Introduction to Printing and Finishing Hugh Speirs Published by Pira International Ltd Randalls Road, Leatherhead Surrey K T22 7RU UK T F E W +44 (0)1372 802080 +44 (0)1372 802079 publications@pira.co.uk www.piranet.com The facts set out in this publication are obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable However, we accept no legal liability of any kind for the publication contents, nor any information contained therein nor conclusions drawn by any party from it No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the Copyright owner © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 ISBN 85802 906 Publisher Annabel Taylor annabelt@pira.co.uk Head of publications and events Philip Swinden philips@pira.co.uk Customer services manager Denise Davidson publications@pira.co.uk T +44 (0) 1372 802080 Typeset in the UK by Pantek Arts Ltd, Maidstone, Kent Pira International Ltd acknowledges product, service and company names referred to in this book, many of which are trade names, service marks, trade marks or registered trade marks Contents List of tables vi List of figures vii Conventional printing processes Introduction Basic principles of the main conventional printing processes Planographic printing Relief printing Intaglio printing Stencil printing The main conventional printing processes outlined Lithography Offset lithographic printing Sheetfed offset lithographic printing Sheetfed offset lithographic press sizes Sheetfed offset litho press configurations Lithographic make-ready and printing 13 Inking systems 14 Damping systems 15 Feeding and delivery mechanism 16 Remote control/press management systems 17 Press sophistication and automation 18 Waterless litho 18 Web offset 20 Web offset press configurations 21 Blanket-to-blanket web presses 21 Common impression web presses 22 Blanket-to-impression web presses 23 Heatset and coldset presses 24 Narrow-width web offset presses 30 Book web offset presses 32 Commercial web offset presses 32 Flexography 33 Letterpress 38 Gravure 39 Screen 44 Page iii © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Digital printing processes 49 Background to the development of digital printing 49 Preflight checking of files 50 Workflows 50 Data preparation for print 51 Digital printing 51 Digital printing processes 53 Toner 56 Substrates 56 Outline of digital printing systems 56 Digital printing systems: 57 Inks, toners, varnishes and coatings 73 Ink drying 73 Properties and uses of printing inks 74 Properties and uses of toners 75 Anti set-off spray powder 75 Accelerated ink drying 76 Ink mixing and matching 77 Colour matching systems 78 Printing ink terms 80 Varnishes and coatings 81 Substrates 83 Furnish of paper and board 83 Raw materials 83 Main ingredients of paper and board 85 Papermaking 86 Preparation of the raw materials 86 Treatment of the fibres and mixing of the ingredients 86 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Contents Papermaking machine 86 Finish of paper and board 88 Supercalendered papers 89 Coated papers 89 Engine-sized and tub-sized papers 90 Embossed and other finishes 91 General characteristics of paper and board 91 Different types of substrate and their uses 95 Paper 95 Specialist papers 100 Boards 101 Specialist boards, including noncellulose-based materials 102 Dimensions and weights of paper and board 103 International paper and board sizes 104 Traditional UK paper and board imperial sizes 106 US paper and board sizes 106 Sub-divisions of UK and US traditional imperial paper and board sizes 107 Supply and purchase of paper and board 108 Paper and board specifications 109 Description of papers and boards 109 Paper in web and reel form 109 Weight and price calculations 111 Printing processes and paper/board 112 Print finishing, binding and warehousing 115 Offline finishing operations 116 Binding 125 Stitching 125 Perfect or adhesive binding 128 Burst, slot or notch binding 129 Automated binding lines 129 General finishing operations 131 Varnishing and laminating 136 Page iv © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Inline finishing 137 Inline webfed folding 137 Additional inline webfed finishing 140 Magazine binding and bookbinding 140 Bookbinding 145 Print finishing operations associated with different types of printed work 148 General or jobbing work 148 Specialist work 149 Digital/electronic work 150 Printing processes and products, compared and contrasted 153 Comparisons between the different conventional printing processes 153 Advantages and limitations of the main printing processes 154 Offset lithography 154 Flexography 154 Letterpress 155 Photogravure 155 Screen 156 Visual characteristics of the main printing processes 156 Offset lithography 158 Flexography 158 Letterpress 158 Gravure 158 Screen 158 The suitability of printing processes to different classes of work 159 Offset lithography 159 Flexography 160 Letterpress 160 Gravure 160 Screen 160 Other printing and print finishing related processes 161 Digital/electronic 161 Pad printing 161 Diestamping 162 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Contents Copperplate 162 Digital stencil duplicating 162 Thermography 163 Foil blocking 163 Developments in printing and finishing 165 Integration between MIS, printing processes and equipment 165 Page v © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Printing equipment manufacturers and suppliers developments 167 MIS supplier developments 168 CIP4 168 Developments in press automation 169 Developments in inline facilities 171 Web sheeting and feeding equipment 173 Varnishing and coating 175 Glossary 177 List of tables 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 4.1 4.2 4.3 Page vi Range of sheetfed offset litho press sizes Representative range of available heatset web offset press sizes 27 Projected market share change of different printing processes over time 50 Main types of digital printing 52 Multiples and subdivisions covering the A, B and C range of sizes in mm 105 Selection of A, RA, SRA and B range of sizes in mm 106 Range of sizes in mm representing the metric range of traditional UK paper and board imperial system 106 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 4.4 4.5 6.1 US paper grades, sizes and basis weight range in lbs per ream of 500 sheets 107 US paper grades, using the basis weight for book papers as the reference grade, highlighted in italics, along with the equivalent weight in lbs per ream of 500 sheets for the other paper grades, plus overall gsm 107 Projected market share change of printing processes over time 154 List of figures 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 The planographic principle of printing The relief principle of printing The intaglio principle of printing The stencil principle of printing The offset principle of offset litho printing Schematic drawing of a single-colour Heidelberg Printmaster GTO 52-1, B3 small offset press (1/0) Schematic drawing of a two-colour Heidelberg Printmaster PM74-2P, B2 offset press, with conversion option (2/0 and 1/1) 10 Illustration of the Komori Lithrone 440SP four-over-four B1 perfector offset press 12 Schematic drawing of a two-colour Ryobi 522HXX, A3+ offset press, with common impression cylinder construction 13 Schematic drawing of a typical inking system used on a sheetfed offset litho press 14 Schematic drawing of a damping system used on an offset litho press, showing the pan or trough of damp, which is enclosed when an alcohol-based solution is used 15 Schematic drawing of Heidelberg Quickmaster DI 46-4, waterless SRA3+ four-colour satellite computer-to-press machine 19 Schematic drawing of a four-unit blanket-to-blanket heatset web press with the web travelling in a horizontal direction 22 Schematic drawing of a four-unit common impression satellite-type coldset web press unit 23 Schematic drawing of a single-unit blanket-to-impression web press section 23 Page vii © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 Schematic drawing of a single web four-unit heatset web press 25 Schematic drawing of a twin-web eight-unit heatset web press 25 Schematic drawing of a 32-page long-grain heatset web press cylinder configuration 27 Schematic drawing of a 32-page short-grain heatset web press cylinder configuration 28 Single web two-unit coldset H-shaped blanket-to-blanket print unit module used on the Cromoman four-page newspaper press, with the web travelling in a vertical direction 29 Schematic drawing of a highspecification four-unit narrow-width web offset press, showing web paper specifications and inline finishing operations 31 Schematic drawing of a typical single flexographic printing unit with ink feed via a fountain roller system 33 Chambered doctor blade inking system 34 Common impression/satellite multicolour flexographic press 35 Edale eight-colour Beta flexographic and combination press 36 Cooper single-colour Flexopress model 1500 37 Schematic drawings of letterpress platen and flatbed cylinder presses 38 Schematic drawing of a two-colour gravure press 40 Comprehensive schematic drawing of the gravure printing process 41 Schematic drawing of a KBA eightunit rotogravure TR 10 B/352 press 43 Introduction to Printing and Finishing List of figures 1.31 Schematic drawing of a single colour basic screen press 44 1.32 A Svecia five-colour SAMX fully automatic screen printing press 46 2.1 Xerox Docuprint digital monochrome copier/printer system 58 2.2 Minolta MicroPress cluster printing system 59 2.3 VersaMark printing system 62 2.4 Inca Eagle 44 64 2.5 Océ CPS700 seven-colour colour copier/printer, showing the straight paper path around one common imaging drum 66 2.6 Schematic drawing of the DocuColor iGen3 digital colour production press 67 2.7 Schematic drawing of the NexPress digital colour production press 69 2.8 B2 sheetfed b7000 HP-Indigo digital colour production press 70 2.9 Xeikon DCP 320 D digital colour webfed production press showing the one-pass duplex printing operation 71 3.1(a) The ‘neck’ of the delivery unit of a sheetfed press showing the position of an infrared drying unit, and (b) the radiant heat coming from the infrared unit 76 3.2 DuPont Eurostandard colour bar 80 4.1 Schematic drawing of Fourdrinier papermaking machine – from the wet end to the dry end of the machine 88 4.2 Stack of calender rolls as used on a supercalender unit 89 4.3 Paper fibres aligning with the machine direction during papermaking 92 4.4 Illustration of how paper fibres and sheets of paper stretch and expand more in the cross-grain direction 94 Page viii © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 5.10 5.11 5.12 Watermark and laid wires on a dandy roll 95 Construction of a whitelined chipboard 102 The ISO series of A, B and C sizes are proportionate to each other, shown by the dotted line passing through the apex indicated by each size range 104 The range of A sizes obtained by halving or doubling the size above or below in the range from A0 to A7 105 Sub-divisions of UK and US traditional imperial paper and board sizes from quad to 32mo 108 Heidelberg Polar cutting system 118 Different types of fold, including right angle, parallel and cross 119 Schematic drawing of the knife action of folding used on folding machines 120 Schematic drawing of the buckle action of folding used on folding machines 121 Examples of common fold configurations 122 Illustration showing sections being gathered 124 Illustration showing sections being insetted 124 Collating or back step marks used to identify visually any miscollated sections 125 (a) Saddle-wire stitching and (b) side-wire stitching 126 Müller Martini Bravo Plus gather/inset, saddle stitch, trim (GST) machine 127 Müller Martini Acoro perfect binding gather, adhesive, trim machine 130 Müller Martini Ventura book sewing machine 131 Introduction to Printing and Finishing List of figures 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 5.23 5.24 5.25 5.26 5.27 Page ix Operation of flatbed die cutter cutting label to shape 134 Atlas automated label production line 134 SP 104-E Autoplaten die-cutter/ cutting-and-creasing press 135 SP 102-BMA Foilmaster foil stamping press 136 Schematic drawing showing former and ribbon web folding operation 138 Examples of page and size configurations on a web offset press fitted with a single chopper combination folder 139 Examples of different cover styles 141 Cover glued at the spine only, i.e wrappered 142 Cover glued at the spine and hinged 142 Covering with endpapers glued in 143 Plastic comb binding 144 Standard spiral wire binding 144 Wire-O binding, allowing alignment on page spreads to be maintained 145 Schematic drawings indicating the typical sequence of a soft cover adhesive bound book 146 Schematic drawings indicating the typical sequence of a hard cover, adhesive-bound book block 147 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 5.28 5.29 5.30 5.31 6.1 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Schematic drawings indicating the typical sequence of a hard cover, thread-sewn-bound book block 147 Schematic drawings indicating the typical sequence of book block processing 148 HP-Indigo webfed digital press with printed product being cut and folded inline 151 Horizon online binding system linked to sheetfed digital printing system 152 Visual characteristics of different printing processes 157 Printcafé’s integrated Logic MIS in schematic form 166 Flow diagram of a typical CIP4 and MIS link-up 169 Speedmaster 74 DI digital imaging sheetfed offset litho press 171 Schematic drawings illustrating inline finishing of cutting, creasing or perforating set-up on sheetfed offset litho machines with the preparation of blanket and impression cylinder 172 Heidelberg CutStar sheeter and feeder device 173 Rolls Systems DocuSheeter LS connected to a Heidelberg Digimaster 9110 digital printing system 174 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Developments in printing and print finishing FIGURE 7.6 Rolls Systems DocuSheeter LS connected to a Heidelberg Digimaster 9110 digital printing system Source: Roll Systems The