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Digital
Printing Terminology
Adobe Acrobat – Software for viewing and printing files in Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF), which was created so users can read documents without having the particular program or fonts used to create it. Adobe’s PDF Writer and Acrobat Distiller are programs for creating PDF files. AI – file format which is recognized by Illustrator software. These files are easily identified as they have ".ai" as the extension in the file name. Bitmap – Graphics constructed of individual pixels arranged in specific patterns. Bitmap-image formats include, by filename extension: Al
= Adobe Illustrator Encapsulated PostScript Bleed – Printing an image past where the final print will be trimmed, which allows color to extend all the Way to the edges of the final print. BMP File – The file extension .bmp indicates a Windows bitmap graphic. CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) – The four process colors, which are used by output devices such as inkjet, electrostatic and thermal transfer printers. Black is called “K” because in process printing it is the key plate or keyline color. Mixed to provide a color image; typically used in printing applications. Color Separation – Color separations consist of artwork that has been split into component plates of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black in preparation for process printing (CMYK) or into the required number of plates for spot color printing. Each separation prints a single process or spot color. Digital files can be composite separations (all information in one file) or pre-separated (each color on its own page). DPI (Dots Per Inch) – Unit of measure use to describe the printing resolution of and output device, or the printed resolution of an output device, or the printed resolution of images, based on the number of separate ink droplets representing either horizontally or vertically in one inch. Also correlates to pixels per inch and samples per inch. DPI is a significant influence on the size of an image file; a high DPI indicates higher resolution. Eco-Solvent Inks – A type of solvent ink that employs a less-toxic carrier, generally dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether. Printers using eco-solvent inks emit fewer harmful VOCs (volatile organic com-pounds) than standard solvent inks. Embedded Files – Pertains to Adobe Illustrator files. Embedded artwork actually becomes part of the Illustrator document. This can dramatically increase the size of the file and slow down processing speed. It does ensure that an image will be included when you send the file to be output. Flattened Image – In a flattened image, all visible layers are merged into the background, greatly reducing file size. Flattening an image discards all hidden layers and fills the remaining transparent areas with white. In most cases, you won't want to flatten a file until you have finished editing individual layers. Four-Color Process – Any
printing method that utilizes the subtractive primaries (CMY) plus black
(K) to create the illusion of different colors. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) – Technically, FTP is a language used to moved files; however, the term commonly refers to the process of sending a file via FTP or to an FTP site. FTP is used as opposed to HTTP, which is the language used to write web pages, The 'ftp' or 'http' that precedes a web address tells a web browser which language it should use when processing the request GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) – An image format type generated specifically for computer use its resolution is usually very low (72 dpi, or that of your computer screen), Making it undesirable for printing purposes. Halftone – Process of reproducing an image using a series of various sized dots within a fixed spacing, measured in lines per inch (lpi). Inkjet Printer – Device that drops liquid ink onto a substrate for printing. A thermal inkjet heats ink to approximately 400 degrees F inside a small chamber before shooting it through a series of nozzles. A piezo-based inkjet stores ink in a small chamber an sends and electric charge through piezoelectric crystal lining the chamber to shoot ink through the nozzles. Layers – Pertains to
Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator files. Layers are best described as
sheets of acetate stacked one on top of the other. Where there is no
image on a layer, you can see through to the layers below. All layers in
a file have the same resolution and have the same color characteristics. PANTONE® Matching System – Numbering system for identifying 3,000+ colors created through combinations of 14 primary color inks. The Pantone company produces numerous color-matching systems for standard print and computer applications. PDF (Portable Document System) – Electronic document format from Adobe Systems Inc. that allows the distribution of files across platforms that can display a document as originally designed and formatted – and, when fully developed, also allow printing – without requiring the original software application or fonts on the viewing computer Pixel – A combination of the words “picture” and “element,” denoting the smallest part of a picture that can be located and placed as an element along the X and Y axes of a bitmap or on the computer screen. A pixel can be monochrome or up to the pixel depth available on your color system. Pixels are also used for identifying screen or print resolutions, e.g. 72 pixels square inch. PostScript – Graphics language that creates vector-based images that, by computer code, allows for proportional scaling. It makes most scalable type and artwork possible for Windows- and Macintosh-based graphics software Process Color – Cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK), combined in a matching system to recreate thousands of colors in offset and direct digital printing. RAM (Random Access Memory) – The high-speed portion of a computer’s data storage that is held on special chips for use in cur-rent applications procedures. RAM is said to be a volatile if the stored information is lost when power is disrupted. Resolution – The number of pixels or samples per inch in a device is capable of recognizing or producing, measured in horizontal columns (width) by vertical rows (height). Megapixels can be calculated by multiplying pixel-columns with pixel-rows. Resolution is a measure of the detail in an image; the higher the resolution the higher the amount of detail and the bigger the file size. RGB (Red, Green and Blue) – The three additive colors used by monitors and scanners for transferring and representing color data. The rule of thumb in imaging is that input and display are in RGB, while output is done in CMYK. RGB is typically used in video display applications. RIP (Raster Image Processor) – Software and/or hardware used to convert data to bitmap information for processing on a PostScript printer or other digital device. This computer-calculation-intensive process determines 360,000 combinations and color placements to print every square inch of a 300 DPI image using CMYK process colors. Each process color is a color separation. This action is referred to as RIPing or Rasterization. Scan – Process whereby a
hard copy image, typically a photograph or other artwork, is
electronically converted to a digital file using a scanner. This process
captures the image, as well as the color characteristics of the original
and allows the image to be inserted into electronic documents. UV-curing – Printing process in which a lamp emitting ultra violet (UV) rays is used to transform monomer-based liquid inks (deposited onto a substrate) into polymer-based solid inks. Commonly used process in many digital flatbed printers. Zip – To reduce file size by using compression algorithm programs such as PKZIP or WinZIP. |
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