Bleed
Printing that extends to the edge of the sheet or page after trimming. Typically, the designer will extend the artwork 3mm beyond the trim-line so there are no white edges if the trimming is slightly off.

Computer-To-Plate (CTP)
A process where printing plates are imaged directly from computer files via a platesetter, without the intermediate step of creating separation film or traditional plate-making.

Crop Marks
Lines near the edges of a page indicating where the guillotine needs to cut. They are generally a few millimetres away from the egde so there is no remnant if the trimming is slightly off.

Dots-Per-Inch (DPI)
Measure of resolution of output devices such as monitors, inkjet and laser printers. The higher the DPI, the sharper and more photographic the image will be.

Lines-Per-Inch (LPI)
Measure of resolution of imagesetters or plate-making devices. Newspapers are generally printed at 85lpi which is why they appear coarser than offset printed documents which are generally printed at 150-200lpi.

Makeready 
The process of preparing and adjusting a printing press to produce the first good impression for approval, before the full run commences. This includes but is not limited to mounting and packing plates, ink control and image register. A makeready can also refer to any of several sheets of paper fed through the press during this process.

Pixels-Per-Inch (PPI)
Measure of resolution of digital files. The higher the PPI, the better quality you can expect when output, within the limits of the output device. Most monitors are 72ppi, so web graphics are created at this resolution. For printing, 300ppi is widely considered the minimum for reproduction of images, which is why web images look pixellated when printed at normal size.

Pantone Colours
The Pantone Matching System is designed to provide a consistent reference for specific colours. The system includes swatches, digital values and ink mixes for a wide variety of colours on different stocks.

Plates
Plates are a sheet of plastic or metal which carry ink to the paper in the desired areas to form an image. Four colour process printing uses four plates (one for each of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black). Spot colour printing can use any number of plates, although only the largest presses can print more than 8 inks in a single pass.

PMS
PMS is a now-obsolete reference to the Pantone Matching System. The correct term is now “Pantone Colours”, not “PMS colours”.

Resolution
Measured in DPI or PPI (see above). Refers to the density of pixels or dots in a one-inch block. The higher the resolution, the better the image will reproduce. Low resolution files will not print sharply, resulting in pixellation (blockiness) and jagged edges.

Screen
Measured in LPI (see above). Refers to the density of lines in a one-inch block. The higher the screen, the better the images will reproduce.

Tint
A lighter version of a solid colour, achieved by spacing the ink dots further apart. Tints are generally described as a percentage of the solid colour.