Fine Print Knowledge Center
The online guide to print and design.
- Matrix or Multi-Zone Metering
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A metering process, which electronically analyzes data regarding brightness, contrast, distance, and focus in order to adjust exposures to provide improved accuracy for color reproduction.
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- Matte Finish
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A coated paper finish that is flat, not shiny like a gloss, but still keeps much of the ink from being absorbed by the paper and produces an excellent image.
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- Matte Paper
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Paper with a matte finish. A matte paper is good for copy with a lot of text because the low gloss makes it easier to read.
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- Mattes
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The copy for the preprinted pages of a letter, that have been produced on the same machine in which the personalized pages of the letter will be produced. This will guarantee that the preprinted pages will match the personalized pages.
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- MB
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Megabyte
One million bytes
A unit of measurement equal to 1,024 kilobytes, or 1,048,576 bytes.
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- MBONE
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- McLuhan, Marshall (1911-1980)
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The Canadian literary scholar and communications theorist, whose work focuses on changes elicited in society by mass media.
McLuhan achieved fame with his book “Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man” (1964), in which he argues that modern electronic media will eventually turn human awareness and knowledge into an entity shared by all of society, just as electrotechnology has turned the human nervous system into a global network.
McLuhan taught at various universities throughout Canada and the USA. He coined the term “the global village”, which refers to the way the entire global community can be brought together by means of electronic communication.
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- Measure
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In composition, it is thhe width of a line of type expressed in picas or points
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- Mechanical
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Camera-ready paste-up boards with type, line art and crop marks mounted and ready for the process camera. They often contain a sheet of tracing or other semi-transparent paper attached with special instructions such as color information.
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- Mechanical Binding
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A method of binding pre-trimmed leaves by the insertion of wire or plastic spirals through holes drilled along the binding edge.
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- Mechanical Pulp
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A wood pulp that contains the natural wood impurities and has not been chemically processed. Also known as groundwood pulp.
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- Mechanical Separation
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Separate mechanicals overlays for each color that is to be printed. The separations show proper registration for each color.
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- Media
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The form of recording material used to store images, such as magnetic tape, magnetic disks, or flash memory.
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- Media Mix
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Term used to describe combinations of different media such as television, radio, Internet, newspapers and magazines for marketing and promotional purposes.
The right mix is the one which best reaches the target audience.
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- Medium
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A name for substances on which data is recorded, such as magnetic disks and tape.
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- Megabyte
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MB
One million bytes.
A unit of measurement equal to 1,024 kilobytes, or 1,048,576 bytes.
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- Megapixel
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A reference to an image with more than one million pixels.
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- Memory
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- Memory Keeper
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Compact Kodak Advantix storage case that secures up to 12 film cassettes and accompanying photo file index prints.
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- Memory Stick
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A memory storage device that is slightly smaller than a stick of gum and compatible only with Sony products. It is available in 16MB and 32MB capacities.
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- Menu
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A list of available selections displayed on the computer screen.
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- Menu Driven
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A system or program in which operations are directed by selecting choices on menus.
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- Merchant
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A company that purchases a product directly from the mill or manufacturer and then resells it to the end user. Also referred to as a distributor.
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- Merchant''s Brand
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A name given to the paper that is a brand name owned by a merchant, converter or customer.
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- Merchant's Brand
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A name given to the paper that is a brand name owned by a merchant, converter or customer. Also referred to as private brand.
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- Merge
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The process of combining several lists to make one list and then sorting, usually by ZIP Code.
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- Merge/Purge
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The combining of two or more lists and then removing duplicate entries from the combined list of names.
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- Mergenthaler (1854-1899)
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Inventor of the Linotype mechanical composition machine, which supplied complete lines of text cast in lead for letterpress printing.
Following an apprenticeship as a watchmaker, Mergenthaler emigrated to the U.S. in 1872 where, following many years of experimentation, he patented the Linotype as the first fully functional line composition machine, which would soon replace slow and laborious hand composition.
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- Metal Plates
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Metal plates are usually made from aluminum and are coated with a number of different emulsions, depending on the type of printing equipment used and the type of jobs that are printed. They are most often used for large print runs, since the metal substrate lasts much longer than paper or polyester plates.
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- Metallic Ink
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Printing inks which produce a gold, silver, or bronze effect.
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