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Embossing:
Impressing an image in
relief to achieve a raised surface
Hot
Stamp:
Setting a design on a
relief die, which is then heated and pressed onto the
printing surface
Laser or Foil Stamp:
Applying metallic or
colored foil imprints to vinyl, leather or paper surf
Personalization:
Imprinting an item with
a person's name using one of several methods such as
mechanical engraving, laser engraving, hot stamping,
debossing, sublimation, or screen printing, to name a few.
Die-casting:
Injecting molten metal
into the cavity of a carved die (a mold)
Die-striking
Producing emblems and
other flat promotional products by striking a blank metal
sheet with a hammer that holds the die
Etching:
Using a process in
which an image is first covered with a protective coating
that resists acid, then exposed, leaving bare metal and
protected metal. The acid attacks only the exposed metal,
leaving the image etched onto the surface.
Engraving:
Cutting an image into
metal, wood or glass by one of three methods--computerized
engraving, hand tracing, or hand engraving.
Pantone Matching System (PMS):
A book of standardized
color in a fan format used to identify, match and
communicate colors in order to produce accurate color
matches in printing. Each color has a coded number
indicating instructions for mixing inks to achieve that
color.
Colorfill:
Screen printing an
image and then debossing it onto the vinyl’s surface
Embroidery:
Stitching a design into
fabric through the use of high-speed,
computer-controlled sewing machines. Artwork must first be
"digitized," which is the specialized process of converting
two-dimensional artwork into stitches or thread. A
particular format of art such as a jpeg, tif, eps, or bmp,
cannot be converted into an embroidery tape. The digitizer
must actually recreate the artwork using stitches. Then it
programs the sewing machine to sew a specific design, in a
specific color, with a specific type of stitch. This is the
process known as digitizing.
Screen Printing:
An image is transferred
to the printed surface by ink, which is pressed through a
stenciled screen and treated with a light-sensitive
emulsion. Film positives are put in contact with the screens
and exposed to light, hardening the emulsion not covered by
film and leaving a soft area on the screen for the squeegee
to press ink through. (Also called silk screening)
Pad
Printing:
A recessed surface is
covered with ink. The plate is wiped clean, leaving ink in
the recessed areas. A silicone pad is then pressed against
the plate, pulling the ink out of the recesses, and pressing
it directly onto the product.
4-Color Process:
A system where a color
image is separated into 4 different color values by the use
of filters and screens (usually done digitally). The result
is a color separation of 4 images, that when transferred to
printing plates and printed on a printing press with the
colored inks cyan (blue), magenta (red), yellow and black,
reproduces the original color image. These four colors can
be combined to create thousands of colors.
Camera-Ready:
Artwork that is black
and white and has very clean, crisp lines that make it easy
to scan and suitable for photographic reproduction.
Bleeds:
Printers cannot print
right to the edge of a paper sheet. To create that effect,
the printer must use a sheet, which is larger than the
document size. Then the printer prints beyond the edge of
the document size (usually 1/8”), then cuts the paper down
to the document size.
Imprint
Area:
The area on a product,
with specific dimensions, in which the imprint is placed.
Artwork
Terms
Mechanical artwork:
The traditional
standard for acceptable mechanical artwork that is
“camera-ready black and white” material
Electronic/Digital Artwork
Vector Files:
Sometimes called a
geometric file, most images created with tools such as Adobe
Illustrator and CorelDraw are in the form of vector image
files. Vector image files are easier to modify than raster
image files (which can, however, sometimes be reconverted to
vector files for further refinement)
Bitmap Files:
Images are exactly what
their name says they are: a collection of bits that form an
image. The image consists of a matrix of individual dots (or
pixels) that all have their own color (described using bits,
the smallest possible units of information for a computer).
Page
Layout Documents:
The font files and
document preferences that need to be supplied for use on the
supplier’s operating system.
Metafile:
A collection of
structures that store a picture in a device- independent
format. Device independence is the one feature that sets
metafiles apart from bitmaps. Unlike a bitmap, a metafile
guarantees device independence. There is a drawback to
metafiles, because they are generally drawn more slowly than
bitmaps. Therefore, if an application requires fast drawing
and device independence is not an issue, it should use
bitmaps instead of metafiles.
Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF) Files:
Preserve the visually
rich content of original files, and are easier to read than
HTML content that appears in a Web browser. Adobe PDF files
print cleanly and quickly, and anyone can share Adobe PDF
files, regardless of their platform or software application.
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) File:
A file format for
exchanging bitmapped images (usually scans) between
applications.
EPS
(encapsulated postscript) File:
An alternative picture
file format that allows PostScript data to be stored and
edited and is easy to transfer between Macintosh, MSDOS and
other systems.
PostScript:
A computer description
language that allows a programmer to create complex pages
using a series of commands.
Industry Terms:
Paper Proof:
Impression of type or
artwork on paper so the correctness and quality of the
material to be printed can be checked. The least expensive
is a regular black and white faxed paper proof.
Pre-Production Proof:
An actual physical
sample of the product itself produced and sent for approval
before an order goes into production.
Drop Shipment:
An order shipped to
more than one location will be charged a fee for each
additional destination. Less than Minimum: the fee charged
by a supplier for ordering 50% fewer items than the quantity
listed in the minimum or first column. This option is not
always available on all products.
EQP
(End Quantity Pricing):
The price listed in the
far right column of a product’s catalog listing. This best
price, based on large quantities, is often granted to a
distributor who is a large customer of a particular
supplier.
Production Time:
The amount of time
needed to produce and ship an order, once an order has been
received and approved. Stock products with a one-color
imprint usually ship within 10-12 working days. Custom
products and those with multi-color imprints require longer
production time.
Overruns/Underruns:
The number of pieces
that were printed in excess of the quantity specified/ the
production run of fewer pieces than the amount specified.
The industry standard on most products is +5%, with the
exception being on paper and plastic bags. They can range
from +10 to +25%. Suppliers bill on the actual quantity
shipped.
Set-Up Charge:
A fee charged on all
products. Prices vary per product and per supplier.
Copy
Change:
A fee charged for
changing the imprint copy on a product either at time of the
original proof approval or upon a re-order
Exact
Rerun:
Usually there is no
set-up charge on exact reruns of an order. |
