Publishing Glossary
A B
C D E
F G H
I J K L M
N O P Q R
S T U
V W X Y Z
Accordion fold: Common method for folding small publications such as pamphlets. Two or more parallel folds are made in opposite directions causing the paper to open like an accordion (also called concertina fold).
Acid-free paper: Paper that contains no acid or acid-producing chemicals that cause yellowing.
Acknowledgment: Part of a publication’s front matter, in which the author expresses appreciation and thanks to the individuals and organizations who helped with the publication.
Acrobat: A suite of document management software applications from Adobe Systems Inc. Best known as the reader that allows PDF files to be viewed.
Additive colour: Colour produced by combining red, green and blue light in varying intensities. Computer monitors use additive colour, while the printing process uses subtractive colour. This causes inconsistency between what a designer sees on the monitor and what comes off the printing press.
Airbrush (verb): To retouch photographic images digitally with the use of image-manipulation software.
Aliasing: When a monitor, printer or graphics file doesn’t have a high enough resolution, images and text edges may look jagged.
Alignment: Text can be positioned to the left, right or “centre” of a page. For the best, consistent alignment, website designers use tables and Cascading Style Sheets.
ALT-attribute: Part of the image source tag in HTML. For purposes of accessibility, designers include text in image sources so that if visitors choose not to, or are unable to view graphic images on a site, the alternative text will be shown.
Animated GIF: A GIF graphic file, which consists of two or more images shown in a timed sequence to give the effect of motion.
Animation: A timed sequence or series of graphic images or frames that give the appearance of continuous movement.
Anti-Aliasing: Smoothing or blending the transition of pixels in an image. Anti-aliasing the edges on a graphic image makes the edges appear smooth, not jagged.
Applied title: The name of a federal organization that is used in its FIP signature. Treasury Board Secretariat maintains a list of approved applied titles for the purposes of the Federal Identity Program (FIP).
Aqueous coating: A water-based coating, similar to varnish, but that contains less-harmful chemicals. To respect environmental concerns, an aqueous coating can be applied instead of a varnish to attain the same results. Can also be applied as gloss, satin or matte or as a spot-coating (see also Spot-varnish) on specific areas of the sheet or page.
Architecture: In website planning, a diagram that details the individual pages and navigational paths of a site.
Artwork: 1 Camera-ready art or copy that is sent for pre-press assembly. 2 Any portion of a published piece that is not text. 3 Illustrative material intended for reproduction.
Ascender: In typography, the portions of lowercase characters that extend above the x-height. (The x-height is the height of the lowercase x.) For example, the ascenders of the lowercase letters b, d, f, h, k, l, and t are the parts that extend upwards from the bodies of the letters. The remaining 19 letters do not have ascenders. (See Descender)
ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Interchange. An ASCII file contains text only, as opposed to an electronic file that contains text and graphics.
ASP (Active Server Page): A dynamically generated web page, generally using Active Scripting. When a browser or search engine spider requests an ASP page from a server, the server generates the web page in HTML and gives it to the browser or spider.
Author’s alterations (AAs): Changes in copy or artwork or changes over the original scope of work, after it has been typeset and sent to the printer. AAs usually cost the client extra.
Bad break: An unattractive or illogical beginning or end to a page, line of type, or poorly hyphenated word. (See Orphan, Widow)
Banner: 1 The name of a publication as shown on the cover. 2 Large panel associated with exhibits, displays and banner stands.
Basis weight: The weight in pounds of 500 sheets (a ream) of paper cut to a standard size.
Bevel: Giving an image a raised appearance by applying highlight colours and shadow colours to the inside and outside edges.
Bilingual head-to-head: A common format for single-page federal government publications, in which English and French are printed back-to-back relative to each other.
Bilingual side-by-side: A common format for federal government publications, in which English and French appear in two columns on the same page.
Bilingual tumble: A common format for federal government publications, in which English and French are printed back-to-back and upside down relative to each other, sharing a common spine.
Binding: The fastening of assembled sheets, or signatures, along one edge of a publication. The binding process also includes folding, gathering, trimming, stitching, gluing, and casing.
Bindery: Area of a printing shop that binds books, pamphlets, etc.
Bit: Binary digit. The basic unit of digital information.
Bitmapped image: A graphic image stored as a specific arrangement of screen dots, or pixels. Web graphics are bitmap images. A graphic that is defined by specifying the colours of dots or pixels that make up the picture. Also known as raster graphics. Common types of bitmap graphics are GIF, JPEG, Photoshop, PCX, TIFF, Macintosh Paint, Microsoft Paint, PNG, FAX formats and TGA.
Bleed: Ink that runs to the edge of the page. The portion of an image that extends beyond the trim area of a page. In printing or a printed document, to print any element, whether illustration or copy, to the edge of a page and into the gutter, either by design or because the page was trimmed too closely. Also, any illustration or element of the layout that extends beyond the trim marks on a page so that no margin appears. An illustration that is printed to the edges of the paper leaving no margins is termed a full bleed illustration. It has been bled off. The covers of most magazines can be described as full bleed. Most printers are unable to print right to the edge of the paper. As a result, they produce a bleed by printing on paper that is larger than the final page size, and then trimming so that no white border is visible.
