Industry Terms

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Saddle Stitch The method of binding pamphlets or small books with staples.
Safelight The light used in darkrooms which won't expose film.
Safety Ink Ink which changes color or bleeds when tampered with.
Safety Paper See check paper.
Sans Serif Type A typeface without serifs, the cross strokes on the ends of the letters.
Satin Finish A finish on paper that is smooth like satin.
Saturation Refers to how much a particular wavelength from a light source dominates the other wavelengths. For example, with a weak dull blue, less of the blue wavelength would be visible than with a deep bright blue. With the bright blue, the blue wavelength is dominate over the other wavelengths of light (red and green). Saturation is the purity of color.
Scale The capability of a program to reduce or enlarge an image.
Scaling The process of calculating the amount of enlargement or reduction necessary to get an image to fit into an area of the layout.
Scan-a-Web A rotating mirror arrangement where speed can be varied to match the speed of a web press, so the image on paper can be proofed during printing.
Scanned Art Art that has been converted into digital form for storage on a computer where it can be accessed for use in many types of applications.
Scanner An electronic method of capturing data from pictures or type that will be used in another process.
Scatter Proof The term used to describe a proof of an individual photo or group of photos that have not been included as part of the complete page layout. Scatter proofs are used to check color before the final proof.
School Book Perforating A method of perforating that leaves part of the page in the book.
Schopper Tester A machine that tests the folding endurance of paper.
Scorching Emboss The temperature of the die heating plate is increased beyond normal temperature ranges, when embossed a scorched effect occurs to the embossed image resulting in an antique or shaded appearance to the stock.
Score An indentation made in paper or cover stock to make folding easier.
Screen The device that uses a pattern of dots to product halftones.
Screen Angles The angles at which the halftone screens are placed in relation to one another in color reproduction, to avoid undesirable moiré patterns. A standard set of angles used is: black 45°, magenta 75°, yellow 90°, cyan 105°.
Screen Font The letter forms used when the type is displayed on a computer screen. They are often made of bitmaps even though when the final output goes to a printer, outline fonts are used.
Screen Ruling The number of lines of dots per inch, both vertically and horizontally, on a screen tint or halftone screen.
Screen Tint A screen pattern that consists of dots that are all the same size and create an even tone.
Screened Print In photography, a print with a halftone screen created from a halftone negative or by diffusion transfer.
Screening Converting a continuous gray-scale image into dot patterns by using a halftone screen or a screen tint.
Scribe A method of making a line on a negative.
Scriber The pencil like device with a steel point used for making lines on negatives.
Script A fancy type that looks like handwriting.
Scroll When there is too much information to fit on the screen, it is the function used to move up or down or from side to side to view the entire page.
SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) SCSI is an interface used to transmit digital data and to connect computers to hardware peripherals. An industry-standard interface for hard drives and other storage devices that allows for extremely quick transfers of electronic data.
Scumming A problem that occurs when a press plate picks up ink in non-inking areas.
Sealant Coat A coating applied to the back of the facestock to help assist the adhesive in sticking to it and to prevent some adhesives from bleeding through or staining the facestock. It is only needed when using certain types of adhesives. Also refered to primer or barrier coat.
Second Rights The right to use art that has been previously printed in another publication.
Secondary Color The color produced when equal amounts of two primary colors are mixed. An example of an additive secondary color would be when you have 100% red light and 100% green light which produces the additive secondary color, yellow. An example of a subtractive secondary color would be when you mix equal amounts of the subtractive primary colors, cyan and yellow, which produces the subtractive secondary color, green.
Secondary 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 non-prime label.
Security Paper Paper that contains special features, such as dyes, florescent fibers, and watermarks, used on checks and other security sensitive documents.
Self Contained CB Paper Paper that has the same characteristics as self contained (SC) paper except it is also a CB paper which means it is coated on the back so that it can create an image on a CF paper.
Self Contained Paper A self imaging carbonless paper that does not need the use of any other carbonless stock to make an image appear. When pressure is applied, it causes the chemicals on the front of the sheet to create an image. This paper is used in ribbonless impact printers.
Self Cover A product where the cover stock is the same weight as the text stock instead of having a separate cover of heavier weight attached. This type of cover is generally used on booklets and smaller publications.
Self-Adhesive Label A pressure sensitive label.
Self-Cover The cover being the same paper as the text pages.
