Ff

f
metric system symbol for femto.

fabric (cloth; textile)
planar structure produced from weaving, knotting, felting, knitting, binding or otherwise combining natural or synthetic fibers or filaments.

fabric, stencil
refer to mesh.

fabric stretcher
refer to mesh stretcher.

fabric tensioning
refer to mesh tensioning.

fabric thickness
refer to mesh thickness.

fabritecture
an historical term originated by Oscar Turner to indicate screen printing and the industry as a whole. (As architecture is building design by an architect, fabritecture was intended to embrace several related industry terms such as fabritect to indicate a screen printer. It’s usage is now obscure and limited).

face
the better looking side of the fabric.

face channel
a lighted sign component with back, sides, and translucent face.

face cut label
a die cut label where the matrix has not been removed.

face cutting
refer to kiss cutting.

face down
a decal designed for application to a transparent substrate through which the pattern or design can be viewed.

face material
(base material; body stock; face stock): any paper, film, laminate, or foil material suitable for converting into pressure sensitive decals that are attached to a backing or support sheet.

face plate
synonymous with fascia or overlay, refers to the top most area of a membrane switch.

face print
screen printing on the first surface of a transparent substrate, as opposed to printing on the back (reverse).

face slitting
cutting through the face sheet of a pressure sensitive laminate without cutting through the backing. (Slitting is done lengthwise of a web, or crosswise, in straight parallel cuts to form strips of desired width).

face stock
refer to face material.

face up
a decal designed for application to an opaque substrate that is read or observed from the same side as the application surface.

fade resistance
the property of a color or ink film that inhibits deterioration from environmental influences.

fading
partial or complete loss of color due to excessive sun exposure, humidity, or other environmental influences; a gradual "bleaching out" of the appearance of a color on a print.

fadeometer
an instrument used to measure the lightfastness of inks and materials under controlled and repeatable conditions.

Fahrenheit (F)
a widely used thermal scale in which the freezing point is 32 degrees and 212 degrees represents the temperature at which water boils at sea level.

faience ware
earthenware with a transparent glaze.

fake color printing
the printing of a transparent ink of one color overall or portions of a previously printed other color to a darker tone than either of the original colors. A third color is thus produced and, depending on the transparency of the inks, the third color may be a secondary hue, i.e., yellow on red to produce orange.

fake duotone
two color reproduction using a single halftone negative, usually black and the halftone screen tint for the background usually in color.

false body
a characteristic of an ink or coating which has more body or heavier viscosity that the pigment/vehicle ratio would indicate. A false body may be induced by adding a flocculent.

family mold
multi cavity mold where each cavity forms one of the component parts of the assembled finished object.

fancy finish
pattern textures in fine paper.

fan fold (zig zag fold)
pressure sensitive labels on a continuous backing put up in such a way as to form a flat pack as differentiated from roll form.

farad
a unit of capacity that will store one coulomb of electrical charge when one watt of electrical pressure is applied.

Farmer’s reducer
a chemical solution of potassium ferricyanide and sodium thiosulfate that is used to reduce the density and increase the contrast of developed film. (Named after its inventor Howard Farmer).

fascia
term used to designate the face or first surface of an item, as in "sign fascia."

fashion knit
a broad category of garments generally depending on the material, the material pattern, or the color of the material. Fashion knits range all the way from tricots through combinations of polyester/cotton to some pure cotton fabrics.

fast color
a color which is resistant to the action of external agents such as light, acids, and alkalis.

fastness
the stability of colored pigments or dyestuffs under adverse conditions of light, acids, alkalis, etc.

fat
color and oil mixtures that flow well; good flow characteristics.

fatigue
condition of stress in a material resulting from repeated flexing or impact.

fatty
an excess of ink deposit, which enlarges a defined area.

faucet, safety
a faucet equipped with build-in flame arrester and self-closing lid used for withdrawing flammable liquid from drums.

FDA
acroynm for Food and Drug Administration (US).

FFC
acroynm for flat flex connector.

feather edge (feathering)
(1) the appearance of the edge of a printed area where the color or ink seeps out or is forced beyond the predetermined print edge, giving the edge a feathery ragged appearance or unsharp print edge; (2) image editing technique that allows the softening of the edge around a selection.

