Traditional Printing to many means letterpress. But to many others, bromide galleys, paste-up, process cameras, negatives, burning plates are their tradition. This glossary also covers timeless concepts like spacing and imposition.

Melbourne Museum of Printing
PRINTING EXPLAINED
Our Glossary of Printing and Typography
TYPOGRAPHY, LAYOUT, PRE-PRESS
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Thematic Glossary of

LAYOUT AND PRE-PRESS


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

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE accent . . . . . . 1 LAYOUT AND DESIGN
variation in typeface to provide emphasis for a word, paragraph or article

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE air LAYOUT AND DESIGN
white space: an airy layout

NOUN, COUNTABLE alley LAYOUT AND DESIGN
strip of space between columns etc

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE artwork LAYOUT AND DESIGN
copy (text, images) prepared for photographic reproduction, eg for blockmaking or photolitho

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE back matter LAYOUT AND DESIGN
material, such as an appendix, that comes after the main text

NOUN, COUNTABLE banner LAYOUT AND DESIGN
large headline or title usually full width of page

VERB bleed [off] LAYOUT AND DESIGN
make an image extend beyond the trim line

NOUN, COUNTABLE blueline PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
photographic proof where the type and images are in blue and not suitable for reproduction

NOUN, COUNTABLE blurb LAYOUT AND DESIGN
short description or commentary on an article, book or author

NOUN, COUNTABLE body . . . . . . . 2 LAYOUT AND DESIGN
main text of an article, not including headlines

NOUN, COUNTABLE broadside LAYOUT AND DESIGN
work printed on one side of a large sheet of paper.

NOUN, COUNTABLE bromide PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
photographic print with black and white but no grey tones

ADJECTIVE camera ready PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
(of artwork etc) ready for photographic reproduction: finished artwork

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE caps LAYOUT AND DESIGN
an instruction to set type in all capitals

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE caps and lower case LAYOUT AND DESIGN
an instruction to set type in capitals and lower case

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE caps and small caps LAYOUT AND DESIGN
an instruction to set type in capitals and small caps

VERB centre LAYOUT AND DESIGN
place text an equal distance from the left and right margins

NOUN, COUNTABLE character count LAYOUT AND DESIGN
tally of characters inc spaces in a piece of copy

EQUIVALENT TERM colour LAYOUT AND DESIGN
(of text) see typographic colour

NOUN, COUNTABLE column centimetre LAYOUT AND DESIGN
one column by one cm: measure of space, usually for newspaper advertising

NOUN, COUNTABLE column inch LAYOUT AND DESIGN
one column by one inch: measure of space, usually for newspaper advertising

NOUN, COUNTABLE column rule . . . 2 PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
thin vertical line to separate columns: maybe on-screen or added from a self-adhesive roll

ABBREVIATION comp . . . . . . . 2 LAYOUT AND DESIGN
comprehensive dummy

NOUN, COUNTABLE comprehensive dummy LAYOUT AND DESIGN
complete mock-up of finished work, complete with type, graphics and colors

VERB copyfit LAYOUT AND DESIGN
make a balance between wordage, type size and available space

NOUN, COUNTABLE corner marks LAYOUT AND DESIGN
marks on art, neg or printed sheet to indicate the trim position - same as trim marks

EQUIVALENT TERM crossover LAYOUT AND DESIGN
same as gutter jump

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE dash style LAYOUT AND DESIGN
do you require spaces before and after a dash: if so what kind of spaces?

ADJECTIVE diazo PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
document copy process using a sensitised paper processed with ammonia solution

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE display type LAYOUT AND DESIGN
larger type used for headings: to catch the eye: commonly 18 to 72pt

ABBREVIATION DPI PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
dots per inch: resolution spec for computerised output

NOUN, COUNTABLE drop cap LAYOUT AND DESIGN
initial capital that extends through two or three lines

NOUN, COUNTABLE drop folio LAYOUT AND DESIGN
in book with folios at top, where on some pages the folio is moved to the bottom

NOUN, COUNTABLE dummy LAYOUT AND DESIGN
mock-up of a final printed product

EQUIVALENT TERM end matter LAYOUT AND DESIGN
same as back matter

NOUN, COUNTABLE flat PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
[US] negatives, attached to paper carrier, ready for platemaking

NOUN, COUNTABLE floating rule LAYOUT AND DESIGN
rule which approaches other rules without touching or joining

ADVERB flush left (right) LAYOUT AND DESIGN
typesetting where each line extends to the left (right) margin but not the other

NOUN, COUNTABLE fold marks LAYOUT AND DESIGN
lines on printed sheet showing where to fold it

NOUN, COUNTABLE folio LAYOUT AND DESIGN
folio number, a posh term for page number

