W – Glossary of Print and Design Terms
Welcome to our comprehensive glossary of print and design terms. We are continually seeking to grow and improve this glossary, so if you spot any definition you do not agree with, a term that is missing, or have any comments in general, please email our reference team.
Walk Off | A term given to the occurrence of plate deterioration of the image area during the printing process; usually occurs on long runs |
Wash Up | To clean ink and fountain solutions from rollers, fountains, screens, and other press components |
Waste | Unusable paper or paper damage during normal make-ready, printing or binding operations, as compared to spoilage |
Watermark | Design pattern or symbol impressed into paper while being formed at the wet end of paper machine. Usually from wire design attached to dandy roll. Watermarks can be seen when paper is held to light e.g. bank notes |
Web | Paper making process winds paper on a rull or web. Direction of web is direction of run of paper on machine during manufacture. Web is important in work printed to register. Paper stretches more across web than in direction of web |
Web Break | Split of the paper as it travels through a web press, causing operators to rethread the press |
Web Direction | Direction parallel to long dimension of mill roll |
Web Gain | Unacceptable stretching of paper as it passes through the press |
Web Press | Press that prints from rolls of paper, usually cutting it into sheets after printing. Web presses come in many sizes, the most common being mini, half, three quarter (also called 8-pages) and full (also called 16-pages). Also called reel-fed press |
Web Tension | The term given to the tension or pull exerted by the web press on the web roll |
Wedding Paper | A soft paper that is thick and holds up well under embossing |
Wet Proof | Proof made on press using the plates, ink and paper specified for the job. Also called strike off and trial proof |
Wet Trap | To print ink or varnish over wet ink, as compared to dry trap |
White Balance/td> | An adjustment made by a capture device to correct for any colour bias due to the colour temperature of the light source |
White-out-Black | The process of having white text on a black background. Also called reverse out |
Widow | A single word or two left at the end of a paragraph, or a part of a sentence ending a paragraph, which loops over to the next page and stands alone. Also, the last sentence of a paragraph, which contains only one or two short words |
Window | 1. In a printed product, a die-cut hole revealing an image on the sheet behind it.2. On a mechanical, an area that has been marked for placement of a piece of artwork. |
Wipe on Plate | A plate on which is wiped a light sensitive coating by a coating device; usually the first step in this type of platemaking |
Wire Mark | Impression of machine wire made to underside of web of paper during paper making process |
Wire Side | Side of the paper that rests against the Fourdrinier wire during papermaking, as compared to felt side |
Wiro Binding | Similar to comb binding but using metal wire instead of plastic |
With the Grain | Parallel to the grain direction of the paper being used, as compared to against the grain |
Woodfree Paper | Made with chemical pulp only. Paper usually classified as calendered or supercalendered |
Wove | A smooth paper made on finely textured wire that gives the paper a gentle patterned finish |
Wrinkles | The unevenly dried surface of printed inks |
Writing Paper | Another name for bond paper |
Wrong Reading | An image that is backwards when compared to the original. Also called flopped and reverse reading |
WWW | World Wide Web |