The .ai filename extension is a proprietary file format developed by Adobe Systems used by Adobe Illustrator.

A substance used for sticking objects or materials together (glue).
• Permanent Adhesive – Labels that do not remove from surfaces with ease. These are meant for long time use.
• Removable Adhesive – Type of adhesive that allows you to adhere and remove labels from most all surfaces with ease.

Printing that extends to the very edge of a sheet after it is trimmed at the crop marks.

A machine-readable code in the form of numbers and a pattern of parallel lines of varying widths, used especially for stock control.

The colour model in which all colours are made as a mixture of these four colours. This colour model is used in offset printing.

Lines printed on the margin of a sheet that indicate to the printer/bindery where the finished product should be trimmed.

Tool for cutting and scoring label stock, paper products, and more.

A cutting tool called a die is used to cut out the shape of the label on the pressure sensitive material where after the waste is removed leaving the label behind on the liner ready for application. Label shapes can be customised and designed to enhance aesthetic appeal.

The process of cutting and scoring label stock, paper products and more.

Page proofs that are sent and reviewed electronically to ensure that the artwork is set up exactly as customer requests.
These must be approved by a customer before any printing will be done.

A measurement of resolution of input, output, and display devices.
DPI measures how many dots fit into a linear inch.
Our required printing resolution is 300 DPI.

EPS files are self-contained PostScript documents that describe an image or drawing and can be placed in another PostScript document. EPS stands for Encapsulated PostScript.

Frosty clear labels have a cloudy, matte appearance. Not a crystal clear appearance.

Text or graphic that extends all the way to the edge of the paper it is printed on. After trimming, the bleed ensures that no unprinted edges occur in the final trimmed document.

A coating on labels/paper that provide a higher reflection of light, which creates a shiny appearance. The gloss label coating can reduce ink absorption, which gives the printed product much better contrast, and colour definition.

GSM is Grams per Square Meter. This denotes the thickness and weight of the material. Certain printers have a maximum GSM rating, which is the thickest material the printer can handle.

The attribute of paper that determines the quantity of ink penetrating the paper and the rate at which it is soaked up after contact with.

JPEG (seen with a .jpg or .jpeg filename extension) is a commonly used method of lossless compression for digital images. JPEG is the most common image format used by digital cameras. “JPEG” is an acronym for the Joint Photographic Experts Group.

An opening, left in a printed area, in which a design or picture can be placed.

Laser sheet labels are loose single sheets that have been constructed to fit the requirements to pass through an inkjet or laser printing machine.

Any copy that is printed in the margins of a page.

The waste area of label stock that is removed from the label after it is die cut.
A mould in which something, such as printing, is cast or shaped.

Dull and flat, without a glossy shine.

Paper colour resulting from the use of no chemical colouring.

The conveyance of an inked image from a plate to a blanket cylinder, which in turn transmits the image to the printing material as it is fed between the blanket and the impression cylinder, where pressure is put on.

The attribute of paper that prevents show through of printing from the opposite side.

This label is printed and die cut from pressure sensitive substrates that stick when the adhesive on the back of it comes in contact with almost any surface and pressure is applied. No activation by water, solvent or heat is required.

The standard printing industry colour matching system for the CMYK colour model.

A file type that provides an electronic image of text and graphics that looks like a printed document and can be viewed, printed, and electronically transmitted. PDF stands for Portable Document Format.

A row of small holes punched into the material to allow for easy tearing. Perforation size is based on the size of the cuts (holes) and ties (space between holes), with the value listed as Teeth per Inch.
• Micro Perforation – Large cut size and very small tie size. Allows for extremely easy tearing.
• Slit Over Perf – A slit in the face of the material right above a perforation in the liner of the material.
• Horizontal Perforation – A perforation that runs down a sheet from left to right and is parallel to text.
• Vertical Perforation – A perforation that runs down a sheet from top to bottom and is perpendicular to text.

A label with permanent adhesive cannot be removed without destroying the label or leaving adhesive residue on the object that the label was applied to.

Pixel is short for “picture element”, a pixel is a single point in a graphic image.

A noticeable display of pixels that form jagged edges when an image is enlarged causing the square pixels to become more noticeable on lines.

Responsive to pressure; adhering under the influence of pressure.

It is called pressure sensitive because when the adhesive comes in contact with a surface and pressure is put on to the label, the adhesive will allow the label/material to stick.

Creating colour images by combining the four standard printing inks (cyan, yellow, magenta and black) in a fashion that permits almost all colours to be reproduced.

The default format that Photoshop uses for saving data. PSD is a proprietary file that allows the user to work with individual layers of an image, even after the file has been saved. PSD stands for Photoshop Document.

Lines printed on the margin of a sheet that indicate to the printer/bindery where the finished product should be trimmed.

Digitally transmitting a file of a proof to a remote location to be output at that location for approval.

A removable label can be removed where it was stuck without pieces remaining on the surface. A removable label with a very tacky adhesive can damage the surface of some materials when removed. After an extended period of time or weather exposure, the removable label will also become permanent.

The measurement of output quality expressed in dots per inch on printed media, and pixels per inch on a computer monitor.

Roll labels that are on a continuous roll for automated or hand application.

The black dotted line on your digital proof. Your artwork should stay within this area unless you have a full bleed.

Pressure sensitive labels.

This is the process when rolls of label stock are converted into sheets of the finished product by cutting them to length on a rotary press.

How long a label product can be stored under specified conditions and remain usable.

The ability for a material to resist deterioration from prolonged exposure to sunlight.

The property of a pressure sensitive label that causes it to adhere to a surface instantly with applied pressure.

The label layout. The margins on label printing templates are the same as on your sheet of labels.

TIFF is a computer file format for storing raster graphics images that is popular among graphic artists and professional photographers’. TIFF stands for Tagged Image File Format.

A label that is completely see through and gives a product a no label appearance.

The time it is going to take to print your labels from the time you approve your proof.

Printing in which the elements, both text and image, can be changed or customized on each label.

A computer image that is stored in memory as lines rather than a series of dots, allowing it to be rotated or proportionally scaled.

The distance between the rows of labels on a die cut sheet.

Synthetic resin or plastic consisting of polyvinyl chloride or a related polymer, used especially for wallpapers and other covering materials and for phonograph records.

Wrap-around labels are printed on Bi-orientated Polypropylene (BOPP) film, are commonly used on bottled water, and carbonated soft drinks.

Weatherproof labels are resistant to the effects of condensation, snow, rain, and other places they will get exposed to the moisture.

Wet-glue labels are paper-based labels that are more commonly used in medium to high volume environments. The main markets in which wet-glue labels are used are beer, wine and spirits.