This glossary highlights the production, color, workflow, quality, sustainability, and mailing terminology used in commercial printing across the Business Services / Professional Services sector. It helps executives and practitioners navigate standards, technologies, and operating metrics central to the Commercial Printing Practice.
A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T U V W X
| A | |
| ACS | Address Change Service: A United States Postal Service program that provides electronic address-correction information for undeliverable mail. Printers offering mailing services use it to improve list quality and reduce returned mail. |
| AFP | Advanced Function Presentation: An architecture and print-data stream used for high-volume, variable, and transactional documents. It preserves page composition, fonts, resources, and finishing instructions across production systems. |
| AM | Amplitude-Modulated Screening: A conventional halftone method that reproduces tonal changes by varying dot size while maintaining regular dot spacing. Screen angle and ruling must be controlled to limit moiré and other artifacts. |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute: The organization that coordinates voluntary consensus standards in the United States. Graphic-arts standards developed through CGATS commonly operate within the ANSI framework. |
| APPE | Adobe PDF Print Engine: A rendering technology used in many raster image processors and digital front ends. It processes PDF content natively, including transparency, layers, fonts, and color-management instructions. |
| AQ | Aqueous Coating: A water-based coating applied inline or offline to protect printed surfaces and alter gloss or tactile appearance. Print specifications and estimates often use this shorthand to distinguish it from varnish or UV coating. |
| B | |
| B&W | Black and White: Printing that uses black imaging material without process color, although the stock itself may be colored. The designation affects click charges, separations, proofing, and production routing. |
| BHR | Budgeted Hourly Rate: The planned hourly cost assigned to a press, bindery machine, or other production center. Estimating systems use it to convert expected setup and run time into job cost. |
| BPC | Black Point Compensation: A color-management technique that maps the darkest reproducible tone of a source color space to that of the destination. It can preserve shadow detail when converting between ICC profiles. |
| BWR | Bar Width Reduction: A prepress adjustment that narrows barcode elements to compensate for ink spread, plate gain, or imaging growth. Correct compensation helps the printed symbol meet dimensional and scanning requirements. |
| C | |
| C1S | Coated One Side: Paper or paperboard with a coated printing surface on one side and an uncoated reverse. It is commonly specified for covers, postcards, folders, and products requiring different front and back characteristics. |
| C2S | Coated Two Sides: Paper or paperboard coated on both sides to improve smoothness and print reproduction. The designation is important when selecting stock for two-sided color work. |
| CASS | Coding Accuracy Support System: A United States Postal Service certification process for software that standardizes addresses and assigns postal codes accurately. Commercial mailers use CASS-certified tools to qualify lists for automation and postage discounts. |
| CGATS | Committee for Graphic Arts Technologies Standards: The ANSI-accredited body that develops U.S. standards for graphic-arts processes, materials, terminology, and data exchange. Its work supports consistent measurement and print production. |
| CIE | Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage: The International Commission on Illumination, which defines foundational colorimetric systems, standard observers, and illuminants. Print color measurement and viewing standards rely extensively on its specifications. |
| CIELAB | CIE L*a*b* Color Space: A device-independent color space representing lightness and opposing red-green and yellow-blue dimensions. It is widely used to specify colors and calculate differences between proofs, printed samples, and reference targets. |
| CIJ | Continuous Inkjet: An inkjet technology in which a continuous stream of droplets is generated and selectively directed to the substrate. It is often used for high-speed coding, addressing, numbering, and personalization. |
| CIP3 | Cooperation for Integration of Prepress, Press and Postpress: The industry initiative that created Print Production Format files for transferring prepress data to presses and finishing equipment. Its work laid the foundation for later CIP4 workflow standards. |
| CIP4 | International Cooperation for Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress: The industry organization responsible for JDF, JMF, XJDF, and related process-automation standards. These standards connect estimating, production, equipment, and job-status systems. |
| CMM | Color Management Module: The software component that performs numerical color transformations between device profiles and color spaces. Its conversion method can affect the accuracy and consistency of printed output. |
