Agate Line: A unit of measurement for newspaper advertising which measures one column wide with 14 agate lines per inch.
Airbrush: Pen-shaped tool that sprays a fine mist of ink or paint to retouch photos and create continuous-tone illustrations.
Artwork: All original copy, including type, photos and illustrations, intended for printing. Also called art.
Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC): Organization of publishers, advertising agencies and advertisers for verifying the circulation statements of member publications.
Blow-Up: An enlargement, usually used with graphic images or photographs.
Body: The main text of work not including the headlines.
Bullet: A dot or similar marking to emphasize text.
Business Publication Audit of Circulation (BPA): An organization for auditing the circulation of business (trade) publications.
Camera-ready Copy: Mechanicals, photographs and art fully prepared for reproduction according to the technical requirements of the printing process being used. Also called finished art and reproduction copy.
Circulation: The total number of distributed copies of a publication at a specified time. Also, in broadcast, the total number of households within the station's coverage area. In outdoor, the number of people passing the billboards who have an opportunity to see the advertising.
Color Separation: Technique of using a camera, scanner or computer to divide continuous-tone color images into four halftone negatives. (2) The product resulting from color separating and subsequent four-color process printing. Also called separation.
Column Inch: A unit of newspaper space one column wide and one inch deep (14 agate lines).
Crop Marks: Lines near the edges of an image indicating portions to be reproduced. Also called cut marks and tic marks.
Data Compression: Technique of reducing the amount of storage required to hold a digital file to reduce the disk space the file requires and allow it to be processed or transmitted more quickly.
Desktop Publishing: Technique of using a personal computer to design images and pages, and assemble type and graphics, then using a laser printer or imagesetter to output the assembled pages onto paper, film or printing plate. Abbreviated DTP.
Direct Mail: Any printed material sent through the mail directly to target audience.
DPI: Considered as "dots per square inch," a measure of output resolution in relationship to printers, imagesetters and monitors.
Electronic Publishing: Publishing by printing with a device, such as a photocopy machine or ink jet printer, driven by a computer that can change the image instantly from one copy to the next. (2) Publishing via output on fax, computer bulletin board or other electronic medium, as compared to output on paper.
Four-color Process Printing: Technique of printing that uses black, magenta, cyan and yellow to simulate full-color images. Also called color process printing, full color printing and process printing.
Graphic Arts: The crafts, industries and professions related to designing and printing on paper and other substrates.
Graphic Design: Arrangement of type and visual elements along with specifications for paper, ink colors and printing processes that, when combined, convey a visual message.
Graphics: Visual elements that supplement type to make printed messages more clear or interesting.
Magazine Supplement: The magazine section of a Sunday newspaper produced either locally or nationally.
Mechanical: Camera-ready assembly of type, graphic and other copy complete with instructions to the printer.
Mock Up: A reproduction of the original printed matter, possibly containing instructions or direction.
Modem: Mostly used over phone lines, a device that converts electronic stored information from point a. to point b.
Net Paid Circulation: A term used by ABC for the circulation of a publication for which at least 50% of the subscription or newsstand price has been paid.
Pass-along Audience: Readers of magazines or newspapers who did not purchase the publication. Also called Secondary Audience.
Paste-up: To paste copy to mounting boards and, if necessary, to overlays so it is assembled into a camera-ready mechanical. The mechanical produced is often called a paste-up.
Pica: A unit of measure in the printing industry. A pica is approximately 0.166 in. There are 12 points to a pica.
Pixel: Short for picture element, a dot made by a computer, scanner or other digital device. Also called pel.
PMS: Obsolete reference to Pantone Matching System. The correct trade name of the colors in the Pantone Matching System is Pantone colors, not PMS Colors.
Proof: Test sheet made to reveal errors or flaws, predict results on press and record how a printing job is intended to appear when finished.
Publishers Information Bureau (PIB): A syndicated source of monthly reports on advertising activity in major consumer magazines, reported by product or service category.
Publisher's Statement: A notarized statement from the publisher of total circulation, geographic distribution, method of getting subscriptions, and other information.
Raster Image Processor: Device that translates page description commands into bitmapped information for an output device such as a laser printer or imagesetter.
Readers Per Copy: Average number of readers for one copy of a newspaper or magazine.
Regional Edition: An edition of a national publication's circulation that falls in a certain geographic area. Also, local editions of a metropolitan area publication.
Register: To place printing properly with regard to the edges of paper and other printing on the same sheet. Such printing is said to be in register.
Register Marks: Cross-hair lines on mechanicals and film that help keep flats, plates, and printing in register. Also called crossmarks and position marks.
Resolution: Sharpness of an image on film, paper, computer screen, disc, tape or other medium.
Self Mailer: A printed item independent of an envelope. A printed item capable of travel in the mailing arena independently.
Stat: Short for photostat, therefore a general term for an inexpensive photographic print of line copy or halftone.
Tabloid: A newspaper measuring about 5-6 columns wide by 200 lines deep, about 2/3 the size of a standard newspaper.
Watermark: Translucent logo in paper created during manufacturing by slight embossing from a dandy roll while paper is still approximately 90 percent water.
