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Splitting a full-colour design into the individual ink layers a press will print — usually cyan, magenta, yellow and black — one for each printing plate.

Short thin lines printed at each corner of a layout to show the printer exactly where to trim the sheet down to its final size.

Cutting paper or card into a custom shape, or punching holes and windows in it, using a sharp steel die like a cookie cutter.

The tendency of printed ink dots to spread and print larger than intended, making images and tints come out darker than they looked on screen.

Pressing a shape or design into paper from behind so that it rises above the surface, creating a raised, tactile effect — usually without ink.

A high-speed printing method using flexible rubber or plastic plates with a raised image; widely used for packaging, labels and anything printed on plastic film or cardboard.

Applying a thin metallic or coloured foil to paper using a heated die, giving a shiny, reflective effect often used on logos and premium covers.

A way of reproducing shades and photographs using a pattern of tiny dots that vary in size — large dots for dark areas, small dots for light — which the eye blends into smooth tone.

Arranging multiple pages on a large printing sheet in the right positions and order so that, once printed, folded and trimmed, the pages read in sequence.

A traditional printing method that presses raised, inked type or plates into the paper, often leaving a tactile impression; today prized for premium stationery.

An unwanted patchy or wavy pattern that appears when two dot or line grids overlap at the wrong angle, spoiling a printed image.

The dominant commercial printing method, where an inked image is transferred (offset) from a plate onto a rubber blanket and then onto the paper; ideal for high-quality, high-volume runs.

Printing one ink directly on top of another instead of leaving a gap in the lower colour, so the inks layer or mix where they overlap.

A binding method that glues the stacked pages to a wrap-around cover along a flat spine; used for paperback books, thick magazines and catalogues.

A line of small holes or slits punched into paper so a section can be torn off cleanly, as on tickets, coupons and tear-off forms.

All the preparation steps that ready a design for printing — checking files, colours, fonts, bleed and imposition — before plates are made and the job goes on press.

Small crosshair or target symbols placed outside the trimmed area that let the printer align each ink colour precisely on top of the others.

A deeper, more solid black made by printing black ink over one or more other process inks, rather than using black alone, for large dark areas.

A binding method that folds sheets together and staples them through the spine fold; common for thin booklets, magazines and brochures.

A printing method that pushes ink through a fine mesh stencil onto the surface below; common for T-shirts, posters and packaging, and good for bold, opaque colours.

A glossy, clear coating applied to specific areas of a printed piece and hardened with ultraviolet light, making those areas shine against a matte background.

Slightly overlapping adjoining colours so that tiny misalignments on press don't leave thin white gaps between them.

The final width and height of a printed piece after it has been cut to size.