Glossary

For definitions of industry terms used in this website, peruse our glossary below.

Absorbency	The ability of paper to absorb ink

Acid Free	Acid-free papers are manufactured in an alkaline environment, which prevents the internal chemical deterioration of the paper over time. The addition of calcium carbonate as a buffer also makes the paper resistant to the effects of an external acidic environment.

Antique Finish	Rough paper finish created by reducing pressure at the wet presses on the paper machine and with little or no calendaring.

Archival Paper	Acid-free paper made to resist deterioration for documents that must last and meet special specifications. (See Acid Free).

Biofuels	Fuels from renewable raw materials such as bark, black liquor, logging residues and effluent sludge.
Bleaching	(TCF) Totally Chlorine Free - The pulp is bleached without the use of chlorine chemicals, ie. No chlorine gas or chlorine dioxide, giving zero AOX level. (ECF) Elemental Chlorine Free - This pulp is bleached without the use of chlorine gas. However, some chlorine dioxide is used, plus other non chlorine based products such as Oxygen. Pulps using this bleaching method contain up to 0.5kgs AOX per tonne of air dried pulp.
Bleed	An image that is printed to the edges of a page, or the ability of a press or printer to print an image to the edges of a page. A full bleed document is printed on a larger sheet and is trimmed to size, since ink or toner would foul press cylinders or belts if it actually extended off the edges of the paper. Printers typically charge more for bleeds because more paper is required.
Bond	Originally a term applied to cotton-content paper used for printing bonds and legal documents, and distinguished by strength, performance, and durability. Used for letterheads and forms, bond paper may now be made from cotton, chemical wood pulp, or a combination of the two. Today, writing, digital, and cut-size papers are often identified with the bond scale
Brightness (ISO)	Brightness is measured as the percentage of light in a narrow spectral range reflected from the surface of a sheet of paper. It is not necessarily related to color or whiteness. A paper with a brightness of 98 is an extremely bright sheet with almost all light being reflected back to the viewer. Bright white papers illuminate transparent printing inks, giving cleaner, crisper colour and contrasty blacks.
Caliper	Caliper is a measure of paper thickness under specified conditions expressed in thousandths of an inch. The micrometer is used to measure caliper.
Carbon credit	A generic term to assign a value to a reduction or offset of greenhouse gas emissions. A carbon credit is usually equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂-e). A carbon credit can be used by a business or individual to reduce their carbon footprint y investigating in an activity that has reduced or sequestered greenhouse gases at another site.
Carbon footprint	A form of carbon calculation that measures the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent that a country, a business, an industry or an individual produces or is responsible for. The footprint calculates the direct and indirect level of CO₂-e emissions. Direct emissions include the burning of fosil fuels for energy and transportation and indirect emissions focus on the whole lifecycle of products from procuring raw materials to waste management.
Carbon neutral	A voluntary mechanism where an activity, event, household, business or organisation is responsible for no net emissions of greenhouse gases and can therefore be declared carbon neutral in that specific area. Carbon neutrality can be achieved by reducing emissions as far as possible (e.g. energy efficiency, purchasing renewable energy) and then purchasing offsets for any residual emissions in order to achieve zero net emissions..
Carbon offset	Carbon offset is a monetary investment in a project or activity elsewhere that abates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or sequesters carbon from the atmosphere that is used to compensate for GHG emissions from your own activities. Offsets can be bought by a business or individual in the voluntary market (or within a trading scheme): a carbon offset usually represents one tonne of CO₂-e.
Certified carbon neutral	To become carbon neutral an organisation undertakes an action that reduces atmospheric carbon emissions in proportion to those generated by their business activities. This can be achieved by reducing the emissions from these activities by making changes in the way they operate and the energy sources they use, and/or offsetting carbon emissions through a carbon offset program or carbon trading.
Chain of Custody	The means of tracking a product along the supply chain. For instance, being able to trace paper from the forest of origin, through pulp and paper mill, paper merchant and printer to the end user. Often a third party audits the Chain of Custody system, as with the FSC and PEFC schemes.
CMYK	Cyan, magenta, yellow and black are the process colours of toner or ink used in offset and digital printing. The colours overlap and appear to mix visually to reproduce a complete spectrum of colours.
Coated Paper	Made with a surface coating, which allows for maximum smoothness and ink holdout in the printing process. Coated papers are available in a range of finishes from dull to matte, and gloss.
