R

Ream: The basic unit for ordering paper. A ream is 500 sheets.

Resolution: the crispness of detail or fineness of grain in an image. Screen resolution is measured in dots by lines (for example, 640 x 350); printer resolution is measured in dpi (for example, 300 dpi).

RGB: Acronym for "Red, Green, Blue" -- the phosphors on a computer monitor or television screen which create the images you see.

S

Saddle Stitch: A method of securing loose printed pages with staples down the middle of a folded sheaf of papers. Many booklets are saddled-stitched. Side-stitching is a similar method where the pages are stapled about 1/4" from the spine.

Set: One each of every individual tab in a job or group.

Shrink Wrapping: Sealing and heat-shrinking in plastic film of individual or multiple tab sets or pieces.

Signatures: In printing, any single press sheet on which multiple page have been imposed which, when folded and cut, forms a group of pages. Most books and other publications are printed as group of signatures, the multiple imposition allowing a significant reduction in the number of independent pressruns required to print all pages.

Smythe Book Sewing: A form of thread sewing used to attach signatures together.

Spiral Wire Binding: A means of mechanical binding in which the pages are bound together by means of a wire or plastic coil threaded into drilled or punched holes along the binding edge of the pages.

Spot color separation: for offset printing, separation of solid premixed ink colors (for example, green, brown, light blue, etc.); used when the areas to be colored are not adjacent. Spot color separations can be indicated on the tissue cover of the mechanical, or made with overlays.

Spread: in a double-sided document, the combination of two facing pages, which are designed as a unit. Also, the adjacent inside panels of a brochure when opened.

T

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format): for digital gray-scale halftones, a device-independent graphics file format. TIFF files can be used on IBM/compatible or Macintosh computers, and may be output to PostScript printers.

Tip-On: To bind a foldout or other insert into a book by means of an adhesive.

V

Varnish: A coating applied over a printed piece that gives it surface protection against wear. It can also be used to highlight an area for special emphasis. Varnishes come in either glossy or dull finishes.

Vector graphic: Vector graphics are drawn in paths. This allows the designer to resize images freely without getting pixilated edges as is the case with bitmapped images. The vector format is generally used for in printing while the bitmap format is used for onscreen display.

W

Wafer Seal: The technical name for those little gummed labels that are attached to self-mailers to keep them shut during mailing.