Federal Standard 595 (US)
color matching system developed by the US Government.

feed guides
refer to register guide.

feeder
a mechanical mechanism that separates, lifts, and passes individual sheets of substrate to be printed from the stock pile to the printing base, by means of grippers, belts or suction devices.

feed slots
round or rectangular registration holes placed in pressure sensitive or web stock to maintain register by feeding the stock over a series of pins on a roller arrangement.

feel (hand)
a term used to express the impression obtained by handling printed matter to judge its finish or general quality; (2) the degree of stiffness imparted to a textile by the application of a printed decoration.

feldspar
fusible rock that can be added to clay.

felt
a compacted material made from matted wool fibers, and traditionally used as a pennant material.

felt side
the top side of the paper, generally the smoothest side of paper and the preferred side for printing; also refer to wire side.

femto
a prefix utilized in the metric system of measurement which denotes 10 to the power of a negative 15 (10^-15) or 0.000 000 000 000 001. Its symbol is f.

fense easel with platform
a display part providing a platform and a protective guard for merchandise samples.

FEP
abbreviation for fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymers.

ferrotype plate
a chrome plated or black enameled sheet of steel or mirror plated glass used to dry photographic prints to a high gloss finish.

ferrule
the metal band of a brush.

FESPA
acronym for Federation of European Screen Printing Associations.

festooning
suspending screen printed cloth, film or paper in long loops over rods or slats, so that printed surfaces do not contact, for drying purposes.

fettle
to remove fins mold marks and rough edges from dry or nearly dry ware.

fiber
(1) a thread-like filament either natural or manufactured, many times greater in length than in diameter; (2) wood particles used in papermaking.

fiber analysis
a microscopic process of determining the fiber content of a paper stock.

fiber optic backlighting
an illuminating device employed to light large areas, composed of strands of clear fibers that are woven, bundled, polished, and illunimated by LED or halogen lamp.

fiber reactive dye
a type of dye used on 100% cotton or rayon, expensive but has superior color fastness and brightness.

fibrillation
a shade change in colored fabrics caused by surface abrasion.

fiel stitch
series of running stitches commonly used to color large areas in embrodiery; also called Geflect stitch.

field of view
volume in space defined by a cone extending out from the focal plane of a camera.

FIFO
acroynm for first in, first out.

figure four easel
a type of easel used where interruption of attaching surface by construction, obstruction, etc., forestall application of single wing or double wing easels.

figure glass
flat glass having a pattern on one or both sides.

filament
a single continuous strand, fiber or thread.

fill
the illuminate material in a UV lamp that is activated by energy; typically mercury, although other elements are also used; refer to weft.

filler
(1) an inert substance added to plastic or ink formulations to reduce cost, add strength, and/or to provide bulk; (2) a material, generally nonfibrous, added to a paper mixture to increase smoothness or opacity.

fill-in
a condition in screen printing, or any method of printing, in which the spaces between the halftone dots are obscured by too heavy an application of ink or excessive flow in the ink.

filling-in
a condition in screen printing, or any method of printing, in which the spaces between the halftone dots are obscured by too heavy an application of ink or by excessive flow in the ink.

fill thread
another name for the weft thread in weaving.

film
(1) transparent support sheet coated with light sensitive emulsion for use in a camera; (2) indirect photoscreen stencil film; (3) any of the various thin sheet materials - transparent, translucent, or opaque - used as the face material in manufacturing pressure sensitive stock, and having a thickness usually not greater than 0.25 mm (0.010 in).

film adhesion
the relative quality of the bonding of a screen printing stencil film to the screen printing fabric.

film adhesive
class of adhesives in dry film form with or without reinforcing material that is cured by heat and pressure.

film backing
(1) the transparent sheet which carries the sensitized emulsion layer of photographic films; (2) the plastic or paper sheet which carries the photosensitive emulsion layer of a photographic screen printing stencil film, or the transparent plastic or semi-transparent paper sheet on which knife-cut stencil film is temporarily mounted.

film base
the transparent support material for the emulsion or gelatin coat.

film deposit
layer thickness of imprint on a substrate.

