package design glossary a-z
Definitions of components, materials and processes from design through print production and product manufacture.
A-Z | Sustainable
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
“A” SHELL
The outermost shell on a lipstick swivel mechanism.
AA
Author's Alterations. The term refers to changes (not corrections) made by a client during the proofing process. AA's are normally charged to a client as billable time. The opposite of an AA is a PE (Production Error) which is a mistake made by the artist.
ABRASION
The rubbing and wearing away by friction of one surface by another. Also referred to as scuffing and rubbing.
ABSOLUTE COLORIMETRIC
Absolute Colorimetric is a rendering intent that leaves colors that fall inside the destination gamut unchanged. It does not expand or compress the whole gamut. Each color is transformed into itself, if it exists in the destination gamut. Otherwise, it is transformed to the closest color at the gamut boundary. In short, out of gamut colors get clipped.
ABSORBENCY
The capacity of paper to accept liquids like inks.
AC FLUTE
A very strong corrugated cardboard made from a double-wall of one A-flute sheet and one C-flute sheet.
ACCELERATED AGING
A process whereby the deterioration encountered in natural aging may be accelerated and reproduced in the laboratory by heat.
ACCEPTANCE QUALITY LEVEL
(AQL) The quality level which for the purpose of sampling inspection, is the limit of a satisfactory process average.
ACCORDION PACK
An accordion-like flexible package which enables food contents to be squeezed into the mouth eliminating the need for a spoon for on-the-go consumption.
ACID ETCHING
Glassware is immersed in an acid bath to create a smooth, frosted effect on the glass surface.
ACID-FREE PAPER
Paper which has had the acid removed from the pulp during production so that it has a neutral 7.0 pH.
ACL - APPLIED COLOR LETTERING
Colored lettering or design of ceramic nature permanently fused onto glass bottle surface.
ACL LUG
A small protrusion or small depressed cavity in base of bottle to act as a guide in positioning the bottle in the decorating machine for application of ACL.
ACLAR®
Allied Signal, Inc.’s registered trade name for high barrier films made from PCTFE (poluchlorotrifluorethylene) resins.
ACQUIRE MODULE
Software (created by a scanner manufacturer) that expands the functions of the Adobe Photoshop program and allow the program to import an image from an external scanner.
ACROBAT
A product developed by Adobe Systems to create PDF (Portable Document Format) files. Acrobat is an independent means of creating, viewing and printing documents.
ACRYLONITRILE
A plastic material used in conjunction with styrene and butadiene yielding good gas barrier properties, chemical resistance, taste and odor retention properties.
ACTIVE TRANSVERSE PANEL BOTTLE
(ATP) Panel-free hot-fill PET bottle.
ACTUAL WEIGHT
The true weight of any volume of paper used to determine price.
ACTUATOR
The finger button that, when depressed, opens the aerosol or mechanical pump dispenser valve mechanism and allows for dispensing of the product.
ACTUATOR INSERT
The plastic insert in the actuator of a spray pump with an orifice through which the product is dispensed.
ADDITIVE COLOR
The additive primary colors are red, blue and green. These three additive colors represent the three main components of white light in the additive color module. Black is produced by the absence of the primary colors. In theory, any color can be created by mixing these three colors.
ADDITIVES (PAPER)
Additives are ingredients of paper such as clay fillers, sizing, dyes and other chemicals.
ADHESION
The ability of a material to stick to the surface to which it is applied.
ADHESIVE
A material made of animal or vegetable glues, resins, or other pastes to seal a folding carton.
ADHESIVE LAMINATION
A laminating process in which individual layers of multi-layer packaging materials are laminated to each other with an adhesive.
AEROSOL
A pressurized container permitting controlled dispensing of a product at the touch of a button.
AESTHETIC FILL
Filling to a specific level in a clear package where the fill level is visible.
AESTHETICS
The visual response to the physical appearance of an object.
A-FLUTE
Undulated cardboard with flute thickness of 4.7 mm. A-Flute has excellent stacking strength.
AGE-RESISTANT PAPER
Paper that is manufactured using pH-neutral pulp and special additives to prevent yellowing and disintegration of the fibers.
AIR ENTRAPMENT
The process of capturing boundary air between web wraps during the winding process.
AIRBRUSH
A device using compressed air to spray a liquid, such as paint and ink. Often used in illustration and photo retouching.
AIRLESS DISPENSERS
An integrated pump system especially suitable for products that are sensitive to environmental influences, ideal for viscous lotions, creams, gels, treatment products and the like.
ALIAS
When the curves and other lines in a graphic becomes jagged, the resolution of the graphic file is too low. The graphic is then referred to as "aliased." An alias appears as jagged edges on curves and diagonal lines in bitmap images. They can be more easily seen if the image is enlarged to above 100% of its size. Aliasing is unavoidable to some degree with on-screen images because of the fact that computer screens use pixels that run horizontally and vertically. In printed images, the jagged edges on curves and other lines can be avoided by using a digital image with a high enough resolution.
ALIGNMENT
Making the axis of all rolls in the machine parallel to one reference roll.
ALIGNMENT (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
The align command is used to adjust the position of objects or text in relation to each other. The various ways objects or text can be aligned are typically left, right, center, top and bottom.
ALKALINE PAPER
The preferred choice for books, maps and documents, alkaline paper is usually used where aging resistance is preferred. Calcium carbonate is added which improves the brightness and opacity of the paper. The pH is greater than 7.0.
ALPHA
A fourth color component in the RGB color model that represents opacity. By changing Alpha values, images can be rendered completely transparent to completely opaque.
ALPHA CHANNEL
Alpha channels are used to create and store masks. Masks enable designers to isolate or protect parts of an image they want to apply changes to, be it color changes, filters, opacity, etc.
ALUMINIUM PAPER
Specialty packaging paper containing either an aluminium powder mixture or an aluminium foil lamination.
AMBER GLASS
Yellowish-brown glass which protects the contents from light.
AMBIENT LIGHT
Also known as "available light" or "existing light." It's the surrounding light within an environment. Ambient light is used to read proofs.
