A
- Absorbency
- The ability of paper to absorb and hold ink or other liquids is absorbency. Papers with less absorbency may smear more easily but may also provide more vibrant color and crisp text than papers with greater absorbency. Also Known As: ink absorption
For Example - Photos printed on inkjet photo papers are more brilliant in color but must be allowed to dry longer before handling than photos printed on regular paper. That's because inkjet photo papers have less absorbency than regular printer paper which has more absorbency and wrinkles easily when a lot of ink is applied (as in high quality photo printing).
WAB Paper Supply carries White Bonds Plotter Paper Rolls, High Bright CAD plotter paper and Premium Opaque Bond Plotter Papers with a wide range of absorbency qualities from every day purposes to the highest quality color reproduction needed for most plotter printing applications - Acrobat
- Software from Adobe used to covert files into PDF format. PDF was created by Adobe as a cross-platform file format that would allow documents to be easily shared between various users. Once a document is in PDF format, it is viewed with the Acrobat reader, which is freely distributed by Adobe. In order to convert a file to PDF format, you must purchase the full version of Acrobat. PDF files are print-ready and can be viewed easily on computers and in browser windows.
- American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
- The principal institution responsible for the development of technology standards. ANSI works with the International Organization for Standards.
- Archival Qualities
- The length of time a particular printed item or image may retain it's original quality, which can vary depending on the media used.
B
- Basis Weight
- The weight, measured in pounds, of 250 sheets (a ream) of paper cut to a standard size is its basis weight. That standard size (basic size) is not the same for all paper grades. The major paper grades such as bond or cover have their own standard sizes which determine the basis weight for that grade of paper regardless of the final size of the paper.
For Example - Bond paper, such as used in laser printers and copy machines, typically has a basis weight of 13-25 lbs. That weight is based on 250 sheets in a basic size of 17" x 22" although the paper is generally sold in 8½" x 11" sheets. Papers for many offset printing projects range in basis weight from 22-150 lbs
WAB Paper Supply has most paper weight stocks available from 17# Inkjet Vellum Plotter Paper to 40# Color Bond Plotter paper to fit every application of your printing needs. - Bi-Directional Printing
- The capability of a printer to print left-to-right and right-to-left, resulting in increased printing speeds.
- Binding
- In printing, binding includes a variety of methods of fastening together printed pages. Common methods include stapling, saddle stitch, acco.
- Blueline Paper
- Usually inexpensive, photographic proof from negatives where all colors are shown in blue (or another color) is called a blueline. The negatives used for the printing plates are exposed to a photosensitive paper to produce the image on the blueline. A blueline is a type of contact proof, so named because it is created by having the negative come in contact with a special type of paper.
Additional names for a blueline, based on the color are blackprint, blueprint, brownline, brownprint, and silver print.
Also Known As: contact proof | salt proof | position proof | Dylux (paper brand) | VanDyke | diazo | dyeline | ozalid
Examples: Best used for spot color jobs, a blueline is used primarily to check accuracy and position before plates are made. It shows all text and images (in a single color). Use bluelines to check for smudges or scratches on the film. A blueline is a type of paper proof or position only proof.
WAB Paper Supply carries blueline paper in the most common sizes and speeds for your printing application needs call 414-321-1422 - Bond Paper
- Especially suitable to electronic printing and use in office machines including copiers and desktop printers, bond paper is a strong, durable paper. Bond paper has a basic size of 17 inches by 22 inches and a basis weight of 13 to 25 lbs. It is characterized by erasability, good absorption, and rigidity. Bond paper typically comes in letter size reams of 250 sheets.
Also Known As: reprographic paper | xerographic paper | copy paper | printer paper
Bond paper is typically used in copiers and for letterheads, business forms, and a variety of documents produced with inkjet and laser printers.
WAB Paper's AZON Bond papers are high quality at a low cost for efficient and quality printing.
C
- CAD (Computer Aided Design)
- The production of designs and drawings for architectural, engineering and scientific applications using one of several software packages.
- CMYK
- An acronym for the process printing colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. CMYK is one of several color models used in Desktop Publishing.
- Coated Paper Stock
- Paper with a layer added to one or both sides. Coated paper can change the way ink adheres to the paper and change the look of the print. Coatings are normally defined as hard glossy, semi-glossy or matte.
- Color Correction
- An adjustment of color values to achieve the best level of color for image reproduction.
- Color Seperation
- A process by which a full color original is converted into four printable colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. The information for each color is used to create a separate film negative which is used to create a plate for printing. See CMYK.