Bookmark: Saved bookmarks bring you back to a website you may want to return to. Sometimes referred to as “favourites.”
Browser: A web browser is a software application that allows a user to display and interact with text, images and other information typically located on a web page at a website. Commonly used web browers include Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Callout: Text that explains or amplifies a portion of an illustration, usually accompanied by a line pointing to a particular area.
Camera-ready: Artwork and text that is ready for prepress assembly.
“Canada” wordmark: The FIP symbol that serves as the global symbol of the Government of Canada. It consists of the word “Canada” set in modified Baskerville type with the flag symbol set over the final a. The “Canada” wordmark should never be typeset; it should only be reproduced from an appropriate master.
Caption: Explanatory text that accompanies illustrations or images.
Cascading Style Sheet (CSS): A feature of HTML developed by the World Wide Web Consortium. Allows designers to create style templates that specify how different text elements (paragraphs, headings, hyperlinks, etc.) appear on a web page. Not all browsers express CSS formatting in the same manner.
Case binding: The most common type of binding for hardcover books. Printed sheets in the form of signatures are fastened together, and a hard front and back cover and spine are attached.
Cast Shadow: Similar to a drop shadow with added emphasis on perspective. Cast shadows can be rotated, stretched, and skewed to create a realistic 3D effect.
CLF: Common Look and Feel for the Internet. A set of mandatory standards for federal government websites. CLF standards prescribe norms for accessibility, navigation and format, equality of the two official languages, etc.
CMYK: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black. The colours of the subtractive colour system, also known as process colours. (K is used to prevent confusion with blue.) Cyan, magenta and yellow are the subtractive primary colours, or process colours, used in colour printing. Black is added to enhance colour and contrast. Most printing presses combine these four colours of inks to give many different shades. Accordingly, printing, which uses inks of these four basic colours, is called four-colour printing. Display devices (television screens, computer monitors) use a colour model called RGB, which represents Red-Green-Blue. Converting RGB colours into CMYK colours, so that what is printed looks the same as what appears on the monitor, can be a difficult aspect of desktop publishing.
Coat of Arms: The FIP symbol that represents Parliament and identifies ministers and their offices, parliamentary secretaries, institutions whose heads report directly to Parliament, and institutions with quasi-judicial functions. Also known as the Arms of Canada.
Coated: Paper with a finish that produces a smooth surface.
Coating: An emulsion, varnish, or lacquer applied to a printed surface to give it added protection or to produce a special effect.
Coated one side (C1S): Paper that has a coating, or finish, on only one side, often used for book covers.
Coated two sides (C2S): Paper that has a coating, or finish, on both sides. Both surfaces are smooth.
Collate: Arranging sheets or signatures in proper sequence so pages will be in the correct order before binding. Series of single sheets can also be collated in correct order, for example, a series of fact sheets collated and placed in a kit folder.
Colour cast: A colour cast changes the hue (colour) of a selected part of an image while keeping the saturation and brightness intact. Viewing an image with a colour cast can be similar to viewing it through coloured lenses on eyeglasses. A commonly known colour cast is a duotone.
Colour proof: A reproduction of a piece before it goes on press made by photomechanical or digital means in less time and at a lower cost than press proofs. Also called an off-press proof. The colour proof may be a hard copy in colour or a set of colour process proofs, consisting of a proof for each colour. The resolution and quality vary depending on the proofing device.
Colour separation: The process of separating artwork into component films of cyan, magenta, yellow and black in preparation for printing. In digital printing, electronic artwork is separated directly to printing plates without the use of film.
Combined FIP signature: FIP signature that uses the flag symbol and combines the applied titles of two federal organizations, presented according to design standards prescribed by the Federal Identity Program.
Compound FIP signature: A FIP signature that uses the flag symbol and combines a departmental or agency name (see also applied title) and the name of a branch, program or service (see also service title), presented according to design standards prescribed by the Federal Identity Program.
Compression: A technique to make a file or a data stream smaller for faster transmission or to take up less storage space. Dedicated software can compress files or folders of files with distinct file extensions (e.g., .sit or .zip). JPEGs are compressed graphics files.
Concordance: An alphabetical index of the principal words appearing in a text, along with page numbers of those pages containing them. Also, an alphabetical index of subjects or topics that refers to the passage in which each occurs.
Content edit: An overall evaluation and critique of a manuscript for organization, style, and continuity as well as actual content. To evaluate and critique a manuscript for overall style, organization, content, continuity, logic and flow.
Contrast: The degree of distinction between the darkest and lightest parts of an image.
Cookie: A message given to a web browser by a web server. The purpose of cookies is to identify website users and visitors and possibly prepare customized web pages for them.
Copy: The text portion of material to be printed.
Copy edit: The level of editing after content editing. Checking a manuscript for spelling, grammar, punctuation and consistency.
Copyright: The right of an author, artist, publisher, etc., to retain ownership of works and to produce them, or contract others to produce copies. The exclusive right, granted by law for a certain number of years to make and dispose of, and otherwise to control, copies of a literary, musical, or artistic work. Under the law, copyright is automatically obtained when the work is set down for the first time in written or recorded form.
Copyright infringement: When another party besides the copyright owner reproduces a copyrighted work, in whole or in part, without the copyright owner’s permission.
