Prepress Terminology Glossary
Terms and definitions used in professional print and prepress workflows.
Prepress Terminology Glossary
Terms and definitions used in professional print and prepress workflows.
A
ArtBox
The "Art Box" in a PDF defines the boundaries of the visual content. It typically describes the design area and the region where significant content is located.
B
Bleed
The print area that extends beyond the trim line. A bleed of 3 mm is typically required to accommodate cutting tolerances. Without it, white edges may appear after trimming.
BleedBox
The box in a PDF that contains the bleed area. The area between the MediaBox and the TrimBox is used as bleed.
Booklet
A publication format folded and bound by saddle-stitching. The page count must be a multiple of 4.
C
CMYK
The print colour model: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black. All print jobs are created using combinations of these four colours.
Creep
The phenomenon in booklets where inner pages shift outward. It increases with paper thickness and requires compensation.
Crop Marks (Trim Marks)
Corner lines indicating where the paper should be cut after printing. Printed in Registration colour.
Cut-Stack
An imposition mode that ensures pages are stacked in the correct order after cutting.
D
DPI (Dots Per Inch)
The unit of print resolution. A minimum of 300 DPI is recommended for professional print.
G
Gutter
The spacing between pages in an imposition. Adjusted according to the binding method.
GCR (Gray Component Replacement)
A technique that replaces CMY combinations used to produce grey tones with black (K). Reduces ink consumption.
I
ICC Profile
The standard format used for colour management. Ensures colour consistency across devices.
Imposition
The process of placing multiple pages onto a single print sheet. Modes include N-Up, Booklet, and Step-and-Repeat.
Ink Coverage
The total ink density on a page. Calculated as the sum of CMYK channels (range: 0–400%).
M
MediaBox
The box that defines the physical dimensions of a PDF. Contains all other boxes (TrimBox, BleedBox, ArtBox).
Mirror Bleed
A technique for creating synthetic bleed on PDFs that lack a bleed area, by slicing and mirroring a pixel strip from the page edges.
N
N-Up
Placing multiple pages on a single sheet. "2-up" = 2 pages, "4-up" = 4 pages.
O
Overprint
Printing one colour on top of another. Used for registration marks.
P
PDF/X
A family of PDF standards optimised for the print industry. Variants include PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-4.
PPI (Pixels Per Inch)
Digital image resolution. Used interchangeably with DPI for print purposes.
Preflight
The quality control process performed before printing. Checks critical factors such as font embedding, resolution, and colour mode.
R
Registration Colour
A special colour printed at 100% on all four CMYK plates. Used for alignment marks.
Rich Black
A deep black created by adding CMY channels to K=100%, rather than using K alone. Example: C=40 M=30 Y=30 K=100.
RIP (Raster Image Processor)
Software that converts a PDF into raster data for the print machine.
S
Safe Zone
The area inside the trim line where important content (text, logos) must be placed. Typically 5 mm inset from the trim line.
Saddle-Stitch
A binding method in which sheets are folded and stapled through the spine. Suitable for up to approximately 64 pages.
Spine
The bound edge of a book. Spine width must be calculated for thick books.
Step-and-Repeat
Placing the same design (business card, label) multiple times on a single sheet.
T
TIC (Total Ink Coverage)
Total ink coverage = C + M + Y + K. For offset print, ≤300% is generally recommended; values above 320% can cause drying problems.
TrimBox
The final dimensions remaining after cutting. Defines the size of the finished product.
Trapping
Slight overlapping of colours to prevent white gaps caused by misregistration at colour transitions.
U
UCR (Under Color Removal)
A technique for replacing CMY combinations with black. Similar to GCR.
W
Work-and-Turn
A technique in which both sides are printed using a single plate by rotating 180° around the horizontal axis.
Work-and-Tumble
A printing technique using 180° rotation around the vertical axis.
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