Glossary

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2-color printing

When a piece is printed using 2 spot colors plus the background color. Each spot color can be created by mixing inks.

4-color printing

See offset printing.

A

accessibility

In web design, accessibility means providing features that help people with physical impairments so they can use your website and access all its content.

address labels

Address printed on adhesive labels which are then applied to the mailer.

B

bad neighborhood

In SEO, a term used to indicate that a website is stored on a server with other websites that contain objectionable material.

black and white copies

Copies created digitally with black on a white background at 70 pages per minute; good for large documents like employee and HR manuals, often with the 3-hole punch finishing step added.

black-hat SEO

Practices targeted at the search engines instead of a human audience. These practices are intended to deceive the search engines and make them think a web page is more relevant to a search than its content actually justifies. When black-hat techniques are detected, search engines penalize the website, ranging in severity from reduced ranking to outright exclusion from the search index. Common black-hat techniques include hidden text, doorway pages, spamdexing, and paid linking schemes.

bleeds

The "extra" area around a document that has the same color as the background of the document. Because there may be slight variations in document size and alignment, without the bleed area, white stripes might show up around the edge of the document when it is cut to size. A 1/8" bleed area is typical, meaning the artwork for a 5" card would be 5 1/4" wide (1/8" bleed on each side.)

booklet

Marketing piece that is typically 8-24 pages long, done in 2 or 4 colors, and saddle-stitched in the middle.

brand

The public face of a company; how it wants to be known. Visually, a brand can be represented with a distinctive logo, color(s), and a slogan. A company's brand also includes its business philosophy and reputation.

branding

The process of conveying a company's brand in a consistent, memorable manner.

brochure

Smaller than a booklet, a brochure combines pictures, graphics, and descriptions into an informative, attractive piece that tells about featured products or services.

business stationery

Business cards, company letterhead, and envelopes that consistently promote your brand.

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calendars

Twelve or eighteen month calendar that prominently displays your business contact information; typically 9" x 12", can also be 8.5" x 11".

carbonless forms

Two- three- or four-part form most widely used for invoices, purchase orders, internal memos, or estimates. We also offer numbering and perforation for your convenience.

CASS

USPS acronym for Coding Accuracy Support System. CASS certified mailing lists are eligible for postage discounts because they contain accurate addresses and are pre-sorted according to postal guidelines.

CASS Certification

System for verifying the accuracy of addresses in mailing lists. Verified lists can use USPS automation which leads to lower postage rates.

CMYK

Acronym for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key(black); the process colors used in 4-color printing.

CMYKOG

Acronym for cyan, magenta, yellow, key(black), orange, and green; newer standard that allows for the creation of pastel colors not possible with CMYK.

coil binding

Binding technique that threads a spiral coil of wire through holes punched in the edge of the pages.

collating

Optional finishing step of a print job that arranges multi-page documents in a specified order.

comb binding

Plastic combs have flat, flexible teeth that are threaded through slots punched along the edge of the pages.

conversion

In SEO, a conversion occurs when a website visitor performs the action you wanted them to perform, e.g. purchasing a product, downloading a document, requesting more information, or submitting feedback.

crop marks

Small lines extending from the corners of documents that denote where the document ends and the bleeds begin. It shows the printer where to cut the document to size.

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database management

A Marketing Services term for creating mailing lists and keeping them up to date. Includes the steps necessary for CASS Certification.

dedicated IP address

An IP address assigned to a single website. Only one domain name will resolve to a dedicated IP address.

digital color copies

Same quality as the printing press, but better for short run jobs (roughly 500 or less, varies by job) requiring fast turnaround.

direct mail marketing

Mailing your marketing piece to everyone in a targeted demographic.

domain name

The portion of a URL that uniquely identifies a website. Domain names are registered with central authorities to make sure no two websites try to use the same name.

domain registration/renewal

The act of reserving (or renewing) a domain name on the Internet. For a new website you must find and reserve a domain name that is not already in use anywhere on the Internet. Domain name registrations must be renewed periodically so that the system knows the name is still being used.

door hanger

Card cut out so it hangs from a door knob. Typically used in a neighborhood-wide blanket advertisement.

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email blast

An advertisement sent to a large number of people via email who have "opted-in" to receive emails from the sender.

event program

A brochure for an event; typically multi-page and color, in either 5.5" x 8.5" or 8.5" x 11".

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folding

Optional finishing step prepares pieces for envelope insertion or tape closure.

flyers

A simple printed piece that is both mailed and handed out. Can be printed on various colored paper in either 1, 2, or 4-color.

Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC)

FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.

full-color printing

See offset printing.

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graphic design

The use of visual elements (pictures, typography, colors, textures) to create a message. Essential process in company branding, logo creation, and advertisement layout.

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hole drilling

Optional finishing step that creates holes for various binding processes like those matching 2- or 3-ring binders, spiral binding, or a single hole for hanging a calendar.