film emulsion
the light sensitive layer of the film which is coated onto the film base and which, on exposure and developing, forms the photographic image.

film former
type of resin with qualities which form a tough, dimensionally stable and continuous film.

film gauge
a number indicating the thickness of film.

film hardness test
any of a variety of test methods used to determine the hardness of an organic coating or ink on a substrate.

film image assembly
positioning, mounting, and securing various individual films to one carrier sheet in preparation for screen making.

film mesh counter
a piece of film with marked areas corresponding to mesh that allows the user to determine count per linear inch or centimeter when place on a backlit mesh.

film negative/reverse
a negative image made on photographic film.

film positive
a positive image made on photographic film.

film processor
machine for developing and treating photographic films and papers to produce permenent visible images.

film recorder
A device that records digital image data on film. Typically this device is used to produce photographic color transparencies and negatives, but the term also applies to image setters which produce films for printing.

film separation
the failure of either a photographic screen printing stencil (film), or knife-cut stencil film to adhere properly to the fabric.

film solvent
chemical used in removing knife-cut stencils or paper stencils from the fabric of the printing screen.

film thickness
the distance from one face surface to the opposite face surface of a film material usually measured in mils or microns.

filter factor
a number by which the exposure time is multiplied to compensate for light lost when light passes through a color filter on a camera lens.

filters, color
transparent colored glass or dyed gelatin discs (or squares) used in photography to modify light passing through the camera lens or light falling on a subject. Filters are used to separate colors in color separation work; they pass almost all of the light of the apparent color of the filter and hold back colors other than the color of the filter.

fin
(1) a seam imperfection in glass; (2) the feather edge on flat cut glass.

fineline resolution
the relative ability of a photostencil to form lines of a specific thickness derived from an imaged film master.

fine mesh
screen printing fabrics with relatively high mesh counts per centimeter or per inch and relatively small apertures between the threads.

fineness of grind
(1) the degree of dispersion of a pigment in a printing ink vehicle; (2) the fineness of pigment particle size measured with a grindometer or grind gauge.

fine pitch
refer to pitch.

finish
(1) the surface characteristic of a substrate; (2) the part of a container that holds the cap or closure.

finished art
art that is complete in all respects; a true prototype of the anticipated reproduction; camera-ready.

finishing
term generally applied to encompass post-press operations such as trimming, die cutting, and bindery.

fire cracks
cracks in ware caused by local thermal shock.

fire resistance
quality of a coating film to remain intact, resisting deformation by heat or flame.

fire retardant
a term indicating the ability of an ink or coating to (a) reduce the rate of flame spread on the surface of a material, or (b) resist ignition at high temperatures, or (c) prolong the time required by a substrate to reach its ignition, melting, or structural weakening temperature, under specified test methods.

firing
(1) a heat treatment process of fusing frit colors onto the articles to which they have been applied; (2) subjecting a glass or ceramic article, either before or after decorating, to high temperature to harden the article or fuse the decoration.

firing cycle
time and temperature firing curve in a lehr or kiln.

firing range
the range of firing temperatures in which a ceramic composition develops properties which make it commercially useful.

firing temperature
the peak temperature reached in a curing cycle.

firing time
the period the ware remains in the firing zone of a kiln or lehr to mature the article or the applied decoration.

firing zone
that portion of the furnace through which the ware passes and remains at or near the temperature necessary to mature the coating or decoration.

first surface
the outside or exposed area of a sign face or translucent material.

fishbone diagram
refer to cause and effect diagram.

fisheye
(1) a flaw in an ink film consisting of a generally circular dark pattern surrounded by a ligter color or halo; (2) a flaw in an emulsion coated screen that results in a generally circular thinning defect in the emulsion film.

fixed-focus
a camera lens that has been focused in a fixed position by the manufacturer and cannot be changed.

fixed off-contact
the distance between the screen and the substrate, which can be adjusted to various values, but once set, it generally remains fixed at that value during the print run.

fixing solution
a solution or bath which clears photographic film of the undeveloped chemicals.

fl
abbreviation for fluid.

fl oz
abbreviation for fluid ounce.

