Fine Print Knowledge Center
The online guide to print and design.
- B Setting
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Bulb Setting
A shutter-speed setting on an adjustable camera that allows for time exposures.
When set on B, the shutter will stay open as long as the shutter release button remains depressed.
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- B/B
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Baseline-to-Baseline
The measurement, usually in points, of the distance from the baseline of one line to the baseline of the following line. This is also called leading.
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- B2B
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- BA
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The Booksellers Association of Great Britain and Ireland
The trade association for booksellers.
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- Back Cylinder Pressure
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Additional pressure applied through the impression cylinder assisting the image transfer to the press sheet.
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- Back Lining
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The fixing of a material, either paper or cloth, to the back of a book before it is bound. Reference: case binding.
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- Back Margin
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A term referring to the margin which lies closest to the back of the book.
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- Back Slit
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A slit in the liner of a pressure sensitive label, used to assist in the removal of the facestock from the liner. Also referred to as slit back and split back
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- Back Step Collation
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The collation of book signatures according to reference marks which are printed on the back fold of each section.
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- Back to Back
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- Back-light or Back-lit
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Light is being cast from behind the subject matter in the direction of the digital camera. Using a fill flash or compensating on the exposure will enable the image to receive the proper exposure.
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- Back-Printing
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Information printed on the back of a picture by the photofinisher.
The system standard requires the printing of frame number, film cassette number and processing date automatically on the back of each Advanced Photo System print; may also include more detailed information, such as customized titles and time and date of picture-taking.
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- Backbone
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1. On a bound book, it is the back part that binds the book together, also referred to as the spine.
2. A high-speed line or collection of lines that make up the main network connections for the Internet.
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- Backer Security Screen
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A screen that is printed on the back of the check and contains the words “Original Document”. A light density screen is used, making it difficult to duplicate when copied or scanned.
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- Background
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That portion of a photograph or line art drawing that appears furthest from the eye; the surface upon which the main image is superimposed.
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- Backing
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The backer material or carrier sheet of a pressure sensitive material. Generally has a release coating applied to allow the adhesive to release easily. Also referred to as the liner.
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- Backing Up
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1. In printing, to print the reverse side of a printed sheet.
2. In computers, it is making a copy of your files on a separate disk so that you will have a copy of the files in case something happens to the original file.
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- Backlighting
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Light coming from behind the subject, toward the camera lens, so that the subject stands out vividly against the background. Sometimes produces a silhouette effect.
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- Backprinting
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Backprinting is any copy printed on the back side of the sheet.
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- Backslant
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Any type that tilts to the left or backward direction; opposite of italic type.
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- Backstep Marks
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Marks printed on signatures that indicate where the final fold will occur. When gathering and initial folding is completed, these marks appear as a stepped sequence.
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- Backstrip Label
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A square or rectangular piece of paper or leather attached to the spine of a book, containing printed information about the book, such as author, title, and volume number.
Also known as Label.
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- Backup Copy
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Duplicate of an original made in case of loss or damage of the original.
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- Bagginess
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A slack, floppy area usually caused by gauge variation. The material has been stretched and is actually longer in that area.
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- Baking
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A term given to the procedure of drying coatings onto papers.
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- Balance
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1. A principle of design that places elements on the page so that text and graphic elements are evenly distributed.
In layouts with an even balance the graphics don’t overpower the text and the page doesn’t seem to tilt to one side or the other.
2. Placement of colors, light and dark masses, or large and small objects in a picture to create harmony and equilibrium.
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- Bale
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- Balloons
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A graphic device often seen in comic books, balloons are boxes, circles, or cloudlike shapes that contain the words or thoughts of a character. These speech balloons or thought bubbles come in many shapes. Typically an extended or pointed portion of the balloon or a straight line points to the character speaking. Cloud-shaped balloons often indicate what a character is thinking rather than what is being spoken.
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- Band/Banding
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1. Securing a specific quantity of a product with the use of a strip of paper or a rubber band.
2. Steel, plastic or fiber bands are also used to secure materials such as multiple rolls of paper, skids of sheet stock and skids of finished product.
3. Halftones and screen tints, output by imagesetters or laser printers, sometimes get a defect in them where parallel streaks (a stair steps effect) appear in the dot pattern.
4. A strip of paper, printed or unprinted, that wraps around loose sheets (in lieu of binding with a cover) or assembled pieces.
5. The operation of putting a paper band around loose sheets or assembled pieces.
6. Metal straps wrapped around skids of cartons or materials wrapped in waterproof paper, to secure the contents to the skid for shipment.
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- Bandwidth
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The total amount of data that can be carried on a transmission circuit in a set time. The bandwidth is normally given in cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz) or kHz, for analog devices, and bits or bytes per second for digital devices.
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