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.
  • Blurring
    A condition where the graphics are indistinct or appear out of focus; also refer to slur.
  • Blushing
    A milky or foggy appearance that sometimes develops as a transparent ink or coating dries due to the disposition of moisture from the air and precipitation of one or more of the solid components in the ink, usually found in inks that dry by solvent evaporation; also referred to as bloom.
  • BMP file
    A Windows bitmap file, with an extension ".bmp" that defines an image (such as the image of a scanned page) as a pattern of dots (pixels).
  • Board
    A heavyweight, thick sheet of paper or other fibrous material, usually in a thickness greater than 6 ml (0.006 inches).
  • Bodied oil
    A drying or semi-drying oil whose viscosity has been increased by heating or chemical reaction.
  • Body
    The viscosity, consistency, and flow of a vehicle or ink, as assessed subjectively; a long-bodied ink is thick, while a short-bodied ink is thinner and creamy.
  • Body label
    A decoration applied to the body of a bottle.
  • Boiled oil
    A linseed oil that has been subjected to a high temperature for a short period of time to increase viscosity and drying rate.
  • Boiling point (bp)
    (1) The temperature where a liquid boils under standard atmospheric conditions and the temperature at which a substance can be distilled; (2) The temperature where the vapor pressure of a liquid is equal to the pressure of the atmosphere; (3) The temperature at which a liquid changes into a vapor. (The lower the boiling point, the greater the potential for flammability).
  • Bolt
    A roll of screen mesh as it comes from the loom.
  • Bolting cloth
    Mesh woven of multifilament strands with two strands in one direction being twisted alternatively around each single strand of the opposite direction.
  • Bon a tirer (French)
    Meaning "good to print," this is the first press proof approved by the artist in a print edition.
  • BON maroon
    An organic pigment with good fade resistance, poor resistance to alkali.
  • Bond
    The degree of adherence to glass or ceramics of an unfired color.
  • Bond paper
    A light weight paper stock with strength, rigidity, and good absorptive and erasing qualities.
  • Bonding agent
    An ink additive that improves ink adhesion characteristics, sometimes used when printing nylon jacket material.
  • Bonding jumper
    A metal wire or mesh connection two containers and providing metal-to-metal contact, thus preventing electrical sparks from static electricity.
  • Bonding strength
    (1) Amount of adhesion between bonded surfaces; (2) A measure of the stress required to separate a layer of material from the base to which it is bonded; (3) In paper, the force with which the fibers adhere to each other; (4) In surface coatings, the strength with which the applied coating, when dry, adheres to the surface of the substrate.
  • Bone china
    Vitreous extremely white, translucent dinnerware that contains bone ash; a porcelain made without feldspar.
  • Bonus-color concept
    The provisions of an extra color or shade obtained by overprinting two or more transparent or translucent inks without the additional stencil or press run that a third color would normally require.
  • Book paper
    Coated and uncoated papers.
  • Borate glass
    Glass made from boron oxide instead of silica.
  • Borax glass
    Vitreous anhydrous sodium tetraborate (Na2B4O7).
  • Border
    A printed design or a line surrounding an illustration or text area of printed matter.
  • Borosilicate crown glass
    An optical crown glass containing substantial quantities of silica and boric oxide.