Industry Terms

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Nailhead A paperback book that has a thicker spine than the body of the book.
Nanometer One billionth of a meter. Used in the metric system. The wavelength of electromagnetic energy, which includes visible light, is measured in nanometers.
Natural Soft colors such as cream and off-white.
Natural Colored Paper color resulting from the use of little or no chemical coloring.
Natural Finish A soft, hazy finish.
Near-Print Typewritten information used for offset.
Negative The film that is produced in the offset printing process.
Negative Image A reversed image where the image that is usually black on a white background is reversed to be white on a black background.
Nested When one piece is placed inside part of another piece, such as when an insert gets placed in the fold of a letter or brochure.
Network Two or more computers which are connected and share resources to execute related tasks. Group(s) of computers that are connected to each other by communications lines to share information and resources.
Neutral Gray Any level of gray with no color cast or hue.
Neutral pH A paper that is not acidic. Papers made using an alkaline process.
Newsletter A short periodical that is generally informal and includes specialized information written for a specific audience.
Newsprint Paper used for printing newspapers, made from groundwood or mechanical pulp.
Newton’s Rings Irregularly shaped patterns, similar to oil on the surface of water, that appear in a color separation. They are caused by the varying amounts of air between the scanning cylinder and transparency surfaces as they come into contact. The light refracts into a rainbow pattern as it passes from the cylinder through the air pockets to the transparency. This is avoided by applying a coat of oil (to make airless contact) or a thin mist of powder (to prevent any contact between the surfaces.
Nick A tear in saddlestitched books that occurs during trimming.
Nipping The process where the binding edges of the folded sheets are compressed.
Node The individual computers connected to a network.
Noise Image Areas displaying distorted or "dirty" pixels caused by a misreading from the image sensor.
Nominal Weight Basis weight of the paper at which it is billed. A plus or minus tolerance in actual weight is allowed unless special arrangements have been made between the mill and the customer.
Non-Heatset A printing process on a web press where the ink, that is applied to the paper, dries without the use of a heating process.
Nonimage Area Any area, on an artboard, negative or plate, that is not to have any printing.
Non-Impact The absence of forceful pressure being applied.
Non-Impact Printer An electronic output device, such as a copier, laser or ink-jet printer, that produces images on paper without contacting it.
Non-Impact Printing Printing accomplished by a spray of ink or toner, or the result of a chemical reaction, opposed to the image being the result of impact applied to a ribbon.
Non-Prime Label A label that does not contain the main product identification but contains supportive information. It is generally located on the sides or back of the product and may be smaller than the primary label. Also referred to as a secondary label.
Non-Read Ink Ink that has a high reflectance, preventing it from being detected by an optical scanner. Non-Read ink is used for information that you do not want to interfere with the data reading.
Nonrepro Blue Also called non-photo blue. A light blue color marker often used to make crop marks or notes on mechanicals that will not reproduce when scanned or photographed.
Non-Reproducible Colors Colors that cannot be reproduced using process inks.
Nonwoven Cloth-like materials which bond under heat and pressure.
North-South labels Labels that one up.