Dd

d
metric prefix for deci (one tenth; abbreviation for thread diameter.

d-max
highest level of density.

d-min
lowest level of density.

da
abbreviation for deca (deka).

Dacron
a trademark term for synthetic polyester textile fiber.

dam
a barrier placed on the squeegee side of the screen to hold the print ink in a confined area.

damar (dammar)
a fossil resin used as an ingredient in screen printing varnishes and lacquers.

dandy roll
a wire cylinder in papermaking that creates the watermark, texture, or special effect on a sheet.

danner process
a mechanical process for continuously drawing glass tubing from a rotating mandrel.

dark reaction
the forming of a gel like substance, premature polymerization of UV ink without being exposed to a UV light source; (2) a slow chemical change that occurs in light sensitive emulsion or coating when the material is stored.

dark spot
a concentration of pigment in one spot that can be caused by a depression in the printed substrate material.

darkfield
an illumination technique that lights the specimen surface from an oblique angle to highlight surface problems.

darkroom
a room where actinic rays of light have been excluded used for manufacturing, handling, and developing light sensitive materials.

darkroom camera
refer to process camera.

data processing
the manipulation, recording and handling of data by means of electronic equipment.

daylight camera
a self-contained graphic art camera that does not have to be operated in a darkroom.

daylight fluorescence
the phenomena of increased color brilliance wherethe wavelengths of other colors in the spectrum converge.

daylight illuminants CIE
series of spectral power distribution curves based on measurements of natural daylight and recommended by the CIE in 1965. Values are defined for the wavelength region 300 to 830nm.

dB (db)
abbreviation for decibel, the logarithmic acoustical unit scale for sound levels.

DC
acroynm for direct current; refer to current, direct.

DCS (Desktop Color Separation)
Computer file format including four EPS files for CMYK; a graphics file appropriate to the operating platform for screen display.

dead finish
a smooth non-glare finish.

dead front
cosmetic feature of a graphic overlay where the display is visible only when backlit.

dead match
an exact matching of a mixed color with a sample or previously match batch.

dead stretch
the net increase in length after a plastic material has been elongated without breaking, and allowed to relax.

dead white
a neutral white without any visible tint.

dealer’s privilege
a two-sided p.o.p. unit which carries an advertisement on one side and a message from the dealer to his customers on the reverse.

debossing
a technique for impressing a design or texture into a material.

debug
(1) testing and/or correcting errors; to bring any newly installed unit of equipment up to operating mode dependability.

deburring
the process of removing rough edge deformations caused by cutting and/or drilling dielectric supports for printed circuits.

deca (deka)
a prefix utilized in the metric system of measurement that denotes 10 to the power of one (10¹); symbol is da.

decal (deca)
an abbreviated form of decalcomania, the French designation of a design printed on specially prepared paper for transfer to a substrate.

decal adhesive
a clear, screen printable, water soluble compound printed over the face surface of decal for face-down adhesion on a transparent substrate for viewing through the substrate.

decal, cement-type
refer to decal, varnish-on.

decal, duplex
a heavy backing paper laminated with a very high grade of tissue paper that is coated with a decal solution receptacle to a screen printed image.

decal, heat release
a decal printed face down on a special release paper to be transferred from the carrier paper to the substrate by the application of heat and pressure.

decal, simplex (decal, slide-off)
a design printed on a special paper that is highly water absorbent, and has a coating of water soluble adhesive on one face. (The design is printed on the adhesive surface, and in application is dipped in water to release the design from the adhesive so it will slide into position from the paper surface).

decal varnish
a specially formulated fast-setting varnish used for adhering certain types of decals usually intended for outdoor exposure.

decal, varnish-on
a clear lacquer printed on duplex paper, followed by the design that is printed in reverse, then another lacquer coat, and finally an adhering varnish is applied to the substrate before the decal is positioned.

decal, water slide
refer to decal, simplex.

decalcomania
refer to decal.

decalcomania paper
a specially coated absorbent paper made of cotton fiber mixed with chemical wood pulp, having a smooth, uniform finish and with a good wet strength and finsihed as a simplex or duplex decal paper.

decant
to remove liquid and leave the solids behind in a liquid slurry.

