The Wells & Drew Printing Dictionary – P
P
padded forms:
- set of forms joined together by padding compound (flexible glue)
- page:
- one side of a leaf in a publication.
- pagination:
- in the book industry, the numbering of pages.
- page count:
- total number of pages that a publication has. Also known as extent.
- page proof:
- proof of type and graphics as they will look on the finished page complete with elements such as headings, rules and folios
- painted sheet:
- sheet printed with ink edge to edge, as compared to spot color. The painted sheet refers to the final product, not the press sheet, and means that 100 percent coverage results from bleeds off all four sides.
- panel:
- one page of a brochure, such as one panel of a rack brochure. One panel is on one side of the paper. A letter-folded sheet has six panels, not three.
- paper plate:
- a printing plate made of strong and durable paper in the short run offset arena (cost effective with short runs).
- parallel fold :
- amethod of folding. Two parallel folds to a sheet will produce 6 panels.
- parent sheet:
- any sheet larger than 11′ x 17′ or A3.
- pasteboard:
- chipboard with another paper pasted to it.
- paste-up:
- camera-ready art work properly positioned on one page for a print order. Also called a mechanical.
- pasting:
- process by which two or more sheets of paper are united by means of an adhesive.Paper can be pasted together directly off the reel or in the web by using a roll machine or in sheets by a sheet-pasting machine.
- patched window:
- a window opening with a specific covering material.
- patched window cello:
- ompletely transparent.
- patched window glassine:
- the most opaque patching material.
- patched window poly:
- slightly opaque in appearance, most commonly used.
- pattern carbon:
- special carbon paper used in business forms that only transfers in certain areas.
- PE:
- proofreader mark meaning printer error and showing a mistake by a typesetter, prepress service or printer as compared to an error by the customer.
- pebbling:
- rocess applied to paper, after its manufacture, which imparts a grainy surface to finished paper. Also accomplished after printing.
- per m:
- per thousand.
- percent elmendorf:
- tearing strength expressed in percentage points.
- percent mullen:
- bursting strength expressed in percentage points.
- percent tensile:
- tensile strength expressed in percentage points.
- perfect binding:
- method of binding books in which all the pages are converted to single sheets. They are then held in a clamp and attached to a cover with an adhesive. Also called adhesive bind, cut-back bind, glue bind, paper bind, patent bind, perfecting bind, soft bind and soft cover. See also Burst Perfect Bind.
- perfecting press:
- press capable of printing both sides of the paper during a single pass. Also called duplex press and perfector. Perf Marks On a “dummy” marking where the perforation is to occur.
- perforating:
- a process done during or after printing, consisting of the punching of small holes in the paper that permit the easy removal of a portion of a sheet or card. (usually straight lines, vertical or horizontal).
- pH value:
- degress of acidity or alkalinity measured on a scale from 0 to 14 with 7 the neutral point.
- photoengraving:
- engraving done using photochemistry.
- photomechanical transfer:
- brand name for a diffusion transfer process used to make positive paper prints of line copy and halftones. Often used as alternate term for photostat. Abbreviated PMT.
- photostat:
- brand name for a diffusion transfer process used to make positive paper prints of line copy and halftones. Often used as alternate term for PMT.
- pica:
- unit of measure, approximately 1/6 of an inch, used in the graphic arts. Twelve points make one pica.
- picking:
- fibers in the paper which tend to pull away from the surface during the printing process. This occurs when the tack or pull of the ink is greater than the surface strength of the paper.
- pigment:
- substance, usually mineral or inorganic compounds, used to give paper its color.
- pigmented paper:
- also known as film coated paper. It is a result of a light film applied to the paper at the size press of the paper machine to enhance the uniformity, smoothness and printability of an otherwise uncoated sheet.
- piling:
- in reference to printing, transfer of mineral pigment from paper to offset blankets: building-up of ink on rollers or on the printing surfaces of plates and blankets.
- pinholing:
- small holes (unwanted) in printed areas because of a variety of reasons.
- pin register:
- technique of registering separations, flats and printing plates by using small holes, all of equal diameter, at the edges of both flats and plates.
- pixel:
- short for picture element, a dot made by a computer, scanner or other digital device. Also called pel.
- planographic printing:
- printing method whose image carriers are level surfaces with inked areas separated from noninked areas by chemical means. Planographic printing includes lithography, offset lithography and spirit duplicating.
- plate:
- piece of paper, metal, plastic or rubber carrying an image to be reproduced using a printing press.
- platemaker:
- in quick printing, a process camera that makes plates automatically from mechanicals.in commercial lithography, a machine with a vacuum frame used to expose plates through film.
- plate-ready:
- film Stripped negatives or positives fully prepared for platemaking.
- plastic binding:
- solid-back pronged comb is rolled back to make a cylinder. The prongs fit into slots punched along the binding edge of the paper to be bound. Combs are available in a variety of backbone dimensions.
- pleasing color:
- color that the customer considers satisfactory even though it may not precisely match original samples, scenes or objects.
- portable document format
- (
- ): is a file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 for document exchange. PDF is used for representing two-dimensional documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system.
- PMS:
- obsolete reference to Pantone Matching System. The correct trade name of the colors in the Pantone Matching System is Pantone colors, not PMS Colors.
- PMT:
- Abbreviation for photomechanical transfer
- ply:
- one layer or sheet of paper or paperboard that makes up a multi-layer aggregate.
- point:
- in reference to paper, equal to one thousandth of an inch in the measure. Utilized when the thickness of paper is considered.
