plate to create the finished product. It takes more time to set up an offset printing job, but it allows both CMYK and Pantone colors to be used on the press. Offset is also commonly used to re-run large print jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Printer Margin. <\/strong>No printing press or other device used can print exactly to the edge of a sheet. This outside margin that the press cannot print on is called the Printer Margin. This is why full bleed printing requires a larger dimension that is cut down to give the full bleed printed effect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n PMS.<\/strong> This refers to the Pantone Matching System, a\nset of universal colors that all printers can replicate. Each Pantone color\ncomes with CMYK, RGB, hexadecimal, and Pantone color codes. Using these codes\nimproves consistency throughout print materials. Currently, this system is only\navailable for stickers, folders, and vinyl banners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PPI.<\/strong> An acronym for pixels per inch. PPI is sometimes referred to as DPI, or dots per inch. The number of PPI represents the resolution of images. A count of 72 PPI is the optimal resolution for a computer screen. A count of 300 PPI<\/a> represents the best resolution number for a printed image. The higher the PPI, the clearer the text and printed images will be. However, the print quality will not look much different after 300 PPI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RGB.<\/strong> RGB stands for the colors of red, green, and blue. Documents and images viewed on a screen are usually in RGB. Because it is the preferred color mode for digital design, many graphic design programs have RGB set as the default color mode. Remember to change to CMYK because it is the preferred color mode for digital printing. Black and white printing is also a basic standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While we hope you will\ntake the time to review the printing terms\ndiscussed in this blog to become more familiar with the printing process, you\ncan rest assured that the pros at Printivity will always be there for you. We\nare glad to answer any questions and walk you through the process of achieving\na great print project. Contact us<\/a> at 1-877-649-5463 or service@Printivity.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n