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b image

back flap:
The back part of a dustjacket that folds inward and contains copy continued from the front flap and/or a photo and biography of the author.

back list:
Previously published books that are not new but still in print and available from the publisher, as opposed to front list, which are recently released books.

back matter:
The contents of a book that appears after the main text; may include an afterword, appendix, colophon, glossary, and index.

backing up:
Printing the reverse side of a sheet of paper that has already been printed on the other side.

bad break:
An unattractive or illogical beginning or end of a page, a line of type, or a poorly hyphenated word.

banding:
An undesirable graphic effect in which a gradation contains visible stepping of shades.

bandwidth:
The amount of data that can be sent from one computer connection to another at any given time.

banner:
The name of a publication as it is displayed on the cover.

bar code:
A series of vertical lines that identify the book, the book's publisher, and the book's price. The bar code used especially for books is called a Bookland EAN.

Baronial cards:
A type of card stock that often has a beveled edge, used for announcements and invitations.

baseline:
The imaginary line on which the letters in a line of type appear to rest.

basis weight:
The weight in pounds of a ream (500 sheets) of paper cut to a standard size according to the grade of paper.

bastard title:
The half title of a book found on the page in front of the title page.

baud:
A measure of modem speed equal to one signal per second.

BBS:
Bulletin Board System. An online system for exchanging messages and information with others.

bearers:
The flat surfaces or rings at the ends of cylinders on a printing press that come in contact with each other during printing which serve as a basis for determining packing thickness.

belt press:
A large printing press that prints several pages in one pass.

beveled edge:
When the outer margins of a stock of paper (usually a card stock) have been embossed or blind embossed.

Bézier curve:
A curve used in illustration programs that provides control handles for manipulating the shape of an arc.

bibliography:
Part of a book's back matter in which other books or magazine articles are cited as resources or for the reader's further reference.

binder's creep:
The slight but cumulative extension of the edges of each inserted spread or signature in a saddle-stitched publication.

bindery:
The area or department within a printing plant that handles trimming and binding.

binding:
The fastening of assembled sheets or signatures along one edge of a publication. The binding process also includes folding, gathering, trimming, stitching, gluing, and/or casing.

bio:
Short for biography. The brief description of an author's life and/or publication history that appears in the back matter of a book.

bit:
BInary digiT. The basic unit of digital information.

bitmapped graphic:
A matrix of dots, or pixels, all of the same density, that forms an image.

black letter:
The Gothic type style popular in Germany in the 15th century.

black plate:
Also referred to as black printer, this printing plate is used along with cyan, magenta, and yellow plates in four-color (CMYK) process printing. Also called the key plate, its purpose is to enrich the contrast of the final reproduction.

black-and-white:
Originals or reproductions in which black is the only color, as opposed to one-color (which can be any single color), two-color, four-color, or more.

blanket:
A rubber material that is clamped around the cylinder on a printing press, to which the image is transferred from the printing plate, and from which the image is transferred to the paper.

bleed:
The portion of an image that extends beyond the trim area of a page.

bleed allowance:
The amount in which a bleed must extend beyond a document's trim in order to allow for variations in cutting and folding.

blend:
An area in an image that merges from one color (or gray level) to another. Also known as a graduated tint, graduation, fountain, dégradé, or vignette.

blind embossing:
A bas-relief effect achieved by stamping an image onto paper without ink.

blind image:
An image that has lost its ability to hold ink and fails to print.

blowup (noun):
A photographic or digital enlargement.

blow up (verb):
To enlarge an image, either photographically or digitally.

blue pencil:
A light blue pencil that is used to mark up layouts and which cannot be reproduced by a platemaking camera. Also called a non-repro pencil.

blueline:
A photoprint made from stripped-up film negatives or positives that is used as a proof to check the position of page elements before printing. Also called a blueprint.

blueprint:
In printing, the same thing as a blueline.

blurb:
A short quote or announcement used to promote a book.

board:
The surface on which camera-ready artwork is pasted in preparation for photomechanical reproduction.

body:
1.
The viscosity or consistency of an ink. 2. In e-mail, the text of a message, as opposed to the header, which includes information such as To, From, Subject, and Date.

body copy:
The majority of the copy in a book, magazine article, or marketing piece, as opposed to headline copy. Also known as text.

body type:
A particular font used for the main text of a printed piece, as opposed to headline type or caption type.

bold:
A set of type that is heavier (thicker or darker) than the text type of the same typeface. Short for boldface.

boldface:
A set of type that is heavier (thicker or darker) than the text type of the same typeface. Also called bold.

bond paper:
A grade of paper that is stronger and more durable than the average sheet of paper, often used for letterhead.

book fair:
An event or trade show where publishers promote their upcoming books.

book paper:
A grade of coated or uncoated paper used in books.

booklet:
A publication of less than 48 pages.

bot:
An Internet-related term, short for "robot," that describes programs which automate tasks such as sorting e-mail.

bottling:
The process of skewing pages to compensate for paper thickness as it is folded. Primarily used on signatures designed for large web- or sheet-fed presses.

bounce:
An undesirable phenomenon in which the reproduction of book or magazine pages is off by as much as 1/16 of an inch.

BPS:
Bits Per Second. A measure of modem speed.

break for color:
To separate the parts of a piece to be printed in different colors.

brightness:
The reflective quality or brilliance of a piece of paper. In color, the amount of light reflected by a particular color.

Bristol:
In papermaking, a heavyweight paper used for printed materials that will be frequently handled such as posters, folders, announcements, direct mail pieces, and invitations.

BRM:
Business Reply Mail. Return postcards or envelopes in which the postage has been pre-paid by the original sender.

broadside:
A large, tabloid-size advertising circular.

brochure:
A pamphlet of two or more pages that is folded or bound.

bronzing:
A printing technique in which an image is printed with a sizing ink, then bronze powder is applied while the ink is still wet to produce a metallic effect.

browser:
A software application that lets you navigate and view online information, such as World Wide Web pages.

buckling:
An undesirable effect that occurs when a sheet of paper has been improperly printed or folded, causing wrinkles.

bulk:
The degree of thickness of paper, usually expressed as pages per inch.

bulk mail:
A class of mail sent by the U.S. Postal Service at a discount rate for business mail of at least 200 pieces that has been sorted by zip code.

bullet:
A small black circle or similar graphic used in front of items in a list, often called a bullet list.

bump:
Ink applied from a fifth or higher plate in four-color process printing to strengthen a specific color. Also referred to as a touchplate.

bump exposure:
In halftones, removing the screen for a short time to increase highlight contrast and drop out the dots in whites.

burn:
To expose a plate when making printing plates.

burnish:
To rub pasteup boards with a tool called a burnisher in order to affix galleys to them and smooth out any wrinkles.

burnisher:
A tool used to rub galleys onto pasteup boards and smooth them out.

byline:
The author's name as it appears under the title or at the end of an article or story.

byte:
A unit of digital information equivalent to eight bits or one character.

 
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