Self-Mailer A type of mailing device which does not require a standard business envelope or package as a means to send the item. The different mail components, such as the letter, response piece and reply envelope, are all part of the single piece. A self-mailer may be a post-card, a single-folded document, a tri-folded document or similarly produced items, commonly used for business purposes such as statements, checks and invoices. However, it is also used for informaitonal and promotional mailing.
Semibold Type A type that is inbetween that of a medium and boldface type.
Semichemical Pulping A method of pulping which uses mechanical and chemical processes together.
Sensitivity Guide A gray tone scale.
Sensitizer Chemicals used to make photographic surfaces light sensitive.
Separations Refers to four single-color images generated by separating a color image into its cyan, magenta, yellow, and black components. Separations are produced with the use of a process camera and the appropriate filters (red, green, and blue; the primary colors of light). When a red filter is used, the red light is filtered out, leaving green and blue which combine to form the cyan image. The green filter produces a magenta image, and so on. There are computer programs which will also accomplish this.
Serif The little edges that cross the ends of type.
Server A server provides file data interchange between compatible peripheral devices on a local area network. Servers are identified by the type of function they provide (i.e. disk server, file server, printer server, communications server, etc.).
Set Solid The type that is set without extra space. For example, type that is eight point on eight leading as opposed to eight point on nine leading.
Set Up 1.The process of setting up and adjusting a printing press for a particular ink, paper and specifications prior to printing. This includes adjusting the infeed, grippers and guides, adjusting ink for proper coverage, registering copy, and matching the printed piece with the proof to be sure everything is correct. Also referred to as makeready. 2. The paper used while making all the necessary adjustments before printing the actual run. Also referred to as makeready.
Set-Off (offset) The problem of ink transferring from one printed sheet to another.
Set-Up Sheet A sheet used for the layout and positioning of pages.
Sewn Book A method of securing the binding in a book. Used in casebound books.
Sewn Case Binding A book made with a stiff outer cover, which is usually covered with cloth, vinyl or leather. The signatures in the book have been sewn together and then the first and last pages of the book are glued to the inside of the front and back cover. The spine of the signatures is not glued to the book.
Sewn Soft Cover Binding Binding of paperback or soft covers that are sewn onto the pages of a book rather than with the use of adhesive or wire binding.
SGML SGML (Standard Generalized Mark-up Language) is a language for marking text for a variety of purposes, including imagesetting and disk publishing.
Shade To darken by adding black.
Shading To display degrees of darkness. The choices are black, white, and all shades of gray in between.
Shadow The darkest parts in a photograph, represented in a halftone by the largest dots.
Sharpen (1) in color correction and platemaking, to make halftone dots smaller by adjusting the exposure of the film or plate. Sharpening dots to decrease color is one of the dry dot-etching techniques for color correction.
Sharpness The clarity of the data in an original or negative.
Shave To make a slight trim cut on the edge of a combined group of paper that is bound.
Sheet Delamination A defect that occurs during printing as a result of poor surface strength in the paper.
Sheet Fed A printing process where the paper being fed into the press is in sheet form.
Sheeter A paper cutting unit used for making sheets from webs.
Sheetfed Press A press that prints images on sheets of paper.
Sheets A variety of cut sized papers made into various sizes to be used on presses.
Sheetwise The process of printing one side of a sheet of paper with one plate, then turn the sheet over and print the other side with another plate using the same gripper and opposite side guide.
Sheridan Saddle Stitcher Trimmer A saddle stitching machine that also trims the finished product.
Shingling Adjustment of inside margins, or gutters, made during page layout, paste-up or stripping to compensate for creep. Creep occurs when inner pages of a saddle-stitched document creep away from the spine and push out on the opposite edge.
Shives Undigested fiber bundles which appear as flaws on the paper.
Short A term used in describing a press ink condition.
Short Grain When the fibers in paper run perpendicular to the long dimension of the paper. For 8 1/2" x 11", short grain would mean the grain runs the 8 1/2" direction. Also referred to as grain short.
Short Ink An ink that is heavy and does not flow freely.
Shot The taking of a picture of the mechanical to make a negative.
Show-Through When the printing from the other side of the paper can be seen through the paper. This problem can be reduced if a paper with more opacity is used.
Shrink Labels Shrink labels are non-adhesive sleeves constructed from film material that shrinks when heat is applied
Shrink Sleeves A sleeve like label that is constructed from shrink film, used for shrink labels. The sleeve can cover the entire container or just a portion of it.