sheeter device sits next to the input side of the printer and comes with a quick-change unwind unit and precision cutter Up to 60,000 sheets can be obtained from one roll or web of paper, running all the form sizes and paper weights that the printer can handle The system allows switching, for example between A3 and A4, without changing rolls Again, time savings on loading, and paper savings are made, especially on non-standard and lightweight sheets New print registration and hole-punch options are also available Page 174 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Developments in printing and print finishing Varnishing and coating Inline varnishing and coating has become more popular on sheetfed offset litho presses This is due, partly at least, to the need to apply a varnish or water-based coating onto matt-coated papers and boards This is because they are susceptible to marking due to their poor rub resistance For many years, sheetfed offset litho carton and label printers have applied a varnish or coating to the majority of their products – as an added protection and to enhance the overall appearance More and more printers are now undertaking this facility of inline varnishing and coating, including general commercial printers, specialist magazine printers and financial report printers, etc Varnishing or coating being done to covers mainly, although text pages will often be included Varnish is basically ink without the coloured pigment and is applied via a printing unit A popular configuration for a sheetfed printer is a five-colour press This can be used to print five colours one side or four colours one side and one on the reverse, subject to the press being fitted with the appropriate conversion unit Alternatively, the first four units can be used to print four-colour process and the last unit used to apply a varnish A UV dryer and UV varnish can be used to give a very high gloss, hard surface finish that is ideal for covers Aqueous inline coating systems are separate dedicated units fitted after the last printing units They often use flexographic, or relief photopolymer plates, to apply the water-based coating followed by hot air and/or infrared drying units Spot coating, or varnish, uses a plate that applies a coating, or varnish, to selected areas Overall coating, or varnish, applies a solid coverage over the whole area The finish of varnish, or aqueous coating, can be gloss, semi-matt or matt On some sheetfed offset litho machines a fully functional printing unit can be converted so that the dampening unit is used to apply the varnish Page 175 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Glossary This glossary is intended to be used as a means of reference and explanation, to expand on the technical and operational terms used in printing and finishing-related areas A sizes The main series of finished printing trimmed sizes in the ISO international paper size range Blanket cylinder The cylinder on an offset lithographic Achromatic printing Method of colour printing in which any hue is created from two colours plus black, rather than three An extension of under colour removal (UCR) a rubber or synthetic compound) is carried, and by means of Adhesive binding Style of threadless binding in which the leaves of a book are held together at the binding edge by glue or synthetic adhesive See burst binding Bleed Printed matter which runs off the edge of the Air dried Paper dried by a current of warm air after tubsizing Blind Term applied to a litho plate that has lost its image; Antique finish A rough, uncalendered finish applied to paper used for book printing, when bulk and a light weight are required the use of ink or metallic effect Art Substrate that has received a coating to the base material It has a very smooth surface, which may be gloss, matt, satin or vellum Blister packaging Method of packaging in which an B sizes ISO international sizes intended primarily for posters, wall charts and similar items where the difference in size of the larger sheets in the A series represents too large a gap Block In binding, to impress or stamp a design on the Back The back of a book is the binding edge To back a book is to shape the back of a previously rounded book, so as to make a shoulder on either side against which the front and back covers fit closely Boards, chip Inexpensive board made from mechanical Backing or release paper The component of a pressuresensitive stock which functions as a carrier for the material The backing readily separates from the adhesive prior to the application of the material to a surface Back-up To print the reverse side of a sheet Bank A fine writing or typewriting paper, white or tinted, made in a range of weights from 45gsm to 63gsm Heavier weights of otherwise similar material are termed bonds Bed The base or table of a letterpress printing machine, in which the forme is locked in preparation for printing, or for cutting-and-creasing printing machine on which the blanket (fabric coated with which the printing image is taken from the plate and transferred to the substrate substrate; also used by bookbinders to describe over-cut margins and mutilated print also to book covers, which are blocked or stamped without Blind-blocking A blank impression made on book covers by binders’ brass, without gold leaf, foil or ink object is placed in a pre-formed, clear plastic tray, and backed by a printed card cover The design can be blocked in coloured inks, gold leaf or metal foil (see blind) In printing, a letterpress block is the plate from which an image is printed wood and waste materials Used unlined for binding cases, rigid boxes and show cards, and white lined for cartons Boards, mill A high-grade board, brown in colour, made from rope and other materials, which is very hard, tough and with a good finish It is used for covers of better quality account and other books Boards, paste Board that contains two or more laminations of paper, having a middle or lower quality Boards, pulp Manufactured from pulp as a homogeneous sheet on a cylinder machine, in a similar manner to paper Boards, straw A board made from straw, used principally for making the covers of case books and cheap account books Page 177 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Glossary Body paper Paper forming the base of coated paper either in flat or collapsed form, for assembly at the Bond Similar to bank paper but heavier, usually supplied packaging point in 63gsm and above Cartridge A tough, opaque paper with a rough surface Bound book A book on which the boards of the cover Principally used for guard books, large envelopes, drawing have been attached, a covering of leather, cloth or other and offset printing material being then affixed to the boards Bound books Case This represents the cover of a book prepared are more expensive to produce and much stronger than beforehand for affixing to the book cased books Case binding The binding of printed books, which include Broadsheet Any sheet in its basic size, i.e not folded