Print Glossary- Helping You Make Sense of Web Offset Printing

You certainly don’t have to be an expert in web offset printing to make your projects look fantastic. But, having an understanding of the most common terms can be a real advantage!

Blanket: a piece of rubber that has fabric on it. In a web offset printing press, a blanket is used to transfer images and letter from the metal plate onto the paper.

Coldset Web Offset Printing: a printing process in which ink is left to dry manually through air exposure and evaporation. It is also called “non-heatset web offset printing”.

Color Proof: a representation of the final product made before the mass printing is done.

Final Trim Size: the finished size of a magazine, postcard, brochure, flyer, etc. In web offset printing, documents are printed on larger paper, then trimmed to the right size at the end.

Finishing: refers to any post-printing process, such as trimming or folding.

Heatset Offset Printing: a web offset printing process in which the ink is dried rapidly while passing through a special oven, instead of waiting for the ink to dry through air exposure. Heatset offset printing is used for glossier papers that are not particularly absorbent.

Offset Printing: a method of printing in which images or letters are put onto metal plates, then transferred to either a blanket or rubber rollers, then transferred onto paper. Since the rubber is flexible, it conforms to any surface – including wood, canvas, or cloth; It is also called “offset lithography”.

Perfecting Press: a printing press that is capable of printing on both sides of paper during a single pass through the machine. Offset printing is the only printing technique that is capable of using a perfecting press.

Sans Serif: a typeface that doesn’t have any serifs – or small strokes at the end of each letter. Arial is a sans serif font; Times New Roman is not.

Specifications Web Offset Publications: refers to guidelines for each printing project – including information on the font, color bars, and proofing stock. Also called “SWOP”, it ensures that each member of the printing team is on the same page when it comes to web offset printing projects, so that each image and document looks uniform.

Web Offset Printing: a form of offset printing in which paper is fed continuously through the printing press on a roll, rather than feeding each sheet into the printer individually. Web offset printing is used primarily for high-volume publications – like newspapers, magazines, and catalogs.