| CMS | Color Management System: The combination of profiles, measurement practices, software, and conversion rules used to maintain predictable color across monitors, proofers, presses, and substrates. |
| CMYK | Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key Black: The four process colors used in most conventional color printing. Separations and press controls regulate their combination to reproduce images and neutral tones. |
| CoC | Chain of Custody: A documented system for tracking certified fiber and paper through purchasing, inventory, production, and sale. Printers need valid controls to make FSC, PEFC, or SFI claims on eligible products. |
| CRPC | Characterized Reference Printing Condition: A standardized dataset describing the color response of a representative printing condition. CRPCs support profile creation and consistent appearance across different digital and conventional processes. |
| CSWO | Coldset Web Offset: Web-offset printing in which ink dries primarily through absorption rather than heat-assisted evaporation. It is used for suitable uncoated products where speed and economical long runs are priorities. |
| CtCP | Computer-to-Conventional Plate: A platemaking workflow that images conventional ultraviolet-sensitive offset plates directly from digital files. It provides a digital alternative to film while using established plate chemistry. |
| CTP | Computer-to-Plate: A prepress process that images digital page data directly onto offset plates without film intermediates. It improves registration, shortens preparation time, and reduces opportunities for image degradation. |
| D | |
| D50 | CIE Standard Illuminant D50: A standardized daylight illuminant with a correlated color temperature of approximately 5000 K. ISO-compliant print viewing booths and color evaluations commonly use D50 conditions. |
| DCS | Desktop Color Separations: A legacy prepress file format that stores a low-resolution composite with separate high-resolution color plates. Printers may still encounter it in archived jobs and older application workflows. |
| DDCP | Direct Digital Color Proofing: Proof production directly from digital page data without film or conventional proofing plates. A calibrated system can provide a contract-quality simulation of the intended press result. |
| DFE | Digital Front End: The hardware and software that receive jobs, interpret files, manage color, rasterize pages, impose work, and control a digital press or printer. Its capabilities strongly influence productivity and output consistency. |
| DI | Direct Imaging: An offset technology that images printing plates on the press rather than in a separate platesetter. It was developed to reduce makeready and improve registration for shorter color runs. |
| Dmax | Maximum Density: The highest optical density a printing or proofing system can produce under specified conditions. It is particularly relevant to shadow depth, solid black, and achievable contrast. |
| Dmin | Minimum Density: The optical density of the lightest measurable area, usually the unprinted substrate or minimum image tone. It helps establish the usable tonal range of a process. |
| DOD | Drop-on-Demand: An inkjet method that ejects droplets only when an image requires them. Thermal and piezoelectric systems are the principal forms used in production printing. |
| dpi | Dots per Inch: A measure of the addressable imaging resolution of a printer, platesetter, or output device. It should not be confused with image pixels per inch or halftone lines per inch. |
| DPV | Delivery Point Validation: A United States Postal Service process that confirms whether an address is recognized as a deliverable location. It helps mailing operations identify incomplete or invalid records before production. |
| DTF | Direct-to-Film: A digital decoration process that prints an image onto transfer film for subsequent heat application to a garment or other product. It supports short runs and detailed, multicolor designs. |
| DTG | Direct-to-Garment: An inkjet process that prints textile ink directly onto a finished garment. Pretreatment, curing, fabric composition, and white-ink management materially affect quality and durability. |
| DTP | Desktop Publishing: The creation and assembly of print-ready pages using personal-computer design and page-layout software. Proper file preparation remains essential for fonts, images, bleeds, separations, and output settings. |
| DTS | Direct-to-Screen: A screen-printing workflow that images the stencil directly on a coated mesh without film positives. It can improve registration and shorten screen preparation. |
| E | |
| ECF | Elemental Chlorine Free: A designation for pulp bleached without elemental chlorine gas, although chlorine compounds may still be used. Paper specifications may cite it as an environmental attribute. |
| ECG | Extended Color Gamut: A printing approach that adds inks such as orange, green, or violet to standard CMYK. It can reproduce more brand colors without changing dedicated spot inks between jobs. |
| ECI | European Color Initiative: An industry group that develops color-management resources and widely used ICC profiles for graphic-arts workflows. Its profiles support standardized exchanges between creators, prepress providers, and printers. |
