Terms, abbreviations and brand names of printing presses and their use, including both letterpress (traditional) and Lithographic (which was modern until recently!)

Melbourne Museum of Printing
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Our Glossary of Printing and Typography
PRINTING PRESSES AND PRINTING PROCESSES
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Glossary Theme

Thematic Glossary of

LETTERPRESS AND LITHO PRINTING


SUGGESTION: HOW TO EXPLORE THIS GLOSSARY
IF YOU KNOW THE NAME OF A TERM, GO TO THE ALPHABETIC PAGE
eg to find PICA choose the Alphabetic Page N-Q. You will find several meanings of this word, and that it is mostly used in TYPE MEASUREMENTS.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE OTHER TERMS ABOUT TYPE MEASUREMENTS
look in the Thematic Glossary about Typecasting and Type Measurements
CHOOSE
AN
ALPHABETIC
PAGE:
A,B
C
DEF
G-K
L,M
N-Q
R,S
T-Z
CHOOSE A THEMATIC PAGE:
CHARACTERS, TYPEFACES
LAYOUT, PREPRESS, TYPOGRAPHY
TYPECASTING, MEASUREMENTS
MACHINE TYPESETTING, HOT/COLD
LETTERPRESS COMP, STEREOTYPES
WORKFLOW, PROOFREADING, IMAGES
PRINTING: LETTERPRESS, LITHO
FINISHING: CUT, NUMBER, BIND

ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THESE DEFINITIONS INCLUDE:
usu = usually cf = compare with eg = for example typic = typically

BRAND NAME Adana LETTERPRESS PRINTING
manuf of tabletop and other small presses, guillotines, thermographs [UK]

PROPER NOUN Albion press LETTERPRESS PRINTING
style of hand operated horizontal platen press: sliding bed: hand inked [UK]

BRAND NAME AM Corporation . . 2 PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
After Addressographs and Multigraphs, made MultiLith litho press and Compugraphic typesetter

NOUN, COUNTABLE anodized plate LITHOGRAPHY INCL OFFSET
offset printing plate, aluminium, with anodised (oxidised) surface for wear resistance

BRAND NAME Arab press LETTERPRESS PRINTING
brand of treadle platen press by J. Wade [UK]

NOUN, COUNTABLE automatic press LETTERPRESS PRINTING
a printing press with a mechanical feeder. Feeders were originally an attachment.

VERB back up PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
print the second side of a sheet

NOUN, COUNTABLE bed LETTERPRESS PRINTING
base of press, within which the forme is held: may be horizontal or vertical

NOUN, COUNTABLE blanket cylinder LITHOGRAPHY INCL OFFSET
the cylinder which carries the rubber blanket in an offset press

BRAND NAME Brandtjen & Kluge LETTERPRESS PRINTING
US manuf of platen press, handfed and auto, gold foil, continuous. extant 1997

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE chalking PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
powder effect on the paper after the ink has failed to dry satisfactorily

BRAND NAME Chandler & Price LETTERPRESS PRINTING
US manuf of platen press and guillotine

NOUN, COUNTABLE chase LETTERPRESS PRINTING
metal frame into which type and blocks are locked to make up a page or forme

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE collotype process PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
printing from image laid into a kind of jelly: provides continuous tones

PROPER NOUN Columbian press LETTERPRESS PRINTING
style of horizontal platen press (similar principle to Albion) [US]

PROPER NOUN Common press LETTERPRESS PRINTING
style of wooden frame horizontal press

BRAND NAME Cropper LETTERPRESS PRINTING
UK manuf handfed treadle platen press

NOUN, COUNTABLE cylinder press LETTERPRESS PRINTING
a fundamental press type. The cylinder rolls with the paperover the type forme

NOUN, COUNTABLE die, copperplate PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
engraved plate or block in copper or steel for intaglio printing. Once common for fine stationery.