flag
a marker usually strips of colored paper or lightweight board, inserted in rolls of material or flat sheet stock extending from the edge to indicate a deviation from standard such as a splice or defect, or to mark a specific length or count.

flagging
(1) marking printed matter to indicate a change or correction; (2) up and down motion of goods in an embroidery hoop under the action of the needle resulting in poor registration, unsatisfactory stitch formation, and birdnesting.

flair
phenomenon where the color of an object changes in appearance under different illuminants; also refer to metamerism.

flaking
the detachment of small pieces of an ink or coating film either from the substrate or from a coating previously applied; generally due to a loss of adhesion.

flame blow-off
separation of flame from a burner when the velocity of the air/gas mixture exceeds the rate of flame propagation.

flameproof
resistant to flames; does not ignite.

flame resistant
a material that burns very slowly when in contact with flame or ceases to burn when a flame is removed.

flame retardant (FR)
(1) a chemical treatment used to abate or prevent combustion in a material; (2) chemicals used to reduce or eliminate the tendency of a resin to burn.

flame treated product
treatment of the surface of polyolefin plastic by passing the material through a gas/air flame to oxidize the surface, so printing inks and adhesives will adhere.

flammable
capable of catching fire easily and burning rapidly; having flash point below 37.8ºC (100ºF); also referred to as inflammable.

flammability
the capability of a material to support combustion, ranging from extremely easy to ignite to self-extinguishing.

flammable liquid
a liquid having a flash point below 37.8 degrees C (100 degrees F), except that this term does not include any liquid mixture having one or more components with a flash point at or above 37.8 degrees C which make up 99% or more of the total volume of the mixture.

flammable solid
a solid, other than an explosive, that can cause fire through friction, absorption of mixture, spontaneous chemical change, or retained heat from manufacturing or processing, or that can be readily ignited, and when ignited, will continue to burn or be consumed after removal of the source of ignition.

flange
the edge of displays folded back on scores approximately two inches in from each edge of the background piece to add strength to the display.

flannel
a soft woolen or worsted fabric, slightly napped on one side.

flash
extra plastic attached to a molding along the parting seam.

flash ager
a mechanical textile curing system capable of high volume curing. The decorated cloth passes through a heat zone into water and other finishing processes before final drying.

flash cure
semi-curing a plastisol print quickly using a special heat unit over the print area.

flasher set
an electric light assembly so wired that intermittent light is produced by spaced interruptions of the current.

flash exposure
a very short white light exposure made without a screen that supplements the main exposure (with a screen), used to accentuate detail and contrast in the highlight area of a halftone negative or positive; sometimes called a bump exposure.

flash point
the temperature level that must be reached before the material gives off sufficient vapor to form a flash if exposed to flame or spark; the lowest temperature at which the vapor of a substance will catch fire.

flash xenon
refer to pulsed xenon.

flat
(1) the stripped-up film positive or negative used to make a photostencil; (2) a print that lacks contrast color or brilliance; (3) a low gloss finish with little reflective quality.

flat-bed press
a screen printing press in which the substrate is placed on a flat surface prior to printing in contact with a flat printing screen which is attached by a carrier held on vertical posts or in clamshell fashion.

flat-bed scanner
equipment that uses CCD linear arrays, where the image is placed on a flat glass platen, and the array moves past the artwork.

flat flex connector (FFC)
connector commonly used to terminate membrane switch circuitry.

flat finish
a surface appearance that shows no gloss in reflected light.

flat-knit two-needle neck
any garment neckline where the binding is made out of flat, jersey-type knit material and sewed on a machine with a folder, which permits the body of the shirt to be inserted into the neck tape and attached with two needles.

flatting agent
any material added to reduce the gloss level of an ink or coating.

flat-oval
a term used to indicate a bottle or package that in cross section has an eliptical appearance and convex face surfaces.

flavanthrene yellow
an organic pigment with excellent lightfastness, good resistance to chemicals and bleeding.

flax
a plant from which cellulosic linen fiber is obtained.

fleece
a knit or woven cloth with a deep, thick napped surface.

fleet marking
a pressure sensitive decal that is applied to a commercial vehicle to promote a company or its products.

flexible
pliable; capable of being bent or flexed.

