Industry Terms

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Label Paper Paper coated on one side, used for labeling applications.
Labeling Machine A device used to dispense a pressure sensitive label, with the liner removed, and also applies it to a product.
Labels A paper, plastic or cloth that is attached to another object. The purpose of the label is to identify, give directions, explain content or state ownership of the object it is attached to.
Lacquer Clear glossy finish for appearance and protection.
Laid Using a dandy roll, a finish with close, fine, parallel lines.
Laid Dandy Roll The roller that makes a laid finish on paper.
Laid Finish A laid finish has the appearance of translucent lines running horizontally and vertically in the paper. It is produced during the papermaking process with a special roller that creates the pattern in the wet paper.
Laid Paper Paper that has a laid finish. Commonly used for letterheads.
Laminate 1. To bond a plastic film to a printed sheet with heat and pressure for protection and give it a glossy finish. 2. The fusing of one or more layers of paper to acheive the desired thickness and quality.
Laminate Proof A type of proof that uses laminate powdered toner to create a color image, such as Matchprint and Cromalin® proofs.
Lamination A plastic film bonded to paper by heat and pressure for protection or appearance.
Lampblack A pigment used in making black ink.
LAN (Local Area Network) Network computers nodes connected in a localized area, such as an office, building, complex of buildings or campus.
Landown Sequence The sequence in which colors are printed.
Landscape Printing a page so that when positioned for reading the width is greater than the height.
Laser Abbreviation for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. It is the amplification of only one frequency of light within the spectrum to create a directional, intense beam. The beam has a very narrow bandwidth capable of producing images through electronic impulses.
Laser Forms Single sheet forms that have been manufacture to meet the specifications required to be printed in a laser printer. Form must be printed on laser compatible paper and printed with heat resistant inks.
Laser Paper Paper that has been manufactured to provide optimal performance when running through a laser printer or copier. It has low moisture content to prevent the paper from curling when exposed to the high heat from the laser printers.
Laser Printer A printer that uses a laser beam to create an image on a drum by the use of electrostatic printing technology. The image is created from digital files.
Laser Printing A printing process where the printed image is created by the use of digital files which are sent to a laser printer.
Laser Reader A device in an electronic inserter which reads OMR characters and bar codes by using a laser beam.
Laser Scanner An optical reading device that uses a laser light beam to record images.
Laser Sheet Labels Laser sheet labels are loose single sheets that have been manufactured to meet the necessary requirements to run through an ink jet or laser printer. The laser sheets may contain one label or be multiple labels up.
Last Color Down The last color printed.
Latent Image The image on film or plate that doesn't become visible until it is chemically treated.
Latex-Treated Paper Paper with a substance added to improve durability and soiling resistance.
Lay Sheet Sheets that are used to check lineup, registration, etc. on a press run.
Laydown Sequence The order in which the ink colors are printed.
Layout The process of keylining (paste-up) text and graphics into a format that gives the appearance of the finished product.
Layout Sheet A sheet which shows the positioning of negatives on a flat.
Lead In photocomposition, it refers to the distance in points from baseline to baseline of the type.
Lead Time The time allotted for delivery of materials ordered from the manufacturer.
Leader Characters Characters, generally periods or dashes, used to fill up the space on a page between listed information at the left and related information to the right of it. An example would be in a table of contents where the page title is listed at the left and its page number is to the right, the leader characters would be placed inbetween.
Leadering A line of dots or leader characters used to move a reader's eye from information on the left side of the page to information on the right side.
Leaders In composition, it is the row of dots that goes from text to other text or numbers, and fills the space between them as a guide for reading the line.
Leading The linespace between successive lines of type, measured from baseline to baseline. The spacing is measured in points.
Leading Scale A clear acetate form that has a scale showing various leading. Used by laying it over printed material to determine the leading of the text.
Leaf The single sheet of paper in a book. Each leaf has two papers for printed or unprinted information.
Leatherette-Finish Paper A leather looking finish that is made by embossing cover or other heavy paper.
LED Acronym for light emitting diodes.
Ledger Paper A durable, business paper with a heavy basis weight used for keeping records.
Legal Size A paper size measuring 8-1/2 inches by 14 inches, which corresponds to the standard size of legal briefs.
Legibility The ease at which words and characters can be recognized.
Letter Fold Two parallel folds create a three panel piece that has both side sections folded inward, one on top of the other. When folded, the piece fits into a business size envelope.
Letterpress A method of printing from cast metal plates on which the image is directly printed on the paper.
Letterset An offset printing process that doesn't require a dampening system.
Lettershop A company that specializes in personalizing, assembling and inserting the elements of a mail package. They will also address, sort, tag and deliver the mailing to the proper postal facility. Also referred to as Mailshop.
Letterspacing A method of placing additional spaces between letters, for appearance or to fill a line.
Levelness The evenness of a paper determined by the fiber distribution.
Library Binding A binding that conforms to standards of the American Library Association.
Library Rate A special post office mailing rate for books sent to libraries or colleges.
Licensed Font A font that has a agreement/license when purchased which puts restrictions on its use and generally requires that the font be used one printer only.
Lift A stack of paper.
Ligature Two special letters combined as a unit and often joined together when printed.
Light Resistance The ability to resist fading due to exposure to sunlight, ultra violet light and weathering. This applies to pressure sensitive label stocks, plastic materials and inks.
Light Table A glass topped table or surface which has a light underneath so that the user can see through layers of paper or a negative. It can also be used for tracing or mechanical page layout.
Lightfastness The amount of resistance of a color of ink or paper to any kind of light. Also known as colorfastness.
Lightweight Paper Paper that is manufactured at a weight that is below what is generally the minimum basis weight for that grade. Lightweight paper reduces the bulk and weight of a product. Using lightweight paper will help keep postage to a minimum on mailing items. They are available in coated and uncoated papers.
