Graphic Arts Terms C

CAD - Computer Aided Design in drawing or rendering using proprietary software.

Calibration - The creation of a constant viewing environment by adjusting monitors, imagesetting and proofing devices so that a specified color can be accurately viewed and reproduced. Setting up equipment to a standard measure to produce reliable and repeatable results.

Calibration Bars - On a negative, proof or printed piece, a strip of tones used to check printing quality.

Calibration Tools - Some Color Management Systems provide end-user tools to calibrate scanner, monitors and printers. Others simply provide libraries of device profiles and characterization targets that cannot be easily adjusted to compensate for device’s drift from a calibrated state. See CMS.

Caliper - The thickness of a sheet measured in microns. Also refers to a tool for measuring board or sheet thickness.

Call-outs - Brief, “bulleted” copy points used to communicate at the point of sale.

Camera-ready - Copy or artwork that is ready for printing either through photography or scanning.

Cap Height - (typography) Height of capital letters.

Cart Wrap - Point of sale material wrapped around a shopping cart in order to convert it into a display bin.

Case Stacking - Stacking products within their shippers with top row cut open to display contents.

Case Wrap - Decorative wrapping around a case stack designed to increase its visual appeal.

Cash Register Display - Point of sale graphic device set up at check out to foster impulse purchase of small items.

Category Killer - A retail channel with enough size, selection, service and pricing techniques to drive competing retailers out of business.

CCD - Charged Couple Device, an electronic device used in scanning systems which samples an image using light-sensitive cells grouped in arrays. For example, more cells in a CCD array creates a scan of higher resolution

CD ROM - Compact Disc Read Only Memory, and optical disk that allows as much as 650 MB of storage that cannot be changed.

Chalking - Pigment not properly bound to the paper is easily rubbed off as a powder when dry.

Change Orders - another term for alterations, are changes made to existing work or proofs. They are billable, just like other alterations.

Channel - A distinct source of color information in an image, which is analogous to a plate in the printing process. An image in CMYK mode contains each of these colors in separate channel. Masks, comparable to traditional masks cut in rubylith, can comprise additional channels.

Channel Management - The direction of marketing for all of a manufacturer’s brands by retail channel.

Channel Marketing - Differentiating marketing efforts into discrete programs designed to appeal to differing needs of trade categories.

Channel Score - A deep crease in paper allowing easy folding.

Character - Symbol, sign or mark in a language system.

Characterization - A profile of a particular device that describes hardware characteristics in software terms. For example, measured against a technically defined target profile, a scanner, monitor and proofing system will each have its own slight deviations. When these devices are properly calibrated, their specific deviations can be characterized and used to preserve a consistent, and device-independent color match from original scan to final proof.

Chip - An integrated Circuit or IC. An electronic circuit entirely contained in a single piece of semi-conducting material, usually silicon.

Chromalin® - Dupont’s trademark for a photographic proof of a color separation for showing color quality.

Chrome - A color transparency with a positive photographic image.

CIE - Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage, and international group that has developed a set of color definition standards which are endorsed by Adobe, and used in many Color Management Systems.

Click - To press and immediately release the mouse button.

Clip Art - Artwork, most commonly black and white line drawings, which may be purchased for use, without royalty payment.

Clipping Path - A vector-based postscript path which can be combined with a bitmapped image in Adobe Photoshop to mask out portions of the image when it is used in another application. Paths are drawn with the pen tool in Photoshop and can be exported to Adobe Illustrator.

CMYK - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. The four color process printing colors. When dot screens are combined in different densities, a wide range of colors is possible.

CMS - Color Management System. A combination of hardware and software which unifies the visual quality of a printed or output simulated document on all devices, such as monitors, printers and presses. CMS’s are produced by EFI, Kodak, Agfa, and other vendors.

Coating - (1) an unbroken, clear film applied to a substrate in layers to protect and seal it, or to make it glossy. (2) applying waxes, adhesives, varnishes, or sealable chemicals to a substrate during the converting process. (3) the mineral substances (clay, blanc, fixe, satin white, etc.) applied to the surface of a paper or board. (4) In photography and photo mechanics, applying varnishes and other mixtures to plates and negatives; or applying light-sensitive solutions to plate surfaces.

Coated Finish - coated papers come in several types. Matte is the least shinny of the coatings, so it makes text easier to read. It is also the least expensive coated paper. Gloss is the most popular coated finish. It provides consistent color reproduction. A cover weight gloss finish is often used for business cards, greeting cards, invitations and folders. There is also a dull gloss finish having a more dull sheen than the regular gloss.

Co-Branding - Partnership marketing between two familiar brand names.

Collate - The process of binding a set of documents or other group materials together.

Color Break - Operator instructions on black and white mechanical art specifying colors to be printed.

Color Correction - Changing of the colors of pixels in an image, including adjusting brightness, contrast, mid-level grays, hue and saturation to achieve optimum printing results. Imposing a tint on all or a portion of an image.

Color depth - The capacity of a pixel to describe a range of colors, usually expressed in bits or exponents of 2. Thus, and 8-bit monitor, displaying exponent 8 or 256 colors, has less depth than a 24-bit monitor, which can display exponent of 24 or 16,777,216 colors.

Color Key - Photographic proofs of each four-color separation printed on clear film sheets to show integrity of each single color as well as in combination.

Color Matching - The duplication of hue, value, and intensity of a given color sample usually achieved by blending appropriate elements.

Color Overlay - A clear plastic overlay on a black and white drawing on which each additional color is indicated as a guide for reproduction.

