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| K | Abbreviation for black in four-colour process printing. Hence the 'K' in CMYK |
| Kerning | The narrowing of space between two letters so that they become closer and take up less space on the page |
| Key | 1. The screw that controls ink flow from the ink fountain
of a printing press. 2. To relate loose pieces of copy to their positions on a layout or mechanical using a system of numbers or letters. 3. Alternate term for the colour black, as in 'key plate' |
| Key Plate | Plate that prints the most detail, thus whose image guides the register of images from other plates. Also called key printer |
| Keying | The use of symbols, usually letters, to code copy that will appear on a dummy |
| Keyline | Lines that are drawn on artwork that indicate the exact placement, shape and size of elements including halftones, illustrations, etc |
| Keyword Searches | Searching text, in metadata associated with images, for a descriptive word |
| Kiss Die Cut | To die cut the top layer, but not the backing layer, of self-adhesive paper. Also called face cut |
| Kiss Impression | Lightest possible impression that will transfer ink to a Substrate. |
| Korrex | A litho proofing press used for the production of vellum copies |
| Kraft | A coarse unbleached paper used for printing and industrial products |