- points-per-pound:
- ratio obtained by dividing the result of a specific strength test by the basis weight of paper or board. Applied chiefly to tests for bursting strength.
- poly, patched window
- Slightly opaque in appearance, most commonly used.
- pop test –
- The Mullen test which measures the bursting strength of paper. The expression evolved because paper makes a popping sound upon bursting when tested.
- portrait:
- an art design in which the height is greater than the width. (Opposite of Landscape.)
- porosity –
- The degree of compactness of the fibers of the paper. For the explanation of the test to determine the porosity of the surface of paper or board.
- poster board –
- A heavy, stiff cardboard.
- poster paper –
- 1) Paper that is designed for outdoor billboard advertising. 2) Term applied to a special mechanical pulp printing paper used for printed fliers and similar end uses.
- positive film:
film that prevents light from passing through images, as compared to negative film that allows light to pass through. Also called knockout film
- postscript:
brand name for a page description language used in laser printers and imagesetters. Supported by both IBM and Macintosh. Its device independence allows the same PS file to be output on different printing devices.
- position stat:
- photocopy or PMT of a photo or illustration made to size and affixed to a mechanical.
- post bind:
- to bind using a screw and post inserted through a hole in a pile of loose sheets.
- PPI (pages per Inch):
- a measure assigned to paper stock by the manufacturer to be used in calculating book spines; i.e., total book pages (256) divided by paper PPI (512) = 1/2″ spine
- pressboard:
- manufactured on a wet machine from sulphate pulp and cotton fibers or a combination of both and finished with a high polish. Thickness ranges from .031 to .250 of an inch.
- preprint:
- to print portions of sheets that will be used for later imprinting
- principal qualities:
uniform thickness and density, excellent ply adhesion and good forming and molding properties. Available in a variety of colors.
- pressmark:
- in reference to paper manufacture, the design impressed into the web of paper by means of a rubber collar which carries the design.
- pressroom static:
- Can be caused by a lack of moisture or dissipation of static electricity. To correct, maintain relative humidity between 40% and 50% or install static eliminators on the press feeder and feedtables.
- pressure sensitive adhesives:
- an adhesive which is applied to the flap only and covered by a release paper. When the paper is removed, the adhesive is activated.
- pressure-sensitive paper:
paper that is coated on one or both sides with adhesive. This adhesive is activated by pressure. Usually used in the manufacture of labels and tapes.
- press check:
- event at which makeready sheets from the press are examined before authorizing full production to begin.
- press time:
- amount of time that one printing job spends on press, including time required for makeready or can refer to the time of day at which a printing job goes on press.
- press proof:
- proof made on press using the plates, ink and paper specified for the job. Also called strike off and trial proof.
- price break:
- quantity at which unit cost of paper or printing drops.
- primary colors:
- yellow, red and blue.
- printer pairs:
- usually in the book arena, consecutive pages as they appear on a flat or signature.
- printer spreads:
- mechanicals made so they are imposed for printing, as compared to reader spreads.
- printing:
- any process that transfers to paper or another substrate an image from an original such as a film negative or positive, electronic memory, stencil, die or plate.
- printing plate:
- surface carrying an image to be printed. Quick printing uses paper or plastic plates; letterpress, engraving and commercial lithography use metal plates; flexography uses rubber or soft plastic plates. Gravure printing uses a cylinder. The screen printing is also called a plate.
Printing Unit Assembly of fountain, rollers and cylinders that will print one ink color. Also called color station, deck, ink station, printer, station and tower. - printability:
- how well a particular sheet appears after the printing process in regards to ink receptivity, uniformity, smoothness, compressibility and opacity.
- proofread:
to examine a manuscript or proof for errors in writing or typesetting.
- proofs:
- samples of copy and layout produced at various stages of production. Following internal nspection, proofs are sent to the customer for approval.
- process camera:
- camera used to photograph mechanicals and other camera-ready copy. Also called copy, camera and graphic arts camera. A small, simple process camera may be called a stat camera.
- process color (Inks):
- the colors used for four-color process printing: yellow, magenta, cyan and black.
- production run:
- press run intended to manufacture products as specified, as compared to makeready.
- proof test:
- sheet made to reveal errors or flaws, predict results on press and record how a printing job is intended to appear when finished.
- proofreader marks:
- standard symbols and abbreviations used to mark up manuscripts and proofs. Also called correction marks.
- proportion scale:
- round device used to calculate percent that an original image must by reduced or enlarged to yield a specific reproduction size. Also called percentage wheel, proportion dial, proportion wheel and scaling wheel.
- psychrometer:
- instrument that determines relative humidity. Wet and dry bulb temperature readings are compared with an RH chart.
- publishing paper:
- paper made in weights, colors and surfaces suited to books, magazines, catalogs and free-standing inserts.
- pucker:
- during the drying process, a sheet that contracts unevenly will exhibit a bumpy-like effect on its surface.
- pull quote:
- words from an article printed in large type and inserted in the page similarly to an illustration
- pulp:
- cellulose fiber material produced by chemical or mechanical means from which paper and paperboard is manufactured. Origins of this cellulose fiber are many. Among the sources are wood, cotton, flax, esparto grass, straw, jute, bagasse, bamboo, hemp, various leaf fibers and reeds.
- pulpboard:
- board usually made from pulp or wastepapers.
- pulping:
- process of transforming a cellulose raw material into pulp.
- pulpwood:
- wood, om the form of logs, or shorter lengths, that is suitable for the manufacture of wood pulp from which to make paper.
- puncture:
- in reference to paper, resistance of paper or paperboard to perforation.