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Common Terms - C
C1S paper that is coated on one side only (coated one side). An example of a C1S sheet is Champion All-Purpose Litho.
C2S paper that is coated on both sides (coated two sides).
Calcium Carbonte CaCO3, a naturally occurring substance found in a variety of sources, including chalk, limestone, marble, oyster shells, and scale from boiled hard water. Used as a filler in the alkaline paper manufacturing process, calcium carbonate improves several important paper characteristics, like smoothness, brightness, opacity, and affinity for ink; it also reduces paper acidity. It is a key ingredient in today's paper coatings. see also alkaline papermaking, ingredients of paper.
Calendering the process of finishing a sheet of dried paper by pressing it between the highly polished metal cylinders of a calenar "stack". The calendar smoothes the paper by compression. see also finish, papermaking, smoothness, supercalendering.
Caliper the thickness of a single sheet of paper, as measured with a sensitive tool called a micrometer, and expressed in units of thousandths of an inch. Caliper is a critical measure of uniformity. Excessive variation in caliper can lead to print variation, undesirable visual effects, and uneven stretch or press-feeding problems. It can also create problems in folding and binding. see also bulk, thickness.
Case Binding see binding.
Cast-coating paper produced with a surface that is a reasonably accurate replication of some other surface. To manufacture cast-coated paper, a paper web with wet or moistened coating is brought into contact with a polished chrome drum surface, which is replicated in the coated sheet. There are two basic cast-coating technologies: the "wet process", invented and developed by Champion in 1937; and the "re-wet" process. Both methods remain in use to produce the world's out- put of cast-coated products. The advantage of the "wet process," used to manufacture Champion Kromekote, is that the sheet is both smooth and absorbent, not just smooth, allowing for excel- lent ink transfer with minimal pressure. Cast-coated papers allow inks to set and dry quickly, making wet trapping easier and minimizing dot gain. In general, cast-coated papers uniquely combine a superior flat surface with excellent ink receptivity, making them the best of printing surfaces, regardless of the type of printing process. see also coated-paper, dot gain, finish, smoothness, wet trap.
Camera Ready Type and/or artwork that has been pasted into position, laser prints, or other artwork to be photographed for plate ready film.
Cellulose Fiber the main component of the walls of all plant cells, cellulose gives plants their structural support and makes plant material fibrous. Both cotton and wood fibers are mostly made up of cellulose. see also fiber, ingredients of paper, paper, pulping wood .
Chemical Pulping manufacturing pulp by pressure-cooking wood or other raw fibrous material into its component parts with solutions of various chemical liquors. The predominant chemical pulping process is the sulfate (kraft) process. see also kraft, papermaking, pulping wood.
Choke (Choking) When trapping color closing in an area that has another color inside so the choked color overlaps, also spreading.
Chromalin A color proofing system, usually the final color proof before going on the press. This is a high quality proof and all corrections and alterations should be made prior to this.
Clay a naturally occurring substance commonly used in the paper industry. Clay is used as both a filler and a coating ingredient. By adding clay, papermakers can improve a paper's smoothness, brightness, opacity, and affinity for ink. see also additives, coated paper, filler, ingredients of paper, opacity.
CMYK Abbreviation for the four process color inks: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.
Coated Paper paper with an outer layer of coating applied to one of both sides. The coating may be added while the paper is still moving through the papermaking machine, or after it comes off the machine. Coated papers are available in a variety of finishes, like gloss, dull, and matte. They tend to have good ink holdout and minimal dot gain, which can be especially important for recreating sharp, bright images, black and white halftones, and four-color process images. The smooth surface of coated papers also helps to reflect light evenly. see also cast-coating, clay, dot gain, dull coated, four-color process gloss, halftone, ink holdout, matte coated, off-machine coating.
Cockle refers to the finish on a certain bond (letterhead) types of papers. Some finishes are embossed on the paper after it leaves the machine, wherein the paper passes through it dry and under pressure. Commonly used embossing patterns are cockle (pebble), laid (tweed) and linens.
Color Key A printer's proof usually used for viewing the individual layers of C,M,Y & K, four sheets of colored acetate, for examining the quality of process color separations.
Color Separation Literally separating the areas of a piece to be printed into its component spot and process ink colors. Each color to be printed must have its own printing plate. Usually referred to in a photographic sense a color separation of a photo done either digitally or traditionally on a scanner.
Colorcurve System a color matching system based on light reflectance curves rather than on ink formulations. It is intended to coordinate colors across a variety of surfaces and materials and to reduce metamerism. see also match color, metamerism, PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM, Toyo.
Colorfastness having color that won't run when wet, and won't fade in bright light.
Comp (comprehensive) a complete but prospective example of a design project, demonstrating size, layout of images and type, use of color, and paper. see also dummy.
Composite Image A photograph or other graphic image, that is made of a combination of multiple images.
Continuous Tone having an unbroken range of intensities, as found in black and white photographs. Continuous tone images have not been screened, and contain gradient tones from black to white. see also halftone, screen, stochastic.
Contrast the degree of difference between light and dark areas in an image. Extreme lights and darks give an image high contrast. An image with a wide tonal range has lover contrast.
Conversion The process of creating a three dimensional (3D) item from a flat sheet of paper. i.e. envelope conversion / box conversion.
Copy The written information and other text used in advertising and printed material.
Copyright (©) A group of legal rights granted to the author or creator of written or visual work. All work appearing with the © symbol or the word "copyright" is protected by its creator or his heirs. For more information, contact your attorney.
Copy Writer The individual who writes the written information or "copy" for an advertisement, newsletter, publication or brochure.
Cotton Paper paper with a minimum cotton fiber content of 25%, and a maxi- mum fiber content of 100%. When fiber other than cotton is used, the balance comes from wood pulp. Cotton pulp is made from rags or clippings from textile mills, raw cotton, and cotton linters. Cotton papers are primarily used as writing papers.
Cover Paper heavier, generally stiffer paper commonly used for book covers, folders, greeting cards, business cards, and brochures. Uncoated cover papers generally match the color and finish of corresponding text papers. The basic size of cover stock is 20"x26". see also basic size, text paper.
Curl the waviness of a sheet of paper generally seen along its edges. Curling is generally the result of physical stresses or changes in humidity, and may occur at the paper mill, in the pressroom, on press, or after binding. Paper tends to curl along, rather than across, the grain of the paper. Recycled and recycled content papers have less tendency to curl than virgin fiber papers because their fibers are shorter. see also grain, relative humidity.
Cut-size writing or business papers that are cut to a finished size of 8.5"x11", 8.5"x14", or 11"x17". Cut-size papers, like Champion Inkjet, are usually packed in reams of 500 sheets before leaving the mill.
Cylinder Machine a type of papermaking machine. Wire covered cylinders are rotated through a vat of pulp, and paper is formed as the water drains from the cylinder. Cylinder machines are mostly used for manufacturing paperboard. Multi-cylinder machines are capable or producing multi-layered paperboard (one layer for each cylinder). see also paperboard, papermaking.