Resources

Index Tabbing Films

Colors below are not exact representation of Actual film. CONTACT USC for exact mylar samples.

Neon Index Tabbing Films

Colors below are not exact representation of Actual film. CONTACT US for exact mylar samples.

Know the registration capabilities of your press. If your press doesn't have perfect registration capabilities, design your jobs accordingly. Example: Rather than knock-out an image for us to foil stamp, let us over-stamp your printing. The secret to successful over-stamping is: 1) Proper ink selection - Use a wax-free ink., 2) Adequate cure time - Seventy-two hours should be considered a minimum...more curing time is better. Remember, dry to the touch is not the same as fully cured.

Stay close to the gripper. When laying out jobs that have tight registration requirements, keep the critical part of the image close to the gripper. The gripper edge is the most stable part of the sheet as it travels through the press and is the logical area to place images with which we have to register. Whenever possible, the gripper should also be the the widest side of the sheet. The worst possible layout is a long skinny sheet, such as a 4-up strip of business cards, with the gripper on the short side. The chance of us registering with an image on the tail of that sheet is slim to none.

Give us a big enough sheet to work with. This is particularly important with jobs that diecut. We need at least a 3/4 inch gripper margin and 1/2 inch waste on all sides of the diecut image. With all foiling and diecutting jobs, the stock must be bigger than the die. The smallest press sheet we can work with is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches.

Provide accurate artwork for image placement. We need a combination negative to accurately place multiple foil images and foil images that register with printing.

Foil stamping and embossing are low resolution processes. We cannot foil lines thinner than 1 point or keep reverses open finer than two points. Coated stocks hold better foil detail. Avoid embossing fine lines.

Die wear out. Magnesium dies are delicate and easily damaged. They may not be suitable for some applications. Always store dies individually in protective wrappers or padded envelops. The life span of a magnesium die is 10 to 20 thousand impressions on a soft or smooth stock and less on a hard textured stock such as a linen surface. Copper dies can last over 100,000 impressions...this is not to be confused with forever.

Ask questions. We want your jobs to seem heaven sent. Let us help banish the jobs from hell before they ever get into production. If the job is headed to our shop for finishing, please include us in the pre-production process. Our staff has over 30 years of experience in the industry and it is all at your disposal...give us a call.

