Glossary

The PRINTING United Alliance Glossary serves as an excellent industry terminology resource. It is the language by which we all communicate. Without it, universal understanding would be impossible.

To keep our constituents well informed about changes to the increasingly complex industry terminology, PRINTING United Alliance has developed this glossary of terms. Definitions are for general reference only. Usage may vary between companies, individuals, or national and country customs. The information presented is as accurate as the authors and editors can ascertain and PRINTING United Alliance assumes no responsibility for the use of information presented herein.
  • PVC stock
    Plastic sheet materials made from polyvinyl chloride.
  • PWB
    Acceptable acronym for printed wiring board.
  • Pyramid shadow box
    A shadow box for displays requiring a strong tilt back.
  • Pyrocon
    An instrument used for determining the temperature of the heating plate on a heat transfer machine.
  • Pyrometer
    A meter for registering heat, which may be calibrated in either Fahrenheit or Celsius scales.
  • Pyrometric cones (Segar cones)
    Small pyramid shapes of ceramic materials used to measure the heat in a kiln or lehr, designated by numbers as to temperature at which they will deform.
  • Pyrophoric
    A chemical substance or mixture that will ignite spontaneously in dry or moist air below 54.4°C (130°F).
  • Pyrophosphate plated circuit boards
    Circuit boards having been plated in a media of copper potassium pyrophosphate.
  • Pyroxylin
    A plastic material of cellulose nitrate, used for coating paper and cloth.
  • QS9000
    An automotive quality standards system used by supplier to the automobile industry.
  • Qty
    Acceptable abbreviation for quantity.
  • Quad
    The addition of space to fill a line of type using an en or em block.
  • Quadracolor
    A function of some color scanners where a set of four separations is produced on a single piece of film.
  • Quality
    A measure of the degree of perfection of all phases of a process.
  • Quality assurance (QA) (quality control) (QC)
    A system of inspections, and/or tests instituted at various stages in a manufacturing or printing process to ensure that the end product will meet predetermined standards.
  • Quality factor
    A measure of the ratio of pixels per halftone screen ruling.
  • Quantization
    Artificial forcing of like gray levels to the same gray levels as a result of limited tonal resolution in a scanner used in shadow portion of scanned image.
  • Quart (qt)
    A unit of liquid volume or capacity equal to 32 fluid ounces, US, 1/4 gallon US and 57.75 cubic inches.
  • Quartertone
    Tones that lie between shadow and midtone and between highlight and midtone; tonal values in range 25% dot.
  • Quartz
    Most common form of silica, an essential ingredient in glass and enamel batches.
  • Quartz glass
    A pure silica glass highly transparent to ultraviolet radiation.
  • Quartz-iodine lamp (quartz-halogen)
    An improved tungsten bulb that has a tungsten filament surrounded by iodine and inert gases, enclosed in a quartz envelope; also referred to as quartz halogen.
  • Quartz-tube
    A UV lamp typically filled with mercury vapor, and made from quartz.
  • Quench
    A method of cooling a substance suddenly, usually in water, oil, or air.
  • Queue
    The line of events scheduled to occur with a computer or peripheral.