useful information

Glossary - G

Galley proof

First proof or rough proof made from the manuscript, used for editing and proofreading. They are taken from the galleys before being made up into pages. Also called Reader's proof.

Galleys

The printing term for long metal trays used to hold type after it had been set and before the press run.

Gamma

Measure of how compressed or how expanded dark or light tones become in an image. Gamma Utility in Photoshop calibrates the monitor for ambient light and phosphors - put very simplistically a measure of the lightness of a monitor.

Gamut

Range of colours available in a particular colour space, i.e. CMYK's gamut is very much less than both the visible spectrum and the spot colour gamut.

Gang run/printing

A cost-saving run that prints two or more jobs on the same sheet of paper.

Gatefold

An oversize page where both sides fold into the gutter in overlapping layers.

Gateway

Device linking dissimilar computer networks or a software protocol that allows one network to access another.

Gather

See Collate.

Gathering

Inserting the printed pages, sections or signatures of a book in the correct order for binding.

Gear side

See driving side.

GEM

Digital Research's Graphics Environment Manager. A graphical interface designed both to make the operation of software simpler for the non-expert and to allow programs to communicate with one another. Two key desktop publishing packages, Ventura and DR's own GEM Desktop Publisher operate under this environment.

Generation

Succeeding phases in reproduction.

Ghosting (mechanical)

Printing problem that results from improper design/imposition decisions. It can be noticed when a light or dark repeat of an image appears above or below the actual image: (chemical or gas) An ink drying problem caused by excessive: (design) to ghost an image to 20% so that it acts a s a watermark, text legible over it at suitable weight.

GIF

An eight bit (256 colours or shades of grey) or less computer file format by CompuServe. Commonly used to post photographic images to computer bulletin boards and the Internet, GIF files are almost never used for professional printing.

GIF

Text imported or set within the app as HTML. Body copy is more appropriate as HTML, with the advantage of being searchable.

Gigabyte

109 bytes

Gilt edges

The application of gold leaf to the three edges of book. After application it is rubbed down; it prevents dust from getting into the publication.

Glassine

Super calendered, smooth, dense, transparent or translucent paper manufactured primarily from chemical wood pulps which have been beaten to secure a high degree of hydration of the stock. Sometimes used as a backing paper.

Gloss

The property that's responsible for coated paper's shiny or lustrous appearance; also the measure of a sheet's surface reflectivity. Gloss is often associated with quality: higher qua- lity coated papers exhibit hight gloss. Champion Kromekote is a paper noted and sold for its exceptionally high gloss. see also cast coating, coated paper.

Gloss ink

Quick drying, non-penetrating ink for use in litho and letterpress printing on coated papers where the ink will dry without penetration.

Glossy

Coated paper, best for sharp repro and quick drying.

Glue bound

See Perfect bound.

Glyphic

Letter shapes based on those originally carved in stone.

Gold blocking

Stamping a design onto a book cover using gold leaf and a heated die or block.

Golden Ratio or Mean

The rule devised to give proportions of height to width when laying out text and illustrations to produce the most optically pleasing result. It is 1:1.6.

GoLive

A WYSIWYG web page editor from Adobe. Competitor with Dreamweaver, from Macromedia.

Gothic

Typefaces with no serifs and broad even strokes.

Gouache

Opaque watercolour comes in tubes. The pigments are mixed with either white lead, bone ash or chalk.

Grade

Grade a type or class of paper identified as having the same composition and characteristics. Grade is a generic paper category, such as writing, offset, cover, tag, and index paper. It can also refer to the quality level of the paper; or to a mill's specific brand of paper, such as Champion Carnival, Benefit, or Kromekote.

Gradient fill

Background fill created with illustration and presentation programs characterised by a smooth gradation from one colour to another, or from one colour to white or black The direction of the transition can be in any direction. Also known as a vignette.

Grain

The direction in which more fibers lie in a sheet of paper. As paper is formed, the slurry of fibers moves forward on the forming wire at high speeds, aligning the fibers in the direction of the movement and creating the grain. At the same time, the machine shakes the slurry of fibers from side to side, so that the fibers crisscross. This crisscrossing creates a web of fibers, and gives the paper strength in both directions while maintaining a predominant grain, or direction. As the moisture in the air changes, the individual fibers take in moisture and swell sideways, rather than from end to end; this explains why paper will expand or shrink across the grain, and is more flexible along the grain and stiffer against the grain. For books and other bound work, the grain should run parallel with the binding, creating a smoother fold, making the pages easier to turn, and allowing the paper to swell across the grain. If the binding runs across the grain, the free ends of the paper will swell or shrink with moisture changes, but the bound ends will not. The book will buckle and the binding will weaken. With sheet paper, the grain direction is indicated by underscoring the dimension along which the grain lies, or by changing the order of the numbers. For example, a 23"x35" sheet is grain long; a grain short sheet is indicated by 25"x35", or 35"x23". On web paper, the grain runs along the length of the paper web.

