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.
  • Achromatic color
    A neutral color (white, gray, or black that has no hue).
  • Achromatic color reproduction
    Color separation technique whereby the neutral compound is digitally replaced by a corresponding level of black; also refer to gray component replacement.
  • Achromatic lens
    A lens corrected for black and white photography; specifically one that brings visual rays to the same focus.
  • Additive color matching
    Process that can specify colors in terms of the three numbers representing the amounts of the three primary lights added together to make a match. (The amounts of the three primaries, expressed in numerical form for each primary and describing the new color, are known as the tri-stimulus values of that color).
  • Additive primary colors
    Red, green, and light blue; when all additive primaries are combined at 100% intensity, white light is produced; combining at varying intensities produces a gamut of different colors.
  • AMAL
    Acceptable abbreviation for amalgam.
  • American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM)
    The world’s largest source of voluntary consensus standards on the characteristics and performance of materials (USA).
  • Ammonium bichromate (ammonium dichromate)
    A compound or salt used for rendering colloids or emulsions active to actinic light such as in photostencils.
  • Animation
    To make or produce, so as to create the illusion of motion.
  • Apochromatic lens
    A process lens that has been corrected for both chromatic and spherical aberrations.
  • Aromatic solvent
    Organic liquid derived from products of petroleum origin having a cyclic or ring hydrocarbon structure and KB (Kauri Butanol) value over 40 such as toluene or xylene.
  • Astigmatism
    A reflective defect of a lens that prevents focusing of a sharply defined image and from bringing horizontal and vertical lines to a sharp focus at the same time on a flat surface.
  • Automatic conveyorized drying
    A widely used means of drying a screen print without racking that incorporates a conveyor belt with a drying or curing chamber.
  • Automatic feeder
    A device for picking up single sheets from a pile and moving them, one at a time into the printing area of the press to be printed.
  • Automatic machine (automatic press) (mechanically fed)
    A machine that completes partial or full operation cycles by means of energy other than human motion. (A fully automatic screen press loads, prints, and discharges the print without manual effort on the part of the operator other than the switching on and off of the energy source, usually electricity, or controlling machine speed. In some cases, may include ink feeding).
  • Automatic peel
    A feature generally found on a larger automatic screen printing press, where the screen is lifted mechanically behind the moving squeegee, by a spring or cam device.
  • Automatic processor
    A unit where exposed photosensitive sheet material is fed to travel through the processing baths under controlled conditions, and be delivered fully processed and dried at the point of removal.
  • Baffle mark
    A seam on a bottle resulting from an imperfect mold joint between the blank mold and the baffle.
  • Belt mark (chain mark)
    A depression on the bottom of a glass article from metal link belt in lehr caused by slight overheating of either the conveyor belt or the glass article or by over-firing of the ware.
  • Benchmark
    A set of tests or standards to determine performance of an item or system.
  • Bichromate
    A photosensitive salt of ammonium or potassium bichromate used as a sensitizer in some screen printing stencil emulsions.
  • Bichromate direct emulsion
    A sensitized liquid emulsion used for making screen printing stencils by the direct method.
  • Bitmap
    A rasterized graphic image formed by a rectangular grid of pixels or dots.
  • Blade marks
    Broad indentations in the surface coating of paper, which can be caused by an untrue blade or faulty mix of the coating material.
  • BON maroon
    An organic pigment with good fade resistance, poor resistance to alkali.