AMPULE
A glass container filled with medication and closed with a rubber stopper.
ANALOG COLOR PROOF/PREPESS PROOF
Off-press color proof made from separation film. This proof uses ink jet, toner, dyes, overlays, photographic film, or other methods to give a an idea of what the finished product should look like.
ANCHOR POINT
Anchor points allow the user to manipulate a path's shape or direction by clicking the point and moving it in a direction. Anchor points appear along the path at every curve and at the beginning and end of a path. You can also add or subtract anchor points on a path.
ANDA
Amended New Drug Application (filed with the Food and Drug Administration).
ANNEALING
A controlled temperature method of gradually cooling glass containers in ovens or lehrs to relieve structural stresses and to make less brittle. To anneal means to make soft and thereby workable by subjecting to high temperatures and controlled cooling. Used to relieve structural stresses and to make less brittle, as in metals and glass; to remove strains in glass by slow cooling at elevated temperatures. (Annealing temperatures for glass is about 1000˚F). See LEHR.
ANODIZING
Electrolytic process for forming an oxide coating on aluminum for corrosion and wear resistance.
ANTI-ALIASING
Anti-aliasing is the process whereby the jagged "aliased" edges of a bitmapped image, or on-screen font, are smoothed.
ANTIOXIDANT
A chemical substance that can be added to a plastic resin to minimize or prevent the effects of oxygen attack on the plastic (e.g. yellowing or degradation).
ANTI-OXIDANT BOARD
Food packaging boxboard which has been treated with a non-toxic chemical to resist spoilage of the food.
ANTISTATIC AGENT
A chemical substance that can be applied to the surface of a plastic from which the bottle is to be made. Its function is to render the surface of the plastic article less susceptible to accumulation of electrostatic charges which attract and hold fine dust on the surface of the bottle.
ANTI-TARNISH BOARD
A chemically treated boxboard to resist the tarnish which can rub off from brass or silver.
APPLICATION TORQUE
The twisting force used to apply a closure to a finished bottle. The amount of torque varies with the size of the closure.
AQUEOUS COATING
Aqueous Coating is a water-based coating applied after printing. It helps the underlying ink from rubbing off. Such a coating can give a gloss, dull or matte finish. It can be applied while the paper is still on press, or after it's off press.
ARCHIVING DATA
Also known as backing-up data. To store copies of information for long periods of time. The act of safeguarding your work against equipment malfunction. Backing up data should be done on a regular basis throughout the working process. Data can be backed-up (copied) on various storage mediums like portable magnetic discs or storage tapes or compact discs.
ARCHIVAL PAPER
Archival paper is typically acid-free and has a quality lifetime of about 100 years or longer. This paper is used to keep critical records for many years.
ART DIRECTOR
The person responsible for managing the creative and production process for a given project as well as the people working on the project.
ARTIFICIAL EXPOSURE
Exposing a sample of product or packaging to exaggerated and extreme weathering conditions to judge the effect.
ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The 128 characters used for exchange of information between computers.
ASEPTIC PACKAGING
Sterile, non-refrigerated food and beverage packaging which uses various laminates and clay-coatings to form a proper barrier.
ASPERITY
The roughness of the film surface, usually expressed in microns (one micron is one millionth of a meter) or micro inches (one micro inch is one millionth of an inch).
ASTM
The American Society for Testing and Materials, a society dedicated to the development and maintenance of standardized test procedures and standard specifications.
ASYMMETRICAL
This is when graphics and/or text are not identical on both sides of a central line.
AUTOCLAVING
Using pressurized superheated steam to sterilize a container.
AUTO TRACE (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
A function in graphic design software that automatically traces images. Paths are created along the edges of a scanned sketch. The paths are then cleaned up and the scanned file is discarded. Now you have an outlined sketch of the image you scanned.
BACKING PLATE
In injection molding, a support for cavity blocks, guide pins and bushings.
BAD BREAK
Refers to widows or orphans in text copy, or any hyphenation or word break that causes awkward reading.
BAGGY EDGES
Webs with longer film length on each edge than in the middle of any span.
BALANCED RUNNER SYSTEM
Flow passages within the injection mold which create equal flow distances from central sprue to each cavity.
BALE
A compressed stack of paper sheets.
BALL TIP
The pigmented epoxy ball decoration at the tip of a hair brush bristle.
BAND
A strip of paper/board which is wrapped completely around a box or other object and can provide an additional area for informational graphics about the product. Also known as a belly band.
BANNER
Banners are graphic images created to be placed as advertisements for products on websites.
BAR
The horizontal or vertical line drawn through a grapheme (unit of writing, such as a letter). Sometimes added to distinguish one grapheme from another.
BAR WIDTH REDUCTION
The amount by which a bar code is adjusted to account for the print gain on a press.
BARCODE
A way of labeling or coding a product that allows a clear description of the contents and limits dosage mistakes. Barcodes can only be read by scanners, although there are sometimes "human-readable" characters included.
BARREL
The body of a deodorant stock container.
BARRIER
Protection from deterioration or ingress of moisture through package material.
BARRIER COAT
A surface coating used to improve permeation resistance and protect the container from scuffing.
BASEBOX
The standard measurement for tin plate in the can industry. This is the equivalent of 112 sheets 14 by 20 inches in size.
BASELINE
An imaginary line upon which letters sit and descenders extend below the baseline.
BASIS WEIGHT
The weight in pounds of a ream (500) sheets of paper cut to a given standard size for that grade; e.g. 500 sheets 25 x 38 lb. coated book paper. Basic size differs from category to category of paper – basic size for paperboard is 24″x36″ and one ream equals 3,000 sq. ft.
BATCH CODE
A stamp, sticker, printing or other combination of characters marked on a package that facilitates tracing of the product to the batch in which it was processed.
B-FLUTE
A flute thickness of 2.5mm. B-Flute has good puncture resistance.
BC FLUTE
Extra-thick corrugated board made from a combination of one B-flute sheet and one C-flute sheet.
BELLOWS
A flexible, sometimes valved air chamber which as part of an airless pump system can be contracted and expanded to dispense product.
