Glossary of Marketing Terms

A Sizes Main series of finished printing trimmed sizes in the ISO international paper size range. 
Abrasion Resistance   The ability of a surface to resist rubbing or other frictional forces without being worn away. 
Access   To recall data from a computer storage area. 
Achromatic Printing   Method of colour printing in which any hue is created from two colours plus black, rather than three. An extension of under colour removal (UCR). 
Acorn   Geo-demographic classification method as defined by CACI Limited. 
Acoustic coupler   A method of transmitting data over telephone lines or radio links using the microphone and ear piece to transmit and receive an audible digital sound. To transmit computer data over telephone lines, the data must be converted into electrical tone signals and sent at a comparatively low rate (see Modem). 
Active File   A list of current customers. 
Additive primaries   Coloured lights in red, green and blue (RGB) which, when combined with each other unequal proportions produce white. Other colours may be produced by mixing different proportions of each light source. Video monitors use this principle to produce colour television images. Input scanner detectors sense red, green and blue components of the scanned image before electronic conversion to printing colours of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Output transparency recorders generate red, green and blue from input information generally supplied in cyan, magenta, yellow and black electronically re-coded to red, green and blue. 
Adhesive binding   Style of threadless binding in which the leaves of a book are held together at the binding edge by glue or synthetic adhesive and a suitable lining. 
Air-brush   An instrument having a small reservoir to contain liquid ink and so arranged that a controlled current of air is blown over the ink surface which is broken down into an atomised spray and ejected through a nozzle. Used by artists to obtain graduated effects on drawings, photographs and lithographic surfaces. 
Air-dried   Paper dried by a current of warm air after but-sizing. 
Alignment   Horizontal positioning of type to ensure that the base of each character is perfectly in line with the next. 
Antique (finish)   A rough, uncalendered finish applied to paper used for book printing, when bulk and light weight are required. 
Art   Paper which has received a coating of china clay and size. It has a very smooth surface, which may be gloss, matt or dull. 
Artwork   Text, graphics and illustrations arranged individually or in any combination to make a composition, may conventionally be drawn in black and white on suitable artpaper or board, or may be computer-originated, in which case the artwork may be supplied as digitised data on a floppy disk. Artwork may also be in the form of a full-colour drawing or picture which requires specialist reprographic colour separation. This enables the separation to be printed in the four basic process colours. 
Ascender   Top part of the lower case letter stretching above the x-height of the character, as in d, h or k. 
ASCII   Initial letters for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. This is a standard coding system used within the computer industry to convert keyboard input into digital information. It covers all of the printable characters in normal use and control characters such as carriage return and line feed. The full table contains 127 elements. Variations and extensions of the basic code are to be found in special applications. 
ASPIC   Authors' Symbolic Pre-Press Interfacing Codes. Standard mark-up or code system which indicates a change of typesetting format. (see SGML). 
Author's corrections   Corrections made by the author on galleys or page proofs that alter the original copy. The cost of making such alterations must be charged in contrast to printer's errors or house corrections. 
B sizes   ISO International sizes intended primarily for posters, wall charts and similar items where the difference in size of the larger sheets in the A series represents too large a jump. 
Back   The back of a book is the binding edge. To back a book is to shape the back of a previously rounded book, so as to make a shoulder on either side against which the front and back covers fit closely. 
Back End   Finalisation of a job/campaign. Back End performance/results are the final results of a promotion including figures for paid and unpaid orders. 
Back up   To print the reverse side of a sheet. 
Backing or release paper   The component of a pressure-sensitive stock which functions as a carrier for the material. The backing readily separates from the adhesive prior to the application of the material to a surface. 
Backslant   Where a typeface can be made to slant backwards, in the opposite way to italic. 
Bank   A fine writing or typewriting paper, white or tinted, made in a range of weights from 45g/m² to under 63g/m². Heavier weights of otherwise similar material are termed 'bonds'. 
BASIC   Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. The earliest, most popular language used on microcomputers. 
Bed   The table of a letterpress printing machine in which the forme is locked in preparation for printing, or for cutting and creasing. 
Bit   From 'binary information transfer' or 'binary digit', the basic unit of information in computing and computer photosetting, it represents a pulse or charge of its absence or one hole or no hole in a paper tape. Each bit stands for one binary digit, 0 or 1. Bits are usually grouped together in blocks of eight to make bytes. Most computer operations work on byte-sized pieces of information. 
Bitmap   An image arranged according to bit location in columns. Resolution of a PostScript file processed through an RIP will have a bitmap image with the characteristics and resolution of the particular output device (for example, laser printer equals 300dpi, imagesetter equals 2500dpi). 