EQUIVALENT TERM font TYPOGRAPHY - GENERALITIES
[US] an unfortunate misspelling of fount which came to be pronounced that way

NOUN, COUNTABLE footer LAYOUT AND DESIGN
information printed at the bottom of each page (also running foot)

ADJECTIVE for position only PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
photos or art at lower definition for placement, to be replaced before printing

ABBREVIATION FPO PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
for position only

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE front matter LAYOUT AND DESIGN
material such as title page & contents, that comes before the main text

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE full measure LAYOUT AND DESIGN
matter set flush to both margins of chosen line measure: "set to full measure"

ADVERB full out LAYOUT AND DESIGN
matter set, or justified, with both margins flush to the measure: "set the text full out"

NOUN, COUNTABLE gallery camera PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
camera sized for print jobs: copyboard and lens board on rails; film holder built into darkroom

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE GEM PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
Graphic Environment Manager (Digital Research). An early graphical user interface

NOUN, COUNTABLE graphic TYPOGRAPHY - GENERALITIES
non-text element: sometimes means typesetting other than body text

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE graphic arts TYPOGRAPHY - GENERALITIES
craft and profession of producing visible images for reproduction

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE graphic design TYPOGRAPHY - GENERALITIES
that part of graphic arts concerned with the impact of the product

NOUN, COUNTABLE graphic designer TYPOGRAPHY - GENERALITIES
person who designs and specifies the visible details of a graphic product

VERB greeking . . . . . 1 LAYOUT AND DESIGN
render characters illegibly in part of layout, to emphasise design not content

NOUN, COUNTABLE gutter LAYOUT AND DESIGN
inner margin of book opening, occurring between left and right pages

NOUN, COUNTABLE gutter jump LAYOUT AND DESIGN
element of layout that continues across the gutter to the opposite page

NOUN, COUNTABLE hanging indent LAYOUT AND DESIGN
paragraph style where all lines after the first are indented

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE hanging punctuation LAYOUT AND DESIGN
paragraph style where points at end of flush-right line hang outside margin

NOUN, COUNTABLE head (margin) LAYOUT AND DESIGN
margin at top of page

NOUN, COUNTABLE header LAYOUT AND DESIGN
information that appears at top of every page (also running head)

NOUN, COUNTABLE house style LAYOUT AND DESIGN
standard of layout, punctuation, grammar, etc. within one organisation

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE imposition LAYOUT AND DESIGN
arrangement of multiple pages on sheet to appear in correct position for folding

NOUN, COUNTABLE imprint . . . . . 1 LAYOUT AND DESIGN
details of publishing etc within a document: sometimes required by law

NOUN, COUNTABLE indent LAYOUT AND DESIGN
space at beginning of first line of para: often a one-em indent

EQUIVALENT TERM indention LAYOUT AND DESIGN
shortened form of indentation

VERB italicise . . . . 1 LAYOUT AND DESIGN
put one or more words into an italic typeface to emphasise it

ADVERB italics LAYOUT AND DESIGN
'in italics' means typeset in an italic face

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE jaggies PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
stepped effect on diagonal lines seen in low-resolution screens or printouts

ADJECTIVE justified loose LAYOUT AND DESIGN
a line with more slack which when justified has wide interword spaces

ADJECTIVE justified tight LAYOUT AND DESIGN
a line with less slack which when justified has small interword spaces

ADJECTIVE landscape LAYOUT AND DESIGN
format of page or item where width is greater than height: opp portrait

NOUN, COUNTABLE layout LAYOUT AND DESIGN
sketch of printed work showing position of items and giving general instructions

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE leading [ledding]. 1 LAYOUT AND DESIGN
space added between lines:line space over and above typeface size

VERB letter space . . . 1 LAYOUT AND DESIGN
add space between letters: needed for loose justified lines: may be automatic

NOUN, COUNTABLE lineup table . . . 2 PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
glass top table with lights to prepare and check pasteups and negs

NOUN, COUNTABLE margin LAYOUT AND DESIGN
white space between text block and page edge, or between text blocks

NOUN, COUNTABLE mask . . . . . . . 1 PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
opaque material (paper, tape, paint) to block off area of negative

VERB mask . . . . . . . 2 PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
use opaque material on negative, making that area print as white

NOUN, COUNTABLE measure . . . . . 2 LAYOUT AND DESIGN
width of a text block

NOUN, COUNTABLE mechanical [US] PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
camera-ready assembly of type and other images [for mechanical reproduction]

NOUN, COUNTABLE orphan LAYOUT AND DESIGN
a solitary first line of para at the bottom of a column or page, with rest of para carried over

BRAND NAME Ozalid PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
brand of diazo process often used for making proofs of line art and text

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE pagination LAYOUT AND DESIGN
putting of matter into pages: placing of numbers on pages

