Print glossary

This print glossary explains the words you will meet when ordering banners, signs, stickers and stationery from us, in plain English and with the actual sizes, materials and options we use. Terms are in alphabetical order, grouped by letter, and many link to a longer article if you want the detail.

If a word on a product page or in an email from us is not here, ask and we will add it to the print glossary.

Print glossary: A to C #

A-sizes

The international paper sizes, where each size is half the one above. A4 is 210 × 297 mm, A3 is 297 × 420 mm, A1 is 594 × 841 mm and A0 is 841 × 1189 mm. See A paper sizes in mm.

Aluminium composite

A panel of two thin aluminium skins on a plastic core, sold by us as 3 mm Dibond. See Dibond.

Artwork

The design file we print from. You can upload your own (free file check), or choose a paid service: typesetting £15, design from your brief £35, logo redraw £50 or a new logo £100.

Bleed

Extra background that runs past the cut line so no white edge shows after trimming. Rigid boards need 3 mm on every edge. See bleed and safe area.

Blockout

Banner material with a light-blocking layer, so light behind it does not show through. Our blockout option is 610gsm PVC on roller banners.

Blueback

Poster paper with a blue reverse, used for pasted billboard posters so the old poster underneath does not show through. Ours is 120gsm.

Cable ties

Plastic ties for fixing banners and boards through eyelets or drilled holes. PVC banners can come with none, 1 bag or 2 bags.

Cartridge

The base of a roller banner that the printed graphic rolls into. We offer Budget, Standard Plus and Premium cartridges.

CMYK

Cyan, magenta, yellow and black: the four inks full-colour print is built from. Supply artwork in CMYK where you can. See CMYK vs RGB.

Correx

Fluted polypropylene board: light, waterproof and economical. We print it in 3.5 mm and 5 mm, with 5.5 mm on street Correx. See what is Correx.

Crease

A pressed line that lets card fold cleanly without cracking. Used on creased leaflets, and on street Correx that folds round a post.

Crop marks

Thin lines outside the page that show where to trim. They sit outside the bleed and never appear on the finished piece.

Print glossary: D to F #

Dibond

3 mm aluminium composite board for long-term outdoor signs. It stays flat, does not rust and can be drilled or profile cut. See what is Dibond.

Die cut

Cutting right through a material to a shape, so each piece comes out on its own. Compare kiss cut.

DL

A long, slim format of 99 × 210 mm, one third of A4, used for flyers and compliment slips. DL envelopes are 220 × 110 mm.

Double sided

Printed on both faces. Offered on boards, flags, fabric walls and many stationery items; our banner pages do not offer it.

DPI

Dots per inch: how many image pixels land in each inch of print. Aim for 300 dpi at full size for small items and 100 to 150 dpi for banners. See dpi for printing.

Drilling

Holes added to a board before delivery, at the top corners or all corners, ready for screws or cable ties.

DTF

Direct to film: a design printed onto film that is heat pressed onto garments and bags. Our DTF transfers come on a 560 × 1000 mm sheet, from £33.46.

Eyelet

A plastic or metal ring punched through a banner’s edge for ties. Metal is stronger for banners that stay out for weeks.

Feather flag

A tall flag with a curved top on a flexible pole. Ours run from 8 ft 6 in (2600 mm) to 16 ft 1 in (4900 mm), from £137.04, with a choice of bases.

File check

A free check by a person on every uploaded file, for resolution, size and bleed, before anything is made.

Finished size

The size of the item after trimming, not including bleed. Always set your document to this size.

Flute

The small channels inside Correx. The board is stiffer along the flutes than across them.

Foamex

Rigid foamed PVC board with a smooth print face, in 3, 5 and 10 mm, for indoor and sheltered signs. See what is Foamex.

Foil

A metallic finish pressed onto card, such as gold, silver or copper, on our foil business cards and flyers.

Full colour

Printing with all four CMYK inks, so photos and any colour can be reproduced.

Print glossary: G to L #

GHS pictogram

The red-bordered diamond hazard symbols used on chemical labels under GB CLP. See COSHH symbols.

Gloss

A shiny coating or laminate that makes colours bright but shows glare and fingerprints.

gsm

Grams per square metre: the weight of paper, card or banner material. 440gsm PVC is heavier than 260gsm mesh. See paper weight gsm.

Hem

A banner edge folded over and welded for strength, where eyelets are fitted. Recommended for anything outdoors.

Heras

The common name for temporary steel mesh fence panels on building sites and events. Our Heras fence mesh banner is 10 ft 10 in × 5 ft 11 in (3300 × 1800 mm).

ISO 7010

The international standard for safety sign symbols, each with a code such as W001 (general warning) or P001 (general prohibition). Safety signs at work are covered by the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996. See our safety sign colours guide.