• Artwork: Elements on a page other than type, such as logos, line illustrations, photos, etc.
• Backbone: The binding edge of a publication; also known as the spine.
• Backing up: Printing the reverse side of a sheet already printed on one side.
• Banding: Smooth gradations of halftone dots interrupted by strips that are greater (or less) than desired density.
• Bank: Refers to a single row of tabs. The number of tabs in a bank can be limited by the length of the tabs and the sheet size.
• Basis Weight: The weight, in pounds, of a ream (500 sheets) of paper cut to a standard size for that type of paper.
• Bind-in Card: An insert that is bound into a saddle-stitch or perfect-bind publication. The insert is loaded into bindery pockets as if they are signatures in the magazine; after binding, it is physically part of the publication.
• Binding edge: The edge of a sheet that will be bound into a book.
• Bitmapped: A series of individual dots or pixels that define graphics.
• Blanket: A resilient, cotton-backed, laminated rubber covering for the impression cylinder of a printing press, which transfers the image from plate to paper.
• Bleed: The portion of the page that runs off the page; exceeding the trim size. Printing standard, bleed should be 1/8".
• Blow-in Card: Loose insert that does not bind in; instead, it is "blown" in at an approximate location in the book.
• Blueline: A dylux proof of stripped negatives, created to check for the position of page elements and errors.
• Body Copy: Any printing on an index divider or tabbed sheet that is not on the tab itself.
• Breakdown: Instructions for dividing a print order into smaller groups for distribution.
• Brick Stacking: Method for stacking inserts or printed signatures whereby lifts are arranged in a cross-hatch fashion to provide the fully loaded skid or pallet with increased stability.
• Business Reply Card (BRC): An insert that allows easy response by readers.
• Caliper: A device on the saddle stitchers that measures the thickness of the book to make sure all parts of the magazine are present.
• Camera-ready Artwork: Original copy that will be scanned and placed in the file.
• Carrier Card: An outsert designed specifically to carry the mailing label on a polybagged magazine.
• Cheshire Label: Mailing labels printed on the white side of standard computer paper, formatted to fit 44 labels on a page (four across and 11 down).
• Chill Rolls/Rollers: An array of water-cooled cylinders through which the web passes when exiting the dryer. The chill rolls are where the ink is set.
• CMYK: Acronym for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key. A subtractive color system based on the primary colors cyan, magenta and yellow. Key color is the color black, which is not reproducible using the CMY model alone.
• Coated Paper: Paper having a surface coating that produces a smooth finish.
• Color Control Bar: A test strip printed or exposed onto paper to produce an assortment of measurable color and gray patches that are used to measure and control the printing process.
• Color Correction: A modification of the tonal qualities of an image.
• Color Separation: A process performed on an electronic scanner to break down a piece of color art into the three primary colors (cyan, magenta and yellow).
• Coverwrap: A preprinted 4-page "wrap" that binds onto the publication over the actual cover, used to protect the magazine and/or carry subscription information.
• Creep: An effect seen on larger saddle-stitch books whereby the center-most pages have progressively smaller image areas due to the thickness of the fold. Also referred to as "push out."
• Cutoff: A unit of paper usage equal to one revolution of the printing cylinders, so named because the folder "cuts off" this amount of paper per revolution.
• Deboss: are the processes of creating recessed relief images and designs in paper and other materials. A debossed pattern is sunken into the surface of the material (but might protrude somewhat on the reverse, back side).
• Densicontrol: A computer-controlled device capable of scanning printing plates for image area and presetting the press ink fountains.
• Densitometer: An instrument that passes light through or bounces light off a surface in order to measure the returned or transmitted light; used to determine correct camera exposure and ensure consistency of ink strength.
• Density: A measure of the relative blackening of photographic images.
• Diecut: Done after printing as part of the finishing process, diecuts are areas of the document that are partially or completely cut, shaped (as in rounded corners on a business card), or cut-out in a variety of shapes. The die is a steel blade used to punch out the desired shape.
• Dieline: A dieline is used as a placeholder for assisting in the proper layout of a document that will be diecut as part of the finishing process. It is usually placed into the graphic's computer file as a separate layer for sizing and orientation purposes, and to have dies made. A dieline is usually not printed on the final piece but is used to determine correct layout.
• Direct-to-Plate (DTP): Digital imaging technology that allows composed pages to be output directly to printing plates rather than to film.
• Dot Gain: The amount by which a given dot in a screened or process area increases in size from plate to ink on paper due to ink absorption, light, scattering and exposure accuracy. Highest at the midtone dot; typically 22-26%.
