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Adhesive Binding

Besides stitched binding, adhesive binding is another common technique for further processing printing products. This process involves gathering and mill cutting the folded sheets at the binding margin before the cover is glued on.

Appletalk

Network Protocol developed by Apple for the Ethernet to exchange data between Macintosh computers and printers.

Blank

Blank pages are automatically inserted into a document if the existing number of pages does not agree with the imposition scheme’s page requirement. dots Pilot 2 always inserts the blank pages at the end of the document.

Booklet

A booklet consists of a number of printed pages that are folded and bound in a specific fashion. As compared with a book, a booklet contains fewer pages and requires a different binding technique.

Client

Computer that accesses data or programs provided by other network computers (servers).

Computer-to-Plate

Term describing the direct process of creating physical printing plates from digital data.

Creep

Stitched booklets with back stapling are prepared by folding the sheets and placing them into each other. Due to the paper’s thickness and its limited bending radius, the outer sheets are slightly longer than the central ones. The binding margin, meaning the space between two opposed pages on the sheet must grow from the central toward the outer sheets to make sure that the pages of the finished booklet are precisely on top of each other.

Crop Mark

A mark on the Sheet indicating the final format of the printing product. Cutting along crop marks is necessary if the page is printed on up to the edge (cut part) or if a multi-page printed product is stitched or bound.

Interface

Device connected to one or more other devices for data transmission. The components in plain sight include a connector or plug for a connection cable. Interfaces can be classified according to transfer speed, serial or parallel and also uni- or bidirectional transmission. The design of serial interfaces allows only for consecutive transmission of data bits. Parallel interfaces can transmit several bits simultaneously (usually 8) and are therefore faster. Unidirectional interfaces can transmit data only in one direction, while bidirectional interfaces can send and receive data.

Drag & Drop

Editing function allowing to move data by dragging and dropping it with the mouse.

DSC

Abbreviation of Document Structuring Convention.

Concerns introductory lines of PostScript files designated as comment which describe the program code. Document Structuring Conventions are not obligatory; therefore, the quality in which they are produced depends on the specific application and printer drivers employed. Document Structuring Conventions may include information on the total number of pages, fonts used and the PostScript file’s origin. Duplex In the context of digital printing systems, it means printing onto both sides of a sheet in one operation.

EPS

Abbreviation of Encapsulated PostScript. The PostScript program is encapsulated within a defined header and termination code. This EPS format is used to insert PostScript programs into a document. For dots Pilot 2, EPS files are different from PostScript files in their initial classifying lines only.

Halftone Screen

Regular arrangement of dots or small areas to create halftones (shades of grey). Screens are employed whenever the available printing device distinguishes only two color states (color / no color), as is the case in offset printing. Digital halftone emulation is achieved by assigning a certain number of Pixels to a halftone cell. A halftone cell measuring 8 x 8 pixels can emulate 8 x 8 = 256 different shades of gray. The deeper the shade, the more pixels inside the square are black. Yet this process reduces the effective Resolution. A 400 dpi printer can only produce 400 / 8 = 50 halftone cells per inch.

Imposition

Arranging a document’s pages on a sheet. The imposition scheme determines the way in which the pages are arranged on the sheet. The imposition process insures that all pages are in correct order after the sheets are folded, gathered and cut.

Imposition scheme

The imposition scheme shows how to arrange a document’s total number of pages and how often the individual sheet must finally be folded or broken. The goal is to achieve a maximum of printing efficiency.

LPI

Lines per inch. This unit of measurement is used for describing Screen Frequency.

Multiple-ups

Pages arranged on the same Sheet. The term is usually used in the sense of multiple copies (2-up, 4-up). In dots Pilot 2 the term Step-and-Repeat is used in the same way.

Network Protocol

Protocol for transferring data in a computer network. Multiple network protocols may be active within one network (e.g. Ethernet), possibly even simultaneously. Some examples of current network protocols are AppleTalk, TCP/IP or Novell IPX.

Original Page Size

The original page size refers to the imported document’s page size.

Page

Documents consist of one or more pages, where the page size usually corresponds with a standard Paper Size.

Paper Size

Due to the introduction of norm paper sizes such as DIN etc., paper sizes are largely standardized. The DIN formats are based on the A format. The format family based on a sheet with an area of 1m2 is called “A Series”. Since the A series’ format classes were not enough, the format series B and C were developed.

PDF

Abbreviation of Portable Document Format. A PostScript-related format developed by Adobe for cross-platform file exchange.

Pixel

Abbreviation of Picture Element. Smallest image element laser printers and other digital devices can produce or visualize.

POD

Abbreviation of Printing On Demand. Minimization of storage requirements for printing plates or finished printing products by employing computer-aided just-in-time procedures.

PostScript

Programming language developed by Adobe. It is geared towards the needs of graphic oriented applications. PostScript is used to describe page layout and contents, which is why it is referred to as a page description language. The PostScript program describing a page is independent of a specific operating system, computer or imaging device. According to Adobe, there are about 5000 programs able to process PostScript files.

PostScript Point

One PostScript point corresponds to 1/72 inch. One inch equals 25.4mm. To convert a PostScript point value into millimeters, divide it by 72 and multiply it with 25.4. Example: 522/72 equals 7,25". 7,25 inches * 25.4mm/inch equals 184.1mm.

PPD File

Abbreviation of PostScript Printer Description. This file contains information about a printer’s features such as supported paper sizes and non-printable paper margins, duplex or sorting functions. PPD files are required during printer driver installation.

Print Image

The sheet’s area covered by placed pages. The print image can be smaller or larger than the Sheet.

Printed Sheet

Printed sheet of paper containing one or more pages arranged according to the sheet assembly. Before the final printing product is completed, the printed sheets may require folding and cutting. Computer-to-plate and electronic printing systems do not differentiate between printing plates and printed sheets.

Raster Image Processor (RIP)

Specialized computer that processes and prepares document data for output on a digital output device (printer, etc.). The document is defined in a page description language, for example PostScript. The raster image processor interprets the PostScript data, calculates the resulting pages and exports them to the output device. The program calculating the pages on the raster image processor is called a PostScript interpreter.

Registration Marks

Crosshair on the sheet for the precise alignment of separations on the sheet and the printing plate.

Resolution

Maximum number of pixels per length unit which can be displayed by a digital output device (e.g. by a laser printer). The resolution is indicated by dpi (dots per inch). Do not confuse resolution with Screen Frequency, which is indicated by lpi (lines per inch).

Screen Angle

When the halftone cells are arranged in a horizontal and vertical grid, the result is less than satisfying. To improve the visual quality, the halftone cells are placed on a line offset from the vertical axis by the screen angle. If black is the only shade, a screen angle of 45 degrees is normally applied.

Screen Frequency

Number of halftone cells per unit of length. In the computer world, the screen frequency is usually provided in lpi (lines per inch), while the traditional printing industry prefers to use lines per cm. A “60 l/cm screen” (60 halftone cells per cm) corresponds to 152.4 lpi. The screen frequency (lpi) should not be confused with the Resolution (dpi).

Sheet

dots Pilot 2 uses the term “sheet” to mean the same as the specific printing industry term “signature”.

Sheet Assembly

Fitting and arranging a document’s pages on a sheet. The pages are placed according to the Imposition Scheme. Traditionally, printing preproduction involves mounting the reproducible films of the individual pages onto a transparency. This is then used as copy film for the printing plate.