Are you confused by some of the terms used in printing? We know that feeling too! – and want to stop it from happening. There is really no need for complication. At The Printed Image, we are all about print simplicity. We aim to simplify the whole process and make print accessible to all businesses, no matter the size.
You may have noticed that throughout our website we avoid the old-jargons, and instead use very simple, informal language. But, if you would like to understand a bit more about specific print words, we created a concise print-dictionary below, check it out.
gsm
Stands for ‘grams per square meter’ and in a nutshell, gives an idea of the thickness of the paper. The higher the gsm, the thicker, heavier and more robust the paper is.
Silk Paper
Silk paper, as the name suggests, is a type of paper with a silk coating applied to it by default. Extra lamination can be applied, such as gloss or matt coating.
Gloss or Matt lamination
Lamination is basically a layer of coating applied to the document after it’s printed. With gloss lamination, a glossy vinyl-like layer is applied, it will make colour look brighter and shinier. Matt lamination on the other hand, will make colours look tuned down. Either one protects the paper and the colours of the design.
Saddle Stitch
This type of binding process is also known as staple binding. The most common use of it is for thin magazines. Essentially, the pages are folded in half and stapled together down the centre fold.
Foamboard
This is a strong and lightweight material. Usually used for mounting artwork.
Strut
This is a triangular shape added to the back of materials, helping them stand on surfaces.
Z fold
A type of fold for folded leaflets. An A4 sheet is folded lengthways into three equal parts. The left side folds on top of the middle part while the right side folds backwards towards the middle.
Roll fold
Similar to a Z fold, an A4 paper sheet is folded twice lengthways resulting in three equal size panels. The right side panel folds over the middle one and then the left side folds on top of the two.