Fine Print Knowledge Center
The online guide to print and design.
- Fluorescent Dye
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A coloring agent added to pulp to increase the brightness of the paper. It may give a slight blue or green cast to the sheet.
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- Fluorescent Inks
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Inks containing fluorescent pigments which makes them brighter and more opaque than the traditional inks.
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- Fluorescent Papers
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Papers that have had fluorescent dyes added when they were manufactured. The fluorescent dyes produce a brilliance that appears brighter in natural daylight.
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- Flush
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A style of binding in which the covers and leaves are the same size after binding.
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- Flush Cover
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A cover that has been trimmed to be the same size as the pages inside.
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- Flush Left
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- Flush Paragraph
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- Flush Right
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- Flushed Pigment
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The results of combining a wet ink pigment with a varnish and having the wet pigment mix or transfer over to the varnish.
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- Flute
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- Fly Leaf
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1. An unprinted page in the front and back of a book that is not glued to the cover.
2. In book binding of forms into sales books, the flyleaf is a flat cover, on the face of the book, which is not part of a wrap around cover. The flyleaf is attached with staples in the binding stub.
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- Fly Title
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The extra page, in front of the title page, that bears the abbreviated title of the book.
In the days when books were sold as unbound leaves, the half-title served as a “cover” for the protection of the true title page.
Also known as Half-Title .
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- Flyer
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A small promotional brochure or poster. Also spelled flier.
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- Flying Imprinter
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A device on a printing unit of a web press which allows for one plate to be changed without stopping the machine.
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- Flying Paster
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In web printing, an automatic pasting device that splices a new roll of paper onto an expiring roll, without stopping the press.
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- FM screening
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Frequency Modulated Screening
Screening method for the simulation of continuous tones involving the arrangement of same-size dots at varying distances. The number of dots in a defined area determines the color tone.
Though the quality of this kind of simulation is high and no moiré patterns are created, it requires somewhat better accuracy and care in platemaking and printing as well as different work methods. In addition, color areas sometimes appear grainy.
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- FOB
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Free On Board or Freight On Board
A term indicating that a price quote includes loading a product on a railroad car, truck, aircraft or some other transport vehicle and transporting it to a designated location.
Further transportation from the designated location is not included.
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- Focal Length
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The distance measured in millimeters (mm), from the optical center of the lens to the digital camera’’s image sensor when the lens is focused on infinity. It establishes the viewing angle (normal, wide angle, telephoto) of the lens.
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- Focal-Plane Shutter
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An opaque curtain containing a slit that moves directly across in front of the film in a camera and allows image-forming light to strike the film.
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- Focus
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The process of adjusting the image in a digital camera lens so it can be viewed clearly without distortion.
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- Focus Range
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The range within which a camera is able to focus on the selected picture subject – 4 feet to infinity – for example.
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- Fog
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An undesirable neutral density in the clear areas of a photographic film or paper, in which the image is either locally or entirely veiled by a deposit of silver. Fog may be due to flare, unsafe darkroom illumination, age, or processing conditions.
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- Fogging
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Darkening or discoloring of a negative or print or lightening or discoloring of a slide caused by
1. Exposure to nonimage-forming light to which the photographic material is sensitive,
2. Too much handling in air during development,
3. Over-development,
4. Outdated film or paper, or
5. Storage of film or paper in a hot, humid place.
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- Fogging Back
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Used in making type more legible by lowering density of an image, while allowing the image to show through.
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- FOGRA
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Forschungsgesellschaft Druck
Established in Munich to promote printing technology, the association has its own institute with over 50 employees. Its responsibilities include research and development of quality control tools, knowledge exchange through printed materials, lectures, seminars, symposia and a literature database; collaborates in setting industry standards and provides assistance in the case of conflicts.
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- Foil
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An extremely thin polyester film material containing a dry pigment that is transferred to paper by the use of heat and pressure. The material used in foil stamping.
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- Foil Blocking
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Foil stamping, or foil blocking, is a printing process whereby metalic foil is applied to the printing substrate via a heated die.
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- Foil Laminate Paper
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Paper that has a foil sheet laminated to it. There is generally a top coating added to improve printibility. Used for facestock on labels.
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- Foil Stamp
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A printing process where a heated die is stamped onto a sheet of foil, causing the foil to release from the backer onto the material being printed.
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- Foilfast Printer
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Powis Parker’s foil printer, which prints in foil from most office computers.
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