Grain direction

If a paper's length is in the direction of the grain, it is grain long If the paper's width is the direction of the grain, it is grain short.

Grain Long

Grain running along the length, or long side, of a sheet of paper (23"x35"). Fibers line up parallel to the long side of the paper. This book in your hands is an example of grain-long binding.

Grain Short

Grain running along the width, or short side, of a sheet of paper (35"x23"). Fibers line up parallel to the short side of the paper. see also grain, grain long.

Gram

Unit of weight in the metric system; the weight of one cubic centimetre of water at standard conditions. 28.35 grams equal one ounce.

Grammage

Weight in grams of a quantity of paper cut to sheets that measure one square meter.

Graphic

A non-text item, illustration, photograph or artwork.

Graphic Design

A way of communication with visual elements and information to present an idea or concept.

Graphic Designer

The person who puts Graphic Designs together, many of whom now use computers, drafting and illustration techniques and other tools to create with.

Graphic text

Words formatted as graphic files retaining the designers’ original typeface, type size, type style colour and background choices. Graphic text always appears the same, regardless of the type of hardware or software used to display it.

Graphite

Naturally occurring crystalline, allotropic form of carbon made up of hexagonal laminas. It can be produced artificially by heating anthracite in an electric furnace.

Gravure

A printing process that uses intaglio, or recessed, image carri- ers. The image carrier, which is flat or cylindrical, moves through an ink pool. A blade scrapes excess ink off the plane of the plate, leaving ink in the recessed wells. A second cylinder presses the paper onto the plates, where it picks up ink from the wells. The high speed of gravure presses and the durability of the metal intaglio plates make gravure an economical printing method suitable for large print runs (more than two million copies).

Gravure Printing

A printing process that employs minute engraved wells. Deeply etched wells carry more ink than a raised surface; hence print darker value shallow wells are used to print values. A doctor blade wipes excess ink from the cylindrical printing surface.

Greek

Usually nonsense words and letterforms that are not legible used in a design to approximate the "colour" of a page. Used primarily before final text is available for a client comps.

Greeking

A software device where areas of grey are used to simulate lines of text. One of desktop publishing's less clever methods of getting round the slowness of high-resolution displays.

Grey scale

A range of luminance values for evaluating shading through white to black. Frequently used in discussions about scanners as a measure of their ability to capture halftone images. Basically the more levels the better.

Grid

A systematic division of a page into areas to enable designers to ensure consistency. The grid acts as a measuring guide and shows text, illustrations and trim sizes.

Gripper

The row of clips holding the sheet of paper as it speeds through the press.

Gripper edge

Edge of the sheet of paper caught by the grippers that pull paper into the press for printing.

Gripper margin

The precise clearance allowed on the paper's edge to avoid damaging the printed image.

Groove Finish

A textured paper like Champion Carnival Groove, with shallow, parallel furrows or grooves running along the surface. Embossing the paper after it comes off the paper- making machine creates this finish.

Ground

Thin, protective coating that keeps acid from penetrating non-image areas of a plate.

Groundwood Paper

Paper that contains between 10 and 75% of groundwood pulp. The groundwood pulping process, also know as mechanical pulping, leaves many natural impurities, like lignin, in the paper. As a result, groundwood paper is less bright and ages faster than freesheet paper, which is made from chemical pulping. Groundwood paper isn't recommended for any printed matter that is expected to last over time. The advantages of ground- wood are that it's lightweight, bulky, and economical. An example of a groundwood paper is Champion Maineweb, manufactured for catalogs and magazines.

GSM

Grams per square metre. The unit of measurement for paper weight.

Guard

A narrow strip of paper or linen pasted to a single leaf to allow sewing into a section for binding.

Guard bars

The bars that are at both ends and center of UPC and EAN symbols. They provide reference points for scanning.

GUI - "gooey"

Takes advantage of the computers graphics capabilities to make a programme easier to use. The GUI frees a user from learning complex languages and feature pointers, icons, graphical menus etc.

Guillemets

Small angled quotes used in Europe where " " are used in English. AKA Ducks Foot Quotes.

Guillotine

A machine used to trim stacks of paper, which works like the original French guillotine worked. A cutting blade moves between two upright guides and slices the paper uniformly as it moves downward. See also trimming, trim size.

Gum Arabic

Used to desensitise non-printing areas and to sensitise etching areas on a printing plate.

Gutter

The central blank area between left and right pages.

Gutter

In a double page spread (dps) this is the space between a leg of copy measured across the spine or binding of the publication to the corresponding leg of copy i.e. verso to recto (Left to right).

Gutter bleed

Continuing of an image from one page across to the facing page of a spread - aka crossover