VERB paste up . . . . . 1 PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
adhere to a layout or mounting board by paste, glue or usu adhesive wax

NOUN, COUNTABLE paste up . . . . . 2 PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
artwork prepared from type, illustrations, etc, pasted/adhered to layout sheet

EQUIVALENT TERM paste up . . . . . 3 PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
in some colonies called a mechanical: includes overlays where needed

ADJECTIVE portrait LAYOUT AND DESIGN
type block or image having height greater than width

NOUN, COUNTABLE positive . . . . . 1 PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
film or print with image-bearing area in black, non-image white or clear

BRAND NAME PostScript PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
Adobe Systems' widely accepted system for defining and outputting text and images

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE prepress PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
converting ideas and images into negatives and plates for printing

NOUN, COUNTABLE printer spread LAYOUT AND DESIGN
pages laid out in the way they will appear on the printing plate - cf reader spread

NOUN, COUNTABLE process camera PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
large camera to make full-size negative from artwork:may enlarge or reduce

ADVERB ragged right LAYOUT AND DESIGN
lines that line up on the left but are unequal on the right

NOUN, COUNTABLE raised capital LAYOUT AND DESIGN
first letter set in larger size than rest of para and lined up at baseline

EQUIVALENT TERM ranged left LAYOUT AND DESIGN
same as flush left: same as ragged right

NOUN, COUNTABLE reader spread LAYOUT AND DESIGN
pages laid out in pairs the way a reader will see them: useful in mock-ups - cf printer spread

NOUN, COUNTABLE recto page LAYOUT AND DESIGN
right-hand page of a book, usu even numbered - cf verso

NOUN, COUNTABLE reducing glass LAYOUT AND DESIGN
opposite of magnifying glass: enables designer to visualise reduced form of an oversize layout

ADJECTIVE reverse reading PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
any object, whether positive or negative, whose image is laterally reversed

VERB reverse [out] PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
alter an image so black areas become white and white black

ADJECTIVE right reading PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
matrix is right reading: type is reverse reading: printed item is right reading

NOUN, COUNTABLE running foot LAYOUT AND DESIGN
line of information repeated below the text from page to page

NOUN, COUNTABLE running head LAYOUT AND DESIGN
line of info, folio, etc repeated above text from page to page

VERB set solid LAYOUT AND DESIGN
set type with no added line spacing

VERB strip PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
correct film-negs, assemble negs in exact register into a flat for platemaking

NOUN, COUNTABLE strippable emulsion PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
special neg material whose emulsion can be stripped out and replaced for errors

NOUN, COUNTABLE style LAYOUT AND DESIGN
copyediting rules: publisher's style, printer's style, style for one publication

NOUN, COUNTABLE tabloid LAYOUT AND DESIGN
page size of newspaper: half broadsheet sizea page half the size of a broadsheet

NOUN, COUNTABLE tabular setting LAYOUT AND DESIGN
text set out in the form of a table: each column must be justified

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE text LAYOUT AND DESIGN
the written material, usu in paragraph form, making up the bulk of a document

NOUN, COUNTABLE text type LAYOUT AND DESIGN
typeface used for the main text of written material

NOUN, COUNTABLE trim line LAYOUT AND DESIGN
a line in the layout where a guillotine cut is to be made after printing - may be visible or not

NOUN, COUNTABLE trim marks LAYOUT AND DESIGN
marks towards the edge of the sheets showing the guillo operator where the invisible trim line is

NOUN, COUNTABLE type page LAYOUT AND DESIGN
the area of a layout that includes all printed elements but not the margin

NOUN, COUNTABLE typographer TYPOGRAPHY - GENERALITIES
'writer with types' (Greek words): textual design specialist

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE typographic color LAYOUT AND DESIGN
appearance of text, as a block on the page, as to darkness and evenness

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE typography . . . . 1 TYPOGRAPHY - GENERALITIES
'writing with types': art of typesetting and printing

NOUN, UNCOUNTABLE typography . . . . 2 TYPOGRAPHY - GENERALITIES
the art of planning text area of a document, or of typesetting the text using good design

ABBREVIATION u & lc LAYOUT AND DESIGN
upper and lower case

BRAND NAME Velox PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
high-contrast positive photopaper, used for process bromides

NOUN, COUNTABLE verso page LAYOUT AND DESIGN
a left-hand page of a book, usu even numbered - cf recto

VERB vertically justify LAYOUT AND DESIGN
adjust vertical spacing of column of page to match its peers

NOUN, COUNTABLE widow LAYOUT AND DESIGN
the solitary last line of a para forced onto next column or page - cf orphan

NOUN, COUNTABLE window PRE PRESS, COMPUTER LAYOUT
blank (still clear) area on neg which will later have image stripped in

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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