Likesidedness Paper that has the same color and finish on both sides.
Line Art In traditional graphic arts, line art refers to pictures that use no halftones techniques and no midtones, just black and white. Also called line copy.
Line Copy Copy that does not need to be made into a halftone before it can be shot by the camera.
Line Gauge A gauge that measures points and picas.
Line Gluing A continuous line of glue that is applied between the parts of a form to hold them together. Line gluing on continuous forms is generally applied in the left and right margin stubs. On unit sets, the line gluing is generally applied in the stub area.
Line Halftone Combination Also referred to as a combination plate. A plate that has both line copy and halftones on it.
Line Length A term designating the length of the line of text that will be composed.
Line Negative A negative made from line copy.
Line Printer A printing device on computers and other units that produces output on paper.
Line Screen A transparent screen which has been etched with fine lines. It is used to convert a picture or photograph into a halftone dot pattern so that it can be printed.
Line Spacing 1. On a form, it is the number of print lines per inch. Generally 6 or 8 for continuous printer, 6 for typewritten and 3 or 4 for handwritten. 2. In text, it is the spacing from the baseline of one line of text to the next. Also referred to as leading.
Line Up The centering of the image in the camera at the film plane or positioning of printed matter on a press sheet.
Lined Boards Heavyweight board on which paper has been pasted.
Lineholes Evenly spaced holes that are punched into the margin of a form, used at the collator to guide the paper through and align each part. On a continuous form, they are also used to guide the form through a continuous printer. On a unit set they are generally trimmed off at the collator.
Linen Finish Paper An embossed paper with a finish which looks like linen cloth.
Liner The backer material or carrier sheet of a pressure sensitive material. It protects the adhesive until time of use. Generally has a release coating applied to allow the adhesive to release easily. Also referred to as the backing or release liner.
Linerless Labels Pressure sensitive labels that do not have a liner. The labels are wound on a roll that has had a release coating applied to the front of the facestock to prevent the adhesive from sticking on the label below.
Lines Per Inch 1. A measurement of the number of lines of type in an inch, determined by measuring from baseline to baseline. Example: 6 LPI indicates that 6 lines of type would fit in one inch. 2. The number of lines of dots per inch in a halftone screen or linescreen. A screen with a higher lpi, such as 200 lpi has many smaller dots which provide finer detail and a sharper image clarity. The LPI of a halftone screen is also called frequency.
Lining The lining material put on the spine of a book to add strength.
Linotype The original Linotype, developed in the 1880's, was a typesetter that cast a line of type as a single strip of (hot) metal instead of as single characters. Linotype became a generic term for any typesetter that worked in the same manner.
Lint Small particles that come from paper.
Lint Burner A device used to remove lint from paper prior to printing.
Liquid Laminate A plastic coating for paper.
Lithographic Image The image on stone or metal that makes the printed output.
Lithography Lithography refers to a method of printing whereby the image areas, which are neither raised nor depressed, attract ink and the non-image areas repel ink. Most lithography is offset lithography in which the image is transferred from the plate to a rubber blanket, and then printed (offset) from the blanket onto the paper.
Live Label An EAS label that is in an activate state which would set off an alarm when detected by an EAS detection system.
Live Matter The components of a document that change from page to page, such as the main text and graphics. This differs from repeated matter, such as running heads, which remains the same on each page.
Loading Fillers used in papermaking to improve the brightness and opacity of the paper.
Localized Watermark A watermark that has its design positioned on the dandy roller so that when applied to the paper, it will fall in the same location after it has been cut off as individual sheets.
Lock Up The locking of type to make it ready for the letterpress printing function.
Logo A distinctive symbol or mark; as a trademark.
Logotype The specific alphabetic type used to identify a product, company, etc.
Long Grain When the fibers in paper run parallel to the long dimension of the paper. For 8 1/2" x 11", long grain would mean the grain runs the 11" direction. Also referred to as grain long.
Long Ink An ink that has good printing and transferring qualities.
Loose Back A type of binding in which the spine is not glued to the edge of the sheets.
Loose Perforation A perforation that is easy to tear.
Loose-Leaf Binding Holes are punched into the sheets of pages so they can be inserted into either ring or post binders to form the booklet. Standard types of loose leaf binding are either 3-ring binders or plastic post binders.
Lossless Compression Data compression methods that rearrange or re-code data in more compact fashion and lose no information when decompressed. Because all data is preserved, there is a distinct limit to the amount of compression that can be achieved (for example, 3:1 or 5:1).
Lossy Compression Data compression methods (for example, JPEG) that selectively discard repetitive information to decrease file sizes. Depending on the amount of compression requested, the lost information may or may not be noticeable. At rates of 25:1, the results are easily seen.
Lot A flat fee, in reference to the pricing of a product or service.
Low Bulk Thin paper with a smooth surface.
Low Finish A finish that has a low light reflection.
Low Resolution Stepping A step and repeat workflow file format for editing programs which provides a more efficient process for automating the duplication of a single image two or more times on press plates. During the RIPing process, a high-resolution single element (cut marks, fold marks, images, etc) is used to automatically create a low-resolution file to be used for the step and repeat functions in the editing program, conserving file space and increasing processing speeds. When the file is exported to a PostScript digital front end (DFE) system, a conversion occurs on the fly with the low-resolution elements being replaced by links to the RIPed, high-resolution file and file elements.
Lower Case The small letter of the alphabet as opposed to capitals.
LPI, Or Lines Per Inch The measure of the frequency of the halftone screen used to print an image on a printing press or laser printer. A specific lpi range is recommended for the paper stock being used.
Ludlow A machine for making display type.