• Dot Spread: A defect in which dots print larger than they should, causing darker tones of color.
• Dots per Inch (DPI): The measurement of resolution of a screen image or printed page.
• Dryer: Large, gas-fired oven through which the web passes in order to drive off solvents from the ink.
• Emboss: Processes of creating raised images and designs in paper and other materials. An embossed pattern is raised against the background.
• Encapsulated Lamination: A thin layer of tough plastic on both sides, sealed at the edge and waterproof.
• Exposure: The step in photographic processes during which light produces the image on a light-sensitive coating.
• Eylet: A small piece of metal that is used to reinforce a hole.
• File Preparation: Preflight and file management. Files are downloaded and checked formissing files, graphics, fonts and color usage.
• Fit: Printer's slang for registration.
• Flap: Extra paper to allow a single-page insert to be bound into a saddle-stitch publication. A minimum 4" flap is needed on saddle-stitch inserts.
• Flood Coat: Ink or printed coating which covers an entire index divider or tabbed sheet.
• Flush Left: Type that lines up vertically on the left.
• Flush Right: Type that lines up vertically on the right.
• Foil Stamping: The application of pigment or metallic foil, often gold or silver , but can also be various patterns or what is known as pastel foil which is a flat opaque color or white special film-backed material, to paper where a heated die is stamped onto the foil, making it adhere to the surface leaving the design of the die on the paper. Foil stamping can be combined with embossing to create a more striking 3D image.
• Folio: Page number.
• Font: The characters that are available for a given typeface.
• Foot Trim: The portion of the paper at the bottom of the magazine that is removed in the binding process.
• Foot: The base of a publication.
• For Position Only (FPO): Files meant to show placement, but not intended as reproducible copy.
• Form: An assembly of pages and other images for printing.
• Free sheet: Higher grade of paper, free of any visible wood pulp.
• Full Revise: When 20% of the the magazine's pages have corrections.
• Fuse: A process of heat and pressure that is used to adhere mylar to index divider tabs.
• Gang: To group several items to be exposed at the same time for printing, photography or color separation.
• Ghosting: A printing condition in which an image becomes fainter than intended because of its position relative to another image with conflicting ink demands.
• Grain: The direction of the fibers that corresponds to the direction the paper was made.
• Gray Scale: A strip of standard gray tones, ranging from white to black, placed at the side of original copy during photography to measure tonal range and contrast.
• Grind-off: The 1/8" portion along the spine of perfect-bind signatures that will be "ground off" during the binding process.
• Gripper Edge (or lead edge): The leading edge of paper as it passes through a printing press.
• Grippers: Equipment used to help feed the signatures from the pockets of the saddle stitcher.
• Grommets: Similar to eyelets, because they are used to reinforce a hole; however, grommets are typically used for more heavy duty material than eyelets. They typically come in two pieces where an eyelet is one piece.
• Gussetting: Wrinkles emanating from a common point, as when many sheets are folded at right angles.
• Gutter: The blank space or inner margin from printing area to binding.
• Hairline: The finest rule that can be reproduced in printing.
• Halftone Screen: A deterministic pattern of dots of different sizes used to represent tonal densities in an image.
• Halftone: The process or result of scanning a photograph, slide, transparency or other continuous-tone artwork on the scanner to reproduce the original tonal characteristics with a series of various-sized dots.
• Handwork: Additional work needed to produce a desired effect.
• Head Trim: The portion of paper that is removed from the top of the magazine during the binding process.
• Head: Top of the publication.
• Hickies: Small halos in the printed sheet .05" to .25" in diameter. These small rings are due to foreign material on the plate or blanket.
• High Folio Lip: 1/4" extra material on the back of the page or pages of an insert or signature needed on the saddle stitcher to pull open the piece. "High folio" is a reference to higher page numbers in the back of the publication.
• Hinged Cover: Perfect-bind option whereby the front and back covers are glued not only along the spine, but 1/8" on either side of the spine as well.
• Holdout: A paper attribute that describes the paper's ability to hold the ink on the surface, as opposed to absorbing it excessively, which would result in muddied tones and extra dot gain.
• Image Manipulation: Any alteration or special effect performed on an original scan.
• Imagesetter: A device that outputs type, line art and photos in position.
• Imposition: The arrangment of pages in a press form to ensure the correct page order after the printed sheet is folded and trimmed.
• Impression: A single revolution of the printing cylinder; the pressure of the type, plate or blanket as it comes in contact with the paper.
• In Line: Two or more pages running one behind the other around the cylinder on the same form.
• Indicia: Postal information that must be printed on presorted Standard publications.
• Infeed: An ancillary device on a web press, located between the rollstand and the first unit, used to control the tension of the incoming web.
