Glossary
B
Bleed
Bleed is the area around the edge of your newspaper which contains artwork that will be trimmed off after printing. The position of the trimming line varies by a few millimetres, so having some extra printed design beyond the edge of your final paper means there won't be any unprinted edges if the trimming isn't completely accurate.
C
CMYK
The colours of the ink used to print your newspaper are cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black). These are known as CMYK colours.
Colour profiles
Colour profiles are standard ways of managing colour. For example, to convert RGB to CMYK you might use a colour profile. To print with Newspaper Club you don't need to use one - we will do that for you. However, if you do want to supply your file with a profile applied, any generic CMYK colour profile will do. Standard profiles are usually included with design software like InDesign.
Crop marks
Crop marks are used to show where the paper should be trimmed after printing. They should not be added to your PDF for printing with Newspaper Club. Follow the artwork guidelines to set up your file.
D
DPI
This stands for 'dots per inch', and is the unit used to measure the quality, or resolution, of an image. The more dots of ink (or pixels) in each inch of an image there are, the better it will look. Images you view onscreen only need a resolution of 72dpi to look crisp, but images for print need a resolution of at least 150dpi.
E
Endorse folding
All newspapers are folded once along the spine, but some of our newspapers are then folded in half again, perpendicular to the first fold. This second fold is called an endorse fold.
F
Full bleed
Full bleed means printing right to the edge of the paper with no margins. Minis can be printed full bleed, tabloids and broadsheets cannot.
G
Greyscale
A greyscale image is one made entirely from black, white and shades of grey. Black and white images can also be created using CMYK colours.
GSM
GSM stands for 'Grams per Square Metre'. This is a standard measurement for paper weight, used in many countries around the world (but not the US where lbs is used). The number refers to the weight of one square metre of the paper. Newsprint is usually 42-60gsm. Standard office paper is usually around 100gsm.
Gutter
The gutter is the inside margin or space between facing pages. Newspapers usually avoid printing across the gutter because of ink transfer but you can print spreads on most Newspaper Club newspapers. Check the artwork guidelines for details.
H
Headline
The headline is the large text at the top of an article, which sums up its subject.
I
InDesign
InDesign is a design and layout software package made by Adobe.
Ink Transferral
The ink used to print traditional newspapers is very dry, so it rubs off very easily onto other pages or your fingers, especially from very heavily saturated pages. This is called ink transferral.
Ink Coverage
Ink coverage is the amount of ink on the page at any given point. There can be from 0-100% of each colour of ink. For example, a green colour might be 50% cyan and 50% yellow. The highest ink coverage possible is 400% (100% of each of the four ink colours). Newsprint paper can take a maximum of 240% ink coverage.
M
Margin
This is the white space between the page content and the edge of the paper.
Masthead
The masthead is the banner at the top of a newspaper's front page, usually containing the newspaper's title.
N
Newsprint
Newsprint is the type of paper usually used to print newspapers. It was invented by Charles Fenerty of Nova Scotia, Canada in 1844. It is a relatively low quality type of paper, supplied on a large roll or 'web'. It usually contains a high proportion of wood pulp and has a distinctive off-white colour.
P
Page
A page is half of a spread, or half of one side of a sheet.
Pallet
A strong wooden frame used to carry large loads of newspapers.
Pantone
A pantone colour is a kind of spot colour. Spot colours are specially mixed colours of ink, printed with a separate plate on top of the CMYK process. They are often used for branding and packaging where colour consistency is important. We can't print spot colours.
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. It is a type of computer file and contains the content and layout of a document exactly as it will be printed. We use PDF files to print newspapers.
Pixellation
Something that looks pixellated has a blurry or mosaic appearance. If the images in your newspaper are of a low quality (or resolution), they can look pixellated in print.
Plates
Printing plates are used in offset lithography to transfer the image onto the paper. Our traditional printing uses metal plates - one for each CMYK colour.
Print Marks
These are the marks at the edge of your newspaper that are used by the printers for quality control of colours, and for guiding the machines that fold and trim your newspaper.
Proof
A dummy copy of a publication, usually for testing or proof-reading purposes.
R
Registration
In CMYK printing, each colour of ink is printed by a separate plate. Registration refers to how well the plates are aligned with each other.
Registration black
Registration black is used by printers to check the printing registration. It's made of 100% of each colour of ink used in printing and should never be used in artwork.
Resolution
Resolution is the number of coloured squares (ie pixels or dots) per inch that are used to create a picture. A low resolution picture will look blocky or pixellated. A high resolution picture will look clear and sharp.
RGB
Colours on a computer screen, created by a mix of red, green and blue light are known as RGB colours.
Rich black
Rich black is a black made from a mix of CMYK inks. Pure black ink will print black, but a warmer, cooler or deeper black can be made by mixing other colours with the black. It's not generally advisable for newspaper printing as it causes problems with registration and ink transferral.
S
Safe area
When setting up a document for a trimmed newspaper, the safe area is the area in which text and images can be placed with no risk of them being cropped when the newspaper is trimmed. The safe area is usually 10mm from the trim line.
Sheet
A sheet is a single piece of newsprint paper.
Show through
Areas where artwork shows through to the other side of the page in a printed newspaper.
Slug
The slug is the part of a print file that is outside the print and bleed area. It usually contains printing information and colour bars. Slugs should not be added to your PDF for printing with Newspaper Club. Follow the artwork guidelines to set up your file.
Spot Colours
Spot colours are specially mixed colours of ink, printed with a separate plate on top of the CMYK process. They are often used for branding and packaging where colour consistency is important. We can't print spot colours.
Spread
A spread is two pages side by side.
Stitching
Stitched newspapers are held together with steel staples.
T
Trim Line
The trim line is where we aim to cut the printed newspaper if the edge is being trimmed (like a mini). Actual trimming may vary a few mm from each side of the trim line.
Trimming
Trimmed newspapers like minis have the edges cut off after printing, allowing for full bleed artwork (where the artwork goes right to the edge of the page), and smooth edges.
U
Unembedded font
An unembedded font may display correctly on screen, but doesn't include the information needed for printing.