B - Printing Terminology and Facts

B SIZES

One of the series of commonly used paper sizes, referred to by printers to define the size of printing sheets on which non-standard sized jobs can be produced.  They are oversized sheets, to allow for colour bars, binding margins, glue flaps etc, and considerable savings can be made if such constraints are taken into account when jobs are being designed.

BLEED

A requirement where images are intended to print right up to, or extending over, the edge of a page – the image has to be extended beyond the page margin on artwork to ensure there is no white paper visible when the job is trimmed out.

BINDING EDGE OR SPINE

The side of a printed document on which any binding is applied – or the folded edge on an unbound item – opposite and parallel to the foredge.

BOARD

As a rule, paper exceeding 190gsm is usually referred to as a board.

BOOK PROOFS

An exact facsimile of a finished job, where colour machine proofs are trimmed and bound in the same manner as that which will be used on the main print run.

BOX SPINES

A type of spine used on die cut folders to give fixed capacity on pockets etc.  Made up of two separate creases, a box spine has a square profile.

BROMIDE

A black and white proof taken from the film.