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.
  • Deep well exposing unit
    A table or bench mounted unit equipped with a flexible, transparent top instead of glass which can be molded around a direct printing screen by vacuum for exposing.
  • Definition old
    (1) Image sharpness, resolution, fidelity or clarity of detail; (2) A subjective measure of the overall quality, resolution, and acutance of a printed shape against the substrate or background.
  • Deflection gauge
    Refer to tensionmeter.
  • Deflection temperature
    Temperature at which a standard test bar deflects 0.25 mm (0.010 in) under stated load of either 0.45 MPa (66 psi) or 1.82 MPa (264 psi).
  • Deflocculant
    An agent for dispersing a suspension of ingredients in a vehicle to lower viscosity and to inhibit settling.
  • Defoamer
    An additive that eliminates entrapped air bubbles from ink or base being mixed.
  • Defocused system
    In UV curing, locating the substrate at a point other than the focal point of the lamp, to initiate curing.
  • Deformation
    A change of shape through stress.
  • Degauss
    Process of eliminating magnetism, such as with a color monitor face plate, to eliminate distortion.
  • Degrease
    The act of removing oil or grease film from metal parts before printing or from screen mesh prior to stencil application.
  • Degree of cure
    In UV curable coatings, it is generally inversely related to the level of free monomer.
  • Dehaze
    The removal of ghost images from a reclaimed screen.
  • Dehydration
    The loss of water from a sheet of paper from exposure to high-temperature, low-humidity air, or both.
  • Delamination
    The separation of material constructed in layers in a direction approximately parallel to the surface.
  • Deliquescent
    Refer to hygroscopic.
  • Delta (D)
    Used to indicate deviation or difference; a change.
  • Delta E*, Delta e*
    The total color difference computed with a color difference equation. It is generally calculated as the square root of the sum of the squares of the chromaticity difference, Delta C*, and the lightness difference, Delta L*.
  • Deltascope
    Device used to measure thickness, typically with eddy currents.
  • Denier
    A unit of fineness for synthetic filaments and yarns based on a standard of 50 milligrams per 450 meters of yarn or one yarn/filament weighing one gram per 9000 meters. (The lower the denier, the finer the yarn).
  • Densitometer
    An instrument for measuring the optical density of a photographic image or color in color printing.
  • Density
    (1) A measurement of the opacity of an area in an image.); (2) The density of a fiber with its weight expressed in grams per cubic centimeter; (3) The mass of any unit volume of a material; (4) A measure of reflectance or transmittance equal to log 10 1/reflectance of log 10 or 1/transmittance; (5) The ratio of a substance mass to its volume at a given temperature and pressure; also refer to color density.
  • Density range (density scale)
    The difference between the highest density and the lowest density in a negative, transparency, photographic print, or printed press sheet; determines the amount of light that will pass through a transparency or reflect from a print.
  • Densometer
    An instrument for measuring the time required for a volume of air to pass through a given area of paper; a mill instrument used for measuring the porosity of paper.
  • Deposit of ink (deposition)
    The ink imprint left on the substrate by the act of screen printing.
  • Depth of field
    The distance from a point between the camera lens and subject or copy to a point behind the subject, between which point the foreground, subject, and background are in focus when a lens is focused on subject copy.