| A | B |
|---|
| Blanket | In offset printing, a smooth robber surface which transfers the image from the plate to the paper |
| Doctor Blade | In gravure printing, a knife-edged blade pressed against the etched cylinder to wipe away the excess ink from non-printing areas; in flexographic printing, it removes excess ink from the anilox roller. |
| Gravure (intaglio) | A printing process in which the image is etched below th e surface of the printing plate. |
| Image area | The part of the plate which repels water and carries the ink to print the image |
| Flexography | The process of printing from a raised surface |
| Offset (planographic) | The process of printing from a flat surface with the image area and nonimage areas kept separated by chemistry (grease and water don't mix) |
| Plate | A thin sheet of metal, paper, or plastic which carries the image |
| Blanket Cylinder | The cylinder which holds the rubber blanket |
| Impression Cylinder | The cylinder which applies pressure for the image transfer to the paper |
| Nonimage area | The part of the plate which is bathed in water and carries only the background, which does not print |
| Finishing | A variety of different operations and specialties performed in line with or after printing |
| Makeready | All the work involved in preparing printing materials for a particular job |
| static data output | Form of printing that does not allow for any personalization: identical output is duplicated over and over |
| Variable data outpu | Form of on-demand digital print that allows for any personlization of printed materials, such as letters, brochures, and other promotional products |
| Viscosity | The resistance of ink to flow |
| Sheet Fed | Sheets of paper are delivered to and from the press as flat sheets |
| Web Fed | Large rolls of paper are unwound and fed through the press |
| Digital printing | Is done directly from a computer, is used for short runs, and can print variable data |
| Screen Printing | Is a printing method in which the image is transferred to a surface by squeezing ink through stenciled fabric |
| Letterpress | Is a form of relief printing in which the image area on a plate or image carrier is raised and reversed. It is the oldest form of commercial printing. |
