Fine Print Knowledge Center
The online guide to print and design.
- pH
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The degree of acidity or alkalinity of the paper.
Also, pH is measured in the fountain solutions that are used when printing the paper on the press.
Measured on a scale of 0 to 14, pH7 being neutral, pH above that is alkaline and below that is acidic.
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- Phantom Image
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An image screened very lightly and printed in the body of the form.
It helps protect against unwanted duplicating because the image is hard to reproduce.
The image is light enough so that any imprinting or writing over it can be easily read.
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- Pharmaceutical Adhesive
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A permanent adhesive that is designed for excellent initial tack for applying labels to glass and plastic items, such as syringes and vials.
It has dependable adhesion strength, which holds the label in place. Is FDA approved.
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- Photo Engraving
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Photochemical process for creating gravure plates introduced by the Czech painter and graphic artist Karel Václav Klíc in 1878. Helio engraving was particularly popular between 1890 and 1910 for creating monochrome illustrations in high-quality books.
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- Photo File Index Print
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A basic system feature that makes ordering reprints and enlargements easy; the small print shows a positive, “thumbnail”-sized version of every picture on an Advanced Photo System film roll; accompanies all prints and negatives returned in the sealed film cassette by the photofinisher; each thumbnail picture is numbered on the index print to match negative frames inside the cassette.
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- Photochromatic Ink
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When this ink is exposed to UV light it instantly changes colors.
Once the source of UV light is removed it will change back to its original color.
This ink can be colored or colorless.
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- Photocomposition
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1. The first fundamentally new typesetting technology since the invention of letterpress printing by Johannes Gutenberg, photocomposition does not use solid forms for depicting the characters.
Instead, the set text is created on photographic film. Older machines performed this function by imaging the characters with a flashlight from a negative original or from a very bright screen (cathode ray tube) onto the film.
The move to computer setting is marked by the laser setter which, like the laser printer, uses a laser beam to write text, images and other design elements directly onto film or a printing plate.
2. A photographic process using a beam of light that is shot through the transparent image area of a negative, creating a letter image onto sensitized paper or film.
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- Photoconductor
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Flexible material, wrapped around a drum, which accepts an electrical charge and discharges in areas exposed to light.
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- Photocopier
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A machine that creates a copy of a physical image through a process in which electrostatically charged powder (toner) is bonded to paper using heat.
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- Photoengraving
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A photochemical process used to make relief plates used for letterpress and engraving.
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- Photofinisher Service Certification
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Program developed by the System Developing Companies to give special recognition to photofinishers and retailers who provide the minimum Advanced Photo System feature set; an identifying logo signals to consumers which photofinishers and retailers provide all of the mandatory benefits of the system.
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- Photogravure
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A photographic image produced from an engraving plate, which gives it an art quality of a lithograph.
The process was developed in the 1850s but is rarely used today because of the high cost.
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- Photomechanical Transfer
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A process where original copy is exposed to a photosensitive paper, which is then mated with a receiver paper.
The two are process together, which results in the image being transferred to the receiver paper, producing a black and white print.
No negative is needed in this process.
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- Photometer
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- Photopolymer
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A plate material that consists of an epoxy resin which is sensitized with an organic compound. An organic solvent is used to process the plates after exposure to ultra-violet light.
The coating on the unexposed areas of the plate are dissolved with the solvent, but the exposed areas become insoluble and are receptive to ink.
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- Photopolymer Plate
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A kind of plate with a flexible base material, excellently suited for use on rotary printing presses.
Photopolymer plates have widely replaced stereotype plates.
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- Photoreceptor
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A receptor that transfers information onto paper in the form of an image.
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- Photoshop
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An image editing software created by Adobe, which provides an array of tools to create, alter, and add effects to a variety of digital or original images.
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- Photostat
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A trademark for a diffusion transfer process that makes quick, positive paper prints of line copy and halftones.
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- Phototype
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Type created photographically by light being projected onto photosensitive paper.
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- Phototypesetting
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Setting type, by using photographical means, directly onto photosensitive paper or film.
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- Pi Fonts
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Fonts that are special characters that are not in other fonts but can be specially added, such as special symbols and mathematical signs.
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- Pica
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A unit of measure used in the graphics industry which equals 12 points or approximately one-sixth of an inch.
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- Pick and Pack
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The storing and releasing of customer materials.
Items are stored and records are maintained on the inventory levels.
Items are pulled from stock and release upon customer’’s request.
Also referred to as fulfillment.
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- Picking
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The lifting of fibers out of the paper due to the ink being too tacky.
It causes small white dots in the solid areas of the printing.
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- Picking Resistance
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Refers to the amount of force necessary to separate particles from the surface of the paper as it moves vertically.
Picking resistance is a key criterion for offset-printing applications.
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- Pickup Art
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Artwork taken from a previous job to be used on a currrent job.
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- PICT
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A common data format used for vector graphics used on illustrations on the Mac.
It is a format also used by the Clipboard.
You can create, display on the monitor, and print PICT data.
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- PICT 2
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An expanded file format of PICT, supports 32-bit color, where as, PICT only supports 8-bit color.
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- Pictorial Cloth
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A cloth book with a multi-colored picture printed on the cover.
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