deci
a prefix utilized in the metric system of measurement that denotes 10 to the negative 1 power (10^-1) or 0.1; symbol is d.

decibel (dB, db)
the logarithmic acoustical unit scale used for expressing transmission gains, losses, and levels, and for measuring relative intensity of sound.

deckle
papermaking, the width of the wet sheet as it comes off the wire of a paper machine.

deckle edge
the untrimmed, feature edge of a sheet of paper formed when the pulp flows and sets against the deckle or is formed by a jet of water or air against the edge during paper making. (Deckle-edged papers are often used in fine art printing).

decoating
refer to reclaiming.

decolorization
a material added in small amount to a glass batch to counteract the effects of iron or other contaminating element.

decomposition
the breakingdown or separation of a substance.

decorated
to embellish, adorn, mark, and/or make more attractive aesthetically or functionally.

dedicated circuit
an independent electrical connection devoted to a special purpose.

deep line cut
a method of cutting overlays so that trapping is improved.

deep well exposing unit
a table or bench mounted unit equipped with a flexible, transparent top instead of glass which can be molded around a direct printing screen by vacuum for exposing.

definition
(1) image sharpness, resolution, fidelity or clarity of detail; (2) a subjective measure of the overall quality, resolution, and acutance of a printed shape against the substrate or background.

deflection gauge
refer to tensionmeter.

deflection temperature
temperature at which a standard test bar deflects 0.25 mm (0.010 in) under stated load of either 0.45 MPa (66 psi) or 1.82 MPa (264 psi).

deflocculant
an agent for dispersing a suspension of ingredients in a vehicle to lower viscosity and to inhibit settling.

defocused system
in UV curing, locating the substrate at a point other than the focal point of the lamp, to initiate curing.

deformation
a change of shape through stress.

defoamer
an additive that eliminates entrapped air bubbles from ink or base being mixed.

degauss
process of eliminating magnetism, such as with a color monitor face plate, to eliminate distortion.

degrease
the act of removing oil or grease film from metal parts before printing or from screen mesh prior to stencil application.

degree of cure
in UV curable coatings, it is generally inversely related to the level of free monomer.

dehaze
the removal of ghost images from a reclaimed screen.

dehydration
the loss of water from a sheet of paper from exposure to high-temperature, low-humidity air, or both.

delamination
the separation of material constructed in layers in a direction approximately parallel to the surface.

deliquescent
refer to hygroscopic.

delta (D)
used to indicate deviation or difference; a change.

Delta E*, Delta e*
the total color difference computed with a color difference equation. It is generally calculated as the square root of the sum of the squares of the chromaticity difference, Delta C*, and the lightness difference, Delta L*.

deltascope
device used to measure thickness, typically with eddy currents.

denier
a unit of fineness for synthetic filaments and yarns based on a standard of 50 milligrams per 450 meters of yarn or one yarn/filament weighing one gram per 9000 meters. (The lower the denier, the finer the yarn).

dens
abbreviation for density.

densitometer
an instrument for measuring the optical density of a photographic image or color in color printing.

densitometer, combination
measures both reflection and transmission densities.

densitometer, reflection
measures the amount of light that bounces off a print at 90º angle.

densitometer, transmission
measures the fraction of incident light conveyed through a negative or positive transparency without being absorbed or scattered.

density
(1) a measurement of the opacity of an area in an image.); (2) the density of a fiber with its weight expressed in grams per cubic centimeter; (3) the mass of any unit volume of a material; (4) a measure of reflectance or transmittance equal to log 10 1/reflectance of log 10 or 1/transmittance; (5) the ratio of a substance mass to its volume at a given temperature and pressure; also refer to color density.

density range (density scale)
the difference between the highest density and the lowest density in a negative, transparency, photographic print, or printed press sheet; determines the amount of light that will pass through a transparency or reflect from a print.

densometer
an instrument for measuring the time required for a volume of air to pass through a given area of paper; a mill instrument used for measuring the porosity of paper.

deposit of ink (deposition)
the ink imprint left on the substrate by the act of screen printing.

depth of field
the distance from a point between the camera lens and subject or copy to a point behind the subject, between which point the foreground, subject, and background are in focus when a lens is focused on subject copy.