Corporate identity: The visual expression of an organization’s unique identity through the systematic use of words and symbols. The federal government’s corporate identity is managed through FIP. Industry Canada’s corporate identity exists within the framework of FIP.
Corporate signature: The visual representation of an organization’s name in its corporate identity system. Corporate signatures for federal organizations are managed through FIP.
Corporate symbols: The symbols used by an organization to express its corporate identity. Federal corporate symbols are those prescribed by FIP.
Crop: To eliminate outer portions of a photograph, illustration or plate. Cropping is indicated on the original with crop marks.
Crop marks: The marks that designate what portion or areas of the artwork should be included in the final printed piece.
DCS: Desktop Colour Separation. A digital colour file format that includes five PostScript files, one for each colour separation (CMYK) and one data file.
Descender: Any portion of a lowercase letter that extends below the baseline, or body of the letter. Only five lowercase letters in the English alphabet have descenders. They are g, j, p, q and y. (See Ascender)
Design: The selection and arrangement of form to meet aesthetic and functional criteria.
Design standard: The approved rules on the use of design elements in a system (such as a set of publications or print materials). Design standards for publishing prescribe elements such as shape, size, layout, colour, typography and use of symbols.
Desktop publishing (DTP): The production of printed materials using a desktop computer system linked to a laser or inkjet printer. The computer hardware and software enables the user to set type and lay out complete pages that combine text and graphics and create output of near-letter quality, letter quality, or true typeset quality. Desktop publishing lets anyone produce professional-looking materials.
DHTML: Dynamic Hypertext Mark-up Language. An extension of HTML that allows web pages to react to the end users’ input, such as displaying a web page based on the type of browser or computer end users are viewing a page with.
Die: A metal plate cut in the shape of the master image used to make cuts in printed sheets.
Die cut: The technique of using sharp steel rules to make cuts in printed sheets for boxes, folders, pop-up brochures and other specialized printing jobs.
Die stamp: A process for creating designs engraved into copper or steel, usually used for producing letterhead, business cards and other specialized printing jobs.
Directory: On the Web, a directory (commonly mistaken for a search engine) depends on people for listings. The main difference between a search engine and a directory is that a directory does not make use of a spider or robot. One of the defining characteristics of a directory is that it is usually divided into categories.
Dithered/Dithering: To display a full-colour graphic image on a 256-colour monitor, computers must simulate colours they can’t display. They accomplish this by dithering, which is combining pixels from a 256-colour palette into patterns that approximate other colours. At a distance, the human eye merges the pixels into a single colour. Up close, the graphic image will appear pixelated and speckled.
DNS: The Domain Name System translates URL text addresses into a numeric Internet address.
Doorway page: Web pages created specifically to enable higher rankings by search engines. Also known as gateway page or a bridge page.
Dot: The single, most basic element of a halftone.
Dot gain: In printing, a condition in which ink fills the area between the dots of an image or plugs up the counters of the type. Especially prevalent when porous, uncoated paper is used.
Double-fold: A type of brochure fold in which one sheet of paper is folded over twice, creating four panels.
Double-page spread (DPS): Two facing pages of a publication. Also known as a two-page spread.
Double-sided: Printing on both sides of a sheet of paper.
DPI: Dots per inch. DPI specifies the resolution of an output device, such as a printer or printing press machine. Print resolution usually runs from 300-1200 dots per inch on a laser printer and 125-225 dots per inch for photographic images on a print brochure.
Drilling: Perforating, by drilling, sheets to be bound in looseleaf folders, binders or spiral binding. Done by special machine that has a row of drills.
Drop-down menu: On the Web and in computer software, a menu whose title is visible but whose contents are shown only when the user activates it, normally by clicking on or rolling over the title.
Drop shadow: A drop shadow gives an image depth by creating a shading offset behind a selected image.
Duplex paper: Paper or board with a different colour or finish on each side.
Duotone: A two-colour halftone made from a grayscale image. Usually, the darker of the two colours picks up middle tones while the other is used for the highlight and shadow areas. The colour percentages can be adjusted to the desired effect in software applications such as Adobe Photoshop.
Edit: To correct and make changes to a manuscript, or other existing document or file, in order to make it suitable for publication. This includes correcting misspellings, adding and deleting or changing words or phrases, and improving awkward construction.
Em dash / Em space: A dash the width of an em space. A measurement of linear space used by typographers in which the unit is as wide and as high as the point size being set. So named because the letter “m” in early fonts was usually cast on a square body.
Emboss: To produce a raised design, pattern, image, or lettering, by surprinting or on blank paper. To represent a surface design in relief by stamping or impressing a recessed engraved die on it.
En dash / En space: A dash the width of an en space. A measurement of linear space used by typographers that is half the width of an em.
EPS: Encapsulated PostScript. A document file format that contains PostScript information for high-resolution graphics. A standardized format used for storing images.
Error 404: On the Web, this error message means Page Not Found.
E-Zine or Ezine: Electronic magazine.
Feathering: Feathering the edge of a graphic image gradually dissipates the edge, making the edge look blurry.
Filling in: See Dot gain.
Film lamination on press: Thin lamination that can be applied on press if the print supplier has the right equipment. May be referred to as a UV (ultra-violet) coating and can be applied as full coverage or to a specific area, called a spot UV coating.
