Printing Terminology

Color

4/0 1 sided, full color on front
4/1 2 sided, full color on front, black on back
4/4 2 sided, full color on front and on back

Stock

14pt this is the thickness of the card
16pt this is a heavier thicker card
100lb gloss Paper with a gloss finish, usually used for higher quality printing. Examples are 100lb gloss book, and 100lb gloss cover.

Bleed

Printed colors that extend past the edge of a page. To cut the job to its actual size the processor has to make sure the job gets printed with 1/8 of an inch bleed some jobs may require more than that. For example if the job is a business card (3.5" x 2") the file size with bleed would be (3.625" x 2.125").See our What is bleed? page

Coating

UV A liquid coating applied to the printed piece, which is then bonded and cured with ultraviolet light. This coating is used to provide a protective coating to the printed image. Please note that you CAN NOT write or imprint on a uv coated jobs.
UV on front / matte back This allows for a glossy front and a matte back
Matte A coated paper finish that is flat, not shiny like a gloss, but still keeps much of the ink from being absorbed by the paper and produces an excellent image. Matte/ Dull finish is applied to all 14pt jobs and 16pt jobs unless it is Spot UV.
AQ or Aqueous It is used to protect and enhance the printed piece. Aqueous coating is applied to all 100lb gloss book and 100lb gloss cover.

Turnaround

Turnaround This is the time taken for the file to be processed, plated, printed and for any after press requirements like UV coating, folding, scoring etc. These times are approximate and are subject to chnage. They do not include the day of the file upload or the time taken to deliver the print job to your location. See our Turnaround page for details.

PDF Proof

PDF Proof If you select pdf proof you will be emailed a proof that shows the layout and how the file will be printed, this is useful if you have transparent images or other elements you want to ensure are printed. PDF proofs are not for color matching as this is not a service we offer. PDF proofs may delay your print job for a day or two not including time for client approval.

Folding:

The process of bending printed sheets in a specific area. Folding is one of our popular bindery jobs.

4-Panel Roll Fold:

A type of fold where the piece is folded inward at one end and then folded inward again one or more times. It is as if you are rolling the piece up.

Accordion Fold:

A sheet which has been printed on only one side then folded twice in right angles to form a W-shaped four page uncut section. We are able to fold up to 4 panel(8 page max). 5 panel(10 page)+ will be send out to get folded. Accordion folds are usually 100lb book papers. Such as, brochures and catalogue.

Double Gate Fold:

Single gate fold, with an additional fold on the center.

Double Parallel Fold :

A type of fold where the piece is folded in half and then folded in half again. The folds are parallel to each other. Also known as a quarter fold.

French Fold (quarter fold):

A sheet which has been printed on one side only and then folded twice at right angles to form a four page uncut section.

Gate Fold:

When both sides of an oversize page fold into the gutter in overlapping layers.

Half Fold:

Is fold in half.

Half-Tri Fold:

A sheet is folded in half and then tri-folded.

Tri Fold:

A fold where a three panel piece has both side sections folded inward, one on top of the other each section is approximately 1/3 the length of the piece. Also known as a C-fold or letter-fold.