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Marketing and Communications Terms


The fastening of papers to create a brochure or book. The most common binding styles are saddle-stitch, perfect-bound, side-stitched, case or edition, and mechanical.

Black & White

Original or reproduction art printed in black, as distinguished from multi-color.


An extra area of printed image that extends beyond the crops or trim edge of a sheet or page.


Blu-ray is a high definition disc format. The name Blu-ray is hyphenated with a lowercase r.

Body Type (body copy)

Type used in the main part or text of an ad or layout, as distinguished from Headline Type.


Artwork or copy that is ready for reproduction.

Card Stock

Also call cover stock. A stiff paper often used for postcards, catalog covers, and other items that require rigidity.

Coated Paper

Paper with a surface coating that produces a smooth finish.

Condensed Type

Type characters that have been narrowed in width.

Continuous Tone

An image that contains gradient tones from light to dark.

CMYK (process color)

Cyan, magenta, yellow and black, four-color printing.

Crop Mark

Markings that show where a page, photograph, illustration, or other transparency is to be trimmed.


The process of cutting special shapes for labels, boxes, pocket folders and other printed materials.


Typographic term for a font that consists of symbols or bullets. Zapf Dingbats is a common example.

Display Type

Generally used for headlines, 14 point type or larger.


The individual element of a halftone.

DPI (Dots-per-inch)

In offset printing, the number of dots that fit horizontally and vertically into a one-inch measure. Generally, the higher the dpi, the sharper the printed image.


Impressing an image in relief into the surface of paper or other materials.

EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)

File format for images or graphics.


A typeface with wide or expanded characters.

Flush Copy

Flush refers to the alignment of type; “flush left” copy aligns along the left edge, “flush right” copy aligns along the right edge.


A page number.


Typographic characters of certain design. GillSans Light is one font in the font family GillSans. Also called a typeface.


The inside space between pages; that is, the inside margin toward the back or binding edge of a book.


Ink-printable image produced photo mechanically or electronically to convert a continuous-tone image (for example, photograph, drawing, print, etc.) into a regular grid pattern of various-sized dots with equidistant centers to stimulate shades of gray when viewed from a normal reading distance. This reproduction method contrasts with line art (no shading of tones), mezzotints (irregular shapes in random placement), and stochastic screening (same-size microdots in a controlled random placement within a given area).


High-resolution image, usually 300 to 350 dpi.


Arrangement of pages so they print correctly on a press sheet and the pages are in proper order when the sheet is folded.

JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group.

File format commonly used for photographic images.

Justified Copy

Refers to typesetting lines of copy to even widths, so both edges align.


Adjusting the measure between type characters so they appear evenly spaced.


Distance between lines of type measured in points.


Adding space between letters.

Line Art

Artwork that is ready for reproduction, or “camera-ready.”


Name or symbol for a company that is specially designed and used as a trademark.

Lower Case

The small letters of an alphabet, as distinguished from capital letters.


Low-resolution image, such as 72 or 100 dpi.


One of the four primary colors used in traditional four-color printing.


Commonly used to designate the paste-up boards that camera-ready artwork is mounted on.

Offset Printing (offset Lithography)

A printing process using an intermediate blanket cylinder to transfer an image from the printing plate to the paper (or substrate).

Paper Grades

Paper is classified by weights and grades in general terms according to how it is going to be used for printing. Common weights are book, cover, bond and index. Grades reflect the manufactured quality of the paper, premium versus inexpensive, for example.

Pantone Matching System (PMS)

A color and ink matching system that designates color with a numbering system.

PDF (Portable Document Format)

Adobe Systems file format to facilitate cross-platform viewing of documents in their original form. Phototypesetting Setting type with photographic reproduction, as distinguished from digital systems that use lasers for image formation.


Unit of measurement used in typesetting. One pica equals approximately 1/6 of an inch.

Picture Font (Pi Font)

Special character font that consist of symbols or pictures.


Abbreviation for picture element. The smallest unit that can be sensed, manipulated, or output by a digital system or displayed on a computer screen. More pixels per inch mean better resolution. Point Unit of measure used mainly to designate type sizes. There are 12 points to a pica, approximately 72 points to an inch.


RIPing files, platemaking, and other work performed by the printer, separator or service bureau in preparation for printing.

Primary Grid

The primary grid divides the page into equal quarters both horizontally and vertically. All type and visual elements are then aligned according to the design on this grid system. The alternative primary grid is a six-column page layout format that allows flexibility in column widths for copy-heavy documents.


Print made from negatives or plates to check for errors and flaws, predict results on press and record how a printing job is intended to appear when finished.

Raster Graphics

Computer image made up of pixels. Photoshop is the most common raster program.


Red, green and blue - the additive primaries used in monitors. They are not printing colors.


