ABI: Advanced Book Information. This form can be sent to RR Bowker for publishers to include information about their book.
Author’s corrections: When there has been a change and additions to a copy after it has been typeset. This is known as “AC’s”.
Banding: Method of packaging printed pieces of paper using rubber or paper bands.
Bar Code: Information and pricing information in bar format. The bar code for books is Bookland EAN.
Basis weight: Weight in pounds of a ream of paper cut to the basic size for its grade.
Bind: To fasten sheets or signatures with wire, thread, glue. or by other means.
Bindery: The finishing department of a print shop or firm specializing in finishing printed products.
Bleed: Any printing that goes to the edge of the sheep. Usual in covers, not in text.
Blind embossing: An image pressed into a sheet without ink or foil.
Blue line: A type of proofing used to check position of all image elements. Not used for grammar or misspellings. Used for final publishing.
Book: A publication of 49 pages or more which is not a periodical or serial.
Booklet: Any publication of 48 pages or less which is not a periodical or serial.
Bond paper: Used for letter heads and business forms it is a strong durable paper.
Bulk: Thickness of paper stock in thousandths of an inch or number of pages per inch.
Camera-ready copy: Refers to print that is done by typing also refers to as hard copy.
Case bind: Used in making hard cover for books with glue.
Cast off: An estimate of the length of a book before it is printed.
Coated paper: A type of coated printing pager with a smooth finish.
Color separations: This is a process of preparing any artwork for printing. It separates the primary printing colors.
Copyright: The right to retain or sell copies of your original work.
Cover paper: Used for the book covers, it is a heavy printing paper.
Crop: A term in artwork meaning to cut off any part of a picture or an image.
Die cutting: Creation of folds, flaps, or cutouts by the use of a mechanical means.
Dot: An element of halftones.
Dot gain or spread: Explains the difference in size between the dots on paper or film.
Duotone: A halftone picture made up of two printed colors.
Emboss: A method of pressing an image into paper so that it will create a raised image.
Emulsion: Light sensitive coating.
Euro bind: A method of binding perfect bound books so they will open and lay flat.
Film lamination: A glossy coating for paperback books. It helps to protects against scuffing and keeps the cover from curling.
First serial Rights: Exclusive rights to serialize a book in a periodical.
Flood: Cover a printed page with ink, or a plastic coating.
Flop: Reverse the sides of an image.
Folio: The number on a page of a book.
Front matter: All pages in a book before the main text.
Four-color-process: This is a term referring to the combining of the four basic colors to create a printed color.
Fulfillment: Processing and shipping an order.
Galley: Prepublication copies of a book often sent to reviewers.
Ghosting: An unintended image that appears on a printed sheet.
Ghost bars: A method for quality control to reduce ghosted image created by heat.
Gloss: A shiny look, reflecting light.
Grain: The direction that the paper fiber will lay.
Halftone: A term used for a photo or illustration that has been converted into a series of black and white dots for printing.
Hard copy: The output of a computer printer, or typed text sent for typesetting.
High-bulk paper: Paper made thicker than the standard basis weight.
Highlight: The lightest areas in a picture or halftone.
Hinge score: The score that is made on each side of the spine to allow the cover to be folded 90 degrees. The cover stock is lightly pressed or even cut to allow a straight fold.
Image area: Portion of paper on which ink can appear.
Imposition: Positioning printed pages so they will fold in the proper order.
Impression: Putting an image on paper.
Imprint: Adding copy to a previously printed page.
Indicia: Postal information place on a printed product.
Ink coverage: Percentage of a book cover that has ink on it.
Ink fountain: The reservoir on a printing press that hold the ink.
ISBN: International Standard Book Number. A unique number that identifies the publisher and the edition of a book.
ISSN: International Standard Serial Number. Like an ISBN but for books that are published in a series. The Library of Congress assigns these numbers.
Key lines: Lines on mechanical art that show position of photographs or illustrations.
Kerning: The capacity for a program to alter type “font size” in point increments to enlarge the spacing between characters or to compress them.
