For us here at Printing Solutions, printing terms are an old hat. We throw them around without a second thought. But we know that our clients might not always understand the lingo we use. In an effort to make sure you have a stress-free, seamless visit to our commercial printing business in Scottsdale, we’ve listed 10 printing terms to help you the next time you need business cards, banners or flyers.
Related: 4 Unusual Uses for Plastic Business Cards
1. Bleed
A process where color goes over the edge of the finished piece, so when it’s trimmed, the color runs clean to the edge of the finished piece.
Related: All You Need to Know About Bleeds
2. Print Ready
When a file is ready for print, with no adjustment needed.
3. Crop Marks
Lines on print ready artwork that indicates where the cuts need to be placed to complete the job properly.
4. Binding
To fasten an item together and keep it from falling apart, usually referring to folding or stapling a booklet.
5. Saddle Stitch
The process of stapling pages together to complete a booklet.
Related: What is the Right Type of Binding for My Product?
6. CMYK
A popular color process of printing, also called four color printing. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and black are represented in CMYK.
7. Pantone
A color process where certain inks are mixed together to create a dead on color replication.
Related: The Need-to-Know Differences Between CMYK and Pantone
8. RGB
A color process that is usually held for work on computers. Most printing is not complete in RGB.
9. DTI
Dots per inch, referring to the resolution of a photo. Typically, 300 x 300 DPI is the minimum for printing crisp pictures .
10. Die cutting
A metal die is created to cut out special shapes for printing jobs.
The next time you’re ready for a commercial printing service in Scottsdale, you’ll be able to speak the lingo like a pro. Any other printing terms you want information about? Leave them in the comments below!