or leather, cloth and other forms of covering cut; also denotes a newspaper size Chase A rectangular iron frame well below type height, in Buckram A binder’s heavy cloth made from coarse textile which flatbed letterpress type and blocks, or cutting-and- thread and stiffened with size or glue Very strong, wears creasing formes, are locked in preparation for printing on well and is used for account books when leather is too the machine and certain other operations expensive Chemical wood pulp Pulp that is prepared from chipped Bulk Relative thickness of a sheet, or sheets, for example, wood by treating with chemicals to remove the non- a bulky paper and a thin paper both of the same weight cellulose material, including lignin It is used in the better display different bulk grade of wood pulp papers and boards, and improves the Bull’s eye Printing defect caused by particles of paper, qualities of mechanical pulp when the two are mixed: also board, dust or ink skin holding the paper or board away often referred to as woodfree from the printing surface – forming a small solid dot in the Cheque paper Paper chemically treated to highlight any centre of a clear circle surround on the affected printed tampering with writing on completed cheques area Also known as a hickey China clay A fine white clay, used in papermaking for Burst binding A type of adhesive binding in which the loading and coating back of the book block is not sawn off, but is slit/slot CMYK Initial letters indicating the printing subtractive punched in selected areas to allow glue to penetrate primary colours – cyan, magenta, yellow and black C sizes The C series within the ISO International paper Coated paper Paper that has received a coating on one sizes range that is mainly used for envelopes or folders or both sides Art papers are coated papers, cast-coated are suitable for enclosing stationery in the A sizes high-gloss papers on which the coating has been allowed to Calibration bar This takes the form of a strip of tones and solids used to check print-related quality throughout the printing process See colour control bar harden in contact with a highly finished casting surface In addition there are brush-coated papers; chromo papers, which are clay-coated in a separate operation from papermaking; roller-coated papers or machine-coated Calliper The thickness of a material papers, in which the paper is coated during the Carbonless paper Paper stock coated on the back papermaking process Similar qualities are available in and/or front with chemicals that react to form an image board weights when written or typed on Coldset drying Web offset litho printing process where Carton A container generally made from paper/board, the printed web dries naturally, i.e without any assisted but sometimes partially or totally from plastic The drying process The process is used extensively for printer/carton manufacturer generally delivers it to a user, newspaper production and newspaper-type products Page 178 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Glossary Coldset inks dry by penetration/absorption on soft Customisation The personalisation of printed matter absorbent substrates See heatset drying through the use of a digital printing system Collate To check through the signatures or pagination of Cut-in index Style of index in which the divisions are cut into the edge of the book in steps See step index the sections of a book to ensure that they are complete and in correct sequence for binding See gathering Collating marks Black step marks (usually 6pt rule) printed on the back folds or sections, and in progressively different positions, so that any displacement of sections may be checked after gathering Colour control bar A coloured strip on the margin of the sheet that enables the platemaker and printer to check by eye or instrument the printing characteristics of each ink layer See calibration bar Colour proofing This term describes a range of techniques that have been developed to reproduce full colour images from the film or digital data available, prior to the actual print run Thus allowing the client, colour separation house and printer to view the proofed result, prior to the actual print run Colour work Printing more than one colour on a sheet, usually with some reference to register Also, printing two or more partially-overlapping colours to obtain decorative or pictorial effect Contract proof A coloured, hard copy representation of the printed image, made from films or digital data, which will be used to make the final printing plates The word contract comes from the fact that, when signed by the client, a contract is formed, which states that the final printed job should be a close match to the contract proof Control target Quality aid available in digital or analogue (film) form containing specific elements designed to highlight any variation in reproduction or printing quality Convertible press Type of press able to print either on one or both sides of a sheet or web Covering The process by which a cover is affixed fully to the spine and both sides of a book Crease To mechanically press a rule into heavy paper or board to enable folding without cracking See score Dandy (laid, spiral, wove) A cylinder of wire gauze on the papermaking machine, which comes into contact with the paper while it is in a wet and elementary stage The dandy roll impresses the watermark Deckle The width of web, i.e the machine width, that a papermaking machine is capable of making paper and board This is limited by the deckle straps, which were originally the movable wooden frame on the hand mould used for papermaking Deckle edge The feathery edge occurring round the borders of a sheet of handmade or mouldmade paper or board, due to the deckle or frame of the mould Double deckle edged means two sides of a machine-made sheet are rough edged or feathered Densitometer A device for measuring film or a printed product, either by reflected or transmitted light Densitometers vary in their sophistication and the number of features provided, such as colour, black and white, readout memory, computer printout, etc Diestamping An intaglio process of printing in which the resultant impression stands out in relief above the surface of the stamped material, either coloured (using inks) or blind, i.e without colour Digital printing Range of printing processes that take digital data from a front-end computer system and output direct to a digital printing system Distributed printing The printing of a document, or series of documents, to different locations, through the use of an electronically linked network of computers and output devices, such as laser printers or digital printing systems Distributing rollers The rollers on a printing machine that distribute the ink from the ink duct to the plate or forme inking rollers They smooth out the ink film and should be arranged to prevent repeats or ghosting – which are printing defects where the image repeats or a ghost/outline appears around the image areas