- Color Table
- A look-up table that stores color descriptions which can ultimately be used for gamma correction of images being transferred between different equipment (ie.: scanners, printers, monitors, etc.)
- Cropping
- Removing the unwanted part of an image.
D
- Density
- The degree of opacity (darkness) of an image.
- Dots Per Inch (DPI)
- A term that describes the resolution of a particular output device, measured by the number of dots per inch, vertically and horizontally.
- Download
- The retrieval of data from a different computer. Data can be downloaded from a central network server or a web site to a local machine.
- Driver
- A driver is a program that controls a device such as printers. A driver acts like a translator between the device and programs that use the device. Each device has its own set of specialized commands that only its driver knows. In contrast, most programs access devices by using generic commands. The driver, therefore, accepts generic commands from a program and then translates them into specialized commands for the device.
- Drum Scanner
- A high-end scanner with a rotating drum that the original is mounted to. As the drum spins, light from the image is captured and the image is recorded in a series of fine lines.
- Duplex
- To print on both sides of a page.
- Durability
- Indicates how well a particular material holds up to standard wear and tear.
F
- File Format
- The structure in which digital information is stored, including appropriate headers. Most programs have a proprietary file format. For example, Microsoft Word files are saved as .doc, a format slightly different than WordPerfect's file format. A program's proprietary file format is called its "native format." Many programs can open other file formats - Word can open a WordPerfect document, for example - although all the formatting may not display perfectly. There are may graphic file formats:.bmp, .eps, .psd, .tif, .jpg, etc.
- Finishing
- Adding value to an image or print with processes such as lamination or mounting.
- Firewall
- A method of separating a company's network from the rest of the world. It keeps internal traffic inside the firewall and external traffic outside the firewall. Firewalls can often complicate the process of transferring files or e-mail.
- Flatbed Scanner
- A scanner with a horizontal piece of glass onto which the original is placed and an image is made by the array, which moves past the original.
- Format
- Identifies the size of a printer, media, or graphic, based on the width of media roll, the printer's print area, or the dimensions of a graphic. At Thomas Reprographics, Small Format includes everything up to 13" wide and Large Format (Wide Format) encompasses everything above that.
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
- Technically, FTP is a language used to move files, however the term commonly refers to the process of sending a file via FTP or to an FTP site. FTP is used as opposed to HTTP, which is the language used to write web pages. The 'ftp' or 'http' that precedes a web address tells a web browser which language it should use when processing the request.
G
- Gamut
- The numbers of colors that can be reproduced within a printing system.
- GIF (Graphic Interchange Format)
- An image format type generated specifically for computer use. Its resolution is usually very low (72 dpi, or that of your computer screen), making it undesirable for printing purposes.
- Grayscale
- An image containing a range of gray levels as opposed to only pure black and pure white.
H
- HalfTone
- A photographic format that converts a continuous-tone photo into tiny dots, which a printing press can reproduce with ink. The human eye interprets the patterns of dots as tones and shades of black and colors.
- High Resolution
- An increase in the number of dots per inch, resulting in enhancement of the appearance of an image.
I
- Inkjet Photo Paper
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The variety of photo quality inkjet papers can seem overwhelming. However, there are really only five main differences in all these papers with four of these playing a critical role: brightness, weight, caliper, and finish. Learn how to choose the right paper for your needs based on these criteria and see how a few different types of paper stack up against each other.
Opacity
How see-through is the paper? The higher the opacity, the less that printed text and images will bleed through to the other side. This is especially important for double-sided printing. Inkjet photo papers have a relatively high opacity (94-97 usually) compared to ordinary inkjet or laser papers so bleed-through is less of a problem with these papers.
Brightness
How white is white? In terms of paper, there are many different levels of whiteness or brightness. Brightness is expressed as a number from 1 to 100. Photo papers are usually in the high 90s. Not all papers are labeled with their brightness rating; therefore, the best way to determine brightness is simply to compare two or more papers side-by-side.
Judging Brightness
Paper weight may be expressed in pounds (lb.) or as grams per square meter (g/m2). Different types of paper have their own weight scale. The bond papers which include most inkjet photo papers are found in the 24 to 71 lb. (90 to 270 g/m2) range. Terms such as heavyweight do not necessarily indicate a heavier paper than other comparable papers as you will see in the Weight comparison.