Laminate: The covering with a film, to bond or glue one surface to another.
LCCN: Library of Congress Catalog Number. Unique number assigned by the Library of Congress to a particular work.
Lines per inch: The number of rows of dots per inch in a halftone.
Manuscript: A book typed or handwritten before it has been typeset.
Matte finish: Dull paper or ink finish.
Middle tones: The tones in a photograph that are approximately half as dark as the shadow area.
Negative: The image on film that makes the white areas of originals black and black areas white.
Offset paper: Term for uncoated book paper.
Opacity: The amount of show-through on a printed sheet. The more opacity or the thicker the paper the less show-through. (The thicker/heavier the paper the higher the cost.)
Orphan: The first line of a new paragraph that appears alone at the bottom of the page.
Overlay: Transparent cover sheet on artwork often used for instructions.
Overrun: Copies of books printed in excess of the specified quantity ordered. Printers are allowed 10% of overruns.
Paperback: Any soft cover book.
Page count: Total number of pages in a book including blank pages.
Perfect Binding: This is the standard glued-on cover seen on most paperbacks. It has a squared spine on which printing may be done.
Plagiarism: Copying someone else’s work and claiming it as your own.
PMS color: Pantone Matching System. A numbering system for specifying a specific color.
POD: Print on demand. Fairly new service where only the number of copies needed at the time are printed.
PostScript: The computer language most recognized by printing devices.
PPI: Pages per inch. This is the unit of measure for the thickness of paper.
Public domain: Works not protected by copyright and can be used by anyone.
Publication date: The date when a book is officially released. It is normally at least three months after books are in house.
Ragged left: Type that is justified to the right margin and the line lengths vary on the left.
Ragged right: Type that is justified to the left margin and the line lengths vary on the right.
Ream: Five hundred sheets of paper.
Recto: Right-hand page of an open book.
Reflective copy: Copy that is not transparent.
Remaindering: Selling off of remaining stock of a book at a discount.
Reverse: The opposite of what you see. Printing the background of an image.
RFQ: Request for quotation. A list of specifications sent to a prospective vendor for the purpose of the vendor submitting a price.
Royalties: Money paid to an author by a publisher for the right to publish their work.
Running Heads: Book title or chapter title found at the top of the page.
Saddle stitch: Binding a booklet or magazine with staples in the seam where it folds.
Scanner: Device used to make color separations, halftones, duo tones and tri tones. Also a device used to scan art, pictures or drawings in desktop publishing.
Score: A crease put on paper to help it fold better.
Self-cover: This is using the same paper for the cover that was used for the text.
Shadow: The darkest areas of a photograph. Show-through: Printing on one side of a sheet that can be seen on the other side of the sheet.
Side stitch: Binding by stapling along one side of a sheet.
Signature: A sheet of printed pages which when folded become a part of a book or publication.
Specs: Abbreviation of specifications. The details of a publishing project.
Spine: The binding edge of a book or publication.
Spoilage: Planned paper waste for all printing operations.
Staple: The staple that you see along the spine of a magazine is called “saddle stitch.”
Stock: The material to be printed.
Stripping: The positioning of film on a flat prior to making a plate.
Subsidy Press: A publisher who charges an author to publish a book.
Text paper: Grades of uncoated paper with textured surfaces.
Tints: A shade of a single color or combined colors.
Trim size: The final size of one printed image after the last trim is made.
Under-run: Production of fewer copies than ordered. The opposite of overrun.
UV coating: Liquid laminate bonded and cured with ultraviolet light. Looks better than a varnish finish.
Varnish: A clear liquid applied to printed surfaces for looks and protection.
Verso: The left hand page of an open book.
Vignette halftone: A halftone whose background gradually fades to white.
Watermark: A distinctive design created in paper at the time of manufacture that can be easily seen by holding the paper up to a light.
Widow: The last line of a paragraph that appears at the top of the next page.
Wire O: This is binding using double loops of wire through a hole. Allows the book to lay flat.
Wove paper: A paper having a uniform unlined surface with a smooth finish.