| EP | Electrophotography: A digital printing process that forms a latent electrostatic image and develops it with dry toner or liquid imaging material. It is widely used for short-run, personalized, and on-demand production. |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency: The U.S. regulator responsible for federal environmental requirements affecting air emissions, hazardous waste, chemicals, and wastewater. Printing operations must evaluate how these rules apply to inks, solvents, coatings, and cleaning processes. |
| EPS | Encapsulated PostScript: A graphics file format historically used to exchange vector artwork, logos, and placed images. Modern PDF workflows have largely replaced it, but legacy customer files remain common. |
| EVA | Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate: A thermoplastic polymer widely used in hot-melt binding adhesives. It offers fast setting and economical production but generally has less heat resistance and lay-flat performance than PUR adhesive. |
| F | |
| FIM | Facing Identification Mark: A pattern of vertical bars applied to certain U.S. mailpieces so postal equipment can identify orientation and processing requirements. It must be positioned and reproduced to postal specifications. |
| FM | Frequency-Modulated Screening: A stochastic halftone method that varies the number and placement of very small dots rather than their size. It can improve detail and reduce visible rosettes or moiré. |
| Fogra | Fogra Research Institute for Media Technologies: A graphic-technology research and certification organization known for characterization datasets, process standards, testing, and color-management resources used internationally. |
| FPO | For Position Only: A label applied to a temporary or low-resolution element used to indicate placement in a layout. Prepress must replace or correctly link the element before final output. |
| FSC | Forest Stewardship Council: An international certification system for responsibly managed forests and verified forest-product supply chains. Certified printers must maintain chain-of-custody controls before applying approved claims or labels. |
| FTA | Flexographic Technical Association: An industry association providing technical resources, training, and process guidance for flexographic printing. Its materials are relevant to printers operating flexographic and related converting equipment. |
| G | |
| G7 | G7 Calibration and Print-Verification Methodology: A specification-based approach for aligning print processes through neutral tonality, gray balance, and defined color aims. It is used to improve visual consistency across presses, proofers, substrates, and printing technologies. |
| GATF | Graphic Arts Technical Foundation: A legacy printing research and education organization whose test forms, publications, and technical methods remain present in industry references. It later became part of Printing Industries of America. |
| GCR | Gray Component Replacement: A color-separation technique that replaces overlapping cyan, magenta, and yellow gray components with black ink. It can improve neutral stability, reduce total ink, and lower color variation on press. |
| GRACoL | General Requirements for Applications in Commercial Offset Lithography: A widely used specification for sheetfed commercial offset printing and proofing. It defines reference conditions and color aims that support consistent separations, proofs, and press results. |
| GSM | Grams per Square Metre: The metric expression of paper or substrate basis weight. It enables stock comparisons independent of sheet size and is central to purchasing, estimating, postage, and finishing decisions. |
| GWG | Ghent Workgroup: An international graphic-arts organization that develops practical PDF specifications, preflight guidance, and test suites. Its work helps printers and content creators exchange more reliable production files. |
| H | |
| HAP | Hazardous Air Pollutant: A pollutant regulated under the U.S. Clean Air Act because of its potential health or environmental effects. Certain printing solvents, inks, coatings, and cleaning agents may contain reportable HAPs. |
| HSWO | Heatset Web Offset: Web-offset printing that passes the printed web through a dryer to evaporate ink solvents before chilling and finishing. It is suited to high-volume, high-quality production on coated papers. |
| I | |
| ICC | International Color Consortium: The organization that defines the profile architecture used to communicate device color behavior. ICC profiles allow color-managed conversion among monitors, proofers, presses, and standardized printing conditions. |
| IDEAlliance | International Digital Enterprise Alliance: The industry organization associated with specifications and certification programs including G7, GRACoL, and SWOP. Its standards activities became part of PRINTING United Alliance. |
| IMb | Intelligent Mail Barcode: The United States Postal Service barcode that combines routing and mailer information for letters and flats. Direct-mail producers use it for automation pricing, tracking, service selection, and address-correction programs. |
| IPA | Isopropyl Alcohol: A volatile solvent traditionally added to offset fountain solution to improve wetting and control surface tension. Many plants reduce or eliminate it to lower emissions, fire risk, and operating cost. |