flexible mold
cavities made of rubber or elastomeric material, used to cast plastic where they can be stretched to remove cured parts with undercuts.

flexible printed circuit
a printed circuit or conductive pattern placed on, or between, insulating layers which remain flexible after processing.

flexibility
the property of materials, measured under specific conditions, that permits them to be formed or bent to change their surfaces from a flat plane to a curve without rupture.

flexibilizer
material that is added to rigid plastic to make it resilient or flexible.

flexural strength
the relative ability of a material to withstand breakage by bending, measured by testing to determine the number of bends required to cause product failure.

flexographic printing
generally roll fed printing characterized by the use of flexible rubber or plastic printing plates with raised image area and rapid drying fluid inks; formerly called analine printing.

flexural modulus tester
instrument used to measure the deflection of a rigid or semi-rigid, non-cellular plastic in flexing, tension, compression or torsion by the application of a specific load.

flicker
a perceivable fluctuation of the brightness levels of a displayed image. This problem is often present in CRT monitors that have a vertical scan rate that is too low.

flint glass
(1) a lead containing glass; (2) a colorless glass.

float
in twill weave mesh, the area where one thread crosses over two perpendicular threads.

float glass
glass that is made by floating a ribbon of molten glass on a bath of molten tin to obtain surface flatness and gloss.

floating
tendency of pigment particles in a wet film to separate and concentrate in particular areas.

floating bar printing frame
a rigidly assembled screen printing frame which has extra, adjustable bars inside of two of the rigid sides, attached with bolts and wing nuts. The fabric is attached to the movable bars by which tension can be added, or register of the stencil adjusted.

flocculation
an aggregation of pigment particles in ink to form clusters or chains, usually accompanied by loss of color strength and change in hue in the printed ink layer; also called livering.

flocculant
an electrolyte added to a suspension to cause the particle to aggregate and settle out as a result of reduction in repulsion between the particles.

flock
very short and accurately cut fibers of rayon, nylon, polyester, acrylic, or similar material of vary in length and denier, intended for application to an adhesive coated substrate to produce a velvety appearance and texture.

flock adhesive
pigmented screen printing compound designed for the expressed purpose of adhering flock to the substrate.

flock balling
the conglomeration of flock into small clumps. Usually occurs when slender or milled flocks are dispensed from a rotating metal drum.

flocking
a process of applying very short fibers onto an adhesive coated surface to produce a velvety textured surface, can be applied by manual sifting, specially designed spray gun or electrostatic means.

flock transfer
produced when a screen printed adhesive has been applied to flocked paper to produce a design for application by heat transfer.

foil stamping
a mechanical process that results in the bonding of colored reflective material to a substrate.

flood bar
a device on a screen printing press comprised of a thin metal (or plastic) blade, which has the function of spreading a thin film of ink uniformly over the printing screen, in the opposite direction of and preceding the printing stroke.

flood coat
even coating of ink, which covers the image area of the screen, but is not forced through the image area.

flooding
(1) the tendency of pigment particles to rise to the surface during drying/curing producing a uniform color which is different from the surrounding color; (2) the application of ink to the top of a printing screen without printing, refer to flood coat.

flood stroke
a squeegee motion that deposits a layer of ink on top of the screen mesh under light pressure preventing the image from drying out between print strokes.

flop-over
a term designating the turning laterally of a film negative or positive so that the image direction is changed from one side to the opposite.

Florida 45
weathering test procedure where exposed panel is placed facing south at a 45 degree angle to the sun.

flow
(1) descriptive of ink printing media viscosity; (2) a moving together of the tiny segments of ink deposited on the substrate at the instart of printing to fill the spaces left by the mesh of the screen printing fabric; (3) the ability to spread over a surface; also refer to flow out.

flow agent
an additive used to disturb the surface tension and increase the ink flow, when bubbles or orange-peel occur.

flow chart
a graphic representation of the individual steps of a process that symbolically identifies items such as specific operations, forms, equipment, work and flow direction.

flow coating
a method of applying slip to glass or ceramic ware by continuous flow, used on flat ware shuch as tile.

flow dipper
a soldering device for printed circuits by means of which connections between components are made by dipping the board into the melted solder.