• Ink Jet Labels: The process of spraying the address information on the cover of a magazine without a paper or Cheshire label.
• In-Line Conflict: Situation created when two pages running in line with one another have different inking requirements.
• Insert: A piece to be bound or blown into a magazine.
• Inset/Margin: The distance from the edge of a sheet to the end tabs of a bank.
• Interleaf: Term applied to the use of two different basis weights of paper for each of the two webs printing as one signature (ex.70#/50#).
• Jaws: A part of the web folder, consisting of a stationary anvil and a moveable plate that creates the spine fold.
• Jog: To align sheets of paper into a compact pile.
• Knockout: Technique that prints overlapping objects without mixing inks (opposite of overprinting).
• Lamination encapsulated: A layer of plastic on both sides, sealed at the edge and
• Lamination: a thin layer of plastic, on one side or both sides of a sheet of.
• Lasers: Proofs to evaluate the positioning of all elements on a page before plates are made.
• Late Copy: Editorial or ad material that does not arrive with the job on Day 1.
• Lift: A stack or handful of printed material.
• Lip: Extra paper on one end of an insert or signature for the grippers of the binder to grasp.
• Live Copy: Art and type to be used in a publication (printing standard, live copy should be kept 3/16" from the trim).
• Mail Drop Date: The date our printer expects to take labeled magazines to the post office.
• Make Ready: All time and materials required at a machine prior to the time when savable materials are produced.
• Markup: Marking specifications or instructions on copy.
• Match Up: To align the two parts of a piece of artwork that run on two sequential pages.
• Matchprint: Registered trademark of the 3M Corp. for its laminated color-proofing system.
• Matte Finish: Flat or dull finish, without gloss or luster.
• Midtone: Tonal values of a picture midway between the highlight and the shadow (40% to 60% dot).
• Moire: The undesirable screen pattern caused by incorrect screen angles of overprinting halftones.
• Mylar: A tough polyester film which is applied over tabs to provide protection and color. Mylar strips are also adhered to the binding edge of sheets to prevent "tear out" from 3-ring binders.
• Negative: A sheet of photographic film that, after exposure and processing, is opaque where the original was clear and clear where the original was opaque.
• Offset: The process of using an intermediate blanket cylinder to transfer an image from the plate to the paper. Short for offset lithography
• Opacity: The extent to which "see through" is prevented by blocking light from one side of a sheet of paper to the other.
• Open Head: Press folding method in which the signatures are delivered with the pages unattached or loose at the heads.
• Open Prepress Interface (OPI): A set of PostScript language comments developed by Aldus Corp. for defining and specifying the placement of high-resolution images.
• Outsert: A printed piece that is included in a polybag, but not inside the magazine.
• Outside Edge:
• Oven: See dryer.
• Overprint: To print one process color over another color, thus producing a third color.
• Overprinting: Printing over an area that already has been printed.
• Overrun: Extra copies of a portion of a publication requested by the client (i.e., to overrun copies of one or more signatures and bind separately from the magazine).
• Overs: The number of sheets in a press run that exceed the exact quantity needed for a job. (Industry standard is 10% unless otherwise indicated by the customer)
• Pagination: The order of the page numbers in a signature or book. If all page numbers are in the correct order, the book is said to paginate.
• Perfect-Bind: Binding method whereby the binding edge (backbone) is ground off and a quick-setting glue applied to affix the cover.
• Pica: Printer's unit of measurement, primarily in typesetting. One pica equals 1/6".
• Picking: The pulling loose of paper surface fibers during printing; occurs when the pulling force of the ink is greater than the surface strength of the paper.
• Pick-up Ad: An ad that must be picked up from a previous issue to run in a current issue.
• Plain Tabs: A tab that is cut without any mylar being applied to it.
• Plate: The image carrier used for printing on the press.
• Pocket: A unit on a bindery or mail machine that feeds inserts, signatures or the magazine.
• Polybagging: The process of wrapping a magazine, along with any outserts, in a protective, mailable polybag.
• Position: The numerical order in which an individual tab is found within a bank.
• Precollate or Pregather: The partial assembly of a publication, required when the total number of signatures and inserts exceeds the number of pockets on the bindery line or when the client requests a special prestitch for a pull-out section. (This can add time to your schedule.)
• Preflight: Preliminary checking of the files for bleeds, trapping, color builds, trim size and font usage.
• Presorted List: Labels that have been sorted to achieve the maximum allowable postal discount to reduce costs.
• Press Observation: The presence of the client when his/her job runs on press.
• Pressure-Sensitive Labels: Mail labels printed on a "peel off" stock that can be reaffixed to an order form by the subscriber.
• Printer's Error (PE): Errors found that were caused by the printer.