Shrink Wrapping A method of wrapping packages or products with a plastic film and then applying heat so that the wrap fits tight to the product. Shrink wrapping is used to package a product in specific quantities and is also used for protection purposes. It also adds some stability to the product when storing. Also referred to as plastic wrapping.
Side Guide A guide on sheet-fed presses.
Side Roll Stand A stand for paper located at the side of a web press.
Side Stitched Staples are inserted into the pages in the inner margin at the binding edge. The staples are inserted from the front side of the book through the pages to the back. Side wire binding can be used when the book is too thick to be saddle stitched.
Side Stitching A binding method where two or three staples are passed through the signatures, usually on the left side of the book.
Side Stub When the stub is on the left or right side of a unit set.
Side Wire Stitching form of wire stitching that is different from saddle stitching. Instead of staples being inserted into the side or saddle of the pages, staples are inserted into the top of the gathered sheets or pages and pressed down vertically until reaching the back side of the booklet. It is often used as a means to bind a larger quantity of sheets together than can be saddle stitched.
Sidesewing When sewing of signatures on the side. Used in most casebound books.
Signature A printed sheet that is folded one or more times and becomes a section of a book or publication.
Silhouette An image that has had the background eliminated from behind it.
Silhouette Halftone A halftone of an object with all of the background removed.
Silicone Applicator A unit that puts silicone and water on one side of the web paper to add moisture.
Silicone Coating A polymer material that repels adhesive. It is applied to the liner layer of a pressure sensitive label, acting as a release coating which allows the label to be removed from the liner.
Silicone Treated Paper A strong paper with a glazed finish that is treated with silicones on one side. This produces a release quality that is necessary for the liners used for pressure sensitive paper.
Silkscreen Printing A printing process that uses a stencil that is mounted on stretched silk. Ink is pressed through the silk in the open areas of the stencil to create an image on the substrate being printed.
Silverprint A proof print made from single negatives that are used to produce the final proof prior to printing.
Simulated Watermark An image applied to the paper that is visible when viewed at an angle. Simulated watermarks are applied after the paper manufacturing process. They can be applied by the paper manufacturer or by the printer. An artificial watermark can be seen from one side only. It is generally applied to the back side but can be applied to the front side also. The watermark is achieved by printing the image in opaque white ink, transparent ink or by using varnish. Also referred to as an artificial watermark.
Single Face Carbon Carbon with coating on one side only.
Single Ply Forms that are made up of only a single sheet of paper opposed to multi-part forms.
Single Sheet Products Any single ply form or sheet that is not a laser form or a continuous one part form.
Single-End A press that carries single print from and prints on one side only.
Size An additive to paper which changes its water absorbency.
Sketch An artist's drawing.
Skew The slant or distortion of an object, a character, a bar or bar code, in respect to a straight line that is at a right angle to the slant.
Skid A wooden platform used to hold stacks of paper or cartons. Used to store or ship materials or finished products. Another term for pallet.
Skip Dot Unprinted areas that remain void of ink or any printing
Skip Perforation A partial perforation that runs parallel to the direction that the web is running through the press. Also called a jump perforation.
Slab Off The outside paper of a web that must be discarded prior to using the web to be printed.
Slack Size Slightly water absorbent, lightly sized paper.
Slime Spots A bacterial growth formed on the paper from the wet end of the paper machine.
Slip Case A case for holding finished books in a way that the spine shows.
Slip Sheeting The inserting of a blank sheet in between printed product to protect against setoff and scuffing. Is also used to separate stacks of paper into specified amounts to indicate a unit, such as a book or a specific package amount.
Slit Back A slit in the liner of a pressure sensitive label, used to assist in the removal of the facestock from the liner. Also referred to as split back and back slit.
Slit Face A slit die cut on the face of the label or a tab slit at one end to make the labels easier to remove from the liner. Also referred to as split face and face slit.
Slitter 1. Cutting wheels, mounted on a press, collator or other converting equipment, that cut sheets into specific widths or trims the edges of a form as it is being converted. 2. A device that cuts the punched holes from continuous forms as they are coming out of a printer.
Slitting Cutting paper by the use of a cutting wheel. Paper may be slit into smaller sheets or a web of paper may be slit into narrower rolls.
Slur An undesirable printing condition where the printed image is smeared. Slur can result from insufficient blanket pressure due to improper packing (offset), slippage of a press part during the printing stroke (screen-printing), mechanical problems on the press, or lack of ink tack.
Slurry The mixture of water and other materials that is used in coating papers.