Cover Paper	Also called card stock, these papers are heavyweight coated or uncoated paper with good folding characteristics. Their diverse uses include folders, booklet covers, brochures and pamphlets.
Creasing	A crease is placed onto paper by pushing a metal arm against it, a different method of folding paper to scoring.
CSR	Corporate Social Responsibility. The continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large including the environment.
Dandy Roll	Wire cylinder used in papermaking process to create effects such as laid, as well as watermarks.
Deckle Edge	Produced in hand-papermaking by drainage under a wooden frame surrounding the hand mould. The rough edges on hand-made and some machine-made papers were originally considered an imperfection. The deckle edge cam back in fashion with the handcraft revival in the last decade of the 19th century.
Digital Papers	Papers designed for the specific processes of the emerging digital printing technologies. Unlike traditional offset printing, the digital environment is centered in quick turnarounds, short runs, and the ability to vary printed information within the run.
Digital Printing	Printing in which an image is applied to paper or another substrate directly from a digital file rather than using film and/or plates.
Dioxins	Dioxins are organochlorines, unwanted and toxic by-products formed in paper making when chlorine from bleaching combines with molecules in wood. They are also formed during the manufacture of PVC. Dioxins have been linked with hormone disruption and an increased risk of cancer. Both the paper and plastics industries have made major reductions to the release of dioxins in recent years.
DIP	De-Inked Pulp. Pulp consisting of fibre from paper previously printed, which has had the ink removed.
Dummy	Carefully assembled pages of actual paper stock represent exact form of final printed piece. Helps printer and client visualize written specifications.
Duotone	Two-colour halftone reproduction from black and white original.
Duplex	When both sides of paper are copied/printed in one pass.
Dye Sublimation	The ink converts from solid to vapor back to solid on polyester impregnated paper or film.
ECF	Elemental Chlorine Free. Paper pulp bleached without the use of elemental chlorine but instead using some chlorine dioxide, along with non-chlorine agents such as oxygen. Pulps using ECF methods contains up to 0.5kg of AOX per tonne of air-dried pulp.
Electrophotography	A printing or copying method which uses an electrical charge to create an image on a photoconductive surface. Toner is attracted to the charged area and then transferred and fused to paper.
EMAS	Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. The European Union’s regulated environmental management system. Similar to ISO 14001 but also requires public reporting.
Embossed Paper	Finish imparted to a web of paper in an embossing machine. Process is separate from the main papermaking process and involves running a web of paper between a steel embossing roll and a cardboard backing roll.
Emulsion Sealing	This is an overall process usually carried out on the last unit of the litho process. Emulsion sealers are used to enable the printed work to progress to other departments more quickly, thus minimising the problem of spray or ink rub. Always check that the sealer used is compatible with subsequent processes.
Energy Source	Fuels such as coal, gas, oil, peat, biofuels (such as bark) or electricity generated by a combined heat and power unit or bought in from the grid. The source of energy can influence the air emissions i.e. coal produces higher emissions than gas.
EU Eco-label	European Union scheme to promote ‘green’ products, including paper. It uses a stringent life cycle analysis to identify where a product might harm the environment (manufacture, distribution, disposal etc.) taking into account various factors such as energy usage and emissions. Rarely used for paper products.
Fanfold	Continuous stationery, typically used for computer printouts and invoices. Holes running down both sides allow the use of pin or tractor feeds.
Felt	Woven textile, originally wool but now usually synthetic, used to carry the web while moisture is pressed from it. While on the paper machine, the felt acts as a support for the paper web. Felts, if they are rough, can impart a felt finish to the paper.
Felt-side	The topside of the paper web, which comes in contact with the papermaking felt.
FFCS	Finnish Forest Certification System. A scheme for auditing forestry operations in Finland, taking into account the effects on the environment. Now part of the PEFC scheme.
Flecked, Flocked and Fibered	Terms commonly used to describe decorative fiber additives to text and cover papers. Coloured cotton and/or rayon fibers are added to the paper stock to create the look of hand-made paper. Other additives include jute fibers, and coloured bits of paper stock. For a listing of Spicers fiber-added papers consult the stock comparator.
Fibre Source	Types and locations of fibrous raw materials.
Film Laminating	Different types of laminates are available in both Matt and Gloss. Ensure that printing inks are suited to this process. Eg. Low wax and stable pigments.
Filler/Loading	Additive in the base sheet, generally calcium carbonate, china clay and titanium.
