A

Aqueous Coating: 
A water-based coating applied to printed pieces for protection and a glossy or matte finish.

Artwork: 
The design or layout prepared for printing.

B

Bleed: 
Printing that goes beyond the trim edge so that once trimmed there are no white edges showing where the artwork had ended.

Binding: 
The process of assembling printed sheets into a finished product (e.g., saddle stitch, perfect binding).

C

CMYK: 
Colour model used in printing (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black).

Coated Paper: 
Paper with a smooth finish for sharper image reproduction.

Crops / Crop Marks: 
Lines on the outer corners of the document area outside the print area that indicate where the finished product will be trimmed after printing.

D

Die-Cutting: 
Cutting paper into custom shapes using a metal die.

DPI (Dots Per Inch): 
Resolution measure for images; higher DPI means better quality.

E

Embossing: 
Creating a raised design on paper.

F

Finishing: 
Post-print processes like folding, trimming, laminating.

G

GSM (Grams per Square Meter): 
Measurement of paper weight.

H

Halftone: 
Image reproduction using dots of varying size to simulate shades.

Hex: 
Colour model for on-screen viewing. Six-digit combination of numbers and letters defining a mix of red, green and blue (RGB).

I

Imposition: 
Arranging pages on a press sheet for efficient printing and binding.

J

JPEG: 
Common image file format for photos.

K

Kerning: 
Adjusting space between letters for better readability.

L

Lamination: 
Applying a thin plastic film for durability and finish.

M

Matte Finish: 
Non-glossy surface on paper or coating.

N

Non-Coated Paper: 
Paper without a smooth finish, often used for writing.

O

Offset Printing: 
Traditional printing method using plates and ink transfer.

P

Pantone: 
Standardised colour matching system.

Proof: 
A sample print for review before final production.

Q

Queue: 
The order in which print jobs are processed.

Quiet Space: 
The area between graphic elements where the eye can rest or to form a margin between content and trim edge.

R

Raster Image: 
Pixel-based image format (e.g., JPEG, PNG).

RGB: 
Colour model for on-screen viewing (Red, Green Blue)

Router Cut: 
A process using a spinning router bit, often computer-controlled (CNC), to cut, shape, and engrave materials like paper, adhesive, rigid boards like ACM, corflute, paylite, foamboard.

S

Spot Colour: 
Specific premixed ink used for exact colour matching.

Soft Proof: 
Artwork sent digitally via email for approval before production.

Saddle Stitch: 
Creating a stapled bind from a wire spool that is stitched into the books spine.

T

Trim Size: 
Final dimensions of a printed piece after cutting.

U

UV Coating: 
Glossy coating cured with ultraviolet light for durability.

V

Vector Graphics: 
Scalable images made of paths/shapes, not pixels (e.g., AI, EPS files).

W

Wiro Binding: 
Binding method using double-loop wire.

X

X-Height: 
Height of lowercase letters excluding ascenders/descenders.

Y

Yield: 
Number of finished pieces produced from a sheet or roll.

Z

Z-Fold: 
A folding style where the paper folds in alternating directions like a “Z.” Also known as a Concertina fold.