Use Heavier Paper to Look Important
Photo papers are heavier and thicker than typical multi-purpose papers. This thickness, known as caliper, is necessary to accommodate the greater ink coverage typically found in photos. Typical inkjet paper caliper may be anywhere from a thin 4.3 mil to a thick 10.4 mil paper. Photo paper is usually 7 to 10 mils.
Use Heavier Paper to Look Important
Gloss FinishThe coating on photo papers give your printed photos the look and feel of photographic prints. Because the coating keeps the paper from readily absorbing the ink some glossy papers dry slowly. However, quick-dry gloss finishes are common today. The finish may be described as high gloss, gloss, soft gloss, or semi-gloss, each reflecting the amount of shine. Satin is a less shiny coated finish.
Matte FinishImages printed on photo matte papers appear soft and non-reflective, not shiny. Matte finish papers are not the same as regular inkjet finish papers. Matte finish photo papers are thicker and are specially formulated for photos. Many matte finish papers are printable on both sides.
Coated paper with a dull, no-gloss finish without luster is known as matte finish. Colors often appear softer on a matte finish. Text can be easier to read on matte finish papers than on glossier finishes.
- Inkjet Printer
- A non-impact printer that sprays droplets of ink onto the media. The printhead moves across the surface of the media, spraying tiny, electrostatically-charged ink drops onto it to form images.
L
- Laminate
- The application of one of various types of film to a print using a hot or cold process. Often this makes the print more durable and can even help make a print water resistant. Laminates come in various thicknesses and finishes - some are glossy and some are matte and some prevent UV exposure.
- Landscape
- A term describing the horizontal orientation of pages or screen displays.
- Large Format Graphics
- Graphic output larger than 11" x 17" that is imaged using either an inkjet or electrostatic printer.
- Legal Size
- A standard US paper size - 8.5 X 14
- Letter Size
- A standard US paper size - 8.5 X 11.
M
- M Weight
- M weight is the actual weight in pounds of 1000 sheets of paper regardless of the basic size or paper grade.
- Matte Finish
- A low gloss finish. We offer matte finishes in both paper and laminate choices.
- Media
- The substrate that an image is printed on.
- Megabyte
- Approximately one million bytes. Commonly written as MB and spoken as a "meg".
- Monitor Calibration
- The process of bringing a monitor to a set standard. The process involves the color, saturation and brightness of the monitor and makes sure that the image displayed on the screen will be as close as possible to the image printed out of the printer.
- Monochrome
- Technically a "single color" In reprographics, it usually refers to a black and white image as opposed to a color one.
O
- Opacity
- Opacity is the measure of how opaque or see-through a graphic or a piece of paper is. The more fibers or fillers in a paper, the more opaque (less see-through) it will be. Thinner papers can be made more opaque with opacifying thickeners. Graphics opacity is controlled in a graphics program when layering images on top of each other.
- Opaque
- Opaque means not see-through, non-transparent. The more opaque something is the less light passes through it. In desktop publishing opaque is often applied to paper (opacity) and to graphics.
- Orientation
- The format or direction in which images, graphics and text are placed in a page layout.
P
- Page Layout
- The process of setting up artwork and text in pages. Also refers to software packages specializing in the process of page layout.
- Pagination
- The assignment of page numbers, either manually or electronically, in a document.
- Paper Grade
- Classification of different types of paper based on the type of pulp, treatments, and the end use of the paper is the paper grade. Some common paper grades include bond, book, bristol, cover, and newsprint.
- Plotter
- A printer, usually wide-format, that prints vector graphics.
- Plotter Paper
- Plotter paper is a special type of paper used with plotter machines. Plotter machines are printing devices used with computers that are capable of printing vector type graphics. The plotter machine is most widely used by architects and house or building designers in order to create their blueprints. They are also used alongside software programs such as AutoCAD and other drafting and technical drawing programs.
The plotter machine prints using a special pen that moves across plotter paper. There are several types of plotter paper used for printing vector graphics that have been captured by the plotter. This plotter paper is available in different sizes and textures. One type of plotter paper is usually sold by the roll. The drawing from the plotter machine is completed on a drum plotter, which the paper is wrapped around.
Another type of plotter paper can be used on a flatbed plotter machine. This plotter paper is placed on the machine's flat service. An electrostatic plotter allows the user to sketch on negatively charged plotter paper that has a positively charged toner.
Plotter paper is available for both inkjet and traditional pen plotters. Bond plotter paper is one such paper that shows this type of versatility. This plotter paper can be used for black and white inkjet plotting, making it ideal for engineering and architectural uses. It is sold on rolls measuring 50 yards (457.2 meters). Some are available with widths from 24 to 36 inches (about 60.96 cm to 91.44 centimeters).