Page 179 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Glossary Dot gain This refers to the fact that the percentage size Embossing The process of raising, by a relief block, letters of a halftone dot prepared for printing changes size as it is or designs on card or strong paper transferred from its original state, either film or digital Endpapers Lining sheets used at each end of a book, and form, to the printed substrate This is used to attach the end sections to the cover dependent/interrelated to the type of original used, Finishing This covers all operations after printing; also the method of printing and the substrate used The press dot hand operations of lettering and ornamenting the covers of gain must be calculated in advance of the print run and a book the dot size reduced to counteract the anticipated percentage gain This is not a linear change as it varies depending on the original dot size Drawn-on cover A paper book cover that is attached to First-and-third Description applied to a printed sheet where the printed matter appears on pages one and three when folded the sewn book by gluing the spine Flat back Bound sections having a square back, that is, not rounded-and-backed Duplex paper or board Paper/board of two qualities of Flat wire stitching See stabbing materials or colours, which have been brought together and combined while in the wet state on the papermaking machine, or created as a ‘sandwich’ by gluing the different pieces together Duplex printing Term often used in relation to copiers and digital printing systems for printing/copying on both sides of the substrate in one complete cycle of the operation See perfecting Edges, sprinkled The spattering of book edges from a brush charged with liquid ink; used for decoration May also be done with an air brush Edition A number of copies printed at any one time when some change has been made in type or format Electron beam See radiation drying Flexography A relief process where printing is carried out using a rubber or plastic plate on a webfed press, utilising an anilox roller-based inking system Flush A style of binding in which the covers and leaves are trimmed simultaneously as a final operation Fore-edge The edge of a book opposite the binding edge, spine or back Forwarding In case binding, the processes involved in the making of a book after sewing and up to finishing Four-colour process Colour printing by means of the three subtractive primary colours (yellow, magenta, cyan) and black superimposed Four-colour process inks The inks used for four-colour process printing, i.e yellow, magenta, cyan and black charged image particles of toner These are then transferred French fold A sheet of paper with four pages printed on one side, and folded into four leaves without cutting the head The inside four pages are then blank and printing appears on pages one, four, five and eight and fused to the substrate, forming the printed result Front lay See lay Electrostatic printing A term used to describe the Fugitive colour Ink that is not stable when exposed to certain conditions of light, moisture, or atmosphere Electrophotography The printing process used by many electronic printing systems where a laser or light emitting diode (LED) and photoconductive drum are used to create process where the printing plate, drum or belt is charged overall with electricity, and light is reflected from the nonimage areas of the original being copied, destroying the charges in these areas Toner powder is then applied, which adheres only in the still-charged image area, fusing itself to the substrate by heat See also laser printing Full bound Style of binding in which the covering material is one piece of the same material, i.e whole bound Furnish The term used by the papermaker to describe the class and proportion of materials used in the making of paper or board Page 180 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Glossary gsm Abbreviation of grams per square metre A method of Headband Originally a narrow band of sewing round a indicating the substance of paper or board, whatever the strip of cane at the top and bottom of the spine of a hand- size of the paper/board or number of sheets in the sewn book that adds strength to the binding Imitation package, on the basis of weight in grams per square metre headbands made in long strips are sometimes glued to the Gathering To place in their correct order the sections or head of a machine-sewn book in order to give it a better sheets to make up a book appearance Grain (in paper/board) See machine direction Heatset drying Web offset litho printing process where Graining (in lithography) Roughening the surface of a metal printing plate by means of chemical reaction and abrasives so as to obtain a surface which will retain the printed web is dried by passing it through heating and chill drying units, which form part of the machine Special heatset inks have to be used See coldset drying Hexachrome colours This represents a six-colour set of moisture and ink Grammage The weight of a material, such as paper, defined in gsm Gravure printing A process in which the printing areas are below the non-printing surface The recesses are filled with ink and the surplus is cleaned off the non-printing area with a doctor blade before the paper contacts the whole surface and lifts the ink from the recesses Greaseproof A wood pulp paper that is made translucent by prolonged beating of the pulp inks, made up of a modified four-colour set of yellow, magenta, cyan and black, plus green and orange The objective of using these inks is to improve the printed colour gamut, with Hexachrome reproducing around 90% of Pantone’s special colours See HiFi colour Hickey See bull’s eye HiFi colour This represents a family of process options that sets out to improve on the colour capabilities of printing with just the standard four-colour process inks and associated traditional means of reproduction New Grey balance The condition in colour reproduction where techniques such as Hexachrome six-colour inks and the dot size values of the subjective primaries are balanced FM/stochastic screening are developments that are very to give a visual neutral grey, e.g cyan 60%, magenta 48% much associated with HiFi colour and yellow 46% Highlight The whitest part of a halftone when printed Greyboards Case boards of a higher quality than chip boards; produced mainly in Holland Guard book A book with guards in the binding edge to prevent breaking of the back when filled with cuttings, samples, patterns etc Hollow The space in the back of the book between the two boards of the cover Hot-foil A printing/finishing technique using very thin aluminium foil in a variety of metallic colours, such as gold, silver, red and blue The metallic foil is released from the Guards Strips of paper sewn between the leaves of a book, carrier base onto a substrate by the application of heat and on which maps, etc can be pasted pressure from a metal printing plate, which bears the image Gutter The binding