Kiss cut

A cut through the sticker but not the backing, so stickers stay on a sheet until peeled. Our custom logo stickers are kiss cut on sheets.

Kraft

Natural brown card with an unbleached look, such as our 300gsm brown kraft business cards and postcards.

Lamination

A thin plastic film over the print, gloss, matt or soft touch, that protects it from scuffs and wiping.

Landscape

Wider than it is tall. A4 landscape is 297 × 210 mm.

Print glossary: M to P #

Matt

A flat, non-shiny finish with no glare, easy to read under lights.

Mesh

260gsm woven PVC with small open holes that let wind through, for fences and scaffolding. See PVC or mesh banner.

Mirrored printing

Printing a design back to front so it reads correctly through clear material from the other side. An option on our custom sticker sheets.

Monomeric vinyl

The self-adhesive film our vinyl stickers, window graphics and floor stickers are printed on, best on flat, smooth surfaces.

NCR

No carbon required: coated paper that copies your writing to the sheets below, used for invoice books, pads and sets. See what is NCR paper.

Online designer

Our in-browser design tool. Designing and previewing is free (the preview has a small watermark); the print PDF comes with printed orders, or costs £9.99 on its own.

Outline fonts

Text converted to shapes (curves), so the file prints correctly even without the font installed.

Oversize item

A banner over 3 m on any side, or a board larger than A0. It adds £15 once per order to delivery; street Correx items are exempt.

Pantone

A system of numbered reference colours for brands. Give us the reference and we match it as closely as the material allows from CMYK.

Perfect bound

Pages glued into a square spine, like a paperback. See our perfect bound booklets.

Pole pocket

A sleeve sewn along a banner edge for a pole. Our banners are finished with hems and eyelets instead; we do not add pole pockets.

Polypropylene

A tough, water-resistant plastic, used for Correx board and for our waterproof labels and sticker sheets.

Portrait

Taller than it is wide. A roller banner is portrait.

Print-ready PDF

A PDF at finished size with bleed, CMYK colour and outlined or embedded fonts. See print ready PDF.

Profile cut

Cutting a board to the outline of your design rather than a rectangle. An option on Foamex, Dibond and Correx.

PVC

The plastic used for our standard 440gsm banners and for Foamex board.

PVC-free

Our 400gsm banner material made without PVC, for indoor use and venues that ask for it.

Print glossary: R to S #

Resolution

How much detail an image holds, measured in pixels. Too few pixels for the print size gives a blurry result.

RGB

Red, green, blue: the colour model of screens and phone cameras. It is converted to CMYK for print, which can dull very bright colours.

Roller banner

A printed graphic that rolls out of a cartridge base and stands on a pole. Ours are 800 to 1500 mm wide and 2000 mm tall. See the roller banner buying guide.

Saddle stitch

Booklet binding with wire staples through the fold. Page counts go up in fours; our saddle stitched booklets run from 8 to 48 pages.

Safe area

The zone inside the edge where text must stay: 10 mm on boards, 50 mm on hemmed banners.

Selective white

White ink printed behind chosen parts of a design on clear material, so those colours stay solid. An option on sticker sheets.

Silk

A smooth coated paper with a low sheen, between gloss and matt. Our most common flyer and card finish.

Soft touch

A laminate with a velvety feel, used on premium business cards and covers.

Spot UV

A clear, glossy coating on chosen areas only, such as a logo, against a matt background.

Strut

A fold-out leg on the back of a board so it stands on a counter, as on our Foamex strut cards.

Print glossary: T to W #

Teardrop flag

A flag shaped like a teardrop that holds its shape in light wind. Ours run from 6 ft 11 in (2100 mm) to 15 ft 1 in (4600 mm), from £146.86.

Triplex

Three layers of card bonded into one 810gsm card, with a coloured core that shows along the edge.

Turnaround

Working days to dispatch, counted from when your order and artwork are confirmed. Express runs from 1 day, Standard from 2 and Saver from 4, depending on the product. See print turnaround times.

Typesetting

Our £15 service to set your text and logo in a clean layout, including 1 proof and 2 rounds of changes.

Uncoated

Paper with no coating: natural to touch and easy to write on, with slightly softer colours.

Vector

Artwork built from shapes rather than pixels (PDF, AI, EPS, SVG), so it stays sharp at any size. Photos are raster, not vector.

Vinyl

A PVC film. Banner vinyl is the heavy 440gsm roller banner material; self-adhesive vinyl is used for stickers and window graphics.

Wiro

Wire binding through punched holes, so pages lie flat and turn right round. Used on our wiro bound booklets and calendars.

Still stuck on a term? #

If a word you need is missing from this print glossary, ask us and we will explain it; we may add it to the print glossary for the next person.

Call 0161 315 1151 or use the contact form and we will explain it in the context of your order.