Black box   Colloquial term for a device or programme which converts information from one form to another. 
Blanket cylinder   The cylinder on an offset lithographic printing machine on which the blanket (fabric coated with a rubber or synthetic compound) is carried and by means of which the printing image is taken from the plate and transferred to the paper or other material. 
Bleed   Printed matter which runs off the edge of the paper. Also used by bookbinders to describe over-cut margins and mutilated print. 
Blind   1. Reference to book covers which are blocked or stamped without the use of ink or metallic effect.2. Term applied to a litho plate which has lost its image. 
Blind-blocking (in bookbinding)   Blank impression made on book covers by binders' brass without gold leaf, foil or ink. 
Blister packaging   Method of packaging in which an object is placed in a pre-formed, clear plastic tray and backed by a printed card. 
Block   In binding, to impress or stamp a design upon the cover. The design can be blocked in coloured inks, gold leaf, metal foil (see Blind). In printing, a letterpress block is the etched copper or zinc plate, mounted on wood or metal from which an illustration is printed. 
Boards, Bristol   A fine quality or cardboard which may be made solid by pasting two or more sheets together. 
Boards, chip   Cheap board made from mechanical wood and waste materials. Used unlined for binding cases, rigid boxes, show cards and white lined for cartons. 
Boards, mill   A high-grade board, brown in colour, made from rope and other materials. Very hard, tough, with a good finish. Is used for covers of better quality account and other books 
Boards, paste   Contain two or more laminations of paper having a middle or lower quality. 
Boards, pulp   Manufactured from pulp as a homogeneous sheet on a cylinder machine. Breaks very easily when beat. 
Boards, straw   A board made from straw and used principally for making the covers of case books and cheap account books. 
Body paper   Paper forming the base of coated paper. 
Bold   A typeface that is heavier than normal weight, available in most type faces. 
Bolt   Any folded edge of a section other than the binding fold. 
Bond   Similar to bank paper but heavier, usually supplied in 63g/m² and over. 
Bound book   A book in which the boards of the cover have first been attached to the book, the covering of leather, cloth or other material being then affixed to the boards. Bound books are more expensive to reproduce and much stronger than cased books. 
Boxhead ruling   The space at the top of a ruled column for the insertion of printed or written headings for each column. 
BRE   Business Reply Envelope. A system whereby the Post Office recoups the postage from the recipient not the sender. A Business Reply license is issued to users of this facility. 
Broadside   Any sheet in its basic size (or not folded or cut). 
Bromide   A photographic paper used in graphic reproduction and photo-typesetting on which a photographic image is created (see also PMT). 
Buckram   A binder's heavy cloth made from coarse textile thread and stiffened with size or glue. Very strong, wears well, used for account books when leather is too expensive. 
Bulk   Relative thickness of a sheet or sheets, for example, a bulky paper and a thin paper both of the same weight display different 'bulk'. 
Bulls eye   Printing defect caused by a dust particle holding the paper away from the printing surface. 
Burst binding   A type of adhesive binding in which the back of the book block is not sawn off but is slit in places to allow glue to penetrate. 
Business Reply License   Issued by the Post Office to users of Business Reply facilities (see BRE) 
C sizes   The C series within the ISO international paper sizes range is for envelopes or folders suitable for enclosing stationery in the A sizes. 
Calendar   A machine used in the finishing operation of paper manufacture. It is composed of rollers between which the paper passes under pressure to give it a smooth finish. 
Calibration bars   On a negative, proof or printed piece, a strip of tones used to check on printing quality. 
Caliper   The thickness of a material. 
Camera-ready artwork   Finished artwork that is ready, without further preparation, to be photographed. 
Carbonless paper   Paper stock coated on the back and/or front with chemicals which react to form an image when written or typed on. 
Carton   A container generally made from paper/board but sometimes partially or totally from plastic, delivered by the carton manufacturer to a user, either in flat or collapsed form, for erection at the packaging point. 
Cartridge   A tough, opaque paper with a rough surface. Principally used for guard books, large envelopes, drawing and offset printing. 
Case   1. In binding, a cover of a book prepared beforehand for affixing to the book.2. In hand composing the divided tray in which the type is kept. 
Case binding   The binding of printed books, which include leather, cloth and other forms of covering. 
Cell(s)   A group of names selected from a list using consistent criteria. 
Character generation   The projection of typographic images on the face of a cathode ray tube or similar display unit. 
Chase   A rectangular iron frame well below type height in which letterpress type is locked preparatory to printing on the machine and certain other operations. 