Small Caps Uppercase or capital letters that are the same size as the lowercase letters of that font.
Smashing A step in binding that compresses the sewn sheets to make the front and back the same thickness.
Smearing A problem when the printed image smears on the paper.
Smooth Finish A finish that has been made smooth and level from the paper passing through sets of rollers during the papermaking process.
Smoothness The even and consistent continuity of the paper's surface. How the paper receives the ink is affected by the smoothness of the surface.
Smudge Resistance Paper's ability to resist ink blurring or smearing. Smudge resistance is related to the paper's ability to absorb ink.
Smyth Sewing A method of sewing that is used in casebound books, to strengthen the binding.
SNAP Specifications for Newsprint Advertising Production. A set of guidelines developed by industry volunteers and supported by the Coldset/Non-Heatset Web Section of the Web Printing Association (WPA) and the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) for consistent and predictable printing of advertising by non-heatset, offset presses, usually on newsprint and similar uncoated stocks, SNAP specifies color standards, film densities, screen rulings, reverses, surprinted type, proofing, color bars, and proofing stock.
Soda Pulp A pulp that has been produced using caustic soda.
Soft Dot Halftone dot with a substantial fringe which causes dot gain or sharpening in the printing process.
Soft Ink A term describing the consistency of paste inks.
Soft or Discretionary Hyphen A special coded hyphen that is placed in a specific place in the word so that if the word falls at the end of a line, it will be hyphenated where the coded hyphen was placed. If the flow of the text changes for some reason, and the word does not have to be hyphenated, the hyphen will automatically not be used.
Soft Proof (Monitor Proof) An image displayed on a color video monitor that visually simulates the expected printed results from the same digital data.
Softcover A cover that is used in the production of books that is much less expensive than hard covers.
Software The instructions and commands that make the computer perform specified functions.
Solid Complete coverage of ink.
Solid Printing When an area on the paper is printed with 100% ink coverage of one color.
Solvent A liquid which can dissolve a solid.
Solvent Resistance The ability of paper, film, adhesive or ink to resist adverse reactions when exposed to solvents.
Sort To put data into a sequence.
Soy Based Ink Inks whose pigment vehicles contain soybean oils instead of petroleum products. Soybean inks are a good alternative to petroleum base inks because of their ease of use and because of their environmental considerations.
Specimen Book A book or catalogue that shows the various type faces available from that printing firm.
Specs Specifications, a complete description of the features of a product, such as type size and style, ink colors, paper type, quantity to be produced, and other special features.
Spectrodensitometer A device used primarily to measure optical density and color values of images, but is increasingly being built with additional functionality measuring paper tones and special color values. This device is a combination of a densitometer, a colorimeter and a spectrophotometer.
Spectrophotometer A device used for accurate measurements of color values in order to match existing samples. The measured data is converted to and displayed as established CIE color specification standards.
Spectrum The range of colors formed by diffraction.
Spine The edge of a book that is bound.
Spiral Binding Book binding that consists of a spiral wire or plastic that is wound through holes. Also referred to as coil binding.
Spiral Laid Lines A laid paper with the lines running parallel to the grain opposed to perpendicular to the grain.
Splice The joining of two webs to produce one continuous web by the use of tape or adhesive to join them together.
Split Back A slit in the liner of a pressure sensitive label, used to assist in the removal of the facestock from the liner. Also referred to as slit back and back slit.
Split Bind When a printed book is to be bound two different ways.
Split Face A slit die cut on the face of the label or a tab slit at one end to make the labels easier to remove from the liner. Also referred to as slit face and face slit.
Split Run 1. When a printed publication is bound in two different ways. The printing is the same, just different binding methods are used. 2. Using different images to produce different editions of a publication. A magazine may have a different edition for rural residents than they would for residents in a metropolitian area.
Split Seal The gum adhesive on the seal flap is broken where the flap covers the envelope seams, preventing flaps from sticking to the back panel when stored in humid conditions.
Spoilage Unusable printed product that must be discarded due to an error that is detected or an accident occurring before it is delivered to the customer.
Spool Refers to an output data set that is waiting for a print device.
Spot The smallest unit of a digitized image that can be either displayed on the screen or printed. Also referred to as a pixel.
Spot Coating Coating paper only in specific areas opposed to all over coating.
Spot Color Printing with one or more solid colors, generally black ink is used with the addition of other colors. It is used to add highlight and add color to a printed product without having to print with four color process.