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inkjet address

An address printed directly on the mailer thereby eliminating the need for an address label. An injet address can include a personalized name.

IP address

IP addresses conform to the Internet Protocol specification and are used as identifiers for devices on the Internet. Web servers use IP addresses to route traffic between themselves.

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labels

Adhesive labels for addresses, products, or many other uses.

link building

In SEO, link building is the process of getting other websites to link to your website. Search engines consider the number of links to your website as a measure of importance which can influence the ranking of your web pages.

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media kit

See sales kit.

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NCR

See no carbon required.

newsletters

A larger printed format than a flyer, newsletters are popluar monthly or quarterly communication pieces. We provide many design options to fit every budget.

no carbon required

A multi-page form of specially coated papers that allows the characters entered to be copied on each page. The special coatings on the paper are an alternative to the use of carbon paper.

notepads

Typically used a a promotional item of 25-50 sheets each, notepads display your logo, tagline, and contact information. Common sizes are 3" x 5" and 8.5" x 11".

numbering

Applying a unique number to a printed piece, like an invoice or ticket. Runs of multiple pieces are numbered sequentially. We can remember the numbers you used for a previous run and continue the sequence with your next order.

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offset printing

Also known as traditional printing, 4-color printing or full-color printing. Offset printing uses separate plates for each primary color. The primary colors are transparent colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) that combine easily to create other colors. An image is separated into 4 transparencies, one for each primary color, which are then overlayed to create the final image.

on-page optimization

In SEO, on-page optimization involves the techniques employed to make sure your web page contains content that is coded correctly so that the search engines spiders can index your web pages for the key words or phrases for which you want to be found.

organic search

In SEO, a term that refers to results returned by the search engines in response to a user's search. Organic search results are determined by the actual contents of the web pages and are not influenced by paid advertisements.

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Pantone

The most often-used color matching system.

perfect binding

A binding technique that glues pages together and creates a flat, flexible spine.

perforating

Optional finishing step when creating forms that allow a section of the form to be torn off easily.

pocket folders

A 9" x 12" inch folder that neatly organizes your company's marketing literature or proposals. Can be printed with your business logo, contact, and other branding information or graphics.

postal presorting

process that applies a barcode to mail pieces and delivers them to the post office already sorted by zip code. Postal presorting results in lower postage rates.

PQR

Acronym for print quote request.

presentation folder

See sales kit.

product data sheet

Product data sheets are one of the most widely used printed promotional pieces in almost every industry. Many are printed in 4-color on glossy paper, typically 8.5" x 11". We can help layout and design your next product data sheet, and we can even digitally photograph your product for you.

postcards

Postcards are an inexpensive and quick way to mail information to your current customers, as well as prospecting for new clients. They come in a variety of sizes, colors, and design layouts. Let us help you design and print your next postcard!

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rack cards

Tall, thin cards usually seen in racks by the checkout stand or door.

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saddle stitching

A method of binding with staples in the center (spine) of the booklet.

sales kits

Also known as media kits or presentation folders, a sales kit is a branded pocket folder containing sell sheets, letters of introduction, and other marketing collateral.

scoring

Optional finishing step of a print job that makes a piece easy to fold or separate.

search engine optimization

A set of techniques employed to increase the chances of a web page being listed near the top of a SERP for a certain search term.

search engine results page

The web page displayed by a search engine in response to a user's search. SERPs contain links to other web pages of high relevance to the search term.

sell sheet

See product data sheet.

SEO

Acronym for search engine optimization.

SERP

Acronym for search engine results page.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)

A standard for sustainable forestry operations developed and monitored by representatives of stakeholder groups including academic, conservation, loggers, forest owners, public officials, labor, and the forest products industry.

shrink wrapping

Wrapping an item(s) with a thin plastic film that shrinks when a heat gun is applied.

spiral binding

See coil binding.

spot color

Any color (pure or mixed) that is printed in a single run.

stapling

Optional finishing step used with multi-page documents; can either be corner stapled or saddle-stitched.

SWAG

Acronym for Souvenirs, Wearables, and Gifts. These items are imprinted with logos and slogans to expand your brand recognition and enhance your credibility.

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uniform resource locator

A unique name for a web resource, usually a web page on the Internet.

URL

See uniform resource locator.

USPS

Acronym for United States Postal Service.

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web hosting

The service that provides the place where your website lives. Web hosting agreements specify storage space, bandwidth usage, security, and various optional services like online databases or email accounts.

website

A collection of web pages and supporting data sources all accessed through the same domain name.

wide-format

Printed materials that are between 12 and 44 inches wide and of varying length. Commonly used for banners, wall hangings, trade-show stand-ups, posters.

white-hat SEO

White-hat SEO practices comply with the guidelines provided by the search engines. White-hat SEO results in high rankings that hold over the long term and avoids penalties the search engines levy when manipulative or deceptive (black-hat) schemes are detected.

wire binding

Technique that binds booklets with wire spines run through slots punched in the edge of the pages.

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