Chemical wood pulp   Pulp that is prepared from chipped wood by treating with chemicals to remove the non-cellulose material. Used in the better grade of wood pulp papers and improves the quality of mechanical pulp when the two are mixed. 
Cheque paper   Paper chemically treated in order to betray any tampering with the writing on the cheques. 
Cheshire Labels   Labels printed in a specific format (normally 4 across by 11 down) on continuous stationary. A Cheshire machine automatically cuts and sticks the labels to the mailing item. 
China clay   A fine white clay used in papermaking for loading and coating. 
Chip   The basic building block for computers, made from silicon. 
Choke   A specific adjustment or distortion whereby the perimeter, in total or in part, of an element is slightly pulled in (choked) towards the centre of the element. Choking of an element is normally used in conjunction with the spreading (see Spread) of a neighbouring element to ensure that colour registration standards are achieved. Choking of an element may be performed in a number of ways, manually, photochemically or digitally with various computer programmes. 
Cluster   A number of similar persons grouped together for a selection and/or analysis. 
CMYK   Initial letters indicating the printer's 'subtractive' primary colours – cyan, magenta, yellow and black. 
Coarse screen   A halftone screen up to 35 lines per cm used in preparing illustrations for newsprint and similar surfaced papers. 
Coated paper   Paper which has received a coating on one or both sides. Art papers are coated papers and there are such papers as cast-coated, high-gloss papers on which the coating has been allowed to harden in tact with a highly finished casting surface, brush-coating papers using the brush-coating method, chromo papers which are clay coated papers, or machine coated papers in which the paper is coated during the papermaking process. 
Cold type   Methods of typesetting by typewriter or early types of photosetting systems to produce copy suitable for reproduction or setting it direct on to (paper) plates for offset litho printing. 
Collate   To check through the signatures or pagination of the sections of a book to ensure that they are complete and in correct sequence for binding (see Gathering). 
Collating marks   Black step marks (usually 6-pt rule) printed on the back folds or sections and in progressively different positions so that any displacement of sections may be checked after gathering. 
Colour control bar   A coloured strip on the margin of the sheet which enables the platemaker and printer to check by eye or instruments, the printing characteristics of each ink layer. 
Colour separation   In photomechanical reproduction, the process of separating the various colours of a picture usually by colour filters or electronic scanning so that separate printing plates can be produced. 
Colour work   Printing more than one colour on a sheet, usually with some reference to register. Printing two or more partially overlapping colours to obtain decorative or pictorial effect. 
Compiled List   List assembled from printed sources, directories, registrations at trade shows, conventions etc…. 
Computer Bureaux   Computer Bureaux are companies that provide computer processing services for third parties. These services may include; address enhancement - inc postcode and data quality, List suppression - e.g. MPS, deceased, merge/purge processing - for de-duplicating lists, production of personalised promotional literature e.g. laser letters, data tagging - appending demographic information to enhance value. 
Consolidators   Companies which arrange for the combined mailing of a number of discrete mailings in order to obtain bulk discounts. 
Contact screen   Used to produce a halftone from continuos tone, film or artwork using cameras or scanners. 
Continuous tone   Often shortened to contone, it describes images which contain an apparently infinite range of shades and colours smoothly blended to provide a faithful reproduction of natural images. 
Controlled Circulation   Distribution (free of charge) of a publication on the basis of title or job function. Recipients are usually checked periodically to ensure that they still qualify for the publication. 
Convertible press   Type of sheet-fed press able to print either on one side of a sheet or on both sides. 
Cost Per Thousand   Total cost of using 1,000 names I.e. basic rental plus additional selection and/or production charges. 
Covering   The process by which a cover is affixed fully to the spine and both sides of a book. 
CP/M   Control Programme for Microcomputers. A popular operating system for micros, word processors and front-end systems, with many programmes available. 
CPS   Characters per second - refers usually to the output speed of photosetting. 
CPU   Central Processing Unit. In large computers, this may consist of a circuit that contains a number of chips but for microcomputers the CPU is almost invariably a single chip, the microprocessor. 
Crease   To mechanically press a rule into heavy paper or board to enable folding without cracking. See Score. 
CRT   Cathode ray tube. An electronic vacuum tube with a screen on which information (text or pictures) may be stored or displayed. Used as displays in video display terminals and to expose letter images on to film or paper in phototypesetters. 
Cursor   The movable light spot on a VDU screen which allows the operator to identify a position on the display. 
Customer Profile   Key characteristics of a given segment of customers. 
Cut   In binding, it is necessary when folding a thick paper containing many pages in a section to cut a fold (bolt) at the head in order to prevent a crease being formed at the back of the section. 