• Printing Plate: An intermediate image carrier used on a printing press to transfer the image from a digital file to the substrate.
• Process Colors: The four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) that are combined to print a wide range of colors.
• Processor: Any device for developing photographic images on plates or proofs.
• Pushout: See Creep.
• Quantity: The minimum number of magazines that should be printed.
• Raster Image Processor (RIP): A software program or computer that determines what value each pixel of a final-output page bitmap should have, based on commands from the page description language.
• Register Mark: Crosses or similar devices applied to original copy prior to photography; used for positioning negatives in register.
• Register: The precise positioning of two or more images to combine them into a single image in exact alignment.
• Rollstand: Device used to control unreeling of paper to the press. The rollstand controls position, tension and speed of the paper. Splices are made here.
• Rotary Pocket: A pocket that feeds items onto the chain by rotary action.
• Rotation: The order in which inks are applied to the paper.
• Rule: A line used for a variety of effects, including boxes, borders, underlining, etc.
• Running Foot: Text that repeats itself on the bottom of each page (i.e., issue and title).
• Saddle-Stitch: Binding method whereby the middle fold of the publication or insert is opened up and stapled.
• Scanner: An electronic device whereby photographs, slides, transparencies or other continuous-tone artwork are converted in a contone mode and stored for placement in an electronic file.
• Score: To impress or indent a mark with a rule in the paper to make folding easier.
• Screen Angles: The position of the rows of halftone dots relative to degrees of a circle.When preparing plates for reproduction, the dots of each process color are placed at a distinct and different angle to one another to help avoid moiré patterns.
• Screen: An area broken up into dots to print gradations of a solid.
• Second Pass: A second collation on the bindery line necessitated by having more signatures and inserts than the line has pockets.
• Self-Cover: A publication that does not have a separate 4-page cover but uses the pages from an 8- or 16-page signature to form the cover.
• Set: The series of individual tabs that make up a single index system.
• Sheeter: A device on the front end of a web press for cutting the web into sheets.
• Show-Through: The condition in which the printing on the reverse side of a sheet can be seen through the sheet under normal lighting conditions.
• Shuttle Pocket: A pocket that places items on the chain through a reciprocating (back-and-forth) action.
• Signature: A printed sheet after it has been folded (i.e., 4-page, 8-page, 16-page).
• Slit: A narrow opening.
• Slot: A narrow opening slightly wider than a slit.
• Specifications: Detailed description of desired measurements, materials, methods, etc.; range of acceptable measurements.
• Spine: The back of a bound book connecting the two covers.
• Spread: Two facing pages in a publication.
• STET: A proofreader's mark, indicating copy marked for correction should stand as is.
• Stitcher Head: That part of the saddle stitcher that actually forms and inserts the stitch.
• Stock: Synonym for paper.
• Stripping: The positioning of negatives on a flat surface to compose a page or layout for platemaking.
• Tab Configuration: The arrangement and size of tabs within a bank.
• Tab Cut: The number of tabs in a bank, expressed in the form of a fraction. (Examples 4 tabs to a bank = 1/4 cut. 9 tabs to a bank = 1/9 cut.)
• Tab Extension: The distance the tab extends past the edge of a sheet. (Tab Extensions Are: 1/4" - 3/8" - 1/2" - 3/4")
• Tab Width: The actual width measurement of a tab. Minimum width = .43" Maximum width = virtually unlimited
• Tack: In printing inks, the property of cohesion between particles; the pulling power (stickiness) or separation force of ink.
• Tagged Image File Format (TIFF): A file format for exchanging bitmapped images (usually scans) between two applications.
• Tear Sheet: A magazine with the binding edges trimmed off to provide loose pages.
• Tick; TickMarks: Small positioning indicators on the plate or printed sheet.
• Tip-on: An insert designed to be glued to the signature. Saddle-stitch tip-ons glue to the front of a signature; perfect-bind tip-ons glue to the back of the signature.
• Tipper: A machine for gluing inserts onto the front or back of a signature.
• Tolerance: The total acceptable range of a set of specifications.
• Trap: Minor area of overlap between two or more objects, colors or negatives where they meet.
• Trim Size: The finished or trimmed size of the publication.
• Trim: The paper on the top, bottom and outside edges of a publication.
• Typeface: A specific design in which various sizes and weights of type are available.
• Unit: One section of the press, consisting of two printing couples (two plates, two blankets).
• UPC Code: A bar code printed on some magazine covers, usually for use on newsstand publications.
• Varnish: A thin protective coating applied to a printed sheet for protection or appearance.
• Wash-up: The process of cleaning the rollers, plates and, sometimes, the ink fountains of a press.
• Web Guide: Ancillary device on the web presses used to continuously make minor corrections in web position.
• Web: A roll of paper used in web printing.
• Weight: The variation of a letter form (for example: light, regular, bold).