NOUN, COUNTABLE direct image plate LITHOGRAPHY INCL OFFSET
litho plate, usu paper, imaged directly in typewriter or with handdrawn images

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE flexography process PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
printing from flexible (rubber) plates, often onto non-porous material, eg plastic bags

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE gloss ink PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
ink for use on glossy paper with low absorbtion: dry mainly by evap/oxidation

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE gravure process PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
rotary intaglio process with image engraved onto chrome-plated rollers

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE hairline register PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
very exact registration where second/multi colour is required

NOUN, COUNTABLE hickey PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
spot of dirt or dried ink on plate or blanket which shows in printing

NOUN, COUNTABLE hydrophilic area LITHOGRAPHY INCL OFFSET
the non-image parts of a lithographic image: is wettable with water so repelling the oil-based ink

NOUN, COUNTABLE hydrophobic area LITHOGRAPHY INCL OFFSET
the image parts of a lithographic image: it repels water so allowing the oil-based ink to build up

NOUN, COUNTABLE impression cylinder PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
large roller which carries paper into contact with type or blanket

EQUIVALENT TERM imprint . . . . . 2 PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
overprint: sometimes by an in-line device in manufacturing, eg date codes

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE intaglio process . 1 PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
printing from a plate which has been engraved, etched, pitted: incl gravure, etching, copperplate

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE intaglio process . 2 PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
the pits or scratches are the image areas: they trap the ink and the flat surface is wiped clean

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE letterpress PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
name of traditional printing process: inked letters pressed into paper

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE letterset PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
letterpress offset:right reading relief plate prints to blanket then to paper

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE lithography PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
printing from stone or plate, imaged with a medium which attracts oil-based ink

ABBREVIATION LP PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
letterpress [also long playing, for a 500 year industrial process]

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE magnetic ink PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
ink containing magnetic particles: used with MICR type to be read magnetically

VERB make ready PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
get job to print perfectly after mounting plate or type on press

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE mottle PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
uneven effects on image esp large solids, due uneven inking or absorbtion

EQUIVALENT TERM offset PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
common term for offset photolithography, today's common printing process - see LITHO theme page

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE offset letterpress PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
also called letterset - printing from a right-reading relief plate (or unusually, type) to blanket

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE offset lithography LITHOGRAPHY INCL OFFSET
offset printing from a lithographic stone or plate - the plate prints first onto the blanket

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE offset printing PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
process where the image moves from type or plate to paper via an intermediate surface (blanket)

VERB overprint PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
add new image (usu text) to already printed item: may be variable information or correction

NOUN, COUNTABLE paper plate LITHOGRAPHY INCL OFFSET
offset printing plate made from paper: see: Silvermaster, OE-1, direct image

NOUN, COUNTABLE perfector PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
two-unit press which prints both sides of the sheet

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE photogravure PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
where the gravure image is etched to cylinder photographically

VERB picking PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
ink too tacky, lifting fibres or coating from paper: fibres become hickeys

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE planographic printng PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
producing image from a flat surface, where image area is chemically different. Usu lithographic.

ABBREVIATION proofer PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
proofing press

NOUN, COUNTABLE proofing press PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
a press designed for proofing: usu simplified, perhaps hand inked or hand fed

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE register PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
correct positioning of image on printed sheet

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE relief printing . .1 PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
printing from a raised surface: includes letterpress, flexography, linocuts, woodcuts

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE relief printing . .2 PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
raised surface is inked, the lower (relieved) areas receive no ink: raised area pressed into paper

NOUN, COUNTABLE rotary press PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
prints with rotary motion from curved plate: invariably web fed

VERB set off PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
accidental transfer of image on one sheet to the back of the next

ADJECTIVE sheet fed PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
press which prints on sheets of paper rather than a roll

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE show through PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
visibility of printing on the other side due to lack of opacity in paper

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE slur . . . . . . . 1 PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
where paper moves in relation to type or blanket while under impression, giving blurred image

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE slur . . . . . . . 2 PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
altered manner of speech when the operators come back after lunch

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE strike-through PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
visibility of print on the other side due to ink soaking through the sheet

VERB varnishing PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
use of 'ink without pigment' to coat previously printed work, usu on the press

ADJECTIVE web fed PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
press which prints on a roll of paper, usu folding and sheeting off

ADJECTIVE web fed flatbed PRINTING, ANY PROCESS
flatbed letterpress which prints from a roll. Some newspaper presses print both sides from 2 formes

The definitions and formats in this work Copyright © E. Michael Isaachsen 2000.

Persons wishing to use these are asked to contact the author at Melbourne Museum of Printing.

Comments and suggestions about terms and definitions will be very welcome.

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