Graphic Arts Terms S

Samples - Free packages of a useful amount of product used to introduce the consumer or retailer to a product.

Score - Printing term for depressions placed in a row on a sheet of paper or other material in order to create a natural crease to facilitate easy folding.

Screen - Printing term for a field of dots that create a continuous tone for image printing.

Screen Printing - Printing term for forcing ink through a stenciled cloth screen one color at a time. Also refers to any tone printing work in halftone or flat tints.

Secondary Colors - Colors achieved by mixing any two primary colors in equal parts.

Sell-in - The amount of product purchased by an account to stock their warehouse and/or retail outlets.

Separations - A set of three or four continuous tone or halftone photographic films made photographically or electronically. Each film represents one of the printer colors abstracted and is then used to make printing plates.

Scumming - An undesirable adhesion of ink to the non-image areas of the printing plate.

Set-Off - An undesirable transfer of the ink film from the front of one sheet to the back of the adjacent sheet.

Shadows - The darkest area of a reproduction.

Sheet-fed - A printing press that accepts paper precut into sheets instead of rolls.

Shelf Card - POS printed device that is placed on the retail shelf.

Shelf Extender - POS device that holds additional product by extending the capacity of the retail shelf. Used to create extra product visibility and availability.

Shelf Organizer - POS merchandising material that keeps products attractively arranged on the retail shelf.

Shelf Pack - The smallest inner pack within a product shipper, sent intact to retailers in the approximately ideal shelf.

Shelf Space - Space allocated to a product on the retail shelf.

Shelf Strip - POS signage designed to snap into the retail shelf’s price channel.

Shelf Talker - POS signage designed to hang over the edge of the retail shelf.

Shipper - The outer container in which packaged goods are usually shipped to the retailer.

Shrink Wrap - Plastic wrapping which tightly bundles products together for easy handling. The plastic shrinks during heat treatment prior to shipping.

Silkscreen - Printing term for the flat color process where vibrant colors are required. Force ink onto a surface through a prepared screen of fine material so as to create a picture or pattern.

Single Facer - Part of a corrugator that takes a roll of linerboard and medium and combines them into single-face board. The corrugating rolls in the single-facer form the medium into flutes and adheres the fluted medium to the linerboard with adhesive applied to the flute tips.

Skid - A pallet or other platform designed to hold a large quantity of product.

Slab Serif - Characters that have a squared line crossing the free end of a stroke.

Slogan - a short and striking or memorable phrase used in advertising, a motto, a war cry, generally for products.

Slotting Allowances - Incentive paid to a retailer in return for each slot or space allowed on that retailer’s shelf.

Slow Drying - Excessive drying time can delay run of succeeding colors or folding

Slur - A condition caused by slippage at the moment of impression between the paper, plate, or blanket

Small Capitals - capital letters that have the same height as the x-height of lowercase letters. CAPITALS and SMALL CAPS.

Smooth Finish - Does not absorb ink as quickly as rough finishes, so have better ink holdout. Mills use such words as “satin” and “silk” to make their papers seem smoother than the competition’s.

Solid Bleached Sulfate - Paperboard made with sulfate pulp containing 100 percent bleached fibers.

Speculation or Spec Work - Work performed in speculation of receiving a project and is done when several graphic designers are asked to submit free designs with their proposal. The American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Graphic Design Trade Customs are strictly against this practice, and the majority of designers will refuse to do spec work. Companies who want multiple design choices will often offer a fee to several design firms, but design contests other than for charity are considered speculative.

Spot Glue - The application of glue to a specific area of a print job.

Spot Varnish - The printing of varnish on only a small section of a piece. Usually done to allow writing on unvarnished sections.

Square Serif - Typeface in which the serifs are the same weight or heavier than the main strokes.

Stat - Short for photo-stat, therefore a general term for an inexpensive photographic print of line copy or halftone.

Statement - A summary of your company’s account with a supplier. A statement shows your outstanding balance, often by thirty-day aging stages. It is not an invoice, but will list invoices already sent to you.

Static Cling - Signage printed on plastic material that adheres to smooth surfaces without use of adhesive.

Stem - The main vertical stroke or principal stroke in a character.

Step-and-repeat - The same image printed in a continuous pattern on a sheet of paper.

Streaking - Streaks or bands which appear across the plate

Swash Letters - Italic caps formed with long tails and flourishes.

Swatch - A small piece of material or color.