Color Proof - A printed or simulated image of each process color using inks, toners or dyes to give a simulation of the final printed reproduction.

Color Separations - An image that has been separated into the four process colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, black or special inks such as Pantone colors, and imaged on individual plates. Each plate contains image information represented by one printing color.

Color Space - The range of possible colors described by a particular device (for example, a monitor) or a particular color model, color space can describe a color by assigning it values in three dimensions or coordinated along tree axes. Consequently, many color models describe a color space in three variables: for example RGB (red, green, blue), CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow), HSV (hue, saturation, value), XYZ, l*a*b, or YCC. It is the translation of a specific color from the color space of the device to that or another, and the compromises that this requires, that presents to the graphic arts industry the challenge of accurately reproducing a color image.

Color Stations - Each section of the press or set of rollers used to print each individual color.

Color Swatch - A sample of solid color intended to provide the print operator with an example of the desired color.

Color Theory - Systems and science of color usage (physical, chemical and emotional factors).

Color Transparency - A photographic image on a transparent film used as artwork.

Co-Marketing - A joint effort between brand manufacturers and retailers to create mutually beneficial product promotions.

Composite Art - Black and white where all colors are drawn on one piece of copy, sometimes key lined to facilitate color separation by the print maker.

Composite Stat - A Photostat containing all colors on one piece of copy.

Comprehensive Mockup - Finished or semi-finished art, drawing, or model. Also a physical sample of a display piece with artwork applied for evaluation before production.

Compression - Decreasing the size of a file to enhance storage or transmission capabilities by reducing the total amount of data.

Computer Graphics - Images created and stored using digital technology.

Configuration - The way in which your computer is set up. The combination of hardware and software that make up a computer system.

Consignment - An arrangement in which a retailer doesn’t pay for goods until they are sold.

Contiguous - Being adjacent to or in sequential order. Often used to describe a technique of storing data to disk or memory. A file that has been saved-as is one contiguous file.

Continuous-Tone - Artwork that contains shades of gray, or varying densities between black and white in the final version.

Contract - A written agreement between two parties outlining the responsibilities of each. A contract can be no more than a memo from one party to the next, spelling out the terms of the agreement. If the recipient does not respond, then the party sending the memo is presumed to be correct. You can create your own “paper trail” and protect yourself from liabilities that your supplier assumes you will accept. This is important, because in our society virtually all business is conducted on the basis of a contract.

Contract Proof - A digital or laminated color proof made from the film to be used for printing. The cyan, magenta, yellow and black proofing pigments represent the inks used on press, making these process a very accurate representation of the final printed piece.

Contrast - The gradation of tones from highlight to shadow.

Control Panel - A computer program that lets you change things within your system, such as the speaker volume, the keyboard repeat rate and delay, mouse tracking, color display and other features.

Controlled Store Test - Evaluation method of measuring potential product retail movement, market share, etc. by placement in a limited number of retail channels under controlled conditions.

Co-Pack - A promotional technique in which two brands with related purposes are packaged together in a single unit.

Corrugated - A board constructed of a fluted paper core sandwiched between to layers of paper or cardboard. See Flute.

Counter - The enclosed part of a letter, as in the lowercase e, which has a full counter above and a partial counter below.

Counter-display - A POS display unit designed to fit on or near a checkout counter.

Coupon - A small printed paper that has cash value in specific retail environments and can be used instead of cash for purchasing goods or services.

Coverage - The percent of households in a geographical area receiving a promotional or advertising message.

CPU - The Central Processing Unit is the brain of the computer, the microprocessor that performs the actual computations.

Crash - The failure of a computer to operate as expected, possibly destroying information in the process.

Crop - To eliminate portions of a photograph or an illustration, to make it a desired size, or remove unwanted portions of the image.

Crop Marks - Marks printed near the edge of an image, used to indicate where the image should be trimmed.

Crossbar - The horizontal stroke that crosses through the stem or connects two sides of the character.

Cross Platform - A characteristic which allows you to move a file between an IBM, Macintosh or other computer systems. This often requires translation the file so that it is readable in a different computing environment.

Crystallization - The failure of a dried ink film to accept overprinting

Cross-merchandising - A retail advertising technique in which displays feature special offers on other, related brands.

C-store - A convenience store that has limited floor space and primarily offers only non-discounted top selling items.

CT - Continuous Tone, a file format used for exchanging high-level color information. The image is comprised of a full range of colors, in which each tone flows into the next.

Cupped Serif - (typography) Characters with a semi-rounded serif.

Curly Quotes - (typography) Traditional typesetter’s quote marks are known as curly quotes. Quote marks when typed on the keyboard appear and print as inch marks. Some page layout applications have a preference which automatically converts the quotes. You may type curly quotes by pressing the Option-[ key to open the quote and Option-Shift ] to close.

Cursor or Pointer - An arrow on screen that moves as you move your mouse. The pointer is used to choose commands, select and move icons and text, and draw images.

Custom Color - A color created using proprietary, premixed inks, such as PMS colors or special ink mixes.

Cut or Copy and Paste - To move something on a computer from one place to another, for instance, between two files or applications, the computer equivalent of using scissors to cut something and glue to paste it somewhere else.

Customer-Specific Pricing - Using targeted data on individual purchasing patters to offer special incentives to specific segments of the consumer population.

Cut Case - A POS display created by removing the outer shipping containers of product to show contents.

Cut Score - A deep score that partially cuts through packaging material to allow easy folding.

Cyan - The blue color in the four-color process.