Spot Gluing A method of fastening forms that uses spots of glue instead of a continuous line of glue. Generally used to make it easier to separate sections of the form.
Spot Label A label that does not extend completely around the container. It generally is less than half of the circumference of the container.
Spot or Partial Metering light is measured in a small circular area around the center of the image.
Spot Varnish When varnish is applied only to certain areas of the printed product to highlight those areas.
Spotting Out Opaquing of unwanted pinholes or other defects in a negative.
Spread 1. When the image of a lighter color is slightly enlarged so that it overlaps the image of a darker color background. 2. One artboard or production unit consisting of two pages that face each other.
Spreading Enlarging of a printed area due to bleeding.
Square Dot A dot that is square in appearance, opposed to a round or elongated dot.
Square Sheet Paper which is equally strong with and against the grain.
Squeeze Out When the adhesive on a pressure sensitive labels comes out the edges around the label, the sides of a roll of labels or the sides of a stack of sheet labels, generally caused by excess pressure being applied to the labels.
Stabilize (condition) The stabilizing of paper so that its moisture content is equal to the surrounding atmosphere.
Stacker 1. A component at the delivery end of a press or collator that holds the printed sheets or collated forms as they come off the machine. 2. A component of a printer that holds the sheets that have been output from the printer.
Staging Taking the various components of a job into a work area so that it can be started.
Stain Resistance The ability of a label to not stain the surface it is applied to and to resist being discolored itself by exposure to the product.
Stained Edges A method of decorating a book by staining its edges.
Stamped Reply Envelope A postage paid return envelope provided in the direct mail package for the purpose of convenience in returning the response to the offer.
Stamping When a decorative or rich look is desired, the title, author, and sometimes drawings are stamped with silver, gold, or other colors on the cover.
Standard Mail Mail that would not be considered First Class or Periodical Mail. A mail classification formerly known as Bulk Mail or Third Class Mail.
Standards Paper The specifications that are required for a paper to achieve a desired quality, appearance, weight, etc.
Star Target Film pinwheel used to calculate resolution of plates during production and degradation during printing.
Starch A sizing used in making paper.
Stat A photocopy.
Static Electricity A condition that occurs when paper is too dry producing an electrical charge.
Static Neutralizer A device on a printing press used to defuse static electricity in the paper.
Steel Engraving An engraved plate used in relief printing.
Step and Repeat The repeated exposure of an image to form a specific pattern. Used to expose plates with the number of images up that will be printed on the press. Also used to develop a repeated pattern to be used as a background for different types of products.
Stet A term used that says a correction shown on the copy is to remain as is; that the correction was in error.
Stiff An ink that does not flow freely enough.
Stiffness The amount of resistance that paper has when being bound.
Stippling A paper converting process that produces an embossed surface.
Stitched Book A method of binding that sews the signatures together.
Stitching A binding process that uses a roll of wire on a machine that creates a staple to bind several sheets together. Stitching allows for a larger quantity of sheets to be bound than traditional stapling.
Stochastic Screening A digital screening process that converts images into very small dots of equal size and variable spacing. Also refered to as Frequency Modulated (FM) screening.
Stock Another name for the paper on which printing will be done.
Stock Formats Page formats for which complete programming detail has been prepared because of frequently use of the same format.
Stock Forms Forms that are held in stock and pulled out to be shipped as they are ordered. The forms are complete and generally do not require any further manufacturing operations.
Stock Tab Economical continuous stock forms that are generally preprinted with rules or bars.
Stock Weights Weights of papers stocked by mills and merchants.
Stocking Items Paper made in popular weights, sizes, colors and so on, that are maintained in inventory for quick deliveries.
Storage Those areas in a computer that hold data, such as disk storage, magnetic tape storage, main storage, etc.
Straight Copy Copy that does not contain any charts, tables, formulas, photos, or illustrations, but contains only text.
Straight Matter Uncomplicated data that is entered into a composition such as text.
Strength Test A testing of paper for bursting strength, folding, tearing and tension.
Stretch The "give" characteristic of paper when it is subject to stress and strain.
Stretch Labels A label constructed of a stretch film material that has elasticity to it. The label is stretched over the container and released when it is in the proper location. Once released, it will fit snug and form to the contours of the container. The stretch sleeve label does not need any glue or heat to enable it to stay in place.
Stretch Resistance The level at which paper can resist stretching, measured in tensile strength. The level of stretch ressistance is important when the paper is to be folded or subjected to stress and strain.
