Pacific Rim Printers Mailers: Glossary

Ink: Soy ink • Metallic • Coverage • Fluorescent

Printing Special Effects: Bleed • Halftones • Embossing • Die-cutting • Foil-stamping

Bindery: Folding • Scoring • Perforation • Saddle stitch • Perfect bind • Slit and fold

Mailing: Inserting • Indicia • Metering • Postage stamps • Matching

Addressing and Personalization: List • Database format • Postal qualification • Sortation
Ink jet • Cheshire • Piggyback label • Personalization • Bundling

Design/Pre-press: Mockup • Rough • Fiery print • Blueline • Match print • Imagesetting
Negative • Plate • PMS • Rule-up • Halftone • Duotone • 4-color process • Camera-ready art

Paper: Coated • Cast-coated • Uncoated • Paper weights • Laser compatible • UV coating
Tree-free • Recycled paper • Soy-based

Offset – A printing process where a film negative is made from your file or artwork. This negative is used to make a printing plate with the image of your design on it. The plate image takes up ink which is then transferred to a rubber "blanket," which impresses the image onto the paper. This is the most common form of commercial printing.[top of page]

Sheet fed and web–These terms refer to how the paper is fed into the press. Some printing presses are sheet fed, meaning that they print single sheets of paper very rapidly. Other presses are web fed, which means that they are fed from a roll of paper which is usually cut into individual sheets after printing. There are advantages to each form of printing. There is a greater variety of papers commonly available in sheets as opposed to rolls. Web presses run faster than sheet-fed presses but they generally are more tedious to set up. This makes them more economical for long runs than for short runs. Sheet-fed printing also has a reputation for being a higher quality process. This is because the majority of web presses around are set up for things like newspapers where the chief concern is speed rather than quality. There are many web presses that are set up to do high quality, high-speed printing. [top of page]

Letterpress–A printing process where ink is applied to a raised image and directly pressed onto the paper to make the print. Years ago this was the most common form of printing but now it is used mainly for die-cutting, embossing and foil-stamping. [top of page]

Perfecting–This refers to printing both sides of the paper at the same time. When a printing press is not set up to perfect, after one side of the paper is printed, the press operator must re-stack the paper in the press and run it through again to print the other side. Our presses are designed to print both sides of the paper in one pass through the press, a much more efficient process. [top of page]

Soy ink–Inks are made from dry colors or pigments, which are mixed with a clear, thick base material. This base, a very thick oil, is sometimes made from petroleum and sometimes from soy beans. [top of page]

Metallic–Ink that uses pigments that look like metal such as gold or silver. This is sometimes achieved by the addition of powdered brass or aluminum into the ink, giving the impression of gold or silver respectively. [top of page]

Coverage–Refers to the amount of the paper that is actually covered with the ink. For example, a sheet that is completely covered with words may only have an actual coverage of 10%. [top of page]

Fluorescent–Inks which use pigments that reflect greater amounts of light, making them much brighter than normal inks. [top of page]

Bleed–When a design calls for printing that goes right off the edge of the paper with no border, it is said to bleed. This is important because it requires that printers allow a little extra image to go beyond the boundary of the page to allow for minor production variation. Though the amount of extra paper required to do this is very small (1/8"), it can make a price difference in some cases. [top of page]

Halftones and screens – Something many people don't realize is that printing presses can only print solid color. In order to print tints and photographs, the solid colors are broken down into dots so fine that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. [top of page]

Embossing – A letterpress process where the image is pressed into the paper hard enough that a raised image is created. [top of page]

Die-cutting – A letterpress process that uses a die made up of sharpened steel and can cut or perforate paper in almost any shape. [top of page]

Foil-stamping – A letterpress process that uses heat to transfer an image by adhering very thin metal or plastic onto the paper. This can give the effect of very shiny gold or silver or even pearlescence. [top of page]

Scoring – A process whereby a metal blade is used to make a sharp crease where a piece folds. This helps avoid cracking sometimes seen on glossy stocks and makes for a better-looking fold when using thick stocks. [top of page]

Perforation – A series of very small slits that allow part of a form to be torn off by the end user. A common use of this is to include a small tear-off reply form at the bottom of a form letter. When the letter is laser printed, the reply form can be imprinted with the client's name, address, account number, etc., at the same time. [top of page]

Saddle stitch – The most common way to bind booklets, this method uses a set of staples through the spine of the booklet to hold the pages in place. [top of page]

Perfect bind – This method uses very strong glue to hold the pages to the cover at the spine. An example is paperback books, which are almost always perfect bound.