depth of focus
the distance that a lens can be moved toward or away from subject or copy when focused, without throwing the subject or copy out of focus.

dermatitis
a skin condition or inflammation produced by direct contact with certain chemicals.

descender
the portion of a lower case character that extends below the baseline, such as in g, j, or p.

descreening
in scanning, the method of applying a controlled blur to erase discreet components of a halftone image and make it appear more like a continuous-tone image. This process will minimize effects of causing moiré patterns if the image is re-screened.

desiccated
a condition referring to a substance where some or all of the moisture has been removed; to dry or dehydrate.

design of experiments
a methodology for designing experiments to test the effect of multiple process parameters on a given process’s outcome.

detackifier
an additive used to reduce tackiness in a plastisol ink, thereby improving ink flow and shear.

detergent resistance
degree of, or ability to resist chemical action of detergents.

Deutschas Institut für Normung e V:
a national standards organization in Germany.

developer
a solution or chemical for converting the latent or invisible image obtained during exposure into a visible image.

developing
the process of converting latent images, produced by exposure, into visible images. In screen printing, chemical solutions and/or water may be used for developing or washing exposed stencil films and printing screens.

developing sink (darkroom sink)
a fixture resembling a household sink, especially designed for developing photographic film with trays and/or partitions for solutions, water mixing faucet with or without temperature controls and some are designed with built-in light table for visually examining results.

developing trays
large, shallow trays of plastic, stainless steel or other non-ferrous substances in which exposed films can be processed manually.

deviation
the difference between the value of the controlled variable and the value at which it is being controlled.

deviation bridge
device used in measuring in percentage, the deviation from nominal value of electronic components.

device-dependent
describes a color space that can be defined only by using information on the color-rendering capabilities of a specific device.

device-independent
describes a color space that can be defined using the full gamut of human vision, as defined by a standard observer, independent of the color-rendering capabilities of any specific device.

devitrification
(1) a surface defect caused by the loss of gloss as a result of crystallization; (2) change from vitreous to crystalline state.

dewpoint
the temperature at which a given sample of air will have a relative humidity of 100%.

diacetone alcohol
a ketone manufactured by the condensation of acetone in two grades, one containing up to 15% acetone and the other acetone free.

diameter
a straight line passing through the center of a circle dividing it into two equal parts.

diamond grade
top quality reflective sheeting with excellent intensity of retro reflectivity.

diaphragm
an adjustable device for controlling the amount or area of light which passes through the lens of a camera.

diapositive
European term used to designate a photographic film positive or a manually made positive.

diarylide yellow
a strong organic yellow pigment with good color, small particle size, high tinctorial strength, poor to fair lightfastness.

diathermal
the property of transmitting radiant heat.

diazo
(1) a photosensitive chemical or process by which screen printing emulsions are made sensitive to actinic light; (2) a compound containing a group of two nitrogen atoms (N₂) united with one hydrocarbon radical or with one hydrocarbon radical and an other atom or group of atoms.

diazo emulsion
an emulsion for making a screen printing stencil that is sensitized with diazo chemicals rather than a bichromate sensitizer to make it light sensitive.

diazo-photopolymer
refer to dual-cure emulsions.

diamond grade
a highly retroreflective sheeting made of prismatic lenses formed in a durable resin, sealed with a white film and backed with a pressure sensitive adhesive.

DIBK
acroynm for diisobutyl ketone.

dice
very small cubic fractures in highly stressed glass.

dichlorobenzidine yellow HR
an organic yellow pigment with good bleed and fade resistance, fair in tints.

dichroic color
property of having two peaks in the spectrophotometric reflectance curve causing it to respond differently to differnet light sources.

dichroism
the property of showing different colors depending on the thickness of the substrate or concentration of printed ink.

die
a tool for cutting out, forming, or stamping material.

die board
the plywood base into which the steel rule dies are inserted.

die cut label
pressure sensitive label on a release liner from which the matrix has been removed.

die cut prespaced
the die cutting of pressure sensitive sheet to pre- determined patterns, the die being made to accurately space the portions on the sheet, then, application tape is applied to the facing to maintain the prespacing of the pattern or parts.

die cutting
process of blanking or cutting a sheet or roll stock to a predetermined shape.