Findability: A website’s ability to be found easily through search engines, directories and other online resources.
FIP: The Federal Identity Program. The corporate identity framework for the federal government. It promotes standardization, equality of the two official languages and clear identification of federal organizations, programs and services.
FIP signature: The corporate signatures used under FIP. These consist of the flag symbol or the Coat of Arms, and a bilingual applied title, presented according to design standards prescribed by the Federal Identity Program Manual.
Flag symbol: The FIP symbol that represents federal departments and agencies. It consists of a representation of the Canadian flag and is used, along with a bilingual title identifying a department or agency (see also Applied title), to form FIP signatures.
Flash: Graphic animation software that allows Web animations to look the same across any browser.
Flush left/right: Lining type up with the left or right margin of a column or page.
Font: The complete set of characters in a single typeface, point size, width, and weight (such as bold), including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, small capitals (if available), punctuation marks, ligatures, and reference marks.
Foreword: A foreword is a statement about the book or publication, usually written by someone other than the author. In many federal government publications, the foreword takes the form of a message from the minister or other senior official.
Form: 1 In offset printing, all the pages that print together on one side of a sheet on the printing press. A gang or group of pages, usually eight, 16 or 24, that are combined on one printing plate. The number of pages in a given form, and number of forms, varies from job to job depending on the number of pages to be printed. (See Makeready) 2 An HTML tag that defines and labels text-entry boxes, check boxes, radio buttons, and/or drop-down menus to create simple on-screen forms for collecting information from the user.
Format (noun): The dimensions, style, page count, colours and/or any other specifications of a piece.
Format (verb): The act of executing a layout.
Four-colour process: In printing, the combination of the four subtractive colours (CMYK — cyan, magenta, yellow and black) to create the effect of the full spectrum of colours.
Frame: In word processing, desktop publishing, and Web publishing, a rectangular boundary fixed in a predetermined location on the page and defining a rectangular area into which text or graphics may be inserted. In HTML, framing lets designers segment web pages into multiple, separately scrollable areas. Under CLF, frames are not allowed for website design due to accessibility issues.
Freelance: To work for yourself, on a client-by-client basis.
Front matter: All pages of a book, or other publication, that precede the main text. These include the front plate, half-title, title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, preface or foreword and acknowledgments.
FTP: File Transfer Protocol. A means of uploading and accessing files on the Internet.
Gatefold: A type of fold in which the paper is folded toward its center to form four or more panels.
Gathering: Assembling individual sheets or folded signatures in proper sequence for binding.
Ghosting: Term used by graphic designers when a design element is used at a very light intensity of the original, for example, as background or behind text or other imagery. In printing it refers to a condition in which the printed image appears faint where not intended.
GIF: Graphics Interchange Format. A compressed file format for images used to display colour graphics. A format that works well for line art and images comprising large areas of the same colour, but is unsuitable for colour photographs because images are limited to 256 colours.
Gloss finish: A shiny coating on paper or a printed piece that reflects light well, in contrast to the surface of dull- or matte-coated paper. Paper with a matte finish is preferred for use in laser printers over a paper that has a glossy finish. Paper that has a gloss finish is also called art paper, enamel paper, or slick paper.
Glossy: A photograph, image, or other printed material with a shiny surface, as opposed to matte, which is a dull surface.
Glow: The opposite of a shadow in that it creates a surrounding highlight of an image. A high radiance creates a soft, subtle glow and a low radiance creates a hard, bright glow, such as a neon glow.
Government of Canada FIP signature: The universal corporate signature of the federal government of Canada. It consists of the flag symbol and the words “Government of Canada” and “Gouvernement du Canada,” presented according to design standards prescribed by the Federal Identity Program.
Government-wide symbol: A unique identifier that is intended for use throughout the federal government. Use of such symbols requires Treasury Board Secretariat approval.
Gradation: In printing, a term to denote a smooth transition of shades between one colour and another, between black and white, or between one colour and white.
Graphic: Any non-text visual element: photographs, illustrations, icons, ruled line, clipart, etc. They come in more than 100 different graphic file formats.
Graphic backgrounds: When designing a web page, a small graphic can be tiled to create a background texture to highlight text or other graphic elements that sit on top of it. CLF rules do not permit the use of graphic backgrounds in designing federal government sites.
Grayscale: The range of gray tones between black and white as displayed on a monitor or in an image. Grayscale images have no hue (colour). In print, a grayscale image can look black, white, or shades of gray, but it only uses black ink.
Greeking: The use of dummy text to represent the text in a document in order to evaluate the overall design of the document, rather than its content. (See Lorem ipsum)
Gripped edge: The clamped, leading edge of a sheet of paper as it passes through the printing press.
Gutter: The inner margins of two facing pages in a publication.
Hairline: A fine line or rule, the finest line that can be reproduced in printing.
Half-fold: A one-page brochure that is folded once, forming two halves.
Halftone: The reproduction of continuous-tone artwork, such as a photograph, by screening the image into dots of various sizes. When printed, the dots merge to give the illusion of continuous tone. Also known as a screen or halftone screen.
Halftone screen: A grid used in the half-tone process to break a continuous-tone image up into dots. The fineness of the screen is denoted in terms of lines per inch, as in a 133-line screen.