| IPDS | Intelligent Printer Data Stream: A bidirectional host-to-printer data stream commonly associated with AFP production environments. It supports device control, resource management, error reporting, and high-volume transactional output. |
| IR | Infrared: Electromagnetic radiation used in some press dryers to accelerate evaporation, absorption, or curing. Dryer settings must be balanced against stock temperature, energy use, setoff, and substrate distortion. |
| ISBN | International Standard Book Number: A unique identifier assigned to a specific book title, edition, and format. Printers must reproduce its corresponding barcode and human-readable data accurately on book covers. |
| ISO | International Organization for Standardization: The international standards body responsible for many graphic-technology specifications governing color measurement, process control, proofing, file exchange, and viewing conditions. |
| ISO 12647 | International Organization for Standardization 12647, Graphic Technology Process Control: A standards family defining process-control requirements for halftone color separations, proofs, and production prints across major printing methods. |
| ISO 12647-2 | International Organization for Standardization 12647-2, Offset Lithographic Processes: The part of the ISO 12647 series that specifies process aims and control parameters for offset lithography. It underpins many commercial offset printing conditions and conformance programs. |
| ISO 12647-7 | International Organization for Standardization 12647-7, Contract Proofing from Digital Data: The standard defining requirements for digital contract proofs, including color accuracy, uniformity, permanence, and reporting. Conforming proofs can serve as agreed production references. |
| ISO 12647-8 | International Organization for Standardization 12647-8, Validation Printing from Digital Data: The standard for validation prints used where a less stringent reference than a contract proof is appropriate. It establishes measurable requirements for reliable design and production review. |
| ISO 13655 | International Organization for Standardization 13655, Spectral Measurement and Colorimetric Computation for Graphic Arts Images: The principal standard for measuring printed color, including M0 through M3 measurement conditions. It is essential when comparing instruments, proofs, substrates, and production samples. |
| ISO 14861 | International Organization for Standardization 14861, Requirements for Color Soft-Proofing Systems: A standard covering displays, viewing environments, calibration, and system performance for evaluating print simulations on screen. |
| ISO 15311-2 | International Organization for Standardization 15311-2, Requirements for Printed Matter from Digital Printing for Commercial Applications: A standard defining measurement methods and quality requirements for digitally printed commercial products. It supports objective evaluation across different digital processes. |
| ISO 15930 | International Organization for Standardization 15930, Prepress Digital Data Exchange Using PDF: The standards family that defines PDF/X files for predictable graphic-arts exchange. It restricts or formalizes PDF features that could create production ambiguity. |
| ISO 16759 | International Organization for Standardization 16759, Carbon-Footprint Quantification for Print Media Products: A graphic-technology standard that establishes requirements for calculating and communicating the carbon footprint of print media products. |
| ISO 216 | International Organization for Standardization 216, Trimmed Paper Sizes: The standard defining the A and B series of paper formats used in most international markets. These dimensions influence imposition, stock purchasing, equipment compatibility, and finished-product specifications. |
| ISO 2846-1 | International Organization for Standardization 2846-1, Color and Transparency of Offset Printing Ink Sets: The standard specifying colorimetric and transparency characteristics for four-color sheetfed and heatset web-offset inks. Conforming inks support predictable process-color reproduction. |
| ISO 3664 | International Organization for Standardization 3664, Viewing Conditions for Graphic Technology and Photography: The standard defining illumination and environmental conditions for evaluating prints, proofs, transparencies, and displays. Controlled viewing reduces subjective color disagreements. |
| ISO/IEC 15415 | International Organization for Standardization and International Electrotechnical Commission 15415, Two-Dimensional Barcode Print Quality: The standard defining methods for grading printed two-dimensional symbols such as QR and Data Matrix codes. |
| ISO/IEC 15416 | International Organization for Standardization and International Electrotechnical Commission 15416, Linear Barcode Print Quality: The standard defining scan-reflectance testing and grading for printed one-dimensional barcodes. Verification helps ensure that press gain, contrast, and defects do not impair scanning. |
| ISO/PAS 15339 | International Organization for Standardization Publicly Available Specification 15339, Printing from Digital Data Across Multiple Technologies: A specification establishing principles and characterized reference printing conditions for achieving comparable appearance across printing processes. |