A binding method where a signature is opened up and stapled at the center. Pamphlets, folders, leaflets and magazines (of a maximum thickness) that consists of folded sheets bound by staples through the centerfold are call saddle stitched.

Screen Angles

Halftone screens are angled to different degrees when reproducing color artwork so the printed dots do not produce a noticeable pattern, or “moiré.” With CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) process screens, the black screen is normally angled at 45 degrees.

Secondary Grid

A margin around a layout marking the area for the KCTCS logo to be positioned as well as alignment for copy or visual elements.

Silhouette Halftone

A halftone image with the background removed.


Any suitable material that accepts a printed, embossed or transferred image.


A printing process where heat is applied to the printing inks, producing a raised, embossed feel.

TIFF (or TIF - Tagged Information File Format)

Raster file format used for image placement in page layout programs. TIFFs can sometimes be tinted and modified in a page layout program where EPS images cannot.

Trim Size

The size of the printed pieces in its finished form.


Paper that has not had a final coating applied for smoothness. Uncoated paper is absorbent and soft in appearance.


Thin coating that protects printed sheets. Can be used as a decorative design element. Varnishes can be gloss, semi-gloss, or matte and can be tinted with inks.

Vector Graphics

Graphics that use mathematical calculations to describe lines and curves. Illustrator is the most common vector program.


Image that fades near its edges and blends gradually with the unprinted paper or background.

White Space

In all KCTCS communication, “white space” is defined as the open areas of a given layout and the background for placement of the system trademark.

File Types

 File Type File Use 
 EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)  Color reproduction and high resolution printing.
 WMF (Windows Metafile)  In Word documents, slide presentations and printing to non-postscript laser printers.
 TIFF (Tagged-Image File Format)  High Resolution for printing
 JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)  To be used for a Web site or computer screen.

Web/Online Terms


is not a verb. Something is "backed up." An archive of something is a "backup."

Domain name

A domain name is something like, usually rendered in lower case. It is simply a human-readable nickname for an internet address, more useful than something like


"E-mail" is the standard. "Email" is not correct. "E-mail" should not be capitalized except in standard cases.

Hard drive

A hard drive is a component inside a computer upon which data is stored. "Hard drive" is not the same thing as the metal box that contains it. That box is your laptop, or tower, or case, or computer.

Logging in

Refers to the act of providing credentials or identification in order to gain access to something. If a Web site does not require authentication of any kind, visitors do not "log in" to it.


is not a word and should never be used in any case.


is the correct form for a noun ("My log-in isn't working") or an adjective ("I can't find the log-in page").

Log in

is the correct form for a verb ("I need to log in to the site before I can find that information").


A "Mac" is a particular kind of computer.


The path is a specific location on a server where a resource resides. Paths are generally something like /documents/mynovel.doc.


A "PC" is a particular kind of computer. "PC" should not be used generically.


Is not a verb. Something is "set up." The way something is structured is its "setup."

Site visitors

People who visit Web sites.


A subdomain is something like or Never assume that "www." belongs before any domain or subdomain. and are NOT interchangeable by default.


  1. KCTCS properties should all have "" in their subdomain name. Examples are,,, etc.
  2. KCTCS subdomains should never use "www." before the rest of the subdomain. This usage is incorrect: This usage is correct:


A URL is a specific address for a resource—a web page, a document, or some other type of file. It typically includes three parts: a protocol, a domain name, and a path. Examples of URLs are:,,,


  1. A protocol is a way of addressing a certain kind of internet service. The internet is made of computers running many different kinds of services. The web is just one of those services. Typically, URLs contain "http://" (indicating the "hypertext transfer protocol," or "the web") but this is not always the case. Some web URLs may include "https://," indicating the connection to the web site is encrypted ("secure"). Other protocols are relatively common, like ftp, file, sip, and more. The vast majority of URLs will use "http://". Web browsers do not actually require entry of the protocol, and will default to "http://" if nothing is entered.)
  2. The domain name portion of a URL is the domain or subdomain where the resource can be found. This can also be an IP address rather than a domain name.
  3. URLs are sometimes referred to as "web addresses." This is fine, as long as the URL is actually accessible via the web. Not all URLs are.
  4. URLs when typed should always include the minimum amount of necessary information. For example, the URL is equivalent to, which is in turn equivalent to Check with your Web Services staff in specific cases.
  5. When typing an e-mail, use of the correct URL is nice, because most e-mail clients will automatically make a link out of a well-formed URL. When using print, it's generally okay to leave off the protocol (http://) as browsers will assume it anyway and it makes the line easier to read in print.


"Users" can be used as an alternative, but generally refers to individuals with access to particular applications, rather than general Web site visitors.


A collection of globally distributed text and multimedia documents and files and other network services linked in such a way as to create an immense electronic library from which information can be retrieved quickly by intuitive searches.


One word.


Should always be capitalized. Exception: webcam, webcast, webmaster.