Slit and fold – Our folders are equipped to do this relatively inexpensive process whereby two or more pages are collated and folded in one high-speed process. This is useful where it is not necessary to have a staple holding the pages together. Some common uses are for eight-page newsletters and multi-page form letters in which two or more sheets are collated together and then letter-folded. [top of page]

Inserting – The collating of mailing pieces and placing them in a mailing envelope. Though this can be done by hand, it is almost always more cost effective to design a mailing piece such that it can be inserted by machine. Our inserting machines can handle up to eight pieces in one operation. [top of page]

Indicia – That little square in the upper right hand corner of an envelope that says "US Postage Paid" and the permit holder's name. Using an indicia allows you to pay the postage directly to the post office for all the pieces in a mailing instead of affixing postage to each piece individually. [top of page]

Metering – This is the process of using a machine to imprint the postage onto each piece in a mailing. [top of page]

Postage stamps – This probably doesn't need explanation. An important thing to know is that many of our clients have increased their response rates by using postage stamps so that a piece looks more like personal correspondence. Of course we have high speed machines to apply stamps from very large rolls. [top of page]

Matching – Personalized mail gets a better response rate because it looks more like personal correspondence and because the pieces inside the envelope can be customized to the individual recipient. It is crucial that all the pieces in the letter that have the recipient's name on them match each other, so that Jane Doe doesn't get John Public's response card. We have machines that display images of the pertinent information onto a computer screen so that the operator can visually insure that all the pieces match. [top of page]

List – The database of names and addresses that you want to mail to. This can be your own client, member or donor list, or can be bought from a list broker. If you want to buy your list from a list broker, we will help you in that process but we do not actually sell lists. By knowing that we do not sell lists, you can be assured that we will never sell your list to another organization. Our clients' security is paramount. [top of page]

Database format – When you supply your list to us, it is best in almost all cases if we get that list as a computer file. This allows us a better chance to get deeper postal discounts for you and to help insure that all your addresses are deliverable. Though we can handle virtually any data format, "Dbase" and "ASCII delimited" require the least work and therefore are the least expensive for you. If you don't recognize those terms or you aren't sure about your address list, let us help you. We have walked hundreds of clients through the process of saving their lists in the proper formats. [top of page]

Postal qualification – Before we process your mailing at reduced postage rates, your address list must conform to certain standards set out in the USPS Direct Mail Manual. To accomplish this, we must check each address in your database against a file containing every deliverable address in the U.S. and its protectorates. Then, the last four digits of the zip code must be applied and reports generated showing the percentage of addresses that meet the various criteria. [top of page]

Sortation – After qualification of your list, it must then be sorted so that all the pieces that go to a certain postal distribution center are grouped together. Depending on the type of list you have, this can range from grouping pieces by the last three to five digits of the zip code all the way to a level of detail where we actually put the pieces in the exact order that an individual postal carrier walks their route!

Ink jet – The most common method of putting the addresses on your mail pieces. Each address is printed directly on the actual mail piece, eliminating the need to generate a label. [top of page]

Cheshire – An older but still common way of addressing, computer printouts of each address are made and then fed into a machine which cuts them into individual labels and glues them to each piece. [top of page]

Piggyback label – An alternate way to allow a reply device to have the client's name and pertinent information on it. In this process, sticky-back labels of the addresses are applied to the mail piece with the backing still on. This allows the recipient to peel the address label off and stick it to the reply device before sending it back to you. [top of page]

Personalization – This refers to the process of making parts of your mail unique to each individual on your mailing list. We can create letters that are personally addressed to the recipient and even read differently, based on information in the database. We can also put the client's name, account or membership number and other information on a reply device. Fundraising organizations find that they can get higher donations by changing the suggested dollar amounts listed on a reply device, based on the past donation history of the recipient. With our high-speed laser printers and staff of database technicians, the possibilities are endless. [top of page]

Bundling – In order to receive postal discounts, your mail must be grouped according to postal zone, boxed in special containers according to postal standards and a bar-coded label attached that tells the post offices equipment to which postal facility in which city it goes. This process is referred to as bundling. [top of page]

Mockup – A piece that is handmade by the graphic artist to better show you how your finished piece will look. It generally will be folded and bound the exact way it will be done in production. This is sometimes referred to as a "comp" or a "dummy." [top of page]