| ISSN | International Standard Serial Number: An identifier assigned to serial publications such as journals, magazines, and continuing series. Accurate placement and reproduction support distribution, cataloging, and fulfillment. |
| J | |
| JDF | Job Definition Format: A CIP4 XML-based standard that communicates job specifications and production instructions among business systems, prepress workflows, presses, and finishing equipment. |
| JMF | Job Messaging Format: The messaging component associated with JDF that exchanges status, queue, device, and production information. It enables automated monitoring and feedback between equipment and management systems. |
| L | |
| LED | Light-Emitting Diode: A semiconductor light source used in imaging, inspection, illumination, and curing systems. LED technology typically offers rapid switching, targeted wavelengths, and lower heat output than conventional lamps. |
| LED-UV | Light-Emitting Diode Ultraviolet: A curing system that uses ultraviolet-emitting LEDs to polymerize compatible inks and coatings. It permits immediate handling and can print on nonabsorbent materials with less heat than conventional UV lamps. |
| LEP | Liquid Electrophotography: A digital printing process that develops an electrostatic image with liquid imaging material before transferring it to the substrate. It is associated with high-quality, short-run, and variable commercial production. |
| LFP | Large-Format Printing: Printing on equipment designed for graphics wider than typical commercial sheet sizes. Applications include displays, posters, banners, décor, and point-of-purchase materials. |
| lpi | Lines per Inch: A measure of conventional halftone screen ruling. The appropriate value depends on imaging resolution, press condition, substrate, ink behavior, and the level of detail required. |
| LUT | Look-Up Table: A data structure used to map input color values to corrected or transformed output values. Profiles, calibration systems, proofers, and digital front ends use LUTs to control color reproduction. |
| M | |
| M0 | ISO 13655 Measurement Condition M0: A legacy spectral measurement condition using an illuminant approximating tungsten light without a defined ultraviolet component. Results can vary among instruments when measuring papers containing optical brighteners. |
| M1 | ISO 13655 Measurement Condition M1: A measurement condition designed to approximate D50 illumination with controlled ultraviolet content. It improves agreement between instruments and visual evaluation when optically brightened papers are used. |
| M2 | ISO 13655 Measurement Condition M2: A measurement condition that excludes ultraviolet energy. It suppresses optical-brightener fluorescence and is useful when evaluating the underlying color response of the substrate and ink. |
| M3 | ISO 13655 Measurement Condition M3: A polarized measurement condition based on M2. Polarization reduces surface-reflection effects, particularly when wet ink, gloss, or surface texture would otherwise influence density readings. |
| MACT | Maximum Achievable Control Technology: The emissions-control standard applied to certain categories of hazardous-air-pollutant sources under U.S. regulation. Covered printing facilities may need specified controls, work practices, monitoring, and records. |
| MICR | Magnetic Ink Character Recognition: A character system printed with magnetically readable ink or toner for automated processing of checks and other financial documents. Font, position, signal strength, and print quality require close control. |
| MIS | Management Information System: In printing, an integrated platform for estimating, order entry, job tickets, scheduling, purchasing, inventory, data collection, costing, and invoicing. Integration with production systems improves visibility and reduces duplicate entry. |
| MLOCR | Multiline Optical Character Reader: Equipment or software that reads multiple address lines on mailpieces and applies routing information. It supports automated sorting and postal-rate qualification in direct-mail operations. |
| MSDS | Material Safety Data Sheet: The legacy name for documentation describing chemical hazards, handling, storage, and emergency measures. Current hazard-communication systems use the standardized Safety Data Sheet format. |
| MSI | Thousand Square Inches: A unit used to price and compare paper, films, pressure-sensitive materials, and other substrates by area. It helps normalize costs across different roll and sheet dimensions. |
| N | |
| NCOALink | National Change of Address Link: A licensed United States Postal Service dataset and processing service that matches mailing lists against filed change-of-address records. It supports move-update compliance and reduces waste from obsolete addresses. |
| NESHAP | National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: U.S. federal standards that limit hazardous-air-pollutant emissions from designated source categories. Applicable printing operations must assess materials, emissions, controls, and reporting obligations. |
| NIP | Non-Impact Printing: A broad category of printing methods that create images without striking a plate, ribbon, or substrate. Electrophotographic and inkjet systems are the principal production examples. |