Inkjet vellum plotter paper is usually the preferred choice for printing a large volume of blueprint, because it is capable of printing high quality blueprints. The size of this plotter paper is usually 24 inches by 150 feet (about 60.96 cm by 45.72 meters). For a fraction of the cost of vellum plotter paper, one can get translucent bond plotter paper. Packages of this plotter paper generally weigh 18 pounds (288 ounces) and are available in sheets and in rolls up to 36 inches (91.44 cm) wide.
Gloss presentation plotter paper is used most often with pen plotter machines. This plotter paper is able to capture all of the sharp lines and high contrast of drawings created by the user. The end result is a product that is not only pleasing to the eye, but also clean and professional in appearance. - Portrait
- A term describing the vertical orientation of pages or screen displays.
- PostScript
- A page description language developed by Adobe Systems Inc. that translates graphic file information into a format understood by electronic output devices and printers.
- Printhead
- A printhead is the device in an inkjet printer which sprays droplets of ink onto a sheet of paper. Most desktop inkjet printers use cartridges that come with the print head attached; a few printers have separate print heads next to which the ink cartridge is inserted.
R
- Raster Image Processor (RIP)
- Software and/or hardware that translates an electronic image, graphic and/or text file into understandable instructions for a printing device.
- Rasterization
- Converting images from vector to raster.
- Reflective
- In printing, reflective refers to duplicating a hardcopy original by reflecting light off them. As opposed to digital printing or shining light through a translucent original (like the diazo/blueline process).
- Reprographic Printing
- Reproduction of graphic images through electrical or mechanical means, such as xerography or photography. Reprographic printing is commonly used in the large and wide-format reproduction needs of the architectural, engineering, and manufacturing industries.
WAB Paper Supply carries the HP DesignJet Series of Color Plotters that are excellent for all of your print needs with the highest quality and low maintenance and print costs achieved.
S
- Scanner
- A digitizing device that optically reads an image and converts it into an electronic file format that can be read and manipulated by a software program.
- Standardized Page Sizes
-
The standardized page sizes used across the industry:
Format Inches Metric (mm) A3 11.69 x 16.54 297 x 420 A4 8.25 x 11.75 210 x 297 A5 5.83 x 8.25 148 x 210 B5 6.93 x 9.84 176 x 250 Executive (Monarch) 7.25 x 10.5 184 x 267 Legal 8.5 x 14 216 x 356 Letter 8.5 x 11 216 x 279 Magazine - Broad 10 x 12 254 x 305 Magazine - Narrow 8.125 x 10.875 206 x 276 Magazine - Standard 8.375 x 10.875 213 x 276 Magazine - Wide 9 x 10.875 229 x 276 Periodical 10.25 x 13 260 x 330 Tabloid 11 x 17 279 x 432
T
- Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)
- A graphics file format, developed by Aldus Corp. and Microsoft® Corp., used to store electronic color and gray-scale images.
- Toner
- Toner is a dry powdery substance used in laser printers and photocopiers which forms the text and images on the printed paper. In its early form it was simply carbon powder. In order to improve the quality of the printout the individual carbon particles were blended in a polymer. The polymer particles can be melted by the heat of the fuser, causing it to bind to the fibers in the paper. The exact polymer varies by manufacturer but might be a Styrene Acrylate Copolymer or a Polyester Resin. Typically, you can print thousands of pages with a single cartridge.
- Translucent
- Media that allows some light to shine through - for example vellum, sepia or mylar.
V
- Vector
- Images defined by sets of straight lines, defined by the locations of the end points. As opposed to raster image.
- Vector to Raster Conversion
- Converting images from vector to raster. See rasterization.
- Vellum
- A translucent media used to make blueline prints.
W
- Wide-Format Printers
- Printers with a print width between 17” and 100”. Digital wide-format printers are replacing old fashioned pen and paper plotters, formerly the primary means of printing CAD blueprints and other large scale vector drawings, although the paper printed on is still primarily referred to as plotter paper.
WAB Paper Supply has Plotters from 24" to 44" wide print capabilities and can supply the paper for every application with White Bond rolls , translucent plotter rolls and many choices of color plotter paper for the exact application for your print job.
X
- Xerography
- A photocopying technique used by most photocopying machines, laser, and LED printers, combining photography with electrostatic printing.