die cut to liner
the die cutting of a pressure sensitive sheet to the depth of the face layer only, without cutting the backing or support sheet.

die-cut transfer, calico
a cotton print fabric with heat seal backing; will adhere to cotton blends.

die-cut transfer, flex
a flexible, rubber-like plastic which adheres best to cotton and cotton blends, where the minimum cotton in the fabric is of 40%.

die-cut transfer/flock
a heat seal transfer with suede or velvet-like finish, which adheres well to cotton and cotton blends.

die-cut transfer, glitter
a heat seal transfer with a metallic luster that adds sparkling brilliance to garments; may be applied to cotton and cotton blends.

die-cut transfer, patchwork
flex/heat transfer material with a patchwork quilt look; may be applied to cotton and cotton blends.

die-cut transfer, prisma
a reflectable illuminized plastic heat transfer that shimmers like a rainbow and may be applied to both cotton and cotton blends.

dielectric
a non-conducting or insulating material; a substance with electrical conductivity less than a millionth (10^-6) of a mho.

dielectric breakdown
any change in the property of a dielectric material that causes it to become conductive.

dielectric constant
related to the force of attraction between two opposite charges separated in a uniform medium; determinant of the electrostatic energy stored per unit volume for each unit potential gradient, (plastics have a dielectric constant of 2.5 to 7).

dielectric ink
a printable compound which has insulating properties on drying, used for separating portions of circuits for encapsulating components or entire modules for protection from environmental influences.

dielectric strength
(1) the maximum voltage that an insulator can withstand, expressed in volts/mil, without allowing current to pass through; (2) insulating value of material against the flow of electricity.

die, embossing
a brass, steel, or magnesium die used to impress a design in relief.

die line
the line or marking on a tracing that indicates where the blades of the die should strike in cutting.

die, male and female
convex and concave matching dies.

die press
(1) a manually operated machine for forming steel rule dies; (2) a die cutting press.

differential pressure
the difference in static pressure between two identical pressure taps at the same elevation located in two different locations in a primary device.

diffuse dither
a method for printing continuous-tone images on laser printers in which the grayscale information is represented by randomly located printer dots.

diffuse transmission
process by which incident light that passes through an object and is redirected or scattered over a range of angles.

diffusion
softening the detail in a print with a diffusion lens/disk or other material that scatters light.

diffusion disk
a flat glass with a pattern of lines or concentric rings that breaks up and scatters light from an enlarger lens; softens detail in a print.

diffusion enlarger
a type of enlarger that scatters light, distributing light evenly on the negative.

diffusion transfer
photographic method of transferring an image from an exposed donor negative paper to a receiver film or paper, in one step, using a film processor.

diffusion-transfer base stock
a paper with a high degree of wet strength and smooth surface to which a silver halide-gelatin emulsion is applied, produced on stock free from iron, copper, and sulfur and resistant to yellowing when exposed to a caustic solution.

digital
image and line data that has been translated into numerical values for manipulation and reproduction.

digital color printing
one of serveral non-impact technologies where the image is formed by a computer controlled printer.. (Generally accepted to include: electrostatic, ink jet, laser photo, and thermal transfer.)

digital halftone
the process of obtaining various tones by breaking up the image into a graduated series of dots. The dots repeat in a regular pattern, creating the illusion of continuous tone. The digital printing process is controlled by the size and shape of dots.

digital printer
any printing device that is capable of translating digital data into hardcopy output.

digitize
to transform a continuous tone image into computer readable data using a device called a scanner.

diisobutyl ketone (DIBK)
a relatively slow evaporating ketone used as a retarding solvent.

dil
abbreviation for dilute.

dilatancy
the property of some suspensions that increase in viscosity with increasing shear rates.

dilatant fluids
fluids whose viscosity increases as shear rate increases.

dilatometer
instrument used for measuring the coefficient of thermal expansion and melting point of glass and ceramic materials.

diluent
a reactive or non-reactive additive whose function is to extend the material to which it is added, but weakens the power of the active solvent.

dilutable
solution that can be thinned or made weaker in strength with the addition of the appropriate solvent, water, or other liquid.

dilute solutions
a solution containing a small amount of solute in proportion to the solvent, the solute being dissolved by the solvent; also refer to concentrated solution.

dimensional accuracy
the ability to reproduce the dimensions of the original art identically in the printed image.

dimensional stability
the property of a material to retain its desirable basic qualities under production stresses and the influences of humidity fluctuations; to resist length, width, and thickness changes.

dimple
a slight depression or indentation in any surface.