BENDING BOARD
A description of a properly-scored boxboard which can be bent at 180 degrees and doesn't break the outer fibers or separate the interior plies.
BENDING CHIPBOARD
An inexpensive grade of recycled fiber boxboard used for making folding cartons.
BEVEL
A tool in design software for drawing angles or modifying the surface of work to a certain inclination.
BEZIER CURVE
A parametric curve that represents a vector path in computer graphics. They are frequently drawn using a pen tool and by placing anchor points which can be controlled to form shapes or lines.
B-I-B
Bag-in-Box technique.
BILLBOARD
Another term for the front panel or face panel of a carton as it is displayed on a shelf.
BI-METAL PLATE
A lithographic plate with the printing image made of copper or brass and a non-printing area of aluminum or stainless steel. This type of plate can be used for long print runs.
BIO-ACTIVE PAPER
A specialized paper product laced with biologically active chemicals that provides a way to detect and/or deactivate toxins or pathogens. Bioactive paper range could be used in food packaging.
BIO-DEGRADABLE
The capability of a substance to decompose by the interaction with micro-organisms under natural conditions. Food refuse, cloth, paper are examples of biogradable materials, plastics and polyester are generally not biodegradable.
BINGO CARD
A large calendar blister card designed for ease in handling to prompt compliance, high visibility, and user friendliness. Normally in a monthly supply. Commonly used by in-patient facilities.
BITMAP (BMP)
Bitmap images are resolution dependent, unlike vector graphics which are resolution independent. A bitmap does not need to contain a bit of color-coded information for each pixel on every row. It only needs to contain information indicating a new color as the display scans along a row. This means that an image with much solid color will tend to require a small bitmap.
BLANK
The mold parts used in all glass container machines for preliminary formation of glass in preparation for completion of the glass containers in the finish mold where the bottles are blown. The blank forms the parison, hence the parison itself is at times referred to as the blank.
BLANK
A carton after cutting and creasing, but before it has been folded up and glued shut.
BLANKET
In offest lithography, the rubber-surfaced fabric which is fastened around the cylinder and transfers the image from the plate to the paper.
BLEACHED PAPER
A type of paper which goes through a whitening process. It is widely used in packaging and displays.
BLEED (MATERIALS)
To give up color when in contact with water, solvent or a product; undesired movement of certain materials in a plastic (e.g. plasticizer in vinyl) to the surface of the material or into an adjacent material.
BLEED (PRINTING)
An extra amount of printed image which extends beyond the trim edge of the sheet of page. This extra is cut away to create the finished printed piece.
BLIND EMBOSSING
A design which is stamped without metallic leaf or ink, giving a bas-relief effect.
BLISTER CARD
Packaging style using a paperboard card and a preformed plastic blister (which holds the product) which is heat-sealed to the card. Another technique uses a film vacuum-sealed over the product and card.
BLISTER PACK
In medicine dispersal, a unit-dose package commonly constructed from a formed cavity containing one or more individual doses.
BLOCKING
The ability of two sheets of film to cohere or stick together.
BLOOM
Bloom is the result of ingredients coming out of “solution” in the component and migrating to the surface of the component. A surface film resulting from attack by the atmosphere or from deposition of smoke or other vapor. Can be seen on the surface of glass as a white scale after the glass has been aged in humidity.
BLOW AND BLOW
Expression used to identify the production principle of the IS machine making narrow neck containers. Glass is blown into the blank mold and later blown into the finish mold.
BLOW MOLDING
The process of extruding a hollow tube, called a parison, downward between two halves of a mold. As the mold closes, the bottom of the parison is pinched off and air is injected into the top forcing the material outwards to the walls of the mold.
BLOW PRESSURE
The pressure required to form the parison into the shape of the mold cavity, in a blow molding operation.
BLOWN FILMS
Plastic films produced from synthetic resins (such as polyethylene) which are extruded through a circular die into a tube. This tube is expanded (“blown”) by internal air pressure into a larger bubble with a much reduced wall thickness and then cooled.
BLUNT THREAD START
A detail of thread design in which the start of the thread has been squared off; i.e., there is no gradual thread lead-in.
BLUSHING
A surface whitening or discoloration apparent in plastic materials. It is the result of physically induced (e.g., by impact) phase separation of the (1) ingredients in the plastic molding compound or (2) the molecular orientation of the plastic.
BOARD TYPES
There are many different types of thick and stiff fiber based material often consisting of several plies; widely used for packaging purposes (150-600 g/m2). Coated, Folding Boxboard, Kraft, Lined Chipboard, Solid Board, Uncoated Board, and unlined Chipboard are just some of the variations available.
BODY
The principal part of a container, usually the largest piece containing the sides. In collapsible tubes, the body (or wall) is the cylindrical portion below the shoulder extending to the bottom of crimped end. In bottles, the body is the main portion of the bottle without the neck.
BORDER
The decorative design or edge of a surface or line or area that forms its outer boundary.
BOTTLES
Glass or plastic container used to package solid or liquid pharmaceutical products.
BOTTOM PLATE (GLASS)
The part of the mold equipment that forms the bottom of the bottle.
BOTTOM PLATE (PLASTIC)
That part of the mold which contains the heel (base radius) radius and the “push-up” of the container to be formed.
BOUNDARY AIR
Atmospheric air that stays on the film web surface until it is displaced, either mechanically or by vacuum pump.
BOWED ROLL
A roll that has a curved axis. The roll covering is flexible and stretches during one-half of a revolution and compressess during the other half. This type of roll is more difficult to turn than a straight roll, because energy is required to compress or stretch the covering during each revolution. The energy to turn the roll must be supplied by the film web when the bowed roll is not driven by another means.
BRANDING
Related terms: on-brand, off-brand, brand awareness, brand identity. Originally an advertising concept, branding is now an integral part of many graphic designer's day-to-day exposure. A brand is a graphic, font, image or a series of concepts that defines a company's or product's identity. By establishing a strong and identifiable brand, a company or organization is trying to convey to its consumers a sense of familiarity and trust of its products, over that of its competitors.
