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 paper is manufactured in an alkaline environment, which prevents internal chemical deterioration 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, resulting in a 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 0.5 kg 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 trimmed to size, since ink or toner would foul press cylinders or belts if it extended beyond 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 colour or whiteness. A paper with a brightness of 98 is extremely bright, with almost all light reflected back to the viewer. Bright white papers illuminate transparent printing inks, giving cleaner, crisper colour and contrasty blacks.
Calliper Calliper is a measure of paper thickness under specified conditions, expressed in thousandths of an inch. The micrometre is used to measure callipers.
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 by investing in an activity that reduces or sequesters 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 fossil fuels for energy and transportation while indirect emissions focus on the entire 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 which 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 actions that reduce atmospheric carbon emissions in proportion to those generated by its business activities. This can be achieved by reducing emissions from these activities through changes in how they operate and the energy sources they use, and/or by 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 used in toner or ink used in offset and digital printing. The colours overlap and appear to mix visually, reproducing 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 cardstock, 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 made in paper by pressing a metal arm against it, a different method of folding paper from 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 A wire cylinder used in the 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 imperfections. The deckle edge came 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 on 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 organochlorine, unwanted and toxic by-products formed in paper making when chlorine used for bleaching reacts 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 in dioxin emissions 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 the exact form of the final printed piece. Helps the printer and client visualise 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 vapour, then back to solid, on polyester-impregnated paper or film.
ECF Elemental Chlorine Free. Paper pulp is bleached without elemental chlorine, using chlorine dioxide and non-chlorine agents such as oxygen. Pulps using ECF methods contain up to 0.5kg of AOX per tonne of air-dried pulp.
Electrophotography A printing or copying method that uses an electrical charge to create an image on a photoconductive surface. Toner is attracted to the charged area, then transferred and fused onto the 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 is 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 rigorous life cycle analysis to identify where a product might harm the environment (manufacturing, distribution, disposal etc.) taking into account factors such as energy use and emissions. Rarely used for paper products.
Fanfold Continuous stationery, typically used for computer printouts and invoices. Holes running down both sides allow for pin or tractor feeds.
Felt Woven textile, originally wool but now usually synthetic, used to carry the web while moisture is pressed from it. On the paper machine, the felt serves 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 fibre additives to text and cover papers. Coloured cotton and/or rayon fibres are added to the paper stock to create the look of handmade paper. Other additives include jute fibres, and coloured bits of paper stock. For a listing of Spicers fibre-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 Additives 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 that may be used to certify the management of forest holdings, and a system of tracing, verifying and labelling timber and wood products originating 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 Gloss surface.
Grain The direction along which the majority of fibres lie. The alignment is parallel to the paper's movement as it travels through the paper machine.
Grain Direction As the paper web is carried forward on the machine, most 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 transfers the image from the printing plate to the blanket and then to the paper at speeds of 30,000 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 form 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 handmade papers. The laid dandy roll comprises wires that run parallel to the roll's axis (laid lines), and chain lines that 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 is 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 from curling due to 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 that 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 onto 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 how it runs through a press, printer, or copier.
Mill Broke Offcuts and rejected material that have 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 that do not strike the page. Advantages include the speed, quality and near-silent operation. The main disadvantage is that they cannot print onto multi-part stationery.
Nordic Swan An environmental label encouraging production methods that create minimal 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 is 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) The term sometimes applied to old, relatively untouched forests rich in biodiversity. It may also be called a High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF), a pristine or natural forest.
Paper Profile ‘Product declarations’ produced by some paper manufacturers, 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) A 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, fibre type, fillers, coatings, and formation all influence opacity. Generally, opacity and brightness are inversely related: the brighter the paper, the less opaque it is. Other factors that affect opacity are bulk, surface smoothness and shade.
Optical Brighteners Also called fluorescent dyes, these are used extensively to make very 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 that will link directly 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 that 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 The 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 is measured on a scale of 0 to 14, with pH 7 being the neutral point. pH is important in paper permanence, but also in the 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 stores, 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 have not reached the consumer.
Printing Inks

Conventional ink means an ink, that 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 post-consumer 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 at least 20% 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 that meets minimum reclaimed content standards established by federal, state and municipal governments, and the paper industry. Fibre content typically comprises 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 inkjet 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, is related to its flatness. 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 acidity/alkalinity of the material's surface. The pH scale ranges from 1 - 14, with 1-6.9 acidic, 7.1 - 14 alkaline, and 7 neutral.
Supercalendered

Paper that is processed through a heated pressurised 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 holdout.
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. A machine that 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 applied on a litho machine fitted with a UV drier, and can either be applied 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 apply a very thick varnish layer to defined areas. Always use inks that are recommended for varnishing. It is best to leave narrow channels free of UV varnish in the areas to be creased.
Waterless Printing A process for which a 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 provides the best correlation between instrumental and visual whiteness assessments.
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.