Fine Print Knowledge Center
The online guide to print and design.
- Digital Camera
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A camera that directly produces a digital image without using film or a scanner in the process
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- Digital Equipment Corporation
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DEC
A proprietary networking protocol developed by Digital Equipment Corporation.
This enables DEC devices to communicate with each other and share data.
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- Digital holography (synthetic holography
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Term used for the generation of images or illustrations in the form of interference patterns through computer calculations. Future applications for digital holography include high-capacity, long-term data storage devices based on plastic foil and ultra-small, forgery-proof markings for packaging, etc.
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- Digital Imaging Surface
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A new and unique surface treatment for both uncoated and coated papers, specifically engineered to enhance paper:toner performace and yield increased print fidelity.
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- Digital Job Ticket
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A vehicle that contains the specifications of a print job. The specifications include the print buyers description of the job and all tasks relating to prepress and printing processes.
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- Digital Object Identifier
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DOI
A digital object identifier (DOI) is both a unique identifier (like the ISBN) and a new kind of permanent hyperlink on the Internet.
As an identifier it provides some of the same benefits as the ISBN—in fact the ISBN itself can be used as the suffix of the DOI, especially where the DOI is used for a book at the title level.
But the benefits of the DOI extend beyond the physical book at the title level—e.g. it can include all the different formats of the book (print, audio, HTML, PDF, e-Book) and also individual chapters, illustrations or other “components.”
It can also facilitate supply-chain interactions in the online environment because of its dual role as both identifier and actual hyperlink.
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- Digital Papers
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Papers designed for the specific processes of the emerging digital printing technologies. Unlike traditional offset printing, the digital environment is centered in quick turnarounds, short runs, and the ability to vary printed information within the run. Mohawk Digital Papers Navajo, Options, Satin 2.0, and 50|10plus are designed for both digital and offset operations, and are available in popular digital sheet sizes and small rolls.
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- Digital Photography
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Alternative to conventional photography, involves use of cameras that capture images directly in digital form. The image data is transferred by means of special storage media or a data interface to a computer for further processing.
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- Digital Plates
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Plates that can be exposed electronically by digital data sent from a prepress system.
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- Digital Press
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A printing press that receives its image directly from a computer file. The traditional method of using film and conventional plates is eliminated
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- Digital Printing
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Any type of print reproduction method that utilizes electronic files to produce a printed piece from dots of ink, toner, or dye. The printed piece is created directly from a computer file without the need for film or conventional printing plates.
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- Digital Proof
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A proof that has been created by the use of digital files rather than from film.
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- Digital Signature
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A digital code or seal that can be electronically affixed to a computer file or message in which the originator is uniquely identified. The recipient can then make sure the sender is who he or she claims to be.
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- Digital Subscriber Line or Loop
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DSL
A family of technologies that provide digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network.
DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop, although in recent years, many have adopted digital subscriber line as a more marketing-friendly term for the most popular version of DSL, ADSL.
Typically, the download speed of consumer DSL services ranges from 256 kilobits per second (kbit/s) to 24,000kbit/s, depending on DSL technology, line conditions and service level implemented.
Typically, upload speed is lower than download speed for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber
Line ADSL and equal to download speed for Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line SDSL.
Also known as xDSL
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- Digital Workflow
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Now that the Portable Document Format has become a predictable, platform-independent, page-independent entity, which solves many of the limitations of PostScript, we must tackle other print-related workflow issues.
Issues such as trapping, imposition and OPI (picture replacement) play an important role in the success of PDF as a link to the completely digital workflow for the high-end printing and publishing world.
The very essence of digital workflow for printing and publishing involves the integration of many process steps.
The most common processes include: preflighting, trapping, imposition, and OPI serving.
From manual techniques, each of these steps has evolved to
computer operation with manual intervention and now totally automated approaches.
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- Digitize
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Converting an image or other data into a digital form so that it may be processed electronically. The digital representation uses a binary numbering system of 0 or 1 to represent the bits of data. It can then be read by the computer.
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- DIL
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Drop-in-Loading
Film cassette loading feature in all Advanced Photo System cameras that virtually eliminates film-loading problems by automatically accepting the leaderless cassette and thrusting the film forward to the first unexposed frame without any user intervention.
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- Dimensional Stability
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Papers ability to maintain its form and not stretch and shrink as a result of environmental changes, such as temperature and humidity.
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- DIN
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Deutsche Industrie Norm
A system that defines concepts, measurements and application in the industrial sector. Certain DIN norms have been developed for offset print.
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- DIN sizes
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Standard metric sheet sizes widely used outside the United States. The most important ones belong to the A series, in which the next-smaller size has a length corresponding to half that of the next-larger size. They include A4 (210×297 mm) and A3 (297×410 mm).
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- Dingbats
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Special characters such as a bullet, star, leaf, etc. that can be used on documents as design elements. Special fonts are available that contain sets of dingbats only.
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- Dioxin
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Dioxins are environmentally persistent compounds that find their way into the food chain. They have been linked to chronic diseases such as cancer and are believed to be a cause of birth defects. Dioxins are produced during incineration of wastes and are a contaminant in chemical manufacturing processes. Dioxin is also a by-product of older, chlorine pulp bleaching technologies.
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- DIP
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De-Inked Pulp
Wastepaper pulp which has been de-inked through chemical or mechanical processing
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- Direct imaging
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Refers to a new technology which uses PostScript data from the prepress stage to simultaneously image all the printing forms of a printing press with complete register accuracy. To do this the screen data supplied by a RIP (raster image processor) controls 64 infrared laser diodes, creating small recesses on a special printing foil with an ink-repellent surface, thus revealing an inking layer. The result is a printing foil which can be used for water-free offset printing.
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- Direct Mail
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Used to advertise a product or service offered by a company. The objective is to make an offer to the recipient and encourage a response to the offer. The mail package contains components such as response cards, envelopes, letters, brochures, coupons etc., generally mailed to a specific target audience.
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- Direct Process Paper
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Paper that has a light sensitive coating applied. Used to make prints.
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- Direct Screen
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When the dots are added to the color separations at the same time that the transparency is being photographically separated.
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- Direct Thermal
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A printing method that does not require a ribbon to create an image. The thermal material is heat sensitive. The print head is heated as in thermal transfer and when it comes in contact with the special direct thermal stock, it causes a chemical reaction which creates the image.
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- Direct Thermal Labels
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Pressure sensitive labels that use the direct thermal printing process for imaging. The facestock for these labels must be special direct thermal stock
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- Direct-to-Plate
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Digitally sending files to an imagesetter to produce printing plates instead of film.
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