DIN
acronym for Deutsches Institut für Normung e V, a German National Standards Body.

ding
an indentation that can be felt such as a dent or nick.

DIN rating
a European scale by which the relative sensitivity of photographic films are identified.

dinitrosaniline orange
an organic orange pigment with good bleed and permanency.

dioxazine violet RL
a violet pigment with excellent lightfastness and bleed characteristics, resistant to acid and alkali.

dipentene
a true chemical compound having higher solvent power and slower evaporation rate than turpentine, largely used as an anti-skinning agent in inks.

dipropylene glycol
an ether alcohol used as a resin solvent in the manufacture of some printing inks.

direct color separation
separations made directly onto a film through a halftone screen.

direct drive
a feature of some screen printing presses, where the surface to be printed is synchronized with screen/squeegee movement such as by a rack and gear driven mechanism.

direct dye
a class of dye used on cotton and rayon that works directly on the yarn without the aid of a fixative; (economical, not colorfast, and color not as bright as fiber reactive dye).

direct emulsion
a liquid light sensitive polymer emulsion coated onto a tensioned screen mesh and used as a screen printing stencil.

direct fire
a system of firing where burner gases are introduced into a lehr or kiln chamber in direct contact with the ware.

direct halftone
a halftone negative made by direct exposure through a halftone screen.

direct/indirect photoscreen stencil
a stencil made by adhering a gelatin coated sheet to the underside of tensioned mesh with a photo-sensitized emulsion applied from the print side through the mesh, after drying, the screen is exposed through a positive, developed, and the plastic support sheet stripped away.

direct illumination
images lit from the outside with floods, spots, etc.

direct photoscreen stencil
a photoscreen stencil made by coating light sensitive emulsion onto tensioned mesh, allowing it to dry, then exposing to a film positive preparatory to processing into a screen printing stencil.

direct positive
a photographic transparent positive made by exposing copy in direct contact with film, eliminating the necessity of making a negative first.

direct print
the imprinting directly onto the surface of a substrate.

direct printing screen
refer to direct stencil.

direct stencil
coating tensioned mesh with an emulsion, usually pre-sensitized, allowing the coating to dry, then exposing to a positive and developing to form the stencil.

directional sign
a display showing guidance information used both outside and inside buildings.

DIS
acroynm for draft international standard.

disappearing hook lock
a device for connecting display elements.

disappearing guide
a register guide (or stop) that mechanically retracts into the printing table on an automated press during the printing cycle.

discharge agent
a chemical zinc formaldehyde sulfoxylate that removes the color from a dischargable substrate.

discharge printing
the printing of cotton garments that have been colored with a dye that can be dispersed and replaced by another color during the printing process.

discoloration
any change from the original color or an unintended inconsistency of color.

discrete component
a thick film or thin film individually packaged electronic component or part having one or more films as resistive, conductive, and/or insulating elements.

dishing
paper in piles where the edges are higher than the center, usually caused by absorption of atmospheric moisture by the exposed edges of the sheets.

dispenser
to distribute such as a device that feeds pressure sensitive labels either manually or automatically in convenient units.

disperse dye
a water-insoluble textile dye used on polyester or acetate.

dispersing agent
a material added to a suspended medium to aid in the separation of the individual, extremely fine particles such as pigments or colloids.

dispersion
(1) the condition of heterogeneous components in a colloid state, such as very finely divided particles of one substance suspended uniformly in the medium of another substance; (2) to break up a particle aggregate into separate particles without changing the particle size.

display
a device or group of devices so designed and arranged as to attract attention, particularly at the point of sale; to arrange a device or group of devices in public view.

display board
a thick paperboard used for screen printed advertising display, can also be foam-filled and laminated paper (or plastic) boards used for the same purpose.

display pocket
a pocket, usually on the face of a display for holding small folders and the like, or (on the face) for displaying its contents.