| NPDC | Neutral Print Density Curve: A G7 curve describing the desired tonal relationship of neutral gray printing. Matching it helps different devices produce similar tonality and neutral appearance. |
| O | |
| OBA | Optical Brightening Agent: A fluorescent additive in paper that absorbs ultraviolet energy and emits visible blue light, making the sheet appear whiter. OBAs affect measurement-condition selection, proof matching, and color stability under different lighting. |
| OEE | Overall Equipment Effectiveness: A production metric combining equipment availability, operating performance, and quality yield. Printers use it to identify losses from downtime, slow running, makeready, waste, and rework. |
| OPI | Open Prepress Interface: A legacy workflow method that substitutes low-resolution layout images with high-resolution production files at output. Archived jobs may still depend on correctly maintained OPI links. |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety and Health Administration: The U.S. authority responsible for workplace safety and health requirements. Printing plants must manage hazards associated with machinery, chemicals, noise, ergonomics, electrical systems, and material handling. |
| P | |
| PAVE | Presort Accuracy, Validation and Evaluation: A United States Postal Service certification program for presort software and related products. It helps ensure that mail preparation, containerization, and postage calculations follow postal rules. |
| PCL | Printer Command Language: A page-description and device-control language used by many printers and production systems. It remains relevant for legacy applications, forms, and certain transactional workflows. |
| PCF | Process Chlorine Free: A designation indicating that recycled fiber was rebleached without chlorine or chlorine compounds. It may appear in paper environmental specifications and customer sourcing requirements. |
| PCR | Post-Consumer Recycled: Material recovered after completing its intended consumer use and incorporated into a new substrate. The percentage affects environmental claims, stock characteristics, availability, and cost. |
| Portable Document Format: The dominant file format for exchanging print-ready pages while retaining text, graphics, fonts, images, color information, and page geometry. |
|
| PDF/VT | Portable Document Format for Variable and Transactional Printing: An ISO-standardized PDF format optimized for high-volume variable and transactional jobs. It supports reusable content, page-level metadata, and efficient processing. |
| PDF/X | Portable Document Format Exchange: A family of ISO standards for reliable print-data exchange. Each variant establishes rules for fonts, color spaces, page boxes, output intent, and other production-critical properties. |
| PDF/X-1a | Portable Document Format Exchange 1a: A restricted PDF/X variant requiring embedded fonts and CMYK or spot-color content. Transparency must be flattened, making the format predictable but less flexible for modern color-managed workflows. |
| PDF/X-3 | Portable Document Format Exchange 3: A PDF/X variant that permits appropriately characterized color-managed RGB and CIELAB content in addition to CMYK and spot colors. It is encountered mainly in established European and legacy workflows. |
| PDF/X-4 | Portable Document Format Exchange 4: A modern PDF/X variant supporting live transparency, layers, ICC-managed color, and embedded fonts. It is widely preferred when the printer has a compatible PDF-native workflow. |
| PDF/X-6 | Portable Document Format Exchange 6: A PDF 2.0-based print-exchange standard supporting modern color, transparency, page-level output intents, and advanced packaging mechanisms. Adoption depends on workflow and RIP compatibility. |
| PEFC | Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification: An international system that endorses national forest-certification schemes and supports certified chain-of-custody claims. Printers need controlled purchasing and production records to use its labels. |
| PIA | Printing Industries of America: A legacy U.S. printing association known for technical resources, benchmarking, training, and advocacy. Its materials and references remain in use after its merger into PRINTING United Alliance. |
| PIJ | Piezoelectric Inkjet: A drop-on-demand technology that uses deformation of a piezoelectric element to eject ink. It supports a broad range of ink chemistries and is common in production, wide-format, and industrial printing. |
| PIR | Post-Industrial Recycled: Material recovered from manufacturing waste before reaching the consumer. It contributes recycled content but is distinguished from post-consumer material in sourcing specifications and environmental claims. |
| PMS | Pantone Matching System: A proprietary color-identification system based on standardized swatches and ink formulations. Designers, customers, and printers use its references to communicate spot-color expectations. |
| POD | Print on Demand: A production model in which items are printed only after an order or demand signal is received. It reduces finished-goods inventory and favors automated, short-run digital workflows. |
| PPF | Print Production Format: A CIP3 file format that transfers prepress information such as ink coverage, sheet geometry, and preview data to press and postpress systems. It is commonly used for automated ink-key presetting. |
