C Sizes – The C series within the ISO International paper size range. C is mainly used for envelopes or folders suitable for enclosing stationery in the A series.
Calibration – Matching the colour balance of the monitor, scanner, proofer, etc. to the chosen output device.
Calliper – The thickness of a single sheet. The measurement is expressed in microns, 1000 microns equals 1 millimetre. The instrument used is the Micrometer as seen below.
Cartridge – A thicker paper used for printing, drawing and Wrapping.
Case Binding – The binding of printed books, which include leather, cloth, vinyl and other forms of covering.
Case Bound – A hardback book made with stiff outer covers.
Cases – are usually covered with cloth, vinyl or leather.
Cast Coated – Art paper with an exceptionally glossy finish, generally on one side only.
Character – Any symbol, letter, figure, punctuation or space.
Character Count – The number of characters in a piece of copy, line or paragraph used as a first stage in type calculations.
Cheque Paper – Paper treated chemically in order to show any tampering with the writing on the cheques.
Clip Art – Ready-made artwork for clipping and pasting into publications. Sold as hard-copy books, and electronic format.
Clipping Path – An outline, embedded into the file that tells a software application the areas of a picture that should be transparent.
CMYK – Abbreviation for the colours used in 4-colour process printing. Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and Black, which combined in varying proportions, can be made to produce the full colour spectrum.
Coated – Paper that has received a coating of china clay compound, to achieve a special finish. Gloss, Silk or Matt finishes are available and are all well suited to flyers, brochures and folders.
Collating – The act of assembling the various sections or sheets of a document in the correct order.
Colour Proofing – This describes a range of techniques which have been developed to produce full colour images from film or digital data, allowing the client and printer to view the “proofed” result, before committing to the print run.
Colour Separations – The separation of a multi-coloured original into the primary process colours of yellow, magenta, cyan and black. Not to be confused with the optical primaries, red, green and blue.
Condensed Font – A font where the set-widths of the characters are narrower than in the standard typeface. Note: not the inter-character space, that is accomplished through tracking.
Continuous Stationery – These can be either single or multipart forms that are produced from reels of paper and then fan folded.
Contract Proof – The coloured, hard copy representation of the printed image, made from digital data or the films (old school), which will be used to make the final printing plates.
The term ‘contract’ originates from the fact that, when signed by the client, a contract is formed, that states the final printed job should be a close match to the contract proof.
Copy – The written word, any written material intended to be typeset.
Corner Marks – Positioning marks printed on a sheet to indicate trim or register.
Crease Mechanically – Creasing a printed product makes folding easier. Printed pieces can be delivered flat for ease of storage and then the folded manually before use. Common with folders.
Cracking – Paper can crack when it is folded. This happens when it is too thick or folded across the grain. Paper over 150 gsm should be creased or scored prior to folding.
Creep – Term for the middle pages of a folded section extending slightly beyond the outside pages due to the thickness of the material.
Cromalin – Brand name of a colour proofing system manufactured by Du Pont.
Crop Marks – Lines near the margins of artwork or photos indicating where to trim, perforate or fold.
Cropping – The removal of parts of a photograph that are not required to be printed. Cropping allows the remainder of the image to be enlarged to fill the space.
Crossover – Printing across the gutter or from one page to the facing page of a publication.
CTP – The process of creating a printing plate straight from the computer. Overall a CTP plate is cleaner, of better image quality and will provide quicker make ready on press with better quality printed copies.
Curves – See Outlines.
Cutter Guide – An outline drawn on artwork indicating size and position for die-cutting. The cutter will be manufactured to this guide. Often used for folders.
Cyan – The blue colour used in four-colour process printing.
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