Fine Print Knowledge Center
The online guide to print and design.
- Thickness
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In regard to paper it is measured in thousandths of an inch.
In regard to a rule it is measured in point size.
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- Thin Negative
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A negative that is underexposed or underdeveloped (or both).
A thin negative appears less dense than a normal negative.
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- Third Class Mail
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Mail that would not be considered First Class or Periodical Mail.
A mail classification formerly known as Bulk Mail and is now referred to as Standard Mail.
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- Thixotropy
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The characteristic of certain viscous substances to become less viscous through mechanical action (stirring).
Thixotropic materials are used in offset printing inks to enhance the quality of multi-color printing.
The lower viscosity inks in the inking unit solidify to a certain degree on the printing stock before drying, and additional printing processes are thus optimized.
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- Threats
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Risks of someone breaking through the security and gaining access into the network.
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- Three-Blade Automatic Cutting Machine
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A cutting machine equipped with three blades for cutting products on three different sides.
Such machines typically operate in two stages.
First top and bottom edges are trimmed, and the third blade then trims the front edge.
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- Three-Quarters Binding
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A binding in which the spine and corners are generously covered with leather.
The rest of the binding material is different, i.e., cloth, marbled paper, another type of leather.
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- Through-The-Lens Focusing
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Viewing a scene to be photographed through the same lens that admits light to the film.
Through-the-lens viewing, as in a single-lens-reflex (SLR) camera, while focusing and composing a picture, eliminates parallax.
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- Through-The-Lens Metering
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Meter built into the camera determines exposure for the scene by reading light that passes through the lens during picture-taking.
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- Thumb Test
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- Thumbnail
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- TIC
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Total Ink Coverage
Value indicating the maximum amount of printing ink needed for the production of colors in four-color and offset printing.
Normally the higher the total ink limit, the darker the color to be reproduced.
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- Ties
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The tab areas between the cuts in a perforation that hold the paper together.
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- Ties Per Inch
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- TIFF
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Tagged Image File Format
A file format used for images and defined by a computer industry committee in 1986.
A graphic file format developed by Aldus, Adobe, and Apple that is especially suited for representing large bitmaps, such as scanned black and white or color images.
It is a so-called screen format that contains information on the brightness and hue of every pixel.
The TIFF format supports various color systems, from black-and-white to full-color RGB images.
TIFF files can be compressed by a variety of methods.
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- TIFF/IT
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Tagged Image File Format for Image Technology
A file format structured to digitally send data for print ready pages that have been created on high-end prepress systems.
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- TIFF/IT-P1
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Tagged Image File Format for Image Technology Profile 1
A simplified form of the TIFF/IT format that maximizes the compatibility between desktop systems and proprietary CEPS (Color Electronic Prepress Systems).
It is widely used for exchange of advertising and editorial material.
The DDAP (Digital Distribution of Advertising for Publications) Association specifies that the TIFF/IT-P1 be used in the exchange of digital advertising files.
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- Tight Back
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The book that is bound very tight with an inflexible spine, almost to a fault because when it opens, the pages will not lie flat by themselves.
However, as the book becomes well used, the binding will eventually loosen.
The use of the tight back declined dramatically after about 1820, except by fine binders who often used it along with false raised bands.
Also known as fast back.
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- Tight Release
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When the level of adhesion, between the adhesive and the liner of a pressure sensitive label, makes it hard to remove the label from the liner.
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- TIL
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Total Ink Limit
Value indicating the maximum amount of printing ink needed for the production of colors in four-color and offset printing.
Normally the higher the total ink limit, the darker the color to be reproduced.
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- Tile
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When a page is too large to output all at one time, the page is divided into two sections that allow an overlap area so that the two can be assembled into one.
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- Time Exposure
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A comparatively long exposure made in seconds or minutes.
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- Time Lapse
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Shots captured in a designated timed sequence, such as sports events or nature photography, enables images to be captured showing a series of dynamic actions.
The timed sequence may occur rather quickly or over the period of several hours, such as a moon rising.
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- Tint
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1. The addition of white to a color.
Also when printing a color in any type of screening that causes the ink coverage to be less than 100%.
2. Shades of white in a finished print, controlled by the color of the paper, varying from white to buff.
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- Tint Leaf Embossing
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A process that involves the use of a combination die to provide a subtle antique appearance to material being foil stamped and embossed.
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- Tip-In
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Adding an additional leaf of paper or card into an already formatted printed booklet or magazine.
Tip-in cards are added to commercial magazines in the magazine industry to add in advertising and promotional cards.
A tip-in technique sometimes has to be done unintentionally, as the result of a mistake by either the printer, designer, or client.
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- Tipped-In
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A publisher-authorized content correction that is made after a book has been printed and bound.
It can be as small as a scrap of paper to correct type, or as large as a page or a signature to correct a section.
The corrected page or illustration is glued onto the page or inserted into an already bound book.
They are less common today with the advanced printing techniques, but were very common in the 17th and 18th centuries due to numerous printer errors.
Also known as Cancels.
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- Tissue
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A thin sheet of paper inserted into a book to protect plates from damage and to prevent offsetting onto facing sheets.
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- Tissue Overlay
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A very thin, translucent paper placed over artboards, used to indicate colored areas and to write other notes pertaining the layout.
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- Tissue Paper
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The term used for various paper grades with a grammage of up to 30 gsm.
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