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Common Terms - G
Gatefold two or more parallel folds on a sheet of paper with the end flaps folding inward. see also folding.
GIF An eight bit (256 colors 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.
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 quality coated papers exhibit high gloss. Champion Kromekote is a paper noted and sold for its exceptionally high gloss. see also cast coating, coated paper.
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.
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. see also binding, formation, grain long, grain short, papermaking, slurry.
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. see also grain, grain short.
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.
Grammage weight in grams of a quantity of paper cut to sheets that measure one square meter. see also weight.
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.
Gravure a printing process that uses intaglio, or recessed, image carriers. 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). see also intaglio, plate, printing methods.
Greek Usually nonsense words and letterforms that are not legible, used in a design to approximate the "color" of a page. Used primarily before final text is available for a client comps.
Gripper the row of clips holding the sheet of paper as it speeds through the press. see also gripper edge.
Gripper Edge the leading edge of paper that moves through a printing press or folding machine. No printing can take place on the outside 3/8" of the paper on the gripper edge. see also gripper.
Groove Finish a textured paper like Champion Carnival Groove, with shallow, parallel furrows or grooves running along the surface. This finish is created by embossing the paper after it comes off the paper- making machine. see also embossing, finishes.
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. see also bulk, freesheet, lignin, pulping wood, uncoated groundwood.
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.