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.
  • Drum scanner
    Scanning equipment where the image rotates in front of scanning sensors that sharpen the image and convert RGB to CMYK.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Laser scanner
    A device that uses color filters and beams of light to produce tone and color corrected separations for process printing.
  • Scanner
    A hardware peripheral that illuminates, reads, and converts original information into digital data.
  • Trilinear scanner
    A scanning device that uses three linear array change coupled devices utilizing red, green, and blue filters to capture color scans in a single pass.