Hexadecimal: A numbering system which uses a base of 16. The first 10 digits are 0–9 and the next six are
A–F. Hexadecimal numbers are used to define colour for web pages.
HTML: Hypertext Markup Language. A programming language used on the World Wide Web that allows digital documents to contain links to other documents.
HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol. A set of rules that governs the transfer of documents over the World Wide Web.
Hue: The main attribute of a colour that distinguishes it from other colours.
Hyperlink: More commonly called a link. An electronic connection from one point to another on a website, regardless of whether the points being connected are on the same page, different pages or different sites altogether.
Hypertext: Hypertext is any highlighted text that forms a hyperlink that, when chosen by a reader, causes another document or page to be retrieved and displayed.
Image map: An image map is a single graphic image containing multiple, clickable hyperlinks.
Indicia: For Direct Mail, indicia is printed information available from Canada Post that takes the place of a stamp.
Information page: A static web page that is designed, coded and written primarily for a specific audience but formatted so that search engines and directories will rank it higher.
Interlace: Storing partial data from a single graphic image in multiple sequences. The purpose of interlacing is to have a partial image initially appear on screen rather than having to wait for the image to appear in its entirety. With interlacing, equally spaced sets of lines from the original image are stored together, and these sets appear one on top of the other in sequence.
Interstitial: A web advertisement that appears in a separate browser window, other than the target web page. (See Pop-ups)
Industry Canada FIP signature: The corporate signature approved for departmental use under FIP policy. It consists of the flag symbol and the Department’s applied title in both official languages, presented according to design standards prescribed by the Federal Identity Program.
Intellectual property (IP): Includes, but is not limited to, ideas; literary works (art and music); patents (inventions and processes); trade secrets (recipes, code, and processes); and names, trademarks, and logos (companies and products). “IP” is deemed to be original, to have value, and to deserve protection under the law.
Interior page: In websites, any page that is not the first page.
IP address: Internet Protocol Address. A four-part set of numbers separated by dots that identifies a machine on the Internet.
ISBN: International Standard Book Number. A unique number that identifies the national geographical or language grouping, publisher, title, edition, binding, and volume number of every book published in every country that uses the system. The ISBN is a UN-sponsored, international standard.
ISSN: International Standard Serial Number. A number assigned to magazines, newsletters, catalogues, books published in a series, and other serials, on request. A standardized, international identification code, it is the equivalent of the ISBN for the magazine and journal publishing industry.
Java: A programming language that allows small applications to be downloaded to your computer for playback. Java can be used for simple applications, such as animation, to more complex applications, such as a calculator.
JavaScript: A scripting language for the Web. JavaScript can make web pages more animated and dynamic in terms of graphics and navigation. Common graphic JavaScript effects are rollovers (also called mouseovers). Javascript navigation is commonly created using drop-down menus.
JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group. File format for full-colour and black-and-white graphic images. JPEG images allow for more colours than GIF images and are usually smaller in size.
Justify: To set lines of text so that the left and right margins are aligned.
Kern: To adjust the space between letters in a word.
Keyline: A thin, non-printing line used in artwork to indicate cuts or folds. For example, an electronic file for a kit folder would usually include a keyline (or die strike line) that is only for the printer’s reference as an indicator as to where the paper needs to be cut and folded.
Lamination: The application of a thin plastic film to a printed sheet for protection or appearance. A laminated surface can have a high gloss, or a dull (called satin or matte) finish and is impervious to stains.
Lay out (verb): The act or process of assembling and arranging the text and graphics on the pages of a document.
Layout (noun): The entire set of pages or panels of any type of graphic design.
Leading: The space between lines of type (pronounced “ledding”).
Legal title: The name of a federal organization that appears in the enabling legislation (Act), Proclamation, Order in Council or other instrument used by Parliament to bring a federal organization into existence.
Letter fold: A common method for folding small publications such as pamphlets (also called roll fold). Two parallel folds are made in the same direction, causing the paper to roll open like a letter.
Line break: The place at the end of a line of text where one word ends and before the next word begins on a new line. (See Bad break)
Logo: A unique identifying symbol usually combining graphic and textual elements. When consisting solely of stylized textual elements, it’s called a wordmark. In the federal government, the creation and use of logos is controlled under FIP.
Lorem ipsum: A nonsense text that resembles Latin but which approximates a typical distribution of letters in English. Often used as placeholder text in design concepts to avoid being distracted by content and more easily focus on design elements. (See Greeking)
Lossless compression: A data compression technique in which the file quality is preserved and no data is lost. Commonly used on GIF images, it can only reduce file size to about half of the original. Lossy compression, by contrast, eliminates some data to further decrease file size.
Lossy compression: A data compression technique that shrinks file size by giving away some precision of detail. JPEGs are an example. Many photos can take of loss of fine detail before it becomes noticeable on a web page.
LPI: Lines per inch. A measure of resolution for halftone screens (shades of gray or colours). This is the number of lines (of the printer’s screen) per inch in a screen tint, halftone, or separation. The greater the number of lines, the more accurate will be the halftone. Newspaper screens typically have 85 LPI, whereas magazines may use 150 LPI.
Makeready: The process of arranging a form on the press preparatory to printing so that the impression will be sharp and even.