BRIEF
A designer's brief, or creative brief, is what a client will give to a designer to help them come up with a creative solution or set of concepts.
BRIGHTNESS
The brightness (light/dark) of an image, the intensity of a light source or color luminance. Also applies to the reflectance of a boxboard surface. Not necessarily related to colour or whiteness. Brightness is expressed in percentage. It affects legibility and contrast of printing.
BRITTLENESS
A property of a material that when it breaks suddenly under an applied load, there is less than a 5% yield of the material with little or no bending or stretch.
BRUSH FINISH
The use of revolving cylindrical brushes against clay-coated boxboard.
BULB
The rubber or plastic squeezable component of a dropper or atomizer.
BUNDLE
50 pounds of boxboard sheets. The quantity of sheets will vary depending on size and individual weight, but the 50 pounds per bundle is consistent.
BURN (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
A tool used in Adobe Photoshop to darken an area of an image.
BURSTING STRENGTH
A measurement of the strength of paper to resist rupturing caused by applying pressure.
BUSHING
A cylinder lining for an opening used to limit the size of the opening, resist abrasion or serve as a guide (e.g., the threaded insert in the vial of a metal mascara case).
BUTTRESS THREAD
A design of thread profile (cross-section) which takes the form of a right triangle or slight modification of that form. It is usually positioned so that the right angle is at the bottom of the thread cross-section and adjacent to the neck of the bottle finish. The horizontal leg of the right triangle is the bearing surface for a matching cap thread.
BUTTERFLY HINGE
Flexible (i.e., living) hinge used in joining the cover to the main body of a flip top dispensing closure (e.g., Seaquist dispensing closures). Superior hinge for impact resistance.
CAD / CAM / CTP
Computer assisted design uses drafting software to design folding cartons.Computer assisted manufacturing takes that information and uses it with the dies that cut and crease the cartons. Computer to plate is an entirely digital workflow from the design stage to proofing to the printing plate (not using films).
CALENDAR
A group of “stack” of rollers through which sheet material is passed, under controlled conditions of heat, pressure, and/or time, in order to give the material thickness, coating or surface finish.
CALLIPER
A measurement unit expressed in thousandths of an inch to define the thickness of a paperboard. The measurement is usually written in decimal places such as .010. Another term used is "points," as in 10 point board.
CALENDAR BLISTER
A blister package designed to facilitate a patient’s memory by incorporating the day/time that each dose is to be taken into the package design.
CALIPER VARIATION
Thickness variation from point-to-point in the web. These variations may be oriented so that the thicker areas form machine-direction (MD) bands in the wound roll. Lanes of thicker web are often called transverse-direction (TD) gauge or standing gauge bands, because they are observed to stay generally at the same axial area while the roll is being wound. The thickness variation may also be oriented transversely across the web and form lanes. Thicker lanes in this direction often are called MD gauge variations because of the alternating thickness that is observed in the axial direction as the web is wound on a roll.
CAM
The rotating part which moves along a spiral track in a lipstick mechanism that propels and retracts the mounting cup through the A shell.
CANVAS SIZE
The full area of an image.
CAP INSERT
The threaded inner part of a two piece cap.
CAPACITY
The amount of space within a container for a given amount of product. The brimful volumetric capacity of a container usually expressed in cc. or ml. (See OVERFLOW CAPACITY).
CAPSULE
Solid dose medication filled into gelatin halves and pushed together; easy to swallow.
CAPTION
A caption is the descriptive text that is used to explain the contents of a photograph, diagram or illustration.
CARBONLESS PAPER
Paper with a special coating that, when written on, will transfer the writing to another page.
CARBOY
A largeware container used principally for acids and chemicals.
CAROTTE
Sprue of plastic that is left on the neck of a tube after molding. This is usually trimmed off in the finishing operation.
CARRIER
The filing cup in a swivel or push-up package.
CARRIER BOARD
Kraft board used for beverage carriers. Carrier board is usually treated to resist moisture.
CARTON
A container made from bending grades of boxboard. Also called "folding carton."
CARTON DIMENSIONS
Dimensions refer to the interior of a carton, measured by Length x Width x Height. Length (L) is the longer side of the opening and Width (W) is the shorter. Height (H) is the length between the openings on either end.
CAST SHADOW
Similar to a drop shadow but with added perspective to create the illusion of a third dimension.
CAST FILM
Plastic Film produced from synthetic resins extruded through a slot die onto an internally cooled chill rod.
CAVITY
The hollow part of a mold that forms the outside of an object when plastic or glass is introduced into the mold.
CELLOPHANE
Regenerated cellulose film.
CELLULOSE
The main fibrous material in paper. A carbohydrate constituent of the walls and skeletons of vegetable cells.
CELLULOSIC
The term name for cellulose esterified with other thermoplastic materials such as cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose propionate and ethyl cellulose.
CERAMIC DECALS
Silk-screened ceramic inks are printed in registration on paper carrier. The ceramic ware in a single pass. The ware is then fired in a lehr at 1100-1200°F, fusing the ceramic decal to the glassware.
CERAMIC SPRAYING
Ceramic paints are sprayed onto the surface of the glassware. The ware is then fired in a lehr at 1100-1200°F fusing the ceramic spray to the glassware. This allows for effects not achievable with plain colored glass.
C-FLUTE
Flute thickness of 3.6 mm. C-Flute has an excellent combination of stacking strength and puncture resistance, making it a common choice for single-wall, general-purpose cartons.
CHALKING
In printing, term which refers to improper drying of ink. Pigment dusts off because the vehicle has been absorbed too rapidly.
CHAMFER
A beveled edge.
CHARLOTTE
Side flap(s) attached to the cover member of a hinged covered carton.
CHASE
The metal frame in which plates are locked for die-cutting.
CHECK
A very fine closed crack in glass caused by localized heat shock. Also, hairline cracks visible on the surface of plastic materials. (See CRAZING)
CHECK DIGIT
In a UPC or similar code, a check digit is the final character in the string. It is calculated from the numerical value of the other characters in the code.
