F

Face
Edge of a bound publication opposite the spine. Also called foredge. Also, an abbreviation for typeface referring to a family of a general style.

Fake Duotone
Halftone in one ink color printed over screen tint of a second ink color. Also called dummy duotone, dougraph, duplex halftone, false duotone, flat tint halftone and halftone with screen.

Fast Color Inks
Inks with colors that retain their density and resist fading as the product is used and washed.

Feeding Unit
Component of a printing press that moves paper into the register unit.

Felt Finish
Soft woven pattern in text paper.

Felt Side
Side of the paper that was not in contact with the Fourdrinier wire during papermaking, as compared to wire side.

Fifth Color
Ink color used in addition to the four needed by four-color process.

Film Gauge
Thickness of film. The most common gauge for graphic arts film is 0.004 inch (0.1 mm).

Film Laminate
Thin sheet of plastic bonded to a printed product for protection or increased gloss.

Fine Papers
Papers made specifically for writing or commercial printing, as compared to coarse papers and industrial papers. Also called cultural papers and graphic papers.

Fine Screen
Screen with ruling of 150 lines per inch (80 lines per centimeter) or more.

Finish
(1) Surface characteristics of paper. (2) General term for trimming, folding, binding and all other post press operations.

Finished Size
Size of product after production is completed, as compared to flat size. Also called trimmed size.

Fit
Refers to ability of film to be registered during stripping and assembly. Good fit means that all images register to other film for the same job.

Fixed Costs
Costs that remain the same regardless of how many pieces are printed. Copyrighting, photography and design are fixed costs.

Flat Color
(1) Any color created by printing only one ink, as compared to a color created by printing four-color process. Also called block color and spot color. (2) color that seems weak or lifeless.

Flat Plan (Flats)
Diagram of the flats for a publication showing imposition and indicating colors.

Flat Size
Size of product after printing and trimming, but before folding, as compared to finished size.

Flexography
Method of printing on a web press using rubber or plastic plates with raised images. Also called aniline printing because flexographic inks originally used aniline dyes. Abbreviated flexo.

Flood
To print a sheet completely with an ink or varnish. flooding with ink is also called painting the sheet.

Flush Cover
Cover trimmed to the same size as inside pages, as compared to overhang cover. Also called cut flush

Flyleaf
Leaf, at the front and back of a casebound book that is the one side of the end paper not glued to the case.

Fogging Back
Used in making type more legible by lowering density of an image, while allowing the image to show through.

Foil Emboss
To foil stamp and emboss an image. Also called heat stamp.

Foil Stamp
Method of printing that releases foil from its backing when stamped with the heated die. Also called block print, hot foil stamp and stamp.

Folder
A bindery machine dedicated to folding printed materials.

Fold Marks
With printed matter, markings indicating where a fold is to occur, usually located at the top edges.

Foldout
Gatefold sheet bound into a publication, often used for a map or chart. Also called gatefold and pullout.

Folio (page number)
The actual page number in a publication.

Form
Each side of a signature. Also spelled forme.

Format
Size, style, shape, layout or organization of a layout or printed product.

Form bond
Lightweight bond, easy to perforate, made for business forms. Also called register bond.

Form Roller(s)
Roller(s) that come in contact with the printing plate, bringing it ink or water.

For Position Only
Refers to inexpensive copies of photos or art used on mechanical to indicate placement and scaling, but not intended for reproduction. Abbreviated FPO.

Forwarding
In the case book arena, the binding process which involves folding, rounding, backing, headbanding and reinforcing.

Fountain
Trough or container, on a printing press, that holds fluids such as ink, varnish or water. Also called duct.

Fountain Solution
Mixture of water and chemicals that dampens a printing plate to prevent ink from adhering to the nonimage area. Also called dampener solution.

Four-color Process Printing
Technique of printing that uses black, magenta, cyan and yellow to simulate full-color images. Also called color process printing, full color printing and process printing.

Free Sheet
Paper made from cooked wood fibers mixed with chemicals and washed free of impurities, as compared to groundwood paper. Also called woodfree paper.

French Fold
A printed sheet, printed one side only, folded with two right angle folds to form a four page uncut section.

Full-range Halftone
Halftone ranging from 0 percent coverage in its highlights to 100 percent coverage in its shadows.

Full-scale Black
Black separation made to have dots throughout the entire tonal range of the image, as compared to half-scale black and skeleton black. Also called full-range black.