Manuscript: The inititial text for a book or magazine article (either handwritten or computer-generated) before it is edited and typeset.
Master: An original hard copy, digital file, or printing plate used for duplication.
Masthead: The logo or title of a publication and the list of its staff, ownership, subscription details and so on.
Matte: A dull, clear coating applied to printed materials for protection or appearance. Matte finish: A type of surface or coating that is dull, without gloss or lustre. Matte print: Photograph with a matte finish.
Metallic inks: Inks containing metallic bronze or aluminum powders in a varnish base which produce the appearance of gold, silver, copper, bronze, etc. The Pantone Matching System has a full range of metallic inks.
Metatag: HTML tags that can be used to identify the creator of a web page, what HTML specifications a web page follows, the keywords and description of the page, etc.
Möbius loop: Symbol used for claims of recyclable or recycled content. Used alone (i.e., without a percentage value), it indicates a recyclable claim. For claims of recycled content, the percentage of recycled material (i.e., the proportion, by mass, of recycled material in the product) must be stated.
Mockup: Visual presentation of a design or layout that approximates what the final piece will look like.
Mouseover or rollover: A special effect for web graphics, generally programmed in JavaScript, that changes the appearance of a graphic image when you place your cursor over it. Mouseovers can also be used to trigger navigation changes and pop-up windows.
Multimedia: A general term referring to any combination of media, such as text, music, voice, graphics and motion, which can be combined into some application with interactive capabilities that can be displayed on a computer.
Neon glow: Type of glow on a graphic image that gives the appearance of neon lighting.
Non-FIP logo: A synonym for unique identifier.
Object-oriented: Graphics defined by groups of lines, circles, text, and other objects (thus the “object-oriented” label), as opposed to bitmapped graphics, which are defined by pixels. Also called vector graphics.
Offset printing: Also called offset lithography. A printing method in which the image is transferred from the printing plate (fastened to a plate cylinder), onto a rubber blanket (rubber covered cylinder) and then to, or “offset” onto, the paper (traveling around an impression cylinder). The rubber cylinder affords the flexibility to print on wood, cloth, metal, leather and rough paper.
Online: If you are connected to the Internet, you are online.
Opacity: A property of paper or other substrate that minimizes show-through, which is the amount of ink printed on one side of a sheet that shows through the other side.
Orphan: The first line of a paragraph appearing on its own at the bottom of a page, while the remainder of the paragraph continues on the next page or column. Also, a word on a line by itself at the end of a paragraph. (Compare with Widow)
Outline: In graphic design, tracing of the outer edge of text or a graphic image. If the outline is feathered (see Feathering), then the effect is generally referred to as a glow.
Overprint: To print over an area that has already been printed.
Overrun: When the number of printed copies exceeds the amount of the originally specified print run.
Page layout: See lay out (verb).
Page proof: A printed copy of the pages as they will appear in a finished publication with type and graphics complete, along with such items as headings and rules. The page proof is almost the end of the development cycle.
Pantone colours: An ink colour matching system also known as PMS (Pantone Matching System) colours, the industry standard in the graphic arts and printing industry for specifying “special” or “spot” colours. Specifying colours by Pantone/PMS name or number assures a more defined colour will be printed than if a CMYK colour is specified.
PDF: Portable Document Format. Common format used for presenting print publications online. Files can be downloaded from the Web and viewed page by page, provided the user has installed the necessary software. (See Acrobat)
Perfect binding: A method of binding in which the pages are held together and glued to the cover. Widely used for paperbacks, manuals, textbooks and telephone books.
PHP (Hypertext PreProcessor): PHP is a programming language and an alternative to ASP technology. PHP script is embedded within a web page along with its HTML. Before the page is sent to a user who has requested it, the web server calls PHP to interpret and perform the operations called for. Like ASP, PHP can be thought of as “dynamic HTML pages,” since content will vary based on the results of interpreting the script. PHP is open source software, whereas ASP is a commercial product.
Pixel: The basic unit of digital display in a computer image. The physical size of a pixel depends on how the resolution for the computer’s display screen is set.
Plug-in: A software extension that provides added capabilities to a web browser for purposes such as viewing, hearing or saving specially formatted files. Most plug-ins are available from the creator’s web page for downloading.
PNG: Stands for Portable Network Graphics format, and is generally pronounced “ping.” PNG is used for lossless compression and displaying images on the web. PNG supports images with millions of colours and produces background transparency without jagged edges, but PNG images will not show up on older browsers, and file size can be large in comparison to GIFs.
Point: 1The basic unit for measuring type, equal to about 0.35 mm (0.0138" – i.e., 72 points equals one inch). 2 A unit of measurement for the thickness of paper, equal to 0.025 mm (one thousandth of an inch).
Pop-ups: A web design technique and also a form of Web advertising. in which a new web browser window opens, usually to display an ad. Often considered an irritant, pop-ups are often generated by JavaScript.
PostScript: A page description language (PDL) for presenting print matter onscreen to handle the placement of text and graphics on a page. PostScript is used to control laser printers and other graphical output devices. The user can also write programs in the PostScript language.
Preflight: Part of the prepress stage that examines electronic files for missing elements or information. For example, a printer performs a preflight check of a job before prepress work begins. Missing elements are reported so corrections can be made before prepress work starts.