margin of a book to be hot-foiled Half-bound Style of binding in which the back and corner Hue The colour-defining component of a point in an covering are of one material and the remainder of another image Hue combined with saturation fully defines a colour Half-sheet work See work-and-turn, also work-and-tumble Image The ink-carrying areas of a printing plate Hard-sized paper A relative term applied to paper Imposition schemes Plans for the arrangement of the indicating a maximum application of sizing Lesser degrees pages of a book so that they will follow in the correct are indicated by half-sized and quarter-sized sequence when folded Page 181 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Glossary India paper A very thin opaque rag paper used for books Landscape Oblong loose or folded printed sheet, or book, when extreme lightness or thinness is desired: originally having its long sides at head and foot imported from China Laser printing A form of electrostatic printing in which Infrared (IR) See radiation drying the image is not created by reflection from an original, Inkjet A non-impact printing process in which droplets of such as electrostatic copying, but by switching a laser on ink are projected onto paper, or other material, in a and off according to digital information from a computer- computer-determined pattern driven system Inner An imposition containing the pages that fall on the Lay The position of the print on a sheet of paper or board inside of a printed sheet in sheetwork – the reverse of the Lays, front and side, are the guides to which paper or board outer forme is fed before being printed or otherwise processed on a Insert A piece of paper or card laid between the leaves of a book and not secured in any way Insetting Placing one section inside another, resulting in insetted work Interleaving In printing, the placing of sheets of paper between printed sheets as they come from the machine to prevent set-off; also known as slip sheeting In bookbinding it covers insetting into and folding around the sections of a book paper different from that used in the general body of machine, e.g folding Lay edges are the edges of a sheet that are laid against the front and side lays Leaf A sheet of a book containing two pages, one on each side Thus a section of a book containing 32 leaves has 64 pages Letterpress printing A process in which the printing surface of metal, plastic, photopolymer or rubber is raised above the non-printing surface The ink rollers and the substrate touch only the relief printing surface the book, such as writing paper and blotting paper Also, Limp cover A flexible book cover, as distinct from a stiff the alternating of processed and plain sheets, for example, board cover in a duplicate book Linen finish A surface impressed on paper or board to International paper sizes The standard range of metric paper sizes as per definition of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and British Standards Institution Ion deposition Non-impact printing process in which ions are projected from a replaceable print cartridge onto a rotating drum to form a latent dot matrix image Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) A telephone network service that carries data and voice transmissions by digital means, not analogue make it resemble linen, usually produced by passing the web between engraved cylinders Similar and various other patterns can be given to paper or board after printing Lining (second) After the first lining of mull has been placed on the back of the book, a sheet lining, often paper, is glued on to strengthen the book Lithographic printing A process in which the printing and non-printing surfaces are on the same plane and the substrate makes contact with the whole surface The printing part of the surface is treated to receive and Kettle-stitch In binding, the stitch at the top and bottom of transmit ink to the paper, usually via a blanket (see offset the spine that connects each signature to the following one printing) The non-printing surface is treated to attract Knocking-up To make the edges of a pile of paper or water and thus reject ink from the ink roller, which touches board straight, regular or flush the whole surface Laminating The application of transparent plastic film, Loading Clay or other minerals included in the furnish of with a gloss or matt finish, to the surface of printed matter a paper or board to produce a more solid (opaque) and to enhance its appearance and to increase its durability smoother sheet, also known as fillers Page 182 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Glossary Look-through The appearance of paper or board when image in certain combinations or in specific areas To avoid held up against a strong light moiré the screen angles of the colour separations need to Machine direction The long way of the paper web or be changed board and the direction in which the cellulose fibres tend to Mull An open net fabric that is fixed to the backs of case- lie due to the motion of the papermaking machine The bound books, slightly overlapping front and back cover sheet has stronger physical properties in the machine boards, to give strength direction and shows less dimensional variation when Multi-colour machine A printing machine that prints subjected to changes in humidity Also, the direction in two or more colours in one press pass or operation which a product is printed in a reelfed printing machine, e.g the head of the label first along the web, the foot of the label first along the web, wide edge of the label leading along the web, narrow edge of the label leading along Numbering-at-press To number a job on the printing machine normally by means of numbering boxes Oblong See landscape Offset printing A lithographic method of printing in the web Manifold A thin, strong, smooth surface paper used for duplicating or copying, of substance under 45gsm Matt art An art paper or board with a dull eggshell finish Mechanical printing Any paper containing a proportion of mechanical wood pulp Mechanical wood pulp Produced by grinding wood mechanically and still retaining the lignin in the fibre It is used substantially in cheaper grades of paper, such as newsprint, and combined with larger proportions of chemical wood pulp for better qualities Mesh (screen printing) The weave dimension and angle of the fabric of material used for preparing screen stencils MF (paper) Abbreviation of machine-finished or millfinished; paper finished on the papermaking machine but not super-calendered MG (paper) Abbreviation of mill-glazed or machineglazed; applied to a large range of papers that are which the ink is first transferred from the image to an offset blanket and then to the stock which may be paper, card, metal or other material Outer An imposition containing the first and last pages of a printed sheet in sheetwork; as distinct from inner forme Overlap (cover) A cover of a paper-bound book that extends beyond the edges of the pages of the book Overs The