flowing-in
term describing the phenomenon of an ink running together after printing, obliterating much of the fine line resolution of the design being printed.

flow-mark
excessive waviness in linear printed surface of ink or in a plastic material.

flow out
the capacity of a screen printing ink to spread out on deposit for the purpose of covering the intersections left in the printed film by the threads or strands of the printing screen at the instant of printing, preventing mesh marks.

flow promoter
a substance which when added to an ink or coating system, usually in small amounts, will improve the leveling and finish continuity of the coating.

flow rate
actual speed or velocity of the fluid movement.

fluff test
testing the amount of fibers which are loose or insufficiently bonded to various substrates such as paper, boxboard, and cartons.

fluid medium
the vehicle or liquid used in a suspension.

fluid nozzle
the part of a spray gun that meters and directs the liquid in an air stream.

fluid ounce Imperial
a unit of measure of capacity equal to 1/40th of an imperial quart or 1,0408 fluid ounces, U.S. Its abbreviation is fl. oz., Imp.

fluid ounce, US
a liquid measure equal to one-sixteenth of a pint or to 29.573 millimeters; abbreviation is fl. oz.

fluidity
the ease of flow of a material, measured in units of rhe; the greater the viscosity the less the fluidity.

fluorescence
the emission of elctromagnetic radiation especially in the form of visible light by certain substances called phosphors, as a result of absorption of other radiations such as an electric discharge or an ultraviolet light.

fluorescent
a pigment which not only reflects a visible wavelength but is activated by most of the remaining absorbed light to re-emit it as color of a longer wavelength, which results in reinforcement of the reflected color.

fluorescent exposing unit
a self-contained unit consisting of a bank of fluorescent lamps of high actinic value for evenly exposing light sensitive materials such as photostencil film or emulsion, and a vacuum blanket for holding the stencil film or screen frame.

fluorescent ink
ink formulated with pigments that are capable of absorbing energy in the blue or ultraviolet end of the spectrum and re-emitting it in the form of light in the visisble wavelengths.

fluorescent paper
paper that has light reflecting qualities, which is the direct result of optical bleaching additives in the form of fluorescent dyes making them whiter than white.

fluorescent white
(1) colorless dyes or pigments which increase the business of paper by absorbing the UV energy and re-emitting it as visible light; (2) "white" paper containing fluorescent material.

flush
refers to an object that is mounted directly to a surface, with no raised surface space between, i.e.: "Flush Mount Letters."

flushing
a method of transferring pigments from dispersions in water to dispersions in oil by displacement of the water by the oil.

flutter
the usually undeniable action of a paper or cardboard sheet activated by drafts of air when passing through a forced air drying system in which the sheet vibrates above the carrying belt.

flux
(1) a metal cleansing compound that chemically degreases and cleans metal preparatory to soldering; (2) in ceramic and glass decorating, a material that induces flow and adhesion in glazes; (3) a material or mixture that promotes fusion; (4) a form of low melting glass that forms the permanent vehicle in glass and ceramic enamel; refer to frit.

fluxer
a device for applying soldering flux.

flying spot scanner
equipment in which the original is held inside a dark chamber, while a beam of light flies across it in a raster pattern.

FM (Frequency-Modulated Screening)
A dithering method that uses uniform dot sizes and varies the distance between them. This method is different from conventional halftone screening, which aligns dots of varying sizes on a regular grid.

foam board
a family of rigid, foam centered sheet and boards, made of a variety of laminate materials.

foaming agents
chemicals added to plastic and rubber that generate inert gases on heating, causing the resin to assume a cellular structure.

focal distance
the optimum distance between UV lamp/reflector and substrate for radiation curing.

focal length
(1) the distance from the optical center of the lens or mirror to the ground glass or film plane on which an object at infinity is in sharp focus; (2) the distance from the lens to the sensitized surface (film) when the lens is focused on an object at infinity distance.

focal plane
a plane or surface on which a lens forms a correctly focused image.

focus
(1) point at which rays of light meet after being reflected or refracted; (2) adjustment of the distance setting on a lens to sharply define the subject.

fog
a veil of siver of low density on a photographic material.

