Glossary

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Saddle stitch
In binding, to fasten a booklet by wiring it through the middle fold of the sheets.
Safelight
In photography, the special darkroom lamp used for illumination without fogging sensitised materials.
Scaling
Determining the proper size of an image to be reduced or enlarged to fit an area.
Scanner
An electronic device used in the making of colour and tone-corrected separations of images.
Score
To impress or indent a mark with a string or rule in the paper to make folding easier.
Screen
See contact screen.
Screen angles
In colour reproduction, angles at which the half tone screens are placed with relation to one another, to avoid undesirable moire' patterns. A set of angles often used is: black 45 degrees, magenta 75 degrees, yellow 90 degrees, cyan 105 degrees.
Screen Printing
A printing process where the ink is forced through the image stencil held on a screen. The process allows a thick layer of ink to be applied, especially light fast inks. Screen-printing is widely used for outdoor displays, "scratchy" security coatings and for printing on ceramics, tee shirts, glass and plastics.
Screen ruling
The number of lines or dots per inch on a half tone screen.
Screened print
In photography, a print with a halftone screen made from a halftone negative or by diffusion transfer.
SCSI
Acronym for Small Computer System Interface. SCSI is an industry-standard interface between computers and peripheral device controllers.
Scum
In offset lithography, a film of ink printing in the non-image areas of a plate where it should not print.
Self cover
A cover made of the same paper as inside text pages.
Semi-chemical pulp
A combination of chemical and mechanical pulping with properties similar to chemical pulp.
Serif
The short cross-lines at the ends of the main strokes of many letters in some typefaces.
Set-off
In presswork, when the ink of a printed sheet rubs off or marks the next sheet as it is being delivered.
Shadow
The darkest parts in a photograph, represented in a halftone by the largest dots.
Sharpen
To decrease in colour strength, as when halftone dots become smaller, opposite of dot spread or dot gain.
Sheet size
(paper size) The standard size of a full sheet of paper eg. Quad crown, SRA1, SRA2.
Sheetwork
To print one side of a sheet of paper with one plate, then turn the sheet over and print the other side with another plate using same gripper and opposite side guide. Also known as work and back.
Show through
In printing, the undesirable condition in which the printing on the reverse side of a sheet can be seen through the sheet under normal lighting conditions.
Side guide
On sheet fed presses, a guide on the feed board to position the sheet sideways as it feeds into the front guides before entering the impression cylinder.
Side wire
In binding, to wire the sheets or signatures of a magazine or booklet on the side near the backbone.
Signature
In printing and binding, the name given to a printed sheet after it has been folded.
Sizing
The treatment of paper, which gives it resistance to the penetration of liquids (particularly water) or vapours.
Slitting
Cutting printed sheets or webs into two or more sections by means of cutting wheels on a press or folder.
SO2 (Sulphur Dioxide)
Sulphur dioxide is formed when sulphur-containing fuels such as oil and coal are burned. Sulphur dioxide contributes to the acidification of soil and water.
Software
See program.
Softwood Pulp
Pulp made from coniferous trees.
Solid Waste Landfill
Organic and inorganic waste materials are defined, calculated and declared as completely dry matter. If not properly managed and controlled, leaks from landfill can contaminate ground water.
SPC
Acronym for Statistical Process Control.
Spectrum
The complete range of colours in the rainbow, from short wavelength (blue) to long wavelengths (red).
Spine
See Backbone.
Spiral binding
A book bound with wires in spiral form inserted through holes punched along the binding side.
Static Bar
In printing presses, an attachment designed to remove the static electricity from the paper to avoid ink set-off and trouble with feeding the paper.
Step-and-repeat
In photo-mechanics, the procedure of multiple exposure using the same image by stepping it imposition according to a predetermined layout or program.
Stet
A proofreader's mark, written in the margin, signifying that copy marked for corrections should remain as it was.
Stochastic screening
A digital screening process that converts images into very small dots. (14-40 microns) of equal size and variable spacing. Second order screened images have variable size dots and variable spacing. Also called Frequency Modulated (FM) screening.
Stock
Paper or other material to be printed.
Stone
In lithography, formerly used as the plate material. In letterpress, the bed on which metal type is levelled and locked up.
Stripping
In offset lithography, the positioning of negatives (or positives) on a flat to compose a page or layout for plate making.
Subtractive primaries
Yellow, magenta and cyan, the hues used for process colour printing inks.
Sulphate pulp
Paper pulp made from wood chips cooked under pressure in a solution of caustic soda and sodium sulphide. Known as Kraft.
Sulphite pulp
Paper pulp made from wood chips cooked under pressure in a solution of sulfurous acid and one of its salts, (bisulphite of lime). The process has been modified to eliminate its previous high polluting effluent. Unbleached sulphite pulps are light brown and are easily bleached to a high white pulp by Oxygen bleaching.
Supercalender
In papermaking, a calender stack, separate from the papermaking machine, with alternate metal and resilient rolls, used to produce a high finish on paper.
Sustainable Forestry
A forest management process that addresses the entire eco-system, rather than trees alone.
SWOP
Acronym for specifications for Web Offset Publications.
Synthetic Paper
Sheets produced from synthetic filaments by spin bonding plastic material in sheet form with the surface treated to make it suitable for commercial printing.The term is also applied to synthetic film materials whose properties are aligned closely to paper, and are designed to be paper substitutes.