quantity of unit production, e.g books and sheets, delivered to the customer above the net amount ordered, usually charged at a run-on rate; also allowance to cover wastage Paged A book is described as paged when the pages are numbered consecutively; as distinct from folioed Palette A range of colours classified according to Pantone or other colour systems Panchromatic A photographic film or plate sensitive to all visible colours of the spectrum characteristically rough on one side and highly glazed on Pantone Pantone is a registered trademark of Pantone, the other Inc for colour standards, colour data, colour reproduction Modem (Modulator Demodulator) A modem is a device that accepts a digital signal from a computer and adapts it for transmission over an analogue channel, i.e a and colour reproduction materials, and other colour-related products and services meeting its specifications, control and quality requirements telephone line Perfect binding See adhesive binding Moiré pattern In colour printing, using traditional Perfected sheet A sheet printed on both sides halftone screening, the term describes an irregular and Perfecting Printing the second side of a sheet/web; unwanted screen clash patterning, either over the whole backing-up Page 183 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Glossary Perfector (machine) A printing machine that prints both Radiation drying Accelerated drying of specially sides of the sheet as it passes through the machine See formulated inks and varnishes by infrared (IR), ultraviolet duplex printing (UV) or electron beam radiation Perforating-at-press To perforate a job on the printing Recycled paper or board Paper or board made from machine by means of a perforating rule recycled pulp, either in part or its entirety Pigment Particles that absorb and reflect light and appear Recycled pulp Pulp made from waste/previously used coloured to the eye; also refers to the substance that gives paper and board to make new paper or board Due to the ink its colour quality of the fibres deteriorating with the recycling process Plate Any relief, planographic or intaglio printing surface; it cannot be reprocessed indefinitely also an illustration of a book printed separately from the Register The printing of two or more plates in text and usually on different paper See plate hooked, plate juxtaposition so that they complete an image, or montage guarded and plate hooked on own guard of images, if printed on the same side of the sheet/web, or Plate cylinder The cylindrical surface on a rotary printing back up accurately if printed on opposite sides of the press which carries the printing surface sheet/web Plate hooked A plate secured into a book by folding the Register marks Marks placed in the same relative margin of the back edge in or round a section and sewing it position on sets of printing plates so that when the marks with the section are superimposed in printing the work falls into correct Platen (machine) A small direct impression printing machine, sometimes termed a jobbing platen Plates guarded Two plates joined together by means of a strip of paper or linen, thus forming four pages that can be included in the sewing of the sections of the book Plate hooked on Two plates joined together by means of a narrow strip of paste down the back edge own guard of one, so that they can be folded to form a four-page section that can be included in the sewing of the sections of a book Presensitised plate A printing plate precoated for direct exposure, made in positive or negative form Printing cylinder See plate cylinder Process colours The printer’s subtractive primary colours: cyan, magenta, yellow and black Progressive proofs A set of proofs showing each plate of a set printed in its appropriate colour and in registered combination to act as a guide for the printer Proof A version of a document or illustration produced specifically for the purpose of review prior to reproduction position, assuming the plates have been made correctly Rosette The pattern created when all four-colour halftone conventional screens are placed at the traditional angles, which is clearly visible under a magnifying glass Rounding-and-backing The hand or machine operation of shaping a book after sewing so that the back is convex and the fore-edge concave, and the formation of a shoulder against which to fit the cover boards Run-through A term in ruling where the lines run from one edge of the paper to the opposing edge without a break Saddle-wire stitching To stitch with wire through the back of folded work SC (paper) See super-calendered Score To partially cut/crease with a rule into heavy paper or board to break the grain and so enable easier folding See crease Screen printing Often referred to as silk screen printing from the material formerly used for the screen A stencil process with the printing and non-printing areas on one surface The printing image areas are open and produced Quarter bound Style of binding in which the back by various forms of stencil The substrate is placed under covering is of one material and the sides of another the screen and ink is passed across the top of the screen Page 184 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Glossary and forced through the open printing areas onto the Spot colour Any area of colour that is not printed using a substrate below CMYK process set; coloured areas reproduced using self- Section A folded sheet of paper forming part of a book; sections are sometimes made of insetted folded sheets of four, eight, 16 or more pages coloured inks, such as Pantone inks Set-off The marking of the underside of a printed sheet by the transfer of ink from the sheet on which it lies Square back See flat back Sew To fasten the sections of a book together by passing thread through the centre fold of each section in such a way as to secure it to the slips: in distinction from stitch beyond the edges of the leaves Sheetwork A certain number of pages are imposed in two formes, one printed on one side and the other on the reverse side (backing-up), inner and outer formes, each backed-up sheet producing one perfect copy; also sometimes known as work-and-back Shrink wrapping Method of packing printed products by surrounding them with plastic, then shrinking by heat Side stitching To stitch through the side from front to back at the binding edge with thread or wire See stabbing Signature The consecutive number, or letter, that is printed at the foot of the first page of a section to enable a binder to check the position and completeness of the sections Signatures are often indicated by printing a rule in the back of each section so that when the sections are folded and gathered the signatures appear ‘stepped’ on the back fold Spring back Pieces of strawboard or millboard rolled to the shape of the back Squares Protective projections of the cover of a book Stabbing To stitch with wire through the side of gathered work at the binding edge Standard Generic Mark-up Language (SGML) A versatile code used