Print finishing has its own vocabulary, and terms are not always used consistently across the trade. This glossary explains the words you are most likely to meet in our guides, on data sheets and in conversations with suppliers. Terms are grouped by topic to make them easier to find.
Coating and lamination
- Liquid lamination: a clear protective coating applied as a liquid by roller, spray or coating machine, which dries to form a protective layer on the print.
- Film lamination: bonding a pre-made sheet of clear film to a print using pressure-sensitive adhesive or heat.
- Solvent coating: a coating in which the protective resins are carried in a solvent that evaporates as it dries. Colourjet is a solvent coating.
- Water-based coating: a coating carried in water rather than solvent.
- UV inhibitor: an ingredient that helps reduce the effect of ultraviolet light on inks, slowing fading.
- Curing: the process by which a coating reaches its full hardness and resistance. A coating can be dry to the touch before it is fully cured.
- Coating machine: equipment that applies liquid coating evenly across the width of the media in a controlled way.
- HVLP: high volume, low pressure. A spray method that atomises coating at lower pressure, generally reducing overspray.
- Wet edge: the still-wet boundary of a freshly applied coat. Keeping a wet edge helps passes blend without marks.
Finishes
- Gloss: a highly reflective finish that deepens blacks and boosts colour saturation.
- Semi-gloss: a finish between gloss and matt, with some sheen but less glare.
- Matt: a low-reflection finish that diffuses light and reduces glare.
- Sheen: the degree of shine on a surface.
Defects
- Orange peel: a dimpled surface texture, usually from spray drying before it levels.
- Hazing or blushing: a cloudy or milky appearance in a clear coating.
- Silvering: a shimmering or cloudy appearance under film laminate caused by tiny trapped air pockets.
- Blocking: coated or printed surfaces sticking together when stacked or rolled.
- Cockling: a wavy distortion in paper, often caused by moisture or heavy ink coverage.
- Edge curl: the edges of a graphic lifting away from the surface.
Printing
- Large format (wide format): printing on media wider than standard office sizes, typically from a roll.
- RIP: raster image processor. Software that converts artwork into printer instructions and manages colour, nesting and tiling.
- Pigment ink: ink in which the colourant is fine solid particles. Generally more lightfast than dye ink.
- Dye ink: ink in which the colourant is dissolved.
- Eco-solvent ink: a solvent-based ink widely used for signage and display.
- Latex ink: a water-based ink containing polymers, cured by heat in the printer.
- UV ink: ink cured instantly by ultraviolet lamps.
- Outgassing: the release of solvent from a print after it leaves the printer. Prints should outgas before coating or laminating.
- Lightfastness: how well a print resists fading when exposed to light.
- Optical brightener: an additive in some papers that makes them appear whiter, which can change appearance over time.
Media and installation
- Substrate: the material printed on, such as paper, canvas, vinyl or fabric.
- Self-adhesive fabric: a printable fabric with an adhesive backing. Phototex is a printable self-adhesive woven fabric that can be removed, repositioned and reused.
- Release liner: the backing sheet that protects adhesive until installation.
- Gallery wrap: a canvas stretched so the image continues around the sides of the frame.
- Squeegee: a flat applicator, often felt-edged, used to smooth graphics onto a surface.
- Flatbed laminator: a laminator with a flat table across which a roller travels, such as the Kala Applikator.
- X/Y cutter: a machine that trims prints along straight lines in both directions.
- Heat press: equipment that applies heat and pressure, used for transfers and some lamination.
Health and safety
- SDS: safety data sheet. Sets out a product’s hazards, handling, storage, PPE and first aid information.
- TDS: technical data sheet. Gives application and performance guidance for a product.
- PPE: personal protective equipment, such as gloves, eye protection and respirators.
- LEV: local exhaust ventilation, which removes vapour at or near its source.
You will find these terms in practice across our guides and on our product pages.
Come across a term we have not covered? Ask us on 01252 624 411 or via the contact page, and we may add it here.