Jargon Buster

Bleed

Bleed is a term that refers to printing that goes beyond the edge of the sheet after trimming. This allows for small inconsistencies when cutting paper to their final size. Generally we require 3mm bleed when provided with print ready artwork.

Crop Marks

Small lines at the corner of a document which identify where a page is to be trimmed. Also called cut marks and tick marks.

Resolution

Resolution refers to the quality of an image. The higher the resolution the better the quality. Printed material is generally in 300dpi (dots per inch) and websites shown in 72dpi.

CMYK

Abbreviation for cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), the four process colours.

Proof

A copy of the document made to reveal errors or flaws before the job is printed, and to show how a printing job is intended to appear when finished. A proof can either be in a Digital format (PDF via email) or a hard copy (printed version).

Perfect Binding

A method of binding a book in order to hold the inner pages and cover together. This method uses a thin application of flexible glue along the spine of the book.

Stitched Binding

Also known as stapled. Usually two staples are punched along the book spine through the cover and inner pages. This method is most suited to books which will be fully opened. For example; note books or questionnaires.

A book with a stitched spine always has a page count devisable by 4. This is because a folded sheet of paper contains 4 pages (2 on one side and 2 on the other).

Spreads

When 2 book pages are shown next to each other on a PDF. A spread will show the ‘spread’ of pages as if the book were open on a table.