Fine Print Knowledge Center
The online guide to print and design.
- K
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h3.
In four color process printing it is the abbreviation for black.
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- Kaolin
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Mineral used in papermaking, as both filler and coating pigment.
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- Kappa Number
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- kbps
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Kilobytes per second
A rate used to measure transfer times between computers on a network.
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- Keep Standing
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- Kelvin
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(K)
A thermometric scale used to measure light temperature. 0 degrees K is absolute zero (a hypothetical temperature representing the complete absence of heat); water freezes at 273.15 degrees K, which is 0 degrees C or 32 degrees F. The most common use of Kelvin temperatures in the graphic arts is to describe lighting sources for viewing and analyzing color. The color of light sources is measured in Kelvin temperatures. A standard balanced light source (neutral in hue and with the brightness of midday sunlight) measures 5000K.
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- Kern
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To add or remove white space between two pairs of letters to improve the visual appearance of the letter spacing.
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- Kern Pair
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Adjusting the space between two letters for better appearance. WA or VA look better when some of the space is removed.
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- Kerning
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To increase or decrease the spacing between letters to improve the readability of the word.
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- Key Codes
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Code numbers printed on each piece in a direct mail package. They are used for double checking that the correct pieces are going into the mail package but the main purpose is to track response information accurately. Also referred to as source codes.
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- Key Mark or Trigger
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A code bit(s) that tells the scanner if the code is in a position to be read; used with some fixed beam readers.
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- Key Plate
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The plate that prints the majority of the copy or the most detail, generally the black plate. All other plates are aligned to this plate.
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- Key Word In Context
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KWIC
An indexing system in which the retrieval of titles is possible with as many keywords as the indexer considers useful.
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- Key Word Out of Context
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KWOC
A form of automatic indexing. As items are added to databases, keywords are extracted from their titles. Non-content words such as “the” are eliminated.
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- Keyboard
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The input device to input information directly into a typesetter, computer, workstation or, as a stand-alone unit, to record it on paper or magnetic tape.
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- Keying
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The use of symbols, usually letters, to code copy that will appear on a dummy.
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- Keyline
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1. An outline drawing on tissue paper laid over the mechanical to show the placement, content, and approximate size of an illustration on an art board.
2. The art of laying out and pasting up the art board.
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- Keyword
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1. In databases, a keyword is a specific index record that identifies a record.
2. In programming, keywords are reserved by a program because they identify specific commands or parameters.
3. A word by which subjects can be searched on on-line services.
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- Kill
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- Kill Fee
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The money paid to a writer when the publication has contracted with the writer to write an article, but the article is never published.
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- Kiln Drying
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Drying of green wood in kilns to required end use or trading moisture contents
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- Kilobyte
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K, Kb or KB.
A digital information unit of measure that equals 1024 bytes.
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- Kiss Cut
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To die cut the top layer but not the backing of self-adhesive paper.
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- Kiss Die Cut
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To cut the top layer of a pressure sensitive sheet and not the backing.
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- Kiss Fit
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In prepress, a term used to describe two abutting colors lacking trap.
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- Kiss Impression
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The standard procedure for quality printing in which only light pressure is used for impressioning.
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- Kiss Pressure
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The minimum pressure at which proper ink transfer is possible.
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- Kiss Register
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In color printing, areas of color that touch without any overlap on the edges. Assumes perfect registration. Also referred to as kiss fit and butt register.
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- Klíc, Karel (1841-1926)
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The Czech painter and graphic artist who invented helio engraving and copper gravure or rotogravure. After years of developing the technique, Klíc unveiled helio engraving in 1878 in Vienna, where it was adopted as a method for photochemically producing etched copper printing plates based on photographs.
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- Knife Cut Labels
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