Prepress: The set of processes between the finalization of camera-ready art and printing. The process of preparing output for printing, such as creating film, checking colour, creating proofs and so on.
Press check: Visiting the printing plant in person as the first few copies of a print job come off the printing press to check for accurate colour, proper registration, ink coverage, and overall printing quality.
Press proof: A final colour proof made on a printing press to verify colour and printing quality.
Printing plate: A surface, usually made of metal, that has been treated to carry an image.
Process colour: Four-colour reproduction of the full range of colours by the use of four printing plates, one for each of the primary printing colours: cyan (process blue), magenta (process red), yellow and black.
Proof (noun): A reproduction of what the printed job should look like. Proofs can take many forms.
Proof (verb): Short for proofread. Also means to check the colour and position of text and images on a page layout.
Proofread: The process of carefully checking a proof copy (of a manuscript) to identify all spelling, punctuation, content and style, as well as typographical errors, and giving instructions for change by the use of standard proofreading marks.
Proofreader’s marks: Standard shorthand symbols employed by copy editors and proofreaders to signify alterations and corrections in the copy.
Public domain: All creative works of intellectual property, such as books, music, or software, that are not protected by copyright or other form of protection are considered to be in the public domain. Such works may be copied freely, modified, or used in any manner and for any purpose. A creative work may be unprotected because it never was copyrighted or because the copyright term has expired. Although much of the material on the Internet is in the public domain, placing a copyrighted work on the Internet does not cause it to be in the public domain.
Pull quote: A quote extracted from the main text of an article and printed in large type on the page, frequently offset with ruled lines or other graphic elements. Sometimes referred to as a callout, but not to be confused with a callout used to highlight features of a graphic, illustration or presentation.
Quality assurance (QA): Also known as QC, or quality control and employed both in editorial and printing processes to ensure that quality standards are met.
QuarkXPress: Commonly used page layout software program.
QuickTime Video: Technology that allows video, digitized sound and music, 3D and virtual reality to be viewed on a web browser.
Ream: 500 sheets of paper.
Resolution: The sharpness of an image on film, paper, disk, or tape. On a computer monitor or in an image file, resolution is measured in the number of pixels in a linear inch (PPI) in each direction. The greater the number of dots, the higher the resolution. For printers that form characters from small, closely spaced dots, resolution is measured by the number of dots printed per linear inch.
Retouching: Correction of imperfections in an image, usually done using filters and techniques found in photo-editing software.
Reverse (type): Type that drops out of a background and assumes the colour of the paper or element behind the background.
RGB: Red, Green, Blue. These are the colours used by computer monitors, colour televisions, and scanners to create the images that appear on screen. They are the colours produced by emitting light, as on a video monitor, rather than by absorbing light, as with ink on paper. Percentages of these additive primary colours can be mixed to obtain any desired colour. In contrast, four-colour process printing depends on the subtractive primaries (yellow, magenta, cyan, black).
Rich media: Typically, a website or banner ads that use technology more advanced than standard GIF animation.
Rollover: See Mouseover.
Royalty-free photos or images: Images sold for standard usage fees by image banks that retain ownership rights.
Rules: Rules, or horizontal rules, are horizontal lines used as separators or dividers on web pages.
Saddle-stitched: A type of binding that uses staples through the gutter fold.
Sans serif: A style of typeface that does not include small lines that project from the main body of the character. Common sans-serif typefaces include Arial, Helvetica and Verdana.
Saturation: The colour intensity of an image. An image high in saturation will appear to be very bright. An image low in saturation will appear to be duller and more neutral. An image without any saturation is also referred to as a grayscale image.
Scale (noun): The size of an image according to its existing proportions.
Scale (verb): To resize an image while retaining its existing proportions.
Screen: See halftone screen.
Screen angle: The angle at which two or more screens are turned in relation to one another to avoid the creation of an undesirable moiré pattern in the dots. Layout software programs account for this and, during the prepress stage, the separated colours are imaged to printing plates using the appropriate angles to counter bad angle problems.
Screen printing: Printing method in which the image is transferred to the surface to be printed by means of ink squeezed by a squeegee through a stencilled fabric or metal wire screen stretched over a frame. Allows the heavy application of ink on almost any material.
Search engine: A program that searches online documents (i.e., web pages, which are HTML documents) for specified keywords and returns a list of links to the location of these documents. A search engine has two parts: a spider and an indexer. The spider is the program that finds the documents, and the indexer reads the documents and creates an index based on the words or ideas contained in each document.
Serif: A style of typeface that has small hooks or lines added the basic form of the character. Common serif typefaces include Times Roman, Garamond and Palatino.
Service title: The name of an organizational unit, program or service of a federal organization, as used in compound FIP signatures.
Signage: A system of signs. There are four types of signage within the FIP signage system: common-use signs (which identify physical characteristics of buildings or properties), operational signs (which relate to or serve the operational needs of a building’s occupants), primary identification signs (which identify buildings or properties as federal) and project signs (which identify federal programs or projects).
Signature: A press sheet that is folded and ready for binding. Usually 32 pages, but may also be 64, 16, eight or four pages, depending on the thickness of the paper stock.