to mark-up and identify the various elements of a document for outputting mainly in digital form Step index See cut-in index Stitch To sew, staple or otherwise fasten together by means of thread or wire the leaves or signatures of a book or pamphlet Stringing To insert and tie string on hanging cards, catalogues, and other work either singly or in batches Strip gumming To apply, by hand or machine, watersoluble gum to paper in strips and then to dry Stripping A term used to glue a strip of cloth or paper to the back of a paperbound book or pad as a reinforcement; also to remove the waste material from between cartons and other shaped work Size Resin or other sizing material included in the furnish of a paper or board to bind the fibres and loading together, and to provide greater resistance to ink and greater strength in the sheet Stochastic screening Also known as frequency Skiver A cheap leather made of split skins; also the outer or grain side of such leather pitch distance is constant In the case of FM screening Slitting A term that covers cutting a sheet or web into two, tonal change illusion The greater the number of dots or more parts, after it is printed and before it is delivered located within a specific area, the darker the resultant tone Slot Any pattern of hole, other than round, punched in paper or board The dots produced in this way are usually smaller than Spine See back although greater care and attention to detail is required at Spoilage A term covering unprofitable materials and labour, the cost of which cannot be charged to a specific customer the platemaking stage See FM screening modulated (FM) screening With conventional halftone screening, the variable dot size formed creates the optical illusion of various tonal values However, the dot centre systems, the dots are randomly distributed to create this conventional halftone dots, resulting in improved definition, Substance See grammage Page 185 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Glossary Sulphite Wood pulp prepared by the sulphite process papermaking machine: often referred to as machine Sulphate wood pulp is prepared with sulphate of soda, wire side caustic soda and sulphite of soda Unsewn binding See adhesive binding Super-calendered (SC) Paper that has been given a Varnishing To apply oil, synthetic, spirit, cellulose or water smooth glazed surface by passing between the calender varnish to printed matter by hand or machine to enhance rolls under heavy pressure its appearance or to increase its durability Taping Pasted strips of linen, calico or other suitable Vegetable parchment A greaseproof paper, usually material attached to the inside or outside of sections to thicker and of better quality than paper termed strengthen the paper, usually ten to 12mm wide; also ‘greaseproof’ between sections to prevent breaking away Thermal printing Non-impact printing process in which heat is transferred from a digitally-controlled print head to a substrate causing a change in colour Thumb (index) Style of index where the divisions are cut into the edge of the book but not stepped; as distinct from cut-in and tab index Vehicle (of ink) Medium or varnish in which the pigment of a printing ink is carried or suspended Vellum finish A finish applied to paper and smoother than parchment Volume basis Term used mainly in book printing which denotes the thickness (bulk) of 100 sheets of a given paper in 100gsm Turned-in When the material used on the cover of a book is turned-in round the edges, so as not to leave the edges of the cover boards exposed The cover is termed turned-in See flush Waterless litho A method of offset litho printing without the use of water The process uses a special plate which, when processed, consists of ink repellent silicone non-image areas and ink receptive photopolymer coated areas For the Twin-wire paper Even-sided paper produced from two system to operate correctly the printing press used needs to webs joined together while still wet with their undersides at be fitted with a cooling system The printed result is of a the centre very high quality along with the benefit of being an Two-colour machine A printing machine which prints environmentally-friendly process one side of the sheet in two colours as it passes through Web Paper or board when made is wound on a roll, or the machine web ‘In the direction of the web’ means in the direction of UV ink Ultraviolet ink is specially formulated to remain in the run of the papermaking machine when the substrate is liquid form until it is exposed to the correct wavelength of made The direction of the web is important in work printed UV radiation, when it then cures to a relatively solid, dry to register, as paper and board stretches more across the state Depending on the amount of photoinitiators in the web than in the direction of the web ink, which react to the UV radiation, the printed work may Webfed Presses which are fed by paper from a reel as need to stand for a short time before further handling and distinct from separate sheets processing See radiation drying Web offset Reelfed offset litho printing Three main UCR (Under-colour removal) In the four-colour printing systems of presses exist: blanket-to-blanket, in which two process, removal of part of the cyan, magenta and yellow, plate and two blanket cylinders per unit print and perfect while adding extra black: its use leads to the overall the web of paper or board Three-cylinder, in which plate, reduction of the total quantity of ink used blanket and impression cylinders operate in the manner as Underside (of a sheet) The surface of the web of paper used in sheetfed printing to print one side of the paper or that receives the impression of the machine wire on the board Satellite or planetary, in which two, three or four Page 186 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003 Introduction to Printing and Finishing Glossary plate and blanket cylinders are arranged around common Work-and-tumble When matter is printed in its entirety impression cylinders to print one side of the web in on both sides of a sheet by using a different gripper edge several colours on the back-up, than on the first printed side Whole or full-bound Style of binding in which the Work-and-turn When matter is printed in its entirety on covering material is of one piece throughout both sides of a sheet by using the same gripper edge Wire-mark The impression of the machine wire imparted Wove Paper which shows an even texture rather than a to the underside of the web of paper on a papermaking parallel line pattern machine Wrappering The process of attaching a paper or board Woodfree paper Any paper made from chemical wood cover by means of a strip of glue at the spine of gathered pulp and containing no mechanical wood pulp See work, stabbed or sewn chemical wood pulp Xerography Proprietary name for a form of electrostatic Work-and-back See sheetwork printing as used in the Xerox Docutech Production Publisher Page 187 © Copyright Pira International Ltd 2003