Formation	What the paper looks like when held up to the light. Paper is made from fibres; when they are uniformly distributed, solid ink coverage will go down smoothly. Poor formation may lead to print mottle.
Friction Feed	Platen which guides single sheets of paper through a printer.
FSC	Forest Stewardship Council. An international organisation promoting responsible forest management. FSC has developed principles for forest management which may be used for certifying the management of forest holdings, and a system of tracing, verifying and labelling timber and wood products which originate from FSC certified forests.
F.W.A.	Fluorescent Whitening Agent. (As O.B.A.)
Gloss	Gloss is the surface reflectance value at a given angle. The greater the value the greater the surface of Gloss..
Grain	The direction along which the majority of fibres lie. The alignment is parallel to the movement of paper as it travels through the paper machine.
Grain Direction	As the paper web is carried forward on the machine, the majority of fibres orient themselves in the machine direction. When the web of paper is sheeted, the sheets will be grain long (fibres that run parallel to the long side of the sheet) or grain short (they run parallel to the short side). Grain direction should be considered during the design process for best results during printing, folding, and converting. In sheetfed printing, paper is generally printed grain long. Folds are smoother if they go "with the grain".
Grammage	Basis weight of paper stated in metric terms.
H.S.W.O.	Heat Set Web Offset. A rotary printing process using heat to set the ink. A cylinder transferring the image from the printing plate to blanket to paper at speeds of 30000 or more impressions per hour.
Imposition	The arrangement of pages on a press sheet so they are in the proper order when folded.
Ink Holdout	A characteristic of printing and paper related to the capacity to keep ink sitting on its surface rather than absorbing into the sheet. Better ink holdout produces sharper printed images.
Ink-jet	A type of printer that sprays droplets of ink onto paper to forma an image. Continuous inkjet printers spray a continuous stream of ink, which is electronically controlled to print an image. Drop-on-demand inkjet printers shoot out single drops of ink as needed.
IPPC	Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control. IPPC seeks to prevent or minimise air, water and soil pollution by emissions from industrial installations in the community.
ISO 14001	The standard published by the international Standards Organisation specifying the requirements of an environmental management system.
LAN	Local Area Network.
Laid	A linear pattern, which is applied by a dandy roll while the paper is still very wet, to mimic the effect of some hand-made papers. The laid dandy roll is comprised of wires that run parallel to the roll's axis (laid lines), and chain lines, which connect the laid lines and run in the grain direction.
Laser	Acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission from Radiation. An intense, focused beam of light used in many imaging systems to produce images through electronic impulses.
Laser Paper	Very smooth, low-moisture papers manufactured in cut sizes for laser printers and office duplicating equipment. Low moisture prevents paper curling from high heat in laser printers. Note: If your job is designed to run through a laser printer, you should specify laser-compatible offset inks.
Laser Printer	A desktop printer, which uses a laser, beam to create an image on a photoconductive drum. Dry toner is attracted to the charged area and is fused to paper with heat and/or pressure.
LED	Light Emitting Diode. An alternative page printer technology, which draws the image on a light sensitive drum using LEDs rather than a laser beam.
Life Cycle Assessment / Analysis (LCA)	A method of evaluating the environmental impact of a product ‘from cradle to grave’, including how it’s made, how it’s used and how it’s disposed of.
Linen Finish	One of the many textured effects that is produced by embossing a web of paper with a patterned steel roll. Embossing takes place off the machine as a separate operation.
Manufactures carbon neutral	Products from which the carbon emissions created during the manufacturing process are calculated, reduced and then offset, however the emissions ‘from cradle to grave’ are not assessed. The calculated footprint is therefore restricted to the manufacturing process within the mill gates only and does not include delivery to customers.
Micro Dry	Fuses dry ink from a cassette ribbon on to paper. Moisture Content - The amount of moisture found in a sheet of paper. If the moisture content in a sheet is too high or too low, the paper can curl or build up static, which affects the way it runs through a press, printer or copier.
Mill Broke	Offcuts and rejected material that has not left the paper mill. Broke is routinely re-pulped and the fibre used in the production of new paper. Mill broke is not normally considered to be true recycled fibre.
NGO	Non-Governmental Organisation. Term applied to organisations such as charities and pressure groups. Environmental NGOs (sometimes referred to as ENGOs) include Friends of the Earth (FoE), the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Greenpeace.
