Glossary

The PRINTING United Alliance Glossary serves as an excellent industry terminology resource. It is the language by which we all communicate. Without it, universal understanding would be impossible.

To keep our constituents well informed about changes to the increasingly complex industry terminology, PRINTING United Alliance has developed this glossary of terms. Definitions are for general reference only. Usage may vary between companies, individuals, or national and country customs. The information presented is as accurate as the authors and editors can ascertain and PRINTING United Alliance assumes no responsibility for the use of information presented herein.
  • Maximum opacity
    The thickness of an applied ink film where additional amounts of ink will not affect reflectance measurements.
  • Maximum operating temperature
    The maximum temperature at which a device can be safely operated.
  • Mayer rod/bar
    A metal rod wound with a fine wire around its axis, used to draw an ink down evenly and at a given thickness.
  • Mesh marks (weave marks) (screen marks)
    (1) A fine, cross-hatch pattern left by the printing mesh in the ink film; (2) A condition occurring when certain areas of the screen do not properly separate from the substrate.
  • Metal mask
    A stencil made entirely of metal, with open (print) areas having been etched into it, leaving completely open apertures, void of screen mesh. Used for depositing solder onto surface mount circuit boards.
  • Monochromatic
    a design or photograph represented by various shades and/or tints of one color; a single color.
  • Mounting machine
    A machine which laminates paper to board in one operation.
  • National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
    Develops product standards and participates in developing US National Electric Code and US National Electric Safety Code.
  • NEMA standards
    Property values adopted as standard by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (US).
  • New source performance standards (US)
    Limits on effluent as applied to new industrial or commercial installations in the United States; these standards are generally more stringent than those of existing plants.
  • Nonflammable
    Any substance that does not support combustion.
  • Non-image areas
    Portion of mechanical, negative, or screen that will not print.
  • Non-volatile matter
    The ingredients of an ink or coating composition which, after drying, are left behind on the material.
  • Non-woven material
    A material that is matted, entangled with a binder forming an interlocking web of fibers; fabrics that are formed instead of woven or knitted.
  • Normal (axial) stress
    The force per unit area on a given plane within a body.
  • Normalize
    To shift the readings representing a quantity to within a specified range on an instrument.
  • On-Demand Color (ODC)
    This term typically refers to short run color printing. These processes include ink-jet, electrostatic and direct-to-press.
  • One-man squeegee
    A squeegee mounted on a counter balanced device so that the operation of very large squeegees can be accomplished with a minimum of effort.
  • Optical mark reader (OMR) (optical bar reader) (optical bar recognition) (OBR)
    Electronic equipment that scans, interprets, and converts bar coded information into a machine readable form.
  • Original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
    (1) A company that sells goods to another company for use as components in their own equipment or for resale to end user; (2) A firm that licenses other companies to sell their products.
  • Orthochromatic (film)
    (1) photographic surface insensitive to red but sensitive to ultraviolet blue, green and yellow rays; (2) electromagnetic wavelengths between 375 and 560 nanometers.
  • Panchromatic
    An emulsion or film that is sensitive to the light of all visible colors.
  • Pantone Matching System (PMS)
    A registered trademark of Pantone, Inc.; a color matching system for choosing and matching specific spot and process colors.
  • Performance
    The quality of a substance or bond to resist deterioration.
  • Performance specification
    A specification that states the desired operation or function of a product but does not specify the materials from which the product must be constructed.