display type
type set larger than the text used to attract attention.

disposal
the discharge, deposit, dumping, spilling, leaking or placing of any solid or hazardous waste into the air or discharging into any water or waterway.

distillation
to purify liquids through boiling; the volatilation of a liquid by heating in a retort or still and condensing the resultant vapor by cooling.

distillation range
a series of temperatures recorded while boiling a solvent sample.

distort
to twist out of a natural or regular shape.

distortion copy
copy that is intentionally distorted to compensate for the effects of dimensional changes during subsequent processing, such as vacuum forming of a printed plastic sheet.

distressing
a mechanical or chemical process that is used to remove dye and abrade a garment giving it a worn splochy look.

dithering
a graphic display or printing process that uses a combination of dots or textures to simulate an original image or output device with the purpose of creating the impression of a continuous-tone gray scale or color image.

doctor blade
a knife edge steel or plastic blade used to apply or remove ink from the cliché on a pad printing press.

doctoring
to add an ingredient to an ink to obtain better printing results.

doctoring edge (doctoring ring)
the sharp edge of the ink cup on a closed ink system on a pad printing press.

documentation
the systematic, orderly, understandable descriptions and records of policies and procedures that affect product and service quality.

DODISS
acronym for U.S. Department of Defense Index of Specifications and Standards.

DOE
acroynm for design of experiments.

dome retainer
an adhesive layer designed to hold metal domes in the key switch.

dominant wavelength
a colorimetric quantity used to designate hue, which is one of the three quantities used in the C.I.E. specification of color.

dop
synonym for 2-Ethylhexyl Phthalate, a plasticizer used in some plastisol inks.

dope
slang term for cellulose ester lacquer.

doped lamp
an ultraviolet lamp where the spectral output has been changed by the addition of a dopant, such as beryllium or iron.

dose
the amount of a substance that enters the body over a specified period of time.

dose rate
in ultraviolet curing, the energy absorbed by the ink or coating per unit mass per unit of time, expressed as megarads per second.

dosing system
the device that dispenses electrostatically charged flock; may be a sieve, rotating drum or rotating brush and hopper arrangement.

dot
the individual element of a halftone (square, elliptical, or round).

DOT
acronym for U.S. Department of Transportation.

dot area
the percentage of the area that is occupied by the dots; the sum of halftone dots in relation to a given unit area such as twenty-five percent dot areas means 25% of the given area is covered by dots, with 75% representing the uncovered areas.

dot etching
a technique of altering dot size on halftone films to correct colors or adjust the hues of individual tonal areas.

dot gain
the optical increase in the size of a halftone dot during prepress operations or the mechanical increase in halftone dot size that occurs during printing.

dot matrix printer
a printer where each character is formed from a matrix of dots.

dot gain, mechanical
the physical growth of the area of each halftone dot.

dot gain, optical
the change in appearance of the halftone dot to the human eye at normal viewing distances and under typical lighting conditions, or with a densitometer.

dot pattern
an arrangement that represents the original art subject, the light and dark tones produced by varying size dots making up the whole image.

dot pitch
distance between the dots on a computer monitor, typically 0.2 to 0.3 millimeters. (The closer the dots, the sharper the image on the monitor).

dot size
relative area occupied by each dot composing a halftone negative, positive or print in relation to respective highlight and shadow areas in the image.

dot slurring
the smearing or elongating of the trailing edge on a printed halftone dot.

dot range
difference between the smallest printable halftone dot and the largest non-solid printing dot.

dot resolution
the integrity of a reproduced printed dot to the original represented on the film.

double coated paper
paper stock that has been coated twice on the same side with either the same or different material.

double crimp
occurs when both warp and chute wires are crimped to form woven wire cloth.

double earned safety lock
a lock used in displays that is rigid and permanent.

double edge lock pocket
a deep pocket that ships flat and is set up without cutting into the back of the display.

double face
(1) a sign or display printed on both sides of the material; (2) paper or other sheet substrate that has been prepared for printing on both sides.

double image
the appearance of extra unwanted dots in the image area of the print.

double MEK rub
a test procedure to determine solvent rub resistance, or state of cure where a pad of cheesecloth saturated with MEK (methyl ethyel ketone) is rubbed back and forth over a cured coating with moderate hand pressure.

