Glossary of Terms

Content courtesy of Neenah Paper and Packaging.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Back Cylinder Pressure
Additional pressure applied through the impression cylinder assisting the image transfer to the press sheet.
Backbone
The back of a bound book; also called the spine.
Backing Up
Printing the reverse side of a sheet already printed on one side.
Band
(1) A strip of paper, printed or unprinted, that wraps around loose sheets (in lieu of binding with a cover) or assembled pieces. (2) The operation of putting a paper band around loose sheets or assembled pieces. (3) Metal straps...
Barium Sulfate
Substance used as a standard for white, in lieu of the availability of a practical 100 percent reflecting diffuser.
Baronial Envelope
An envelope generally used with announcements.
Base Color
A first color used as a background on which other colors are printed.
Base Stock
Manufactured paper that will be further processed as laminated, Duplex Cover, Bristol Cover, or off machine embossed papers.
Baseline
In typesetting, the invisible line on which letters and numbers set.
Basic Size
The standard sheet size of a given grade.
Basis Weight
The weight in pounds per ream of paper cut to its basic size in inches. A metric system is used outside of North America.
Beater
Blender type machine used to pulverize pulp and for mixing additives and color to the stock.
Beater Sized
Process of adding sizing material to the pulp in the beater.
Bindery
A process of perforating, folding, trimming and eventually binding a printed piece.
Binding
(1) Attaching sheets into a single unit by adhesives, sewing, stitching, metal prongs, snaps, etc. The operations that comprise collating, perforating, and folding the elements of a form into the finished product. (2) That portion or edge of a book...
Binding Edge
The edge where the binding will be done.
Black Printer
In fourcolor process printing, the black plate made to give definition to neutral tones and detail.
Blanket
In offset lithography, the rubbercoated fabric clamped around the blanket cylinder, which transfers the image from plate to paper.
Blanket Contamination
Unwanted matter that becomes attached to the offset blanket and interferes with print quality.
Blanket Creep
Movement of the blanket surface that comes in contact with the printing plate or paper.
Blanket Cylinder
The printing press cylinder on which the blanket is mounted.
Blanket Pull
The tack between blanket and paper.
Bleach
Chemical, usually chlorine, used to whiten pulp.
Bleaching
Chemical treatment to brighten, whiten, purify, refine, and balance pulp fiber.
Bleed
(1) In printing, printed image that runs off the edges of a page. (2) The migration of ink into unwanted areas.
Blind Embossing
A printing technique in which a design is pushed forward without foil or ink.
Blocking
The sticking of piled printed sheets caused by wet ink.
Blocking Out
Eliminating portions of negatives by opaquing the image.
Blowup
Enlargement from the original size.
Blueprint
In printing, a type of photoprint used as a proof. It can be folded to show how the finished printed product will look.
Boldface
Thicker, visually heavier type vs. thin visually light type. Darker type.
Bond Paper
Strong, durable writing paper, consisting of wood, cotton, or both, most commonly used for letterheads, stationery, business forms, etc…
Bonding Strength
The strength of the paper fibers to resistance of picking or tearing during offset printing.
Book Paper
A general term used to define papers that are most suitable for book manufacture.
Booklet
A printed piece bound together, containing a few pages.
Brightness
A technical measurement of the light reflected back from a paper.
Bristol Board
A high quality heavy weight paper, sometimes made with cotton fiber prepared or glued together, usually with a caliper thickness of 0.006" and up.
Broke
Machine trim or undesirable paper that is returned to the beaters.
Broken Carton
An open carton of paper with some of its contents removed.
Bulk
Sheet thickness. High bulk sheets have fewer sheets per inch than low bulk.
Bulking Dummy
Unprinted sheets of actual paper folded in the signature size and signature number of a given job, to determine bulk.
Bursting Strength
The point to which paper can withstand pressure without rupturing.
Butted Joint
Joining two webs of paper, placing them end-to-end and pasting a strip over and under to make a continuous sheet without overlapping.