fogging
darkening or discoloring of a negative or photographic print.

foil
(1) a very thin metal sheet which can be used as a screen printing substrate, or in chemical milling, as a raw material for the production of miniature and sub-miniature metal parts, usually less than .006 inch (0.15 mm) in thickness; (2) donor medium for thermal transfer printing.

foil decoration
molding paper, textile, or plastic foil printed with compatible inks directly onto a plastic part, so that the foil is visible below the surface of the part as integral decoration.

foil emboss
the embossing of a substrate with the addition of foil.

foil paper (foil laminate): very thin metal sheet laminated to a paper backing or support sheet, usually with permanent adhesives for use as a single element substrate.

folding box easels
a display part used for supporting merchandise in cardboard displays.

folding box lock
a type of lock arrangement commonly used to hold display segments made of lightweight stock.

folding endurance
the number of folds under specified conditions in a specified instrument which a specimen will withstand before failure. In the usual test, a specimen is subjected repeatedly to double folds through a wide angle while under tension.

folding strength
refer to folding endurance.

folio
page number.

folio size
a cut size paper greater than 27.9 x 43.2 cm (11 x 17 inches).

font
a complete assortment of type of one particular size and type face style.

foot
(1) a linear measure equal to 12 inches, one-third of a yard or 30.48 centimeters; abbreviation is ft; (2) the bottom edge of a sheet.

foot candle (lux)
a unit for measuring the amount of light emitted by a source; one lumen per 9.290 square decimeters (square foot); a unit of illumination equivalent to that produced by a standard candle at the distance of 0.3048 meters (one foot).

foot, cubic
refer to cubic Ffoot.

foot lambert (FL): a measure of brightness; one FL is the brightness exhibited by a white piece of paper, one foot away from a candle.

footprint
the edge of the squeegee which comes into contact with the screen mesh, usually no more than a few mils in width, and the length of which will equal the overall width of the squeegee blade. Rounded-edge squeegee blades will have a larger footprint than sharper ones.

forced air system
refer tp force drying.

forced development
increasing the development of film to increase its effective speed (raising the ASA number for initial exposure), to compensate for low-light situations; also called push-processing.

force drying
any system of drying of screen printing inks, industrial coatings, or other materials by application of influences beyond normal atmospheric conditions,such as by forced air flow at ambient temperature or heated air.

force travel curve
the relationship between actuatuion force and switch travel expressed as a line switch.

Ford cup
refer to Zahn cup.

fork lock
a simple lock for insertion of changeable display cards.

formability
the act of thermoforming without affecting the strength, flexibility or clarity of the material.

format
(1) the layout and physical appearance or arrangement of characters such as shape, size, type, and overall design of printed matter. (2) Characteristic identifying size of printer, media, or graphic, according to width of media roll, printer’s print area, or graphic. Mediam Format is generally taken to be between 11"—24" in width; Large Format (Wide Format) larger than 24" in width, and Grand Format larger than 72" in width.

forming
process of shaping rigid plastic into three-dimensional form by applying heat and pressure.

fountain
the ink reservoir on a screen printing press.

fountain roller
the roller in the ink fountain which, by revolving, agitates the ink.

four color halftone
a halftone print composed of four colors (magenta, yellow, cyan and black) deposited in a very small dot pattern, which by proximity or overlapping have the capacity to form all intermediate tones.

four color hues
magenta, cyan, yellow and black.

four color process printing
a system of photographically reproducing an illustration or design to produce all colors in the original by using magenta, cyan, yellow and black ink printed through color-separated halftone printing screens.

four color separations
term applied to negatives, positives, or stencils each having the ultimate printing responsibility for one of the four colors used in four color process printing; namely, magenta, cyan, yellow and black. (Separations may be made with a process camera or by electronic scanner devices.)

four-post press
a flatbed screen printing press where the screen carriage is mounted on four vertical posts and the vacuum bed moves forward for loading and back for printing.

fpm
abbreviation for feet per minute, used in the measurement of surface speed.

FPO
acroynm "for position only."

