Printing Glossary of Terms

Wash up.To clean ink from rollers, fountains, an other components of a press.

Waste. Alternate term for Spoilage.

Water fountain.Reservoir on a press to hold fountain solution.

Watermark.Distinctive design created in paper during manufacture.

Web.Roll of printing paper.

Web break.Break in paper running through a web press, causing production to stop.

Web press.Press that prints paper from a roll.

Weight. See Basis weight (of paper).

White space.Designer term referring to non-image area that frames or sets off copy.

Window. Block of masking material on a mechanical that shows position of a photograph or other visual element. Also, an area cut out of masking material.

Wire-O.Trade name for method of mechanical binding using double loops of wire.

With the grain.Parallel to the grain direction of paper.

Working film.Graphic arts negatives still loose or not composited.

Work order.Form used by printing companies to specify and schedule production of jobs and record the time, materials, and supplies that each job requires to complete.

Wove finish.Relatively smooth finish on paper achieved by moderate calendering.

Wrong reading.Image that is backwards compared to the original.