double platform stand
a display part used as an easel and for storage of small items in the back of a display.

double-sided roller coater
a roller coating machine with capability of coating both faces or sides of a sheet simultaneously.

double twill weave
a pattern of weave for screen mesh where the threads are woven, over two under two; also refer to twill weave.

double wing easel
a display support with two fold-out segments, both locking at 90 degrees to the display background piece, used where the single wing type is not considered sufficiently strong; also known as akimbo, a double winged easel with wings spread widely to support a heavier load.

down-sampling
the process of receiving data from another computer, server or system. The reduction in resolution of an image, necessitating a loss in detail.

dpc
abbreviation for dots per centimeter.

dpi
acroynm for dots per inch.

DPIA
acroynm for Digital Printing & Imaging Association headquartered in Fairfax VA USA.

draft
(1) taper or slope of a vertical surface of a mold, designed to help removal of molded parts from the mold; (2) a difference of pressure that causes air or gas flow into a lehr or kiln.

draft gauge
an instrument used to measure small pressure differentials below atmospheric.

drag knife
a cutting blade that is mounted to turn freely.

draining test (of a coating)
reveals the variation in film thickness from top to bottom of a dip-coated strip prepared under specified test conditions.

draize test
a method for measuring skin or eye irritability to a chemical substance.

draw bar frame
a metal channel that holds a moveable bar within each side of a screen frame. Mesh is attached to the bars and the bars are moved by turning the adjustment screws to apply tension).

drawback
in woven fabric, a distortion caused by tightness and slackness in the same warp thread.

drawdown
a method of roughly determining color shade; a film of ink is deposited on a substrate by means of a smooth edge blade or cylindrical rod, to evaluate the undertone and mass tone of an ink.

drawdown device
a appearatice for producing controlled ink drawdown.

drawdown rod
a metal rod wound with fine wire, used to coat liquids evenly at a given thickness across a substrate; also refer to equalizer rod.

drawer easel
an easel for displays with a build-in drawer.

dri-release
a patented micro fiber of blended polyester and cotton or wool that provides a wicking action that removes moisture through the fabric and into the air.

drier
any substance added to an ink to hasten drying; organic metal compounds that are soluable in oily vehicles that are used to catalyze the transfer of oxygen from the air to the vehicle of the ink accelerating ink drying through oxidation and polymerization.

drier dissipation
a loss in catalytic power of a drier due to physical absorption or chemical reaction with certain pigments.

drift
(1) change in a reading or set point value over time, due to factors such as changes in ambient temperature or line voltage; (2) change in durometer of a squeegee blade due to chemical softening or extended use.

drip through
the dropping or running through the stencil openings of screen printing ink during shut down of the printing station, or during printing, by inadvertently pressing ink into the openings before the printing stroke.

drop out
the reduction or loss of small highlight dots from the original to the printed reproduction; a halftone with no screen dots in the highligt area.

drop shadow
a representation of a shadow under or around portions of a letter or letters in which the shadow effect is separated from the main body of the letter by space.

drum scanner
scanning equipment where the image rotates infront of scanning sensors that sharpen the image and convert RGB to CMYK.

dry crock
the tendency of a dry or cured ink film to lose pigment when abraded. indicates insufficient cure or too much pigment in the binder.

dry film thickness
the depth, expressed in mils or microns, of an applied coating thickness measured after drying or curing has taken place.

dryfoot
ware with no glaze on the foot.

dry offset (letterset)
a printing process that uses a blanket for transferring the image from plate to substrate, a relief plate, and no dampening system.

dry opacity
refer to hiding power.

dry rub resistance
the resistance of the dry surface of a coated or uncoated paper or paper board to disruption of the surface when subjected to rubbing or scuffing.

dry strength
strength of an adhesive joint, determined immediately after drying.

dry transfer (lettering)
images that can be transferred to the artwork by rubbing them off the back of a transfer sheet.

dry transfer photomechanical material
a group of photomechanical aids that permit direct application of textures, patterns, symbols, and letters to another surface.

dryer
a conveyor or static oven used to hasten drying of a wet material by subjecting it to heat generated by gas or electricity, or circulated ambient air.

