Glossary

Pallet
A low portable platform, usually double faced, on which materials are stacked for storage or transportation as in a warehouse.

Paper
Paper is usually at least half your cost so make sure you have selected it carefully. Don't spend any more than you need to. Paper has three principle characteristics: brightness, or the amount of light the sheet reflects, opacity, the amount of light that can pass through the sheet, and finish. Finish is the surface of the paper. Like furniture, it can be shiny or dull. Uncoated sheets are either vellum or smooth. Book papers are often manufactured to a specific bulk (see PPI).

Paper finish
In uncoated papers, the finish is either vellum or smooth. Vellum originally was parchment made from calfskin, lambskin or kidskin. That is no longer the case, but it is less smooth (or has more tooth or texture) than smooth.

Paper grade
Grades of paper range from 1-5. One is the highest quality and is rarely used except in annual reports. Not all types of paper come in all grades. For example, a coated groundwood stock is only grades 4 and 5 because of the groundwood component.

Paper weight
The weight of paper is defined with the # symbol meaning "pound". The poundage of text paper in the United States is determined by the weight of 500 sheets measuring 25 x 38 inches. That measurement of area is called the "basis" size. Five hundred sheets of 50# offset text paper measuring 25 x 38 inches weigh 50 pounds. Five hundred sheets of 60# offset text paper measuring 25 x 38 inches weigh 60 pounds and so on. The weight of bond paper, used mostly in copy shops, is calculated using a different basis size 17 x 22 inches. Five hundred sheets of 20# bond measuring 17 x 22 weigh 20 pounds. Five hundred sheets of 24# bond measuring 17 x 22 weigh 24 pounds, and so on. If you do the math to compare the two different systems of weight measurement you will find that 20# bond is the same as 50# offset and 24# bond is the same as 60# offset.

Paperback
See perfect bound, wire-O and spiral.

Perfect binding
Perfect refers to a style of binding in which pages as signatures are glued together at the spine. This can be either paperback (often referred to as perfect) or hardcover (adhesive case). Note: Don't confuse perfect bound with "perfect". Nothing in printing is perfect. The reason you leave the 1/8" bleed is because that is how much the product can shift and still be within machine tolerances.