CHEMICAL PULP
Pulp obtained by chemical treatment of de-barked wood to remove non-cellulose material.
CHICKEN TRACKS, SNAILS TRAILS, ETC.
Wrinkles that are seen in a winding roll or that developed after the roll is doffed. These wrinkles are ususally caused by non-uniform web tensions and entrapped boundary air. When the entrapped boundary air escapes, the wrinkles orient themselves along the lines of forces produced by the non-uniform tensions in that area of the roll.
CHILD-RESISTANT
A package which has passed a test administered by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, to show that the package cannot be opened by a small child. Used primarily in medicine packaging.
CHIPBOARD
A low quality non-test paperboard made of waste paper for use where specific strength or quality is not necessary.
CHOKED NECK
A narrowed or constricted opening in the neck of a bottle.
CLASP
Mechanism which holds together that two halves of a compact.
CLAY-COATED BOARD
A high grade bending boxboard, the top surface of which has been coated with a fine clay that provides an excellent printing surface.
CLIPPING PATH
A function that allows a shape to mask part of an image. The masked part of the image can be edited and still exists in the file, but won't be visible beyond the borders of the clipping path.
CLOSURE
A sealing or covering device affixed to or on a container for the purpose of retaining the contents and preventing contamination.
CMYK
The four colors in common 4-color-process printing. An abbreviation for "Cyan," "Magenta," "Yellow," "K (which stands for black)."
CMYK COLOR MODEL
A "subtractive color model" used in printing. It’s used to create, define, and describe colors and is based on mixing the four process color pigments to make other colors.
COATED BOARD
Board with a smooth surface, excellent for printing and varnishing. The coating is typically a mixture of materials such as china clay and/or calcium carbonate. Other coatings that can be used are varnishes, and UV protection.
COEXTRUSION
The extrusion of two materials simultaneously from a single die in such a way that the two separate materials fuse together to form a single structure.
COINING
The flat part on a twisted wire (mascara applicator) which is used to aid brush retention usually in conjunction with hot insertion into the plastic stem.
COLD CRACKING
Development of flaws due to low temperature exposure.
COLD FLOW
(See CREEP).
COLD SEAL
A pressure sensitive adhesive coating on plastic films or laminates that will allow the packages to be sealed by application of pressure (with no heat or minimal heat).
COLLAPSE
Contraction of the walls of a container.
COLLET
A metal band, collar, ferrule or flange.
COLOR CAST
A color cast changes the hue of a selected part (or the whole) of an image while keeping the saturation and brightness intact.
COLOR CONTROL
Measurements and observation during the printing run to ensure that the printed result matches the pre-approved color tests. It is important to maintain uniformity throughout the printing run.
COLOR CORRECTION
Correction to a color cast created by the scanner on the scanned image. The preview image on the computer display is adjusted. Color correction is usually done in CMYK.
COLOR MAP
A display of all the colors available in a computer program.
COLOR MODEL
A system used to describe and reproduce color.
COLOR PALETTE
A set of colors that make up an image or animation. It is also the set of colors available to be applied to images.
COLOR SPACE
Color space is a particular way to describe color. Examples of color spaces include: RGB, CMYK, HSB, CIE LAB.
COLORCURVE SYSTEM
The colorcurve system addresses the tendency of some colors to appear different on a variety of surfaces, materials and in different lighting conditions. The system is based on light reflectance curves and not on ink formulations.
COLORFASTNESS
If something is colorfast the color won't run when it gets wet and it won't fade in sun or bright light.
COLUMN GUIDES
Column guides are used by graphic designers to mark out the grid format that the body text element of a page will take.
COMP/COMPREHENSIVE
Comps are made to see what a prospective design project will look like. It's a way of judging how successful the layout of the image, use of color, the text, and the overall communication will be. See also Dummy and Mock-up.
COMPATIBILITY
The ability of a container or material to resist chemical degradation or physical change caused by the product, or to chemically change or physically degrade the product container.
COMPLIANCE
Adhering to a prescribed regimen. Taking one’s medication properly.
COMPOSITE IMAGE
A composite image is a graphic image (or photograph), made up of a combination of images.
COMPOSITE CAN
Cans made from paperboard (cardboard). A variety of barrier materials and fittings enable composite cans to be used for packaging food, powdered beverages, wine, spirits and perfume.
COMPOUND PATH
Illustration software enables users to create compound paths from two or more paths. A compound path is an image with a see-through hole in the middle. An example of a compound path is the shape of the letter "A". If you put an "A" or any image with a compound path onto a colored background, the background color shows through.
COMPOSTABILITY
A new segment of environmentally responsible package, a package that will disintegrate rapidly in a professionally managed compost facility, will not reduce the utility of the finished compost by leaving plastic fragments and will result in humus that supports plant life.
COMPRESSION MOLDING
The process of molding materials under direct pressure and high temperature.
CONCENTRICITY
The characteristic of circles or circular cylindrical surfaces of different radii having a common center.
CONCEPT
A design concept is the graphic designer's idea or solution to a client brief. Often a designer will produce more than one concept, so that the client can have a choice.
CONDUCTOR
A material that can carry electrical current and/or transmit heat energy by conduction to another surface.
CONSTANT TENSION
The film tension does not change in the span between the last roll of the winder stand and the windup roll as the roll builds from core to full roll when winding in this mode. When thin, stretchable webs are wound in this mode, excessive radial pressure often builds as the roll diameter increases, to the point where the core compression strength is overcome and the core fails towards the axis.
CONSTANT TORQUE
The film tension reduces in the span between the last roll of the winder stand and the windup roll as the roll diameter builds when winding in this mode. This mode is sometimes called constant current winding when the winder chuck is driven by a separate electric motor, because the motor drive amperage remains the same as the roll diameter builds from core to full roll. Sometimes the outside wraps become loose and telescope before the required footage is wound on the roll when winding in this mode.
CONSUMER PACKAGING
Those packages generally concerned with small units in large numbers, often decorated in a attractive manner.
