Fine Print Knowledge Center
The online guide to print and design.
- Flat Pack
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A continuous web folded at a cross perforation at regular intervals. See fan fold.
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- Flat Size
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The size of a printed product after printing and trimming but before any finishing operations that affect its size, such as folding.
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- Flatbed Press
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A press on which plates are positioned along a flat metal bed against which the paper is pressed by the impression cylinder, as compared to a rotary press which prints from curved plates.
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- Flatbed Scanner
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A color scanner which has a flat surface on which the original is positioned as opposed to on the cylinder of a drum scanner.
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- Flatness (flat lying properties)
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- Flats
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1. Often referred to as a classification of mail that exceeds one of the dimensions established for letters, such as flat sized mail for the Postal Service.
2. Paper from the mill which comes in flat sheets that are larger than 17” x 22”.
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- Flex
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Another term for deflection of rolls or cylinders in press. Also, bending qualities or characteristics of any material, including printing substrates.
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- Flexibility
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A property of label stock which allows it to conform to the shape of the surface it is applied to.
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- Flexible Die
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- Flexible Engraving Material
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A soft, pliable, bendable thermoplastic material that is easy to cut and engrave.
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- Flexing
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Condition that can occur on a die when the die circumference is less than the width of the cross-blades. Causes the center of the cross-blades to fail to cut properly and consistently.
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- Flexographic Printing
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A printing process that involves the use of photopolymer wash-off printing (letterpress) or similar printing plates. Using low-viscosity ink it is possible to print on diverse materials with screen rulings of up to 54 l/cm.
Flexographic printing is a very fast, uncomplicated printing process suitable for package printing and multi-color newspaper printing.
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- Flexography
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A printing process using a raised surface on a flexible plate, often made of a rubber-like material, mounted on a rotary letterpress. Flexographic inks are very thin, watery inks that dry very quickly. The flexible plate makes it possible to print on irregular surfaces such as aluminum cans, coffee mugs, or corrugated cardboard.
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- Flier
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A small promotional brochure or poster. Also spelled flyer.
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- Flip-Up Flash
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- Floating Accent
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An accent mark which is set separately from the main character and is then placed either over or under it.
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- Flock Paper
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Paper that is patterned by sizing, and than coated with powders of wool or cotton (flock).
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- Flood Coat
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The coating of an entire surface with ink, adhesive, varnish or other coatings.
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- Flooding
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1. Printing an entire sheet with ink or varnish.
2. The overflow of ink from the ink fountain due to improper settings.
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- Floor
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The base of the plate which supports the relief image of the plate. The floor is calculated by subtracting the relief from the total plate thickness.
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- Floor
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An offer made for a book by a publishing company on the basis that after an auction of the rights in which it does not participate it may exercise topping rights to secure the acquisition.
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- Flop
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Reversing a negative or transparency so that the image that was on the left side is now on the right.
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- Floppy Disk
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A floppy disk is a data storage device that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible (“floppy”) magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic shell.
Floppy disks are read and written by a floppy disk drive or FDD, the latter initialism not to be confused with “fixed disk drive”, which is an old IBM term for a hard disk drive.
Once popular and now seldom used, it is recommended that all materials be burned to a CD.
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- Floppy Drive Adapter
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A wireless connection using an adapter or disk holder to accomplish the file transfer.
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- Flotation
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A method of removing ink from paper during the deinking process.
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- Flow
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The property of ink which causes it to level out when still a liquid; “short” inks have poor flow, and “long” inks have good flow.
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- Flow-Chart
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A diagrammatic representation of a system, process, or abstract relationship. It is normally made up of labeled blocks or keyed symbols connected by lines.
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- FLTS
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h3.
An abbreviation used on mail container labels that identifies the contents as flat size.
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- Fluff Pulp
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Special sulphate (kraft) or CTMP pulp that takes on a cotton-like appearance after dry defibration, used for absorbent materials such as nappies and feminine hygiene products
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- Fluid Ink
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