Rough – This is the laser copy you get first during the design process. At this stage of the process you can usually make fairly extensive changes without incurring additional charges. After this copy is marked up with your changes, our artists will do your changes and also do a lot of "fine tuning" of the design. Changes made at this stage are more difficult and might incur additional charges if they are extensive. After you sign off on a laser proof, we generate film and prepare the job for production. Changes made at this stage can be very costly. Our goal is to work with you to produce your job in the most efficient way possible and to avoid unexpected charges. We need your help in checking every rough laser proof carefully and catching any changes as early in the process as possible. [top of page]

Fiery print – A color print that is made electronically. The colors and clarity are not perfect, but it can relatively inexpensively help you visualize what your finished piece will look like in color. [top of page]

Blueline – A proof made from the same film that is used to make the printing plates. This is the last proof you will see before your job is printed. [top of page]

Imagesetting – A very high quality system that takes your digital design file and makes the film negatives that make the printing plates. Sometimes this is referred to as Lino, after one of the first brands of imagesetters. [top of page]

Negative – A negative is a piece of film that is used to make printing plates and some kinds of proofs. It is called a negative because the areas that are white on your final printing are black on the film. Printing plates are made from aluminum sheets that are coated with a material, called an emulsion, which hardens when exposed to light. A film negative is clear in the areas that will print and black where the final printed piece will be white. A very strong ultraviolet light is shone through the negative onto the plate, hardening the emulsion. The areas that were not hardened are then stripped off, leaving only the printing image. [top of page]

Plate – A sheet of metal with an image of your printed piece, which is used on a printing press. [top of page]

Match print – A color proof that is made from the printing negatives for a four-color process piece. This is the most accurate color proof available. [top of page]

PMS – Stands for Pantone Matching System, a printing color standard and selection system. This is virtually the universal standard for printing color selection. Most printers have books containing samples of more than a thousand colors and their mixing formulas. [top of page]

Rule-up – A flat proof with lines drawn on it to show where the piece will be cut, perforated and folded. [top of page]

Halftone – Most people don't realize that a printing press can only print solid ink and not tints. The way that tints or grays are printed is by breaking the solid color down into a pattern of dots so small that they cannot be seen by the unaided eye. When this technique is used to created a uniform area of lighter color, it is called a "screen tint." When it is used to reproduce a photograph it is called a "halftone." [top of page]

Duotone – A halftone that prints in two colors to create greater visual interest or more subtle detail and gray tones. [top of page]

4-color process – The process by which full-color photographs and artwork is reproduced. Four halftones, one for each of the primary colors plus black, are printed one on top of the other, creating the range of color that was in the original. [top of page]

Camera-ready art – Originals for a printing job that are prepared such that the printer can make the printing negatives on a camera. [top of page]

Coated – Papers that have clay slurry applied to their surface. These papers can range from extremely shiny to very dull. The chief benefit of these papers is that less ink is absorbed into the paper making for brighter colors and greater detail. Glossy papers are all coated papers. [top of page]

Cast-coated – A paper coated by a process that creates a very glossy surface on the paper. [top of page]

Uncoated – Paper that is not treated as explained above. Most copier paper, laser printer paper and stationery is uncoated paper. [top of page]

Paper weights – The system of catagorizing thickness of paper. The various classifications of book, cover, text, bond, etc., can be confusing. The most important thing to know is that cover weight stock is thicker than the same weight in book, bond or offset. I.e. - 80# cover is much thicker than 80# book. The best way to judge stock is by feel. Get a sample, check out the feel and opacity. [top of page]

Laser compatible – Believe it or not, in today's digital society, many paper manufacturers are still making paper that won't laser print. If you plan to laser or ink jet print your piece, please make sure that the paper you choose is designed for that. [top of page]

UV coating – Plastic coating that is applied after the printing process. This yields a very tough, almost unscratchable surface. [top of page]

Tree-free – Some papers are now made from renewable resources other than trees, such as bamboo. When specifying tree-free paper, be careful. We have seen some manufacturers marketing plastic as tree-free. Most people who choose tree free are environmentally conscious and don't want to use plastic. [top of page]

Recycled paper – Paper made from other paper that otherwise would end up in landfills. The thing to be aware of is that paper manufacturers can call their papers recycled with as little as 10% recycled content. Furthermore, the recycled content can be what is called "Pre-consumer waste." That means that the paper that is being recycled never actually got used by anyone in the first place; it's simply the ends of the rolls of the paper that the paper manufacturer generates themselves. Remember the motto REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. Look for papers that are high in "Post-consumer waste." That is paper that has actually been used prior to recycling. There are excellent papers available that contain up to 100% post-consumer waste. [top of page]

Soy based – Ink that has soybean oil as its base. This helps the soybean farmers who are all very cool. [top of page]

Letter fold	Double parallel	Half fold	Z fold