Non-impact	Printer technologies which do not strike the page. Advantages include the speed, quality and near silent operation. Main disadvantage is that they cannot print onto multi-part stationery.
Nordic Swan	An environmental label encouraging production methods that create minimum environmental impact. Evaluation for paper is based upon strict limits for emissions and effluent from pulp and paper mills.
O.B.A.	Optical Brightening Agent used to brighten the paper. Absorbs UV light and re-emits in the visible spectrum giving the appearance of a whiter or bluer sheet.
Old Growth Forest (OGF)	Term sometimes applied to old, relatively untouched forest rich in biodiversity. May also be called High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF), pristine or natural forest.
Paper Profile	‘Product declarations’ produced by some paper manufacturers, which list environmental information for their grades.
Offset Paper	Uncoated paper designed for use in offset lithography. Important properties include good internal bonding, high surface strength, dimensional stability, lack of curl, and freedom from foreign surface material.
Opacity (ISO)	Measure of the percentage of light passage through a sheet of paper. The more opaque a paper is, the less show-through there will be from printing on the sheet below. Basis weight, brightness, type of fibres, fillers, coatings and formation all influence opacity. Generally, opacity and brightness are inversely related to each other: the brighter the paper, the less opaque. Other factors that affect opacity are bulk, surface smoothness and shade.
Optical Brighteners	Also called fluorescent dyes, these are used extensively to make very high bright, blue-white papers. They absorb invisible ultraviolet light and convert it to visible light on the blue/violet end of the spectrum.
Page Printers	Printers which will link direct to a Personal Computer and will print whatever you see on the screen.
Paper/Board	As a general rule paper/board substances are up to 200g/m - paper, over 200g/m board.
Paper Manufacturer	A company that makes web, sheet, and/or cut size paper and sells it through paper merchants and paper stores.
Paper Merchant	A liaison between the paper manufacturer and the paper buyer who offers a number of lines of papers and can offer advice to buyers on the best sheets to specify for particular jobs. Merchants sell paper and envelopes to printers.
PDF (Portable Document Format)	A file format which allows a file created on one computer platform to be viewed and printed intact by computer users on a number of different platforms. Created by Adobe Systems for Acrobat products.
PEFC	Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. A scheme for auditing forestry operations, taking into account the effects on the environment.
Perfect Binding	Bindery method where all pages are trimmed to single sheets. They are clamped together and a cover is wrapped around the spine. The pages are attached to the cover using an adhesive.
pH	Degree of acidity or alkalinity measured on a scale of 0 to 14 with h7 being the neutral point. pH is important in paper permanence but also in proper functioning of fountain solutions in offset printing.
Post-consumer Waste	Waste that has reached the end user, typically homes and offices. It is considered the most environmentally efficient as the fibre has completed a useful life before re-entering the cycle. Paper, paperboard and fibrous wastes from retail sores, office buildings, homes, municipal collection systems, etc., after such material has passed through its end usage as a consumer item including computer forms, tab cards, photocopies, cancelled cheques and general office waste.
Pre-consumer Waste	Waste that has left the mill but has not reached the end user. Typically trimmings and rejected material from printers, envelope converters etc. Manufacturing waste such as dry paper generated after the papermaking process (butt rolls, rejected unused stock, roll converting shavings, envelope cuttings, bindery trimmings, and other paper waste resulting from converting, printing and trimming operations). Also includes printer overruns and other printed paper, which has not reached the consumer.
Printing Inks	Conventional ink means an ink, which dries by both oxidation and penetration and does not include "Press open", "Duct fresh" or "Overnight" inks. These may be satisfactory depending upon the type of work to be printed and the material used. Always check that the inks used are suitable for subsequent processes.
Ream Wrapped	An individually wrapped ream of paper.
Recycled	Papers that contain postconsumer fibre can currently be called recycled. The Federal Executive Order calls for a 20% postconsumer fibre minimum for uncoated papers, and a 10% postconsumer fibre minimum for coated papers. To obtain the Recycled label, a paper must contain recovered materials. The amount may vary considerably, from small percentages of pre-consumer to 100% post-consumer materials, and any combination of the two. Most recycled papers will have a recovered content of at least 20%.
Recycled Paper	Paper which meets minimum reclaimed content standards established by federal, state and municipal governments, and the paper industry. Fibre content usually consists of post-consumer and pre-consumer reclaimed fibre plus virgin pulp. Uniform content standards (percentage of virgin and recycled pulp, proportion of post-consumer and pre-consumer recovered fibre) have not, as yet, been established universally.
