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.
  • Glaze
    A vitreous mixture of complex borates and silicates, either colored or clear, that attaches itself firmly to the body of ceramic ware, imparting a gloss and smoothness to the surface.
  • Glazed paper
    Paper with a high gloss or polish.
  • Glitch
    Minor unexpected malfunction, mishap, or technical problem.
  • Glitter
    Small bits of light reflecting decorative material added to a material or ink to achieve a sparkle appearance in the final product or print.
  • Glitter die-cut transfer
    A heat seal transfer with a metallic luster that adds sparkling brilliance to garments; may be applied to cotton and cotton blends.
  • Glory hole
    An opening in a furnace for the purpose of reheating glass during hand fabrication.
  • Gloss
    The relative degree of shine or luster of a substrate or material, the higher the light reflectance from the surface, the more shiny the substrate.
  • Gloss ink
    An ink that dries with minimum penetration into the substrate surface and that yields a high shine or luster.
  • Glossary of Terms
    Definitions of specialty imaging technical terms.
  • Glossmeter
    An instrument used to measure the specular reflectance of light from a surface of a material at a given angle.
  • Glossy print
    A photographic print that has a shining finish.
  • Glost
    Glazed ceramic ware.
  • Glost kiln
    Kiln for firing glaze on ceramics.
  • Glue pot
    A heated receptacle used to melt thermo material prior to use.
  • Glue screen
    A printing screen for the application of adhesives.
  • Glueability tester
    Instrument used to test the strength of a bond formed between an adhesive and a material, by mechanically separating them until the adhesive bond breaks, with measurement readings in pounds of glueability.
  • Gluing machine
    A mechanical device for applying adhesive to a substrate.
  • Glycerin
    An odor-less, colorless liquid C3H5(OH)3 of the alcohol class used as a solvent in the manufacture of alkyd resins and ester gum type inks.
  • Glycol
    Alcohol containing two hydroxyl (-OH) groups.
  • Glycol ether
    A chemical family of solvents, some of which have been used in screen printing ink formulations; includes 2-methoxyethanol, 2-ethoxyethanol, and their acetates that are now restricted in US due to toxicity.
  • Gob
    A glob of molten glass delivered to a mold for forming.
  • Gold ink
    A metallic screen printing ink which has the appearance of metallic gold.
  • Gold karatage
    A measure of purity or fineness of gold. (24 karat represents pure gold.)
  • Golden ratio
    A rule devised to give proportions of height to width when laying out text or images to produce the best optical appearance.
  • Golden rod paper
    A specially coated yellow or orange masking paper used to assemble and position negatives for exposure to press plates.