German – English Terms
From A to Z. English technical term small above the German one.
All technical terms of the course from A to Z. On each card, the English technical term is written small at the top, followed underneath by the German term and its explanation.
A
Press proof
Proof
Proof print on the actual printing press and paper prior to the print run.
B
BLUE ANGEL
Blue Angel
German ecolabel; for paper, it stands for 100% recycled paper and strict manufacturing guidelines.
dummy sample
Unprinted dummy in the actual material, format, and extent; demonstrates the feel, weight, and folding behaviour prior to printing.
BLIND EMBOSSING
Blind debossing
Embossing without ink or foil; the design is created purely by the relief in the paper.
LETTERPRESS
letterpress printing
Letterpress printing with a raised printing plate; a tactile deboss is created on thick card.
Thu
DIGITAL PRINTING
Digital printing
Printing directly from data without a fixed printing plate; ideal for short runs and personalisation.
F
SECTION SEWING
Thread stitching
Binding method in which folded sections are sewn with thread; highly durable and opens flat easily.
PAINTED EDGES
Sprayed edges
Coloured edges of a book block or a thick card.
FLEXOGRAPHY
Flexographic printing
Flexographic printing with flexible printing plates; standard for packaging, bags and labels.
FSC certification
FSC
Label for wood and paper from responsible forestry, in the categories 100%, Mix and Recycled.
G
COATED PAPER
Coated paper
Paper coated with pigments; smooth and suitable for sharp, brilliant images.
GRAMMAGE
Grammage
Grammage of paper in grams per square metre (gsm or g/m²).
H
Hot Foil Stamping
Hot foil stamping
Transfer of a metallic or coloured foil using a heated die.
WOODFREE
Wood-free
Wood-free paper made from chemical pulp; brighter and more resistant to ageing.
K
BOARD
Cardboard box
Thicker, stiffer material, roughly between 150 and 600 g/m²; above that, it is referred to as paperboard.
LAMINATION
Lamination
Applying a film or paper to a sheet; provides protection, but often makes recycling more difficult.
PERFECT BINDING
Perfect binding
A binding method where the sheets are milled along the spine and glued to the cover.
Kraft paper
Tear-resistant, usually brown paper made from long cellulose fibres; typical for bags and packaging.
Cross fold
Cross-fold
A folding method where each subsequent fold is at a right angle to the previous one.
L
GRAIN DIRECTION
Direction of travel
Direction in which the paper fibres predominantly lie; paper folds better parallel to this.
M
MATERIAL LIBRARY
Material library
Custom, labelled collection of paper, print and finishing samples.
N
UNCOATED PAPER
Uncoated paper
Uncoated paper with an open surface; tactile, easy to write on, colours appear softer.
O
OFFSET PRINTING
Offset printing
Indirect planographic printing via a rubber blanket; precise and cost-effective from medium print runs onwards.
OPACITY
Opacity
The opacity of paper expressed as a percentage; the higher the value, the less show-through there is.
P
PAPER SHADE
Paper clay
Colour tone of the paper, such as bright white, natural white or chamois; influences all printing colours.
EMBOSSING
Embossing
Forming a relief in paper using a punch and counter-punch.
Contract proof
Proof
Colour-accurate contract proof conforming to industry standards, simulating the final print result.
Dot gain
Dot gain
Enlargement of the halftone dots during printing, also known as dot gain; more pronounced on uncoated paper.
PUR BINDING
PUR perfect binding
PUR (polyurethane) adhesive binding; exceptionally durable and lies flat easily.
R
RECYCLED PAPER
Recycled paper
Paper that is made entirely or predominantly from recycled paper.
CREASING
Grooves
Pre-creasing a fold line so that cardboard and heavy papers do not crack when folded.
RISOGRAPHY
Risograph printing
Stencil printing with one ink drum per colour; affordable, grainy and vibrant.
SPINE WIDTH
Spine width
Spine width; calculated from the number of sheets, paper weight, and bulk.
SADDLE STITCHING
Saddle stitching
Folded sheets gathered inside one another are stitched with wire staples along the fold.
Short grain and long grain
Specification of the grain direction on the sheet: short grain (SG) runs parallel to the short edge, long grain (LG) parallel to the long edge.
S
SCREEN PRINTING
Screen printing
Screen printing through a fine mesh; opaque colour on almost any material.
SPOT COLOUR
Spot colour
Pre-mixed printing ink, such as Pantone or HKS, instead of a CMYK mix.
DIE CUTTING
Die-cutting
Cutting out a shape or contour using a cutting die.
U
Spot UV Varnish
Spot UV varnish
Spot gloss varnish that cures under UV light to highlight individual elements.
V
BULK
Volume
Ratio of paper thickness to basis weight; bulk 1.0 means: 100 g/m² paper is 0.1 mm thick.
W
Roll fold
roll fold
A folding style where the panels are folded inwards one after another; the inner panels are slightly narrower.
Wire-o binding
Wire-o binding
Twin-wire binding through punched holes; lies flat and folds back.
Z
CONCERTINA FOLD
concertina fold
A folding method with alternating, opposing folds like an accordion; also known as an accordion or concertina fold.