Cut in index   Style of index in which the divisions are cut into the edge of the book in steps: step index. 
Daisy wheel   A printing head used on typewriters and computer printers. Individual characters are on the ends of 'petals'. 
Dandy   (Laid, spiral, wove) a cylinder of wire gauze on the papermaking machine which comes into contact with the paper while it is in a wet and elementary stage. The dandy roll impresses the watermark. 
Data Protection   All companies whose business requires them to hold or deal in personal data must be registered with the Data Protection Registrar. 
Database   Customer or prospect details held on computer in such way as to enable flexible use, especially for direct marketing purposes. 
Database   A collection of data items which are used frequently by programmes. A database of any size would be kept on a disk, probably on several disks. 
Database Services   Companies which either hold and maintain a database for a client, or provide expertise to set up and maintain the client's in-house database. 
Deckle   The width of web (machine width) which a papermaking machine is capable of making, being limited by the deckle straps: originally the movable wooden frame on the hand-mould used for papermaking. 
Deckle edge   The feathery edge occurring round the borders of a sheet of hand-made or mould-made paper, due to the deckle or frame of the mould: double-deckle edged means two sides of a machine-made sheet are rough edged. 
De-Duplication   Removal of names and addresses which appear in a list more than once (see also Merge-Purge) 
Demographics   Explicit or inferred information held on clients or prospects which can be used to define selection criteria e.g. hobbies. 
Densitometer   A device for measuring the closeness of substance at a specific location on film or printed product, either by reflected or transmitted light. Densitometers vary in their sophistication and the number of features provided such as colour, black and white, read-out memory, computer printout. 
Descender   Part of the lower-case letter falling below the x-height of the character as in g,q and p. 
Desktop Publishing (DTP)   A generic title given to the introduction of personal computers (PCs) to typesetting, page composition and image handling. The combination of all these gives total electronic control within a single system of what was traditionally a specialist and segmented operation. 
Diestamping   An intaglio process of printing in which the resultant impression stands out in relief above the surface of the material stamped, either coloured (using inks) or blind (that is, without colour): relief stamping. 
Diffusion transfer   See Photomechanical transfer. 
Digital fount   An electronically-stored type fount with characters stored as a series of digital signals. 
Digital Page Composing (DPC)   Also EPCS or CEPS. A system designed to take a range of page elements (text, linework, images) and integrate them into a user-specified format. Image and text inputs to the system arrive on magnetic tape by direct system interconnection or directly from an input scanning system. 
Direct (work)   Work which can be made from a (screen) negative obtained by photographing the original direct. 
Direct screening   A method of reproduction usually working via an enlarger in which colour copy is reproduced in the form of directly screened separation by-passing the need for a separate screening operation. 
Discretionary hyphen   Keyboard hyphens which override the hyphenation programme on the computer. 
Diskette   This is a format for data supply. The standard data format is ASCII comma & quote delimited as it is easily read into a wide range of software products. 
Display matter   Type displayed such as title pages, headings, jobbing work, as distinct from solid composition or body matter. 
Display sizes (of type)   Sizes of type from 14-pt to 72-pt, mainly used for display matter. 
Distributing rollers   The rollers on a printing machine which distribute the ink from the ink duct to the plate or forme inking rollers. They smooth the ink film and should be arranged to prevent repeats or ghosting. 
Door-to-Door   Delivery of unaddressed advertising mail to households on a street by street basis. 
Dot etching   The process by which tone correction is applied to halftone negatives or positives. 
Dot gain   Enlargement of the halftone dot between film and print which should be assessed and allowed for in reproduction. 
Dot matrix   Imaging method used in typewriters and computers. Each letter is made up of dots using a matrix of 5x7 or greater. 
Drawn-on cover   A paper book cover which is attached to the sewn book by gluing the spine. 
Drop Date   Date set for consigning a mailing to the Post Office. 
Dry litho   An offset litho process using a normal press but with a plate which does not need damping to restrict the ink to the image area. 
Dry offset   See Letterset. 
Dummy   A sample of a proposed job made up with the actual materials and cut to correct size to show bulk, style of binding, etc. Also a complete layout of a job showing position of type matter and illustrations, margins, etc. 
Duotone   A two-colour halftone produced from two halftone images of the same original. Different visual effects can be obtained by using different screen angles, contrast ranges, special screens, etc. 
Duplex halftones   Two-colour halftone plates made from a monochrome original, the second plate being used as a tint. 
Duplex paper   Paper of two qualities or colours which have been brought together and combined while in the wet state on the papermaking machine. 
EBCDIC