| ppi | Pixels per Inch: A measure of raster-image sampling resolution at the intended reproduction size. Insufficient effective resolution can produce softness or visible pixelation in print. |
| PPML | Personalized Print Markup Language: An XML-based language designed to make variable-data printing more efficient by separating reusable page elements from changing content. |
| PS | PostScript: A page-description language historically central to desktop publishing and raster image processing. PDF has replaced it for most file exchange, but many production workflows retain PostScript compatibility. |
| PSD | Photoshop Document: Adobe Photoshop’s native layered image format. Prepress departments use it when editing images, preserving transparency, or reviewing source artwork before final PDF creation. |
| PSD | ProcessStandard Digital: A Fogra framework for controlling and certifying digital print quality through defined workflows, color aims, process stability, and output evaluation. |
| PSO | Process Standard Offset: A Fogra process-control framework for standardized offset production based substantially on ISO 12647. It addresses data preparation, proofing, platemaking, press setup, measurement, and ongoing control. |
| PUR | Polyurethane Reactive: A moisture-curing adhesive used in perfect binding. It provides strong page pull, flexibility, and resistance to temperature and difficult coated stocks, often with a thinner glue film than EVA. |
| PVA | Polyvinyl Acetate: A water-based adhesive used in case making, bookbinding, folding-carton assembly, and other finishing operations. Drying time and substrate absorption must be managed during production. |
| PVC | Polyvinyl Chloride: A durable plastic used in some cards, banners, films, and display substrates. Printing and finishing require compatible inks, adequate adhesion, and appropriate handling of environmental and recycling requirements. |
| Q | |
| QR | Quick Response: A two-dimensional barcode capable of encoding URLs, identifiers, text, and other data. Printers must manage size, contrast, quiet zones, error correction, and process gain to preserve scan reliability. |
| R | |
| R2R | Roll-to-Roll: A production configuration in which material unwinds from a roll, passes through printing or finishing operations, and is rewound. It supports continuous, high-throughput manufacturing of flexible substrates. |
| RCRA | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act: The principal U.S. federal statute governing solid and hazardous waste management. Printing facilities may have obligations for waste ink, solvents, wipes, chemicals, and related containers. |
| RGB | Red, Green, and Blue: The additive color model used by cameras, scanners, displays, and many source files. Print workflows must convert or manage RGB data appropriately for the destination press condition. |
| RIP | Raster Image Processor: The software or hardware that interprets page descriptions and converts them into screened raster data for an imaging device. RIP settings control resolution, screening, separations, trapping, and aspects of color processing. |
| RO | Reverse Osmosis: A membrane-based water-treatment process used to reduce dissolved minerals and contaminants. Consistent water quality can improve offset fountain-solution control and equipment reliability. |
| S | |
| SBS | Solid Bleached Sulfate: A high-quality paperboard made primarily from bleached virgin fiber. Its smooth, bright surface is used for premium covers, cards, folders, and other demanding printed products. |
| SCTV | Spot Color Tone Value: A colorimetric method standardized in ISO 20654 for calculating tint values of spot colors. It provides more visually uniform tone assessments than density-based methods for many nonprocess inks. |
| SDS | Safety Data Sheet: The standardized document describing a chemical product’s hazards, composition, handling, storage, exposure controls, and emergency measures. Printing plants maintain SDS records for inks, coatings, solvents, adhesives, and cleaning products. |
| SFI | Sustainable Forestry Initiative: A forest-certification and chain-of-custody system used in North America. Certified printers can make approved sourcing claims when material tracking and labeling requirements are met. |
| SGIA | Specialty Graphic Imaging Association: A legacy association serving screen, digital, industrial, and wide-format printing. Its technical resources and programs remain recognized following its combination into PRINTING United Alliance. |
| SID | Solid Ink Density: A densitometric measure of the light-absorbing strength of a printed solid. Press operators use it with other controls to monitor ink film and process consistency. |
| sRGB | Standard Red Green Blue: A widely used RGB color space for displays, office applications, web images, and consumer devices. Printers frequently receive sRGB files and convert them through ICC-managed workflows. |
| SVG | Scalable Vector Graphics: An XML-based vector-image format that can scale without resolution loss. Prepress workflows may receive it for logos, diagrams, web-to-print templates, and digitally generated artwork. |