Recycled Fibre Classification	Mill Broke – Waste that has not left the mill. Pre-consumer fibre – Waste that has left the mill but not reached the consumer, typically from the printer or converter. Post-consumer fibre – Post-consumer waste, collected from homes, offices etc. Post-consumer mechanical fibre – Post-consumer waste, typically newspapers. To be classified as recycled the grade should contain no less than 50% of the total fibre from any combination of the above sources with the percentages given for each.
Rigidity	Rigidity is the force required to bend a strip of paper or board through a known angle.
Resolution (Ink Jet)	Most Ink Jet machines are generally 360, 720 or 1440 DPI (dots per inch).
Set Off	Also called off set. Transferring or smearing of ink from freshly printed press sheets to another surface. Printers often add a varnish or aqueous coating in line to avoid set off of printed sheets in bindery operations.
Smoothness	The surface quality of a sheet of paper, related to the flatness of the sheet. Smoothness affects ink and toner receptivity. Smoothness is measured by the Sheffield scale. A higher value typically indicates a rougher sheet. For example, coated paper may have a smoothness of 10-30, whereas vellum offset may have a rating from 200-250.
Solid Ink	Solid ink blocks melted prior to printing (eg. Tektronix Phaser).
Surface pH	Surface pH is the degree of an acidity/alkalinity of the material's surface. The pH scale ranges from 1 - 14, 1-6.9 being acid, 7.1 - 14 being alkali, and 7 being neutral.
Supercalendered	Paper that is processed through a heated pressurized stack of rolls. There are usually twelve, and they compress and polish the paper, imparting a gloss.
Sustainable Development	A way of living and working which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Surface Sizing	Paper that has a starch or chemical additive to make the paper resistant to water and improve ink hold out.
Text & Cover	A class of high-quality uncoated papers in a wide variety of colours and textures. Text is usually made with a matching or coordinating cover.
Thermography	This process is not recommended if the material will subsequently be Laser printed. However, some companies are successfully UV curing thermographic letterheads to satisfy the laser copying process.
TCF	Totally Chlorine Free. Paper pulp that is bleached without using chlorine in any form, thus giving an AOX level of zero. The alternative bleaching agents used might be liquid oxygen, hydrogen peroxide or sodium hydroxide.
Translucent Paper	Paper made by beating the paper fibres until they are very short and translucent. Some translucent papers are transparentised using chemical treatments. Originally used for tracing paper, it is specified for flysheets and other decorative purposes in commercial printing. Translucent papers are fairly difficult to work with as they are fragile with low dimensional stability. However, they provide interesting visual contrasts and have been used successfully in a wide variety of applications.
Varnishing	There are four usual ways of varnishing. Machine which is carried out on the litho machine and puts down a very thin layer of varnish, either overall or in certain areas. UV which can be put down on a litho machine fitted with a UV drier and can either varnish overall or in defined areas. Roller Coat which is an overall process with a UV drier. Silk Screen which is carried out on a silk screen machine with a UV drier. With this system it is possible to varnish defined areas with a very thick varnish layer. Always use inks which are recommended for varnishing. It is best to try to leave narrow channels free from UV varnish in the areas to be creased.
Waterless Printing	A process on which fountain solution is not necessary. Non-image areas of the printing plate are treated with silicone so that they reject ink.
Watermarks	Designs formed in fine wire or in low-relief metal castings and sewn onto the dandy roll. The resulting thick and thin areas make the watermark slightly more translucent than the rest of the sheet.
Web Press	A printing press or printer that is fed with a continuous reel of paper.
Wire Side	The side that is in contact with the wire on the paper machine, as distinguished from the felt or top side.
Whiteness (CIE.D65)	Whiteness related to the entire visible spectrum. The CIE whiteness formula gives the best correlation between instrumental and visual assessment of whiteness.
Woodfree	Description used of pulp and paper meaning that they contain little or no mechanically ground fibres. Implies that fibres are chemically treated, thereby eliminating lignin and making the product purer, whiter and stronger. Woodfree is an historical paper-making term shortened from "groundwood-free". However, when used in connection with finished paper products now widely available from office super stores etc, it understandably causes confusion amongst end consumers who wrongly assume it to mean the product thus described is literally woodfree, ie. Does not involve trees.