Glossary of Art & Imprinting Terms Art Terms Art proof - Artwork submitted for client approval, usually a black & white stat of the camera-ready artwork. Artwork - Any non-typeset drawing, photo, illustration or lettering in an ad. Bleed - When an illustration runs all the way to the edges of the page or sheet after it's trimmed. Boldface - A heavy typeface used for titles or emphasis. Camera-ready artwork - Any drawing, photo, illustration or lettering suitable for photographic reproduction. Colour proof - A first or early printing of a finished colour ad, combining impressions for each of the separate progressive colour plates. Colour separations - The separation of multicoloured original artwork by camera or laser-scan techniques to produce individual separated colours. There are four common separations: yellow, magenta, cyan and black. Crop marks - Indicators on artwork to show where an illustration is to be cut or sized. Drop shadow - A graphic device in which type is reproduced with an offset second image on one edge, giving a shadow effect that visually lifts the primary type and makes the image appear three dimensional. Font - Used to describe a complete typeset of a particular size from a particular typeface. Four-colour process - A printing process that creates colour productions by overprinting screens that individually prints reds, yellows, blues and black of variable specified intensities. Italic - In type, letter forms that slope to the right. Kern - To add or delete space between pairs of adjacent characters. Also known as letterspacing. Line artwork - Black & white illustration of reproduction quality. Negative - Image reproduction with opposite density values of the original. Overlay - Clear acetate bearing design elements positioned in register to the base art. Used for separating the different imprint colors. Pantone Matching System (PMS) - A colour scale used to precisely match colours for printing. Each hue has a coded number indicating instructions for mixing inks to achieve that hue. Paste-up - The act of producing mechanical artwork. Positive - Image reproduction with the same density values as the original. Proof - An impression of type or artwork on paper to allow the correctness and quality of the material to be checked. Resolution - The density of dots for any given output device. The unit of measurement is dots per inch (dpi). Sans-serif type - A type style without cross strokes at the end of the main strokes. Screen - A series of dots used to reproduce halftones or blended colours. As the percentage of screen increases, the colour prints darker. Serif type - Any typeface with letters having a cross stroke at the end of the main stroke. Sketch - An initial rough drawing in pencil, ink or colour, to determine the arrangement of an illustration. Transparency - A full-colour, translucent, photographic film positive. Typeface - A general term used to describe the styles of lettering available in typesetting. Typeset - To create type of a quality usable for reproduction, whether electronically or mechanically. Production Terms Laser engraving - An imprinting method by which art or lettering is cut into a material by a laser beam that vaporises the portion exposed through openings in a template. Pad printing - A method of imprinting in which a recessed surface is covered with ink. When the plate is wiped clean, ink remains in the recessed area. A silicone pad then presses against the plate, pulls the ink out of the recesses, and is pressed directly against the product. Plate - A rubber or metal image carrier that transfers ink to the printing surface. Register marks - Cross hair marks applied to negatives, artwork, photographs or mechanicals to ensure precise register on the final product. Registration - The correct alignment of color and other components of an imprint with each other and to the item on which they are to be imprinted. Reverse - The mirror-like inversion of elements on a printing plate in relation to their order on the surface printed from it. Screen printing - An imprinting method in which the image is transferred to the printed surface by ink squeegeed through a stenciled screen stretched over a frame. Screens are treated with a light sensitive emulsion, then film positives are put in contact with the screens and exposed to light. The light hardens the emulsion not covered by the film, leaving a soft area on the screen for the squeegee to force ink through. Also called silkscreening. back