| SWOP | Specifications for Web Offset Publications: A set of reference printing conditions and production guidance historically developed for publication web offset. SWOP datasets and profiles remain common in supplied files and proofing workflows. |
| T | |
| TAC | Total Area Coverage: The combined percentage of process inks specified at a given image location. Profiles and separations limit TAC to reduce drying, setoff, marking, adhesion, and substrate problems. |
| TAGA | Technical Association of the Graphic Arts: A professional organization focused on research and technical knowledge in printing and graphic communications. Its papers address color, materials, processes, automation, and emerging production technologies. |
| TCF | Totally Chlorine Free: A designation for virgin pulp bleached without chlorine or chlorine compounds. It may be specified where customers require particular paper-manufacturing attributes. |
| TDS | Total Dissolved Solids: The concentration of dissolved minerals and salts in water. Offset plants monitor it because water chemistry influences fountain-solution conductivity, ink-water balance, and deposit formation. |
| TIFF | Tagged Image File Format: A flexible raster-image format widely accepted in prepress for high-resolution images, line art, and certain separated files. It supports lossless compression and several color modes. |
| TIJ | Thermal Inkjet: A drop-on-demand process that uses rapid heating to create a vapor bubble and eject ink through a nozzle. It is used for addressing, coding, personalization, and some production-color applications. |
| TIL | Total Ink Limit: The maximum combined ink or colorant amount permitted by a separation, profile, RIP, or press condition. Correct limits protect drying, image quality, substrate integrity, and color stability. |
| TSCA | Toxic Substances Control Act: The U.S. statute governing the manufacture, importation, use, and reporting of chemical substances. It can affect the compliance documentation for inks, coatings, adhesives, and other printing materials. |
| TVI | Tone Value Increase: The difference between the nominal halftone value and the measured value in print, historically called dot gain. Monitoring TVI helps control midtone reproduction and press consistency. |
| U | |
| UCR | Under Color Removal: A separation technique that replaces portions of cyan, magenta, and yellow beneath dark neutral areas with black ink. It reduces total ink primarily in shadows and neutral blacks. |
| UPC | Universal Product Code: A standardized linear barcode used to identify retail products. Printing operations must control dimensions, quiet zones, contrast, color choices, and bar growth to maintain scanner performance. |
| USPS | United States Postal Service: The U.S. postal operator that establishes mail-design, addressing, preparation, documentation, and postage requirements. Commercial printers producing direct mail must build these rules into design and manufacturing workflows. |
| UV | Ultraviolet: High-energy radiation used to cure specially formulated inks, coatings, and adhesives. UV production permits immediate handling and printing on nonabsorbent substrates but requires compatible materials and exposure controls. |
| V | |
| VDP | Variable Data Printing: Digital production in which text, images, offers, or page elements change from piece to piece using database-driven rules. Data quality, composition, RIP performance, and verification are critical controls. |
| VIPP | Variable Data Intelligent PostScript Printware: A Xerox variable-data composition and print-stream technology designed for efficient reuse of resources in personalized and transactional production. |
| VLF | Very Large Format: Printing at dimensions beyond conventional wide-format output, often for building graphics, billboards, banners, and major display installations. Equipment, media handling, finishing, and installation requirements are correspondingly specialized. |
| VOC | Volatile Organic Compound: An organic chemical that readily evaporates and may contribute to air pollution or worker exposure. Printers track VOC content and emissions from inks, solvents, coatings, fountain solutions, and cleaning agents. |
| W | |
| W2P | Web-to-Print: An online workflow through which customers configure, proof, order, and sometimes personalize printed products. Effective platforms connect storefront activity with estimating, preflight, production, fulfillment, and billing systems. |
| X | |
| XJDF | Exchange Job Definition Format: A streamlined CIP4 standard for exchanging print-job specifications and production information. It simplifies many JDF concepts for integration among management, workflow, and equipment systems. |
| XM | Cross-Modulated Screening: A hybrid screening approach that combines characteristics of amplitude-modulated and frequency-modulated halftones. It aims to preserve detail while reducing visible patterning and instability. |
| XML | Extensible Markup Language: A structured text format used to exchange job data, product specifications, variable content, and workflow messages. JDF, PPML, and many print integrations rely on XML. |
| XMP | Extensible Metadata Platform: An Adobe metadata framework embedded in files to carry information such as rights, document properties, editing history, and production instructions. It can support asset management and automated prepress decisions. |