| Abrasion Resistance |
| The resistance to scratching of a surface of paper by other paper surfaces or other materials. |
| Absorbency |
| The ability of a paper to take up moisture. |
| Accordion Fold |
| A type of paper folding in which each fold runs in the opposite direction to the previous fold creating a pleated or accordion affect. |
| Acetate |
| A transparent or translucent plastic sheet material of a variety of colors, used as a basis for artwork and overlays. |
| Achromatic |
| Black, white and gray. |
| Acid Resist |
| An acid-proof protective coating applied to metal plates prior to etching designs thereon. Bichromated solutions employed in photoengraving as sensitizers provide acid resist through the action of light on sensitized surface. |
| Acrylic |
| A water-soluble polymer used in paints to make them dry tough and flexible. |
| Actinic Rays |
| Light exposure that affects chemical changes in paper. |
| Additive Colors |
| In photographic reproduction, the primary colors of red, green and blue which are mixed to form all other colors. |
| Aerate |
| This refers to a manual process whereby an air stream is blown onto paper sheets to create a riffling effect that separates the sheets as they are fed to the printing press. |
| Agate |
| A type size of 5 1/2 points. |
| Agate Line |
| In newspaper classifieds, a measurement denoting 1/4 inch depth by one column width. 14 agate lines = one column inch. |
| Air |
| Large white areas in a design layout. |
| Airbrush |
| A compressed air tool that dispenses a fine mist of paint or ink; used in illustration and photo retouching. |
| Albion Press |
| A hand operated printing press made of iron. |
| Album Paper |
| A wood pulp paper with an antique finish used for pages of photo albums. |
| Albumen Plate |
| A surface plate used in the lithography process; it has a photosensitive coating. |
| Albumin Paper |
| A coated paper used in photography; the coating is made of albumen (egg whites) and ammonium chloride. |
| Alignment |
| The condition of type and or art materials as they level up on a horizontal or vertical line. |
| Alkali Blue |
| Also called reflex blue. A pigment used in carbon black inks and varnishes to improve luster. |
| Alley |
| A term for a random, coincidental path or a row of white space within a segment of copy. |
| Alphabet Length |
| The measured length (in points) of the lowercase alphabet of a certain size and series of type. |
| Amberlith |
| Red-orange acetate used for masking mechanicals when photographing for plates. The amberlith area appears black to the camera, and prints clear on the resulting film. |
| American Paper Institute |
| An organization that correlates all paper related information. |
| Angle Bar |
| In "web-fed" printing (printing on rolls of paper as opposed to single sheets), an angle bar is a metal bar that is used to turn paper between two components of the press. |
| Aniline |
| Oil-based solvent (quick drying) used in the preparation process of dyes and inks. |
| Animal Sized |
| A technique of paper making which hardens the surface by passing the paper through a bath of animal glue or gelatin. |
| Anodized Plate |
| In lithography, a plate manufactured with a barrier of aluminum oxide, which prevents chemical reactions that break down the plate; it provides optimum press performance. |
| Antigua |
| An eleventh century Italian script typeface. |
| Antiquarian |
| A handmade paper (53 x 31 inches), largest known handmade paper. |
| Antique Finish |
| Paper with a rough, sized surface used for book and cover stock. |
| Antiskinning Agent |
| An antioxidant agent used to prevent inks from skinning over in the can. |
| Apron |
| The white area of text (or illustrations) at the margins which form a foldout. |
| Aqua Tint |
| A printing process that uses the recessed areas of the plate; ideal for graded and even tones. |
| Aquarelle |
| The hand application of color, through stencils onto a printed picture. |
| Aqueous Plate |
| Water soluble plate coatings, which are less toxic and less polluting. |
| Arc Light |
| A light source produced by the passing of electric current between two electrodes; used in the production of plates in photolithography. |
| Arms |
| Those elements of letters that branch out from the stem of a letter, such as: "K" and "Y". |
| Arrowhead |
| A symbol shaped like an arrowhead that is used in illustration to direct a leader line. |
| Art Paper |
| A paper evenly coated with a fine clay compound, which creates a hard smooth surface on one or both sides. |
| Art Work |
| Any materials or images that are prepared for graphic reproduction. |
| Art-Lined Envelope |
| An envelope that is lined with an extra fine paper; can be colored or patterned. |
| Artwork |
| All illustrated material, ornamentation, photos and charts etc., that is prepared for reproduction. |
| As To Press |
| In gravure printing, (recessed areas of plate hold ink), a term used for proofs showing the final position of color images. |
| ASA |
| A number set by the American Standards Assoc., which is placed on film stock to allow calculation of the length and "F" number of an exposure. |
| Ascender |
| Any part of a lower case letter which rises above the main body of the letter such as in "d", "b" and "h". |
| Assembled negative |
| Film negatives consisting of line and halftone copy which are used to make plates for printing. |
| Author's Alterations (AA's) |
| Changes made after composition stage where customer is responsible for additional charges. |
| Autochrome Paper |
| Coated papers that are regarded as exceptional for multi-colored printing jobs. |
| Autolithography |
| A printing method whereby the image is hand drawn or etched directly onto lithography plates or stones. |
| Autopositive |
| Any photo materials which provide positive images without a negative. |
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