drying
the multistage conversion of a material from a wet, liquid, or semi-liquid state to a dry, solid state by removing or setting the liquid.

drying in
premature drying or blocking of the stencil openings by ink in the mesh of the printing screen resulting in loss of detail in the printed image.

drying oil
additive that has the property of hardening to a tough film by oxidation and polymerization.

drying rack
a series of metal or wooden shelves of open construction designed to separate and hold printed substrates in sheet form for drying at room temperature or similar device for drying screens.

drying rate (drying time)
the relative length of time required for a freshly deposited ink imprint to be changed from a wet to a tack-free state.

drypoint positive
film positive made by scratching lines into sheet plastic and then filling them in with opaque ink.

dual-cure
an emulsion made up of two light sensitive components that cross-link during exposure to light; also referred to as diazo-photopolymer.

dual durometer
(1) a squeegee with two different hardness face materials; (2) silicone rubber keypad made by using a two shot process allowing for the use of material with two diffferent hardness characteristics.

ductility
ability of a material to deform before fracturing.

dull finish
any paper that is smooth, but lacks lustre.

dummy
mock-up or layout showing the position of illustrations, text, finishing, and other elements as they will appear in the final printed piece.

dunting
a cracking that occurs in fired ceramic bodies due to thermally induced stresses such as cooling faster than the ware can accommodate.

duograph
a little used term for duotone.

duo mounter
a machine where a sheet of cardboard is laminated to a paper sheet on one side and a liner sheet on the other.

duotone
a special effect technique that consists of making a two-color halftone reproduction from a single color original.

duotone printing
a process of printing two colors with halftone printing screens, placed at angles to diminish or elimate a moiré effect caused by overlaping of dots in a given pattern or patterns.

duping
refer to duplicating film.

duplex paper
a fine paper, cover weight with a different color or texture on each side.

duplex decal paper
a paper that consists of a thin tissue type paper that is adhered semi-permanently on a heavier base paper with adhesive coated on the tissue paper side used for larger decal production.

duplicating film
a one-step film used for producing a negative from a negative, or a positive from a positive.

durability
the degree to which a coating or material resists wear or destructive elements.

duration
the amount of time that something last.

durometer
the measurement of the hardness of rubber or polyurethane squeegee material measured on the Shore A scale.

durometer gauge
an instrument for measuring the degree of hardness of an elastomer or rubber such as a squeegee blade (lower number softer, higher number harder); also refer to shore hardness.

dust
any fine grain particles light enough to be suspended in air.

dusting
the release of filler particles or other fine materials from the surface of paper.

dwell
(1) a delay or pause between cycles of an automated press to allow feeding or unloading of print stock; (2) the amount of time heat is applied to a heat transfer during the application process.

dye
(1)a non-pigment coloring agent of mineral or vegetable origin with high penetration capability, used mainly in decorating of textiles. (2) coloring material that is soluble in a vehicle or solvent as opposed to pigments that are insoluble.

dye emulsion
screen printing ink of the emulsion type where dye rather than a pigment acts as the colorant.

dye ink (dye paste)
screen printing ink for textile decoration made by suspending dye in appropriate vehicle formulation with inert thickening agents.

dye migration
the movement of a relatively low-energy dye from cloth to the ink in a print caused by the application of heat, typically above 150 degrees C (300 degrees F); also refer to sublimable dyes.

dye pigment
dyestuff that are insoluble in water and can be used directly as pigments without chemical transformation.

dye sublimation
an imaging process that vaporizes colorant with heat and pressure and deposits it onto a substrate in order to simulate a continuous tone or line image.

dyed mesh
screen mesh that has been dyed a color usually yellow, orange, or amber to enhance the ability of the mesh to absorb UV light during stencil exposure.

dyeing
the act of applying a liquid coloring matter for imparting a particular hue to fabric.

dyeline processor
automatic film copier capable of processing both film and paper from a translucent original.

dynamic range
the measurable difference between the brightest highlight and the darkest value.

dynamic tension
the tautness of stretched screen mesh when increased by the applied load (force) of a printing squeegee.

dyne
a unit of force equal to the force that would give a free mass of one gram an acceleration of one centimeter per second.

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