Definitions: M-P
Media
In the context of printing, media (or substrate) refers to the base material that is printed upon. The term "paper" not used for general categories when fabrics and synthetic…
Metamerism
Sunlight, fluorescent, and incandescent light have different effects on perceived color. Metamerism, as it refers to color reproduction in the graphic arts industry, is a…
Microporous
Microporous paper has a multi-layered coating applied to a resin-coated base. It provides a porous structure of less than 2 nm (nanometers) into which ink deposits. As it applies…
Mil (Caliper)
Caliper refers to the thickness of a sheet of paper expressed in a thousandth of an inch or mil. This measurement is taken with a micro meter. Normally, paper caliper should not…
Moiré
Moiré is most commonly an unsightly byproduct of improper screen angles used for offset printing or attempting to scan and and reprint art with a new screen applied. The…
Mounting
Noise
Cameras produce best results when subjects are within focus and properly lit. Though they are able to capture images within a fraction of a second, low lighting…
Offset Printing
Offset printing is routinely used when print runs in excess of 500 are required for business cards, brochures, and even moderate size posters. To reproduce large quantities while…
Pantone
Pantone is the most recognized color matching system in the graphic arts community. Numbered swatches are used as reference colors. Pantone books are costly because each…
Pantone® Color Chart
This chart is intended as a reference guide only and does not include all colors. Computer monitors may not exactly match PANTONE®-identified color standards. Use current… |
PDF (Portable Document Format) is a compact graphic file format developed by Adobe Systems Inc. that allows distribution of documents with the original formatting…
Photo Retouching
Photo retouching involves techniques to enhance appearance of a digital image. There is generally a routine sequence to image editing. Working on what is typically an RGB copy,…
Pixel
Pixel (picture element) is the smallest area of information within a color grid used to form a picture. Several may be measured linearly within an inch. Thus, 72 PPI (pixels per…
PNG
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a bitmapped image format that employs lossless data compression. PNG was created to improve upon and replace GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)…
Polypropylene
Polypropylene or polypropene was first introduced in 1957 and later successully polymerized by the Italian company Montecatini. It is now a thermoplastic polymer made by…
PostScript
Most people think of a postscript (P.S.) as an afterthought in a letter. However, in the printing world, PostScript has totally different implications. PostScript is a text based…
Preflight
In the field of graphic design, preflighting is a manual or automated process to evaluate digital files for anomalies. This can include but is not limited to, conflicting color…
Proof
In the field of graphic design, a proof is a reasonable facsimile of final product appearance presented to obtain final approval. At the very least, it may be a B+W photocopy sent…
PSD
A native "Photoshop Document" is commonly abbreviated PSD, as this is the file extension. Adobe Photoshop is the most popular photo editing application in the graphic arts…