Glossary

The PRINTING United Alliance Glossary serves as an excellent industry terminology resource. It is the language by which we all communicate. Without it, universal understanding would be impossible.

To keep our constituents well informed about changes to the increasingly complex industry terminology, PRINTING United Alliance has developed this glossary of terms. Definitions are for general reference only. Usage may vary between companies, individuals, or national and country customs. The information presented is as accurate as the authors and editors can ascertain and PRINTING United Alliance assumes no responsibility for the use of information presented herein.
  • Bisection plane construction
    A display construction whereby two planes are connected by interlocking.
  • Bisque ware
    Ceramic ware that has been hardened by an initial firing but without color other than that produced by the clay in firing; unglazed ceramic ware that has been fired once.
  • Bit (b)
    A binary digit, 0 to 1, represented as a single on-off circuit.
  • Bit depth
    Maximum number of bits that are used to define a pixel that is a measure of the defined brightness range.
  • Bite
    The penetration of a substrate surface by ink, solvents, or an adhesive.
  • Bitmap
    A rasterized graphic image formed by a rectangular grid of pixels or dots.
  • Black (K)
    (1) The absence of all reflected light; the color that is produced when an object absorbs all wavelengths from the light source; (2) In four-color printing process black is required in the printing process because equal amounts of cyan, magenta, and yellow ink will not produce a true black, designated by the letter "K."
  • Black and white (B/W)
    Originals and printed material comprised only of black and white or tones of gray.
  • Black and white art
    Line art in black and white usually produced on smooth or textured board with pen or brush and black ink or generated by computer in black and white.
  • Black generation
    The reduction of the intensity of the process colors and replacing with a more intense black when separating an RGB color image into CMYK colors, typically referred to as GCR or UCR.
  • Black iron oxide
    An inorganic pigment with excellent fade and bleeding resistance, poor gloss, and good resistance to acids and alkali.
  • Black light
    Invisible infrared or ultraviolet radiation, a common name for ultraviolet rays which have a wavelength between 3200 and 4000 angstrom units.
  • Black light fluorescent tube
    Electrically activated tubular shape light source, high in actinic value that emits rays in or very near the ultraviolet band of the spectrum, used for exposing photosensitive stencil films.
  • Black point
    Scanned color that produces values of 0, 0, 0 in a scanner. (Ideally, black point is 0% neutral reflectance or transmittance), also refer to white point.
  • Black printer (K)
    In process color reproduction, the prepress materials used to produce the black image. (The letter "K" is used to designate this color.)
  • Blackboard coating (chalkboard coating)
    A smooth, hard, Matte surface coating applied by spraying or screen printing onto a substrate to provide a writing surface for chalk.
  • Blackbody
    A surface that completely absorbs all radiant energy striking it without reflection.
  • Blackening
    A darkened defect in paper caused by crushing at the calendars which is usually associated with a decrease in capacity, but may also be caused by excessive moisture.
  • Blade
    The flexible printing edge of the squeegee which may be made from various elastomers of polyurethane, neoprene, or rubber.
  • Blade coating
    A method of coating paper utilizing a flexible blade set at an adjustable angle against the web, supported by a soft surfaced backing roll.
  • Blade marks
    Broad indentations in the surface coating of paper, which can be caused by an untrue blade or faulty mix of the coating material.
  • Blade scratch
    A very fine hair-like indentation in paper which may vary from a few feet to several hundred feet in the machine direction of the web.
  • Blank dummy (mock-up)
    A full size, serviceable model of a display without printing or art work.
  • Blank ware
    Undecorated glass or ceramic ware.
  • Blanks
    (1) Cardboard, plastic, metal, or other unprinted substrate used for making displays and signs; (2) Unprinted garments or piece goods.