CONTACT ROLL
Referred to as a lay-on roll in certain configurations. This roll is usually used during winding to limit the amount of boundary air that is entrapped in the roll. This roll is also used to tighten the wraps on the roll. The roll may be stationary in the machine frame while the winding roll pivots away to accommodate roll buildup, or it may pivot into the winding roll when the winding roll axis is stationary.
CONTAINERBOARD
The paperboard components from which corrugated and solid fiberboard are manufactured. Usually used for shipping containers.
CONTINUOUS THREAD (“C-T”)
An uninterrupted protruding helix on the neck of a bottle to hold a screw type closure.
CONTINUOUS TONE
Black and white photographs often contain gradient tones from black to white which are called continuous tones.
CONTOUR PACKAGING
Similar to a blister card, this technique uses a flexible film applied over an irregularly-shaped object placed on a backer card. The air around the product is vacuumed out, causing the film to fit tightly to the product.
CONTRAST
The difference between the darker and lighter tones of a photographic image.
CONTROL HANDLE
The handle that extends from an anchor point that is used to create curved shapes in a path. Stretching the control handle will effect the depth of the curve.
COPOLYMER
A material whose chemical structure is made up of long chains of two differently structured chemical units (monomers) which repeat a more or less regular pattern in the chain.
COPY
Copy refers to editorial text supplied for incorporation into a design or website.
COPYRIGHT
To protect the “right to copy” for the author of literary, musical, artistic or dramatic works. The copyright endures for the author’s lifetime plus 50 years.
CORE STRENGTH
The capability of the core to withstand the radial pressure of the film wraps that are wound under tension.
CORONA TREATMENT
Pre-decorating treatment for inert plastics, primarily polyolefins, to make them more receptive to inks, adhesives and decorative coatings by subjecting their surface to corona discharge. The corona discharge oxidizes the film, forming polar groups on vulnerable sites, increasing the surface energy and making the film receptive to inks, etc.
CORPORATE IDENTITY
Similar to the concept of branding, corporate identity generally applies more specifically to the visual perceived image of a corporation, rather than to an individual product.
CORRUGATED
Having a series of corrugations alternating as ridges and furrows. Having a ribbed effect. Corrugated board is popular for cartons.
COUNTERBALANCE PRESSURE
Fluid pressure applied to actuators used to offset the gravity force acting on a dancer roll, nip roll, or contact roll.
COVER CAP/DUST CAP/HOOD/SHROUD
Plastic cap used to protect a dispenser from accidental actuation and contamination. Also used to protect the point of a lip-eye pencil or lipstick.
CPG COMPANIES
Consumer Packaged Goods Manufacturers
CPSC
Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Federal agency responsible for implementing the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970.
CR
Child Resistant, indicates that a package will pass a test protocol administered by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
CRASH-LOCK BASE
A carton where the base locks in place automatically when pressed from opposite corners.
CRAZING
An undesirable defect in plastic articles characterized by distinct surface cracks or minute frost-like internal cracks, resulting from stresses within the article that exceed the tensile strength of the plastic. Such stresses may result from molding shrinkage, or machining, flexing, impact shocks, temperature changes, or the action of chemicals and solvents.
CREASES
Film web fold-over wrinkles ironed into the web, permanent web defects that usually render the web reject for production.
CREEP
The dimensional change with time of a material under load, following the initial instantaneous elastic deformation. “Creep” at room temperature is sometimes called “Cold Flow.”
CROP
A tool that removes portions of an image. It is usually used on digital photographs.
CROZE
A groove near the end of barrel staves into which the head of the barrel fits.
CT FINISH
Continuous thread finish - an interrupted protruding helix on the neck of a container to accommodate a screw-type closure.
CULL
The remove defective or damaged parts or articles from the Production line.
CURE
To change the molecular structure and properties of a plastic or resin by chemical reaction usually accomplished by the action of either heat or a catalyst or both, with or without pressure.
CUSHIONING
The protection from physical damage afforded to an item by placing about its outer surfaces material that have been designed to absorb the shock or reactions caused by external forces.
CUT-AND-CREASE
An alternative to a crease score wherein the fold line is made up of a series of alternating cuts and creases.
CUT-OFF
(See PINCH-OFF).
CYCLE
The complete, repeating sequence of operations in a process. In molding, the cycle time is the period of elapsed time between a certain point in one cycle and the same point in the next.
CYCLE TIME
The elapsed time for one complete operation or series of operations in any process.
CYLINDER BOARD
Boxboard made on a papermaking machine characterized by the use of a series of cylinders, each laying down a single layer (or ply) of fiber, which permits wide variation in the thickness or weight of the finished board. There is a grain in the direction in which the web travels.
DBB
Dairy-based Beverages.
DEBOSSING
Depressing a portion or portions of an item below the ordinary surface level, usually to form lettering or decoration. Sometimes the background rather than the lettering itself leaving the letters at the original level.
DECO-GLAZE® COATING
A proprietary process for clear, transparent, or opaque coating of glass. The coating are in compliance with CONEG Model legislation. Graphic options available include: Heat transfer labels with matte or gloss lacquers, or silk screening.
DELIVERY RATE/SHOT SIZE/DOSAGE
Amount of product dispensed in one actuation. Output per stroke (ml. or grams/second) for continuous dispensing systems.
DENSITY
Weight per unit of volume of a substance, expressed in grams per cubic centimeter, pounds per cubic foot, etc.
DENSITY (DIGITAL IMAGERY)
The higher the density of an image, the greater the opacity. The lower the density, the more transparent the image is.
DENSITOMETER
In printing, a reflection densitometer is used to measure and control the density of color inks on the substrate.
DEPTH OF INSERTION
The distance between the rim of a metal overshell and the skirt of a threaded insert in a two piece closure.
DESCENDER
The part of a lowercase letter that stretches below the body.
DESICCANT
Highly hygroscopic substance used to absorb moisture in bottles, vials and blisters.
DEVICE-DEPENDENT COLOR SPACE
A color space where the same color will display differently on different devices. Scanner RGB and display RGB, for example, will display the same color value differently.