FR
acroynm for flame retardant.

fractal
mathematically generated pattern that is reproducible at any magnification or reduction.

fracturing
sometimes found at the high stress points of a mechanical emboss due to stretching the sidewalls of the material.

frame
refer to chase, printing frame, vacuum frame.

frame adhesive
special bonding agent that holds the screen mesh in place on a static or rigid frame.

frame clamp
refer to screen holder.

frame profile
wall thickness, shape, and design of a frame member as seen in cross section.

frame strength
property enabling screen frame to hold tension and retain profile without distortion.

free mesh area
the area of the mesh that lies between the inside of the frame and the image area of the stencil.

free moisture
liquid that will drain freely by gravity from solid materials.

free radical
a reactive material which initiates polymerization in UV curable formulations, generally by the loss of an electron.

free shrink
the irreversible and rapid reduction in linear dimension of a plastic film exposed to given temperatures, expressed as a percentage of the original dimension. Also designated as unrestrained linear thermal shrinkage.

freeze point
the temperature at which a liquid becomes crystalline or solid.

frequency
(1) the number of periods or cycles per second of an alternating electrical current, expressed in units of Hertz; (2) point-of-purchase exposure, the number of times an individual sign or display is exposed to individuals within a specified time period.

frequency modulated screening (FM)
a dithering method that uses uniform dot sizes and varies the distance between them.

French crystal
a translucent matte glass color that gives the effect of acid etching or sandblasting when applied to glass and fired.

French fold
a sheet that is printed on one side and then folded with two right angle folds to form a four page uncut section.

friction feed
process where material is moved by placing it between a motor driven grit wheel and two tensioned pinch rollers.

frilling
describes (indirect film) gelatin emulsion which is falling off of its polyester base due to lateral swelling in the hardening bath, caused by weak chemistry or too high temperature.

fringe
refer to halo.

frisket knife
a thin-handled knife used for cutting stencils.

frit
a smelted mixture of soluble and insoluble materials forming a glass, which when quenched in cold water, shatters into small friable pieces, used in aluminum enamels, glass enamels, and overglaze colors.

frit furnace
a smelter used for melting frits and fluxes.

fritting
the rapid chilling of a molten glassy material to produce frit.

front score
a cut score made in the front face of card stock.

frost
a roughened glass surface produced by immersing the article in hydrofluoric acid and fluoride compounds.

frosted
the surface of glass that has been treated to scatter light reflections to simulating frost.

f-stop
fixed sizes at which the apperature of the lens can be set; a number established by dividing the focal length of a lens by the diameter of the lens opening.

ft
abbreciation for foot.

ft²
abbreviation for square feet.

ft³
abbreviation for cubic feet.

fugitive colors
inks made from pigments or dyes which are not greatly light resistant and which lose color rapidly when exposed to light, heat and other environmental influences.

full bleed
printing term used when an image or background extends to the final trim edge of a printed page.

full color printing
term used to mean four color process printing, though a fifth or sixth color may also be added.

full contact printing
screen printing in which the printing screen is in contact with the substrate at all points during the printing stroke.

full scale output
the algebraic difference between the minimum output and maximum output of a device.

fumaric resin
synthetic hard resin formed by the reaction of fumaric acid and rosin.

functionality
the capacity of any molecule to react to a free radical in a UV curable formulation.

furlong
a customary unit of measure equal to 1/8 statute mile, 40 rods, 220 yards, or 201.17 meters.

furnace
an enclosure where heat is intentionally generated by combustion of gases or electrical resistance methods.

furnace black
a form of carbon black obtained by decomposing natural gas and/or petroleum oil under controlled conditions in a furnace and precipitating the pigment in special chambers.

furniture
wood or metal blocks used to fill-up the blank spaces in a chase.

fused glass
glass formed by placing different pieces of glass in contact with each other, then firing them in a kiln at high temperatures to fuse them together.

fusible backing
backing material that adheres to a substrate under heat and pressure to which the glue side of the backing is applied.

fusion
the act or procedure of liquefying or melting together by heat; the uniting of various elements into a whole as if by metling together.

fuzz
attached fibers extending from the surface of paper or cardboard. Not to be confused with Lint which is loose on the surface.

fuzzy texture
a defect characterized by a myriad of minute bubbles, broken bubbles, and dimples in a enamel surface.

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