Strike Through When the ink printed on one side of the sheet penetrates the paper and is visible on the other side due to ink problems. It differs from show through where the problem results from lack of opacity in the paper. Also referred to as bleed through.
Strike-on Composition Composition created by direct impression from a typesetting unit, as opposed to photocomposition.
Strip Gumming When adhesive gum is applied in line patterns.
Stripe Carbon Carbon paper that has strips of uncoated areas running parallel with the web. The uncoated areas are located where image transfer is not desired.
Strip-In When one negative is combined with another negative to give a single page negative.
Stripper The person who manually assembles the negatives used in the platemaking process.
Stripping The process of assembling and combining film or negatives to create the final four pieces of film used for four color processing printing. Stripping completes the films, which are then combined to create the actual printing plates.
Stroke The line or lines forming a character of a typeface.
Stub Roll A web roll with a small amount of paper left on it.
Stuffer Preprinted material which is inserted into a piece intended for mailing, such as an invoice or bank statement. The stuffer is generally used as an advertising or informational piece.
Style Pages Pages that show the styling of the various pages of a composition job, such as running heads and feet, page number placement, etc.
Stylesheet A formatting description of a documents style. The stylesheet includes formatting specifications, such as the fonts to use for body and heads, color of text, where page numbers are to be placed, and margins. This description can either be on paper or in a file that can be read by a text formatting program.
Subhead A heading that is secondary to the main heading and is generally in smaller type.
Subscript 1. Text that is set at half the font height below the baseline and is often in a smaller type size. Ex. H2O. 2. A symbol or number used to identify an element in an array, when programming.
Substance The commonly used basis weight for a basic size of paper.
Substance Weight Another word for basis weight.
Substrate Any material that can be printed on, such as paper, plastic, and fabric.
Subsurface Printing A method of printing the underside of a transparent film so that when it is applied to a surface the printing lies between the surface and the film it is printed on. This protects the printed image from scuffs and scratches. The image is reverse printed so that once it is applied to a surface, it will be right reading.
Subtractive Color A process of using cyan, magenta, yellow and black pigments placed on top of each other onto a reflective substrate material in order to produce a full color image. Photography, printing, and painting are all subtractive color processes. The subtractive primary colors (cyan, magenta and yellow) subtract various amounts of white light.
Subtractive Primaries The colors used for process printing, yellow, magenta, and cyan.
Suction Box A unit that removes the water from paper on the papermaking machine.
Suction Feed The method of using suction to grip paper to feed into the press.
Suede Finish A velvety finish.
Sulfate Pulp Also known as Kraft pulp. Pulp developed by cooking wood chips in a solution containing sodium sulfate and sodium sulfide.
Sulfite pulp Pulp made from wood chips cooked with sulfite.
Sunlight Resistance The ability of a material to resist deterioration due to the exposure to sunlight.
Supercalendered Paper with a high gloss finish as a result of it passing through hard and soft rolls.
Supercell A combination of subgroups of halftone dots that are handled as a single group in digital halftone imaging.
Superior Text that is set at half the font height of the text being used and is set above the baseline. Often used for numerials in footnotes and equations and in scientific content. Also called superscript characters.
Superscript Text that is set at half the font height of the text being used and is set above the baseline. Often used for numerials in footnotes and equations and in scientific content. Also called superior characters.
Surface Color A method of the paper of adding color to the surface of the paper. The color is applied off the paper machine.
Surface Fuzz The fibers that protrude out from the surface of a paper stock.
Surface Plate A metal plate made from a negative, where the image is burned into the surface.
Surface Texture The type of texture on the paper surface such as smooth, matte, etc.
Surface-Sized A sizing agent applied to the surface of paper to increase its ink penetration.
Surprint To print over another image. In photography, two images are exposed on one piece of film creating a double exposure. In a layout for printing, an image (usually type) would be planned to print over another area of an image. For instance, a black headline could surprint a light area of an image instead of removing all color below the type (dropping out). That would eliminate the need to mechanically trap (create overlapping edges) the type to the image. (Also known as Overprint).
Swatch A sample showing a type of paper or ink color.
Swatch Book A booklet containing samples of paper or ink colors.
Swell The additional thickness at the binding edge.
SWOP Specifications for Web Offset Publications. SWOP guidelines covering film densities, screen rulings, reverses, surprinted type, proofing, color bars and proofing stock. The purpose of SWOP is to encourage uniform communication among those involved in the production workflow and to promote consistent quality color in web offset publications.