DEW POINT
The temperature at which air or vapor gases be come saturated with vapor, causing the vapor to deposit as aliquid. The temperature at which 100% relative humidity is reached.
DIAL-PACK
Commonly used for oral contraceptives, this type of package utilizes a calendar design such that a dial must be turned each day to remove a tablet.
DIE
Any tool or arrangement of tools designed to cut, shape or otherwise form materials to desired configuration.
DIE CUT
Any operation in which a form that incorporates sharp cutting edges is pressed into a substrate to cut out a desired shape. Also can refer to a machine that cuts shapes or holes in a wide range of material. Also refers to the process of cutting specialized curves or holes in a printed piece.
DIE LINES
The pattern for a formed box. A die should be developed by a professional printer or CAD (computer-assisted-design) specialist to ensure accuracy. A blank mock-up of the box is produced for the client to approve, and then the approved digital die file goes to the design firm to apply the graphics.
DIFFUSION
A spreading out or equalized dispersion of a material, force or condition into the surrounding medium.
DIGITAL PRINTING
Printing by plateless imaging systems that are images by digital data from prepress systems.
DIMENSIONAL STABILITY
The ability of a material to maintain its shaped under given processing or use conditions.
DINGBAT
An ornament used in typesetting to add space around an image or a symbol, or to create a decorative element.
DIP TUBE
Open ended flexible plastic tube that attaches to the tank of a pump and entends into the product creating a means for the product to be dispensed through the pump.
DISTRIBUTION PACKAGING
The integrated package and product handling from the factory to the point of sale.
DITHER
The mixing of adjacent pixels to simulate additional colors to fill the gaps between two colors.
DODGE (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
A tool used in Adobe Photoshop to lighten an area of an image.
DOSAGE
Prescribed amount of medication to be taken.
DOT GAIN
When the ink hits the paper, it is absorbed and the ink dot will spread out a bit. Too much dot gain can muddy the image.
DOTS PER INCH (DPI)
A measure of the resolution of a screen image or printed page. Spots per inch (SPI) is a more appropriate term. It is the number of dots (or pixels - PPI) that fit horizontally and vertically into a one-inch measure. The more dots per inch, the more detail is captured and the sharper the image.
DOUBLE GOB
A special operation of IS machine in which two gobs of glass are blown simultaneously into containers in a double cavity-type mold.
DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD
A double page spread is a layout that extends across two facing pages.
DRAIN BACK
A conical shaped inside dimension of a neck finish that extends downward from the land area to form an orifice whereby product returns into the bottle.
DROP SHADOW
A visual effect added to an image to give the impression the image is raised above the image’s background by duplicating the shadow. Similar to a cast shadow but without added perspective to create the illusion of a third dimension.
DUMMY
A display of how the final product will look when printed. See also Comprehensive and Mock-up.
DUNNAGE
Any blocking, lining, racks, standards, strapping, tie-downs, stakes, or similar bracing or support used to hold a load in position for the purpose of preventing loss of or damage to the load.
DUOTONE
Duotones are made by printing an image with two colors, usually black and a second color. The resulting image has more depth than it would have had with only a monotone color (mostly black ink on white paper).
DUROMETER
An instrument used for measuring the hardness of a material.
DYNE LEVEL
A measure of surface energy. The dyne level will indicate whether a material’s surface iwll be receptive to forming a chemical bond with an adhesive, coating or ink.
“E” DIMENSION
The measurement of the diameter across the root of the threads on a bottle finish.
EAR
The rounded part of the lowercase letters such as "g" and "q."
ELASTOMER
A material that has high elongation properties. Most packaging elastomers are synthetic polymers except for natural rubber.
ELECTRONIC PRINTING
Any technology that reproduces pages without the use of traditional ink, water or chemistry.
ELECTROPLATING
The deposition of a thin layer or coating of metal on an object by passing an electric current through an aqueous solution of salt containing icons of the element being deposited. The material being plated constitutes the cathode. The anode is often composed of the metal being deposited; ideally, it dissolves as the process proceeds.
ELEMENT
Any distinct part of a layout, such as the logo, headline, images or borders.
ELONGATION
The difference in length expressed as a percentage of the original length when a material is subjected to a pull force (stretched).
EMBEDDING
Process of transferring all the data of a font or image into the file itself.
EMBOSSING
The creation of a design on a surface by causing letters, figures, patterns, etc. to be raised above the natural surface. Also, in design software, emboss effects give a three dimensional effect to text or object by using highlights and shadows on the sides of the illustration.
EMULSION
A non-separating dispersion of fine particles in a liquid.
ENAMEL
A class of coatings that contains a specially prepared vehicle, instead of raw oil. Term usually applied to coatings which dry with a high gloss finish.
END CAP
Metal or plastic sleeve type cap used to protect a pencil point as in eye and lip pencils.
ENGRAVING
A process of impressing, cutting or etching a configuration into a plate.
ENVELOPE
A container of flexible material having only two faces and joined at three influence of certain chemicals stress or other agents.
ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS CRACKING
The susceptibility of a plastic part to crack or craze under the influence or certain chemicals, stress or other agents.
EPOXY
Plastics based on resins made by the reaction of epoxieds or oxiranes with other materials such as amines, alcohols, phenols, carboxylic acids, acid anhydrides and unsaturated compounds.
EPS (ENCAPSULATED POST SCRIPT)
This is a graphics file format used to transfer PostScript documents that contain an image, within another PostScript document.
ETCH
To treat a material with an acid, leaving parts of the material which remain in relief to form the desired design.
ETHYLENE VINYL ACETATE
A soft flexible plastic material derived from low density polyethylene and vinyl acetate.
EXPIRATION DATE
The date until a pharmaceutical product is safe to be consumed.
EXPORT
Exporting allows the user to save the file in another format to be opened in other programs.
EXTENDERS
The part of a letter which extends above the mid line, such as "b" or "d."