Spec: Short for specification. The characteristics of typeset copy, such as typeface, point size, and leading, or the characteristics of a process colour expressed in various percentages, or any set of specific instructions for reproducing an image or a page layout.
Specialty items: Marketing or promotional items, such as coffee mugs, key chains and T-shirts, that fall outside the scope of FIP.
Spider or Robot: A spider is a program that visits websites and reads their pages and other information in order to create entries for a search engine index.
Spiral-bound: A method of binding in which a publication is held together with spiral wires inserted through holes punched along the inner margins of the pages.
Spot varnish: A clear coating applied to a particular area of a printed piece that provides protection as well as a dull or glossy appearance, depending on the type of varnish.
Spread: Two facing pages of a publication. See double-page spread.
Substrate: The base material that is being printed on, whether paper, plastic, metal, fabric, etc.
Subtractive primary colours: In printing, the three primary colours of inks used to create all other colours on the printing press. They are cyan (blue), magenta (red), and yellow. These three colours will produce black when mixed together in equal proportions. In referring to the subtractive primary colours, people often inaccurately include black as a fourth primary colour.
Tabbing: Bindery operation in which tags are cut into or adhered to the edge of a piece of paper.
Tag: Tags are the basic formatting tool used in HTML (hypertext markup language) and other markup languages, such as XML, to structure content and control presentation on web pages.
Thread: A series of messages related to the same topic in a discussion group or newsgroup, such as an original post and related follow-up messages.
Thumbnail: A small version of a graphic image.
TIFF: Tagged Image File Format. A widely-supported, high-resolution graphics file format.
Tiling: When an image or page layout is too large to print onto a standard sheet of paper, breaking the page or image into smaller “tiles” so that it can be printed. You could, for example, “tile” a planned 30” × 40” poster down into smaller pieces that print on a standard 11” × 17” laser printer sheet which can then be reassembled as a 30” × 40” proof.
Tip-in: To insert a single page, or small publication, into a larger publication or book during the binding process or subsequently, by affixing one edge of the insert with paste. The insert may be a foldout map or a pull-out pamphlet. The insertion may be performed by machine or hand.
Trademark: Any word, phrase, name, figure, symbol, design, shape, colour or combination thereof, used by a manufacturer or other business enterprise to identify a proprietary product and differentiate it from others.
Two-colour: A published piece that is created using only two colours, whether they are spot or process colours.
Typeface: A complete set of characters comprising a family and created in a particular and consistent design or style. A typeface differs from a font, which is a specific size of a typeface, such as 12-point Arial Italic. There are thousands of typefaces, but roughly two dozen typefaces account for 90 percent of all type set.
Uncoated: Paper with no finish applied to it (either glossy or matte) to create a more porous printing surface.
Unique identifier: For the purposes of federal corporate identity management, a special symbol that is used to identify or promote a particular program, service, event, product or initiative.
URL: Uniform Resource Locator. The address of an individual web page element or web document on the Internet. The syntax of a URL consists of three elements: the protocol, the domain name, or the exclusive name that identifies a website; and the path name of the file to be retrieved. Every document and graphic image on a website has a URL. For example, the URL for a home page is commonly written as: http://www.companyname.com/index.html. The http:// is the protocol. The www.companyname.com is the domain name. The index.html is the path name.
Varnish: A thin, clear coating applied to a printed piece for protection or special effect. Varnishes can be gloss or matte finish to create a desired effect in addition to providing protective qualities.
Vector graphic: A graphic image drawn in shapes (or objects) and lines, called paths. Also called object-oriented graphics. Images created in Illustrator and Freehand (graphic design software) are vector graphics.
Vignette: An image produced so that when it prints its edges fade imperceptibly into the white of the paper.
VRML: Virtual Reality Modeling Language. A computer language used on the World Wide Web for creating three-dimensional programs.
Watermark: A symbol or logo, identifying the brand of paper or the manufacturer. The term watermark also applies in desktop publishing to any image that has been electronically faded and used for background.
Web press: A printing press that uses rolls (webs) of paper rather than sheets. Commonly used for large quantity print runs such as magazines. The set-up time, or makeready, can take longer than for sheet-fed presses.
Web-safe colours: A set of 216 colour values is commonly considered to be the “web-safe” colour palette, developed at a time when many computer displays were only capable of displaying 256 colours.
Website: A collection of computer files posted on the Internet. Websites are identified by a URL and are accessible using a web browser. Usually, websites use hypertext to provide links to related information. A collection of World Wide Web pages, usually containing a home page plus several other pages.
Welcome page: A front page to a website (also called a splash page). The URL for this page is the address that is usually marketed by the website’s administrators. For federal websites, the welcome page guides the user to the English- or French-language sections of the site.
Widow: The last line of a paragraph appearing on its own at the top of the following page or column because the paragraph could not fit in its entirety on one page. (Compare with Orphan.)
WYSIWYG: What You See Is What You Get. An accurate screen representation of final output commonly used in word processing or web design software.
XHTML: Abbreviation for Extensible Hypertext Mark-up Language that is a hybrid of XML and HTML. Web pages designed in XHTML should look the same across all platforms.
XML: Abbreviation for Extensible Mark-up Language, which is a flexible way to create common information formats and share both the format and the data on the World Wide Web, intranets, and other computer networks.
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