EXTRUSION
The compacting of a plastic material and forcing of it through an orifice in more or less continuous fashion,
EXTRUSION BLOW MOLDING
A process for forming hollow narrow-mouthed bottles and similar hollow shapes. A cylindrical tube (the parison) is extruded and, while still in a hot pliable form, clamped between two mold cavity halves and then inflated to conform to the mold surfaces.
EXUDATION
The migration of an ingredient in a material or product to the surface.
FATIGUE
A condition of stress created by repeating flexing or impact force upon a material.
FEA FINISH
European equivalent of GCMI finish.
FEATHERING
A tool used in graphic design software that makes the edges of an image appear softer.
FERROUS METAL
Metals and alloys containing an appreciable quantity of iron.
FERRULE
Metal or plastic sleeve used to join two components together.
FFS
Form Fill Seal.
FIBRE-TEAR
In a glued paper assembly, the tear of fiber as opposed to the separation of adhesives when the assembly is pulled apart. If the adhesive is weak, unit separation will occur at the paper adhesive interface rather than the paper fiber.
FIBERBOARD
Fiber sheets which have been produced or laminated to a thickness which provides a degree of stiffness. A generic name applied to products made of fiberboard.
FILL (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
FA graphic software tool used to fill selected parts of images or their backgrounds with a color.
FILL LEVEL
Distance as measured down from the open end of a container to the surface of the material filled into the container.
FILL POINT
The level to which a container must be filled to furnish a designated quantity of the contents.
FILM
The unsupported, basically organic, non-fibrous, thin, flexible material of a thickness not exceeding 0.010 inch.
FILTER (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
A filter is applied to digital images to easily create special effects or to achieve a look that would be too difficult to create manually.
FIN
A seam on the top surface or down the side at the parting line on the finish of a glass or plastic container.
FIN SEAL
Type of seal resulting from sealing together the contiguous edge-areas of two sheets, usually by heat, resulting in a fin-like protuberance.
FINISH
That portion of the neck of a glass or plastic container which carries the threads, lugs or friction fit members to whcih the clisure is applied, and includes the sealing surface and sealing bead; generally, the whole portion above the transfer or pry-off bead. (The term finish in connection with glass containers is a holdover from earlier days before glass blowing became an automatic, mechanized operation. The neck of a container was the last part to be formed, hence the name finish.)
FINISH (GLASS)
The glass surrounding the opening of a bottle. So called because when glass is hand blown, it is the last part formed.
FINISH (PLASTIC)
The plastic forming the opening of a bottle shaped to accommodate a specific closure.
FIRKIN
A small wooden cask, usually used for butter.
FISH EYES
Undissolved particles in coating composition. Also, air bubbles or voids in glass containers.
FITMENT
A device used as a part of a closure assembly to accomplish a certain purpose such as a dropper, sprinkler, powder shaker, etc.
FLAGGING
Refers to the lifting of the corners or edges of a label.
FLAME RESISTANT
Material which is capable of burning when in contact with flame, but not continuing to burn when the flame is removed.
FLAME RETARDANT
A chemical used in treating a material so that it will not support combusion.
FLAME TREATING
Exposing a material to a gas flame to increase the polarity of the surface. Pre-decorating procedure for PE & PP tubes and bottles. Flame treating generally causes some shrinkage of the bottle resulting in a decrease in the capacity of the bottle from the original mold. A method of rendering inert thermoplastic objects receptive to inks, lacquers, paints, adhesives, etc. in which the object is bathed in an open flame to promote oxidation of the surface of the article.
FLASH
Excess plastic material that is squeezed out between the mold parts during molding.
FLASH (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
Vector graphic animation software from Macromedia that creates browser-independent graphics (graphics that look the same across all browsers). An advantage of Flash animation is that their download time are relatively fast.
FLEXIBILITY
The property of a material which will permit its being bent or twisted without breaking.
FLEXOGRAPHY
This is a printing technique where printing plates are made of rubber or soft plastic material and then stretched around a rotating drum on the press. This method offers the specific advantage that the surface being printed does not need to be precisely positioned and rigidly supported.
FLEXOR
The flexible plastic inner part of a foam applicator which supports the foam and serves as the basis for attachment to a handle or ferrule.
FLINT
A term used to describe a glass color which is perfectly clear and transparent.
FLIP TOP/SNAP TOP DISPENSING CLOSURE
A two piece closure system where both pieces are typically attached by a living hinge. One half provides the threads for attachment to a bottle, tube or jar and an orifice for dispensing the product while the other half provides the closure mechanism, usually a pintel that snaps audibly into the orifice.
FLOW LINES
Any visible mark on a molded part which indicates the direction that the liquefied resin passes through in the cavity or the die.
FLOW MARKS
Often similar to flow lines, these marks are slight imperfections to the surface of a molded part that are results of the passage of liquefied plastic through the mold cavity. Often exhibits a wavy surface appearance.
FLUORINATION
A surface treatment for polyethylene that is used to improve the barrier properties against non-polar materials or solvent.
FLYER
A single sheet of paper handed out or posted on a wall to advertise or announce something.
FOCALTONE
A proprietary color matching system for process color.
FOIL
Thin gauge aluminum, typically 20-25 micron, used a push-through lidstock available as hard tempered and soft. Can be primed on two sides in multicolor. An unsupported thin metal membrane less than 0.006 inch in thickness. Above 0.006 inch thickness, the thin metal is called a sheet.
FOIL STAMP
The procedure of pressing a heated die on top of a sheet of foil, which frees the foil from its backing and attachs itself to a surface.
FONT
A complete combination of characters created in a specific type of one style and size. The set of characters in a font entail the letter set, the number set, and all of the special characters.
FOR POSITION ONLY
Commonly abbreviated to FPO, For Position Only refers to the placement of a dummy image, dummy text, graphic or blank box as a placeholder during the proofing or editorial process to indicate that there is a real image or "live" copy still to come.
FOREGROUND COLOR
Color applied to objects in the foreground of the designed layout. You can fill in the color of these images with the painting tool, when the type is created or when the stroke command is applied.
FORMAT TEXT
Format text is a function available in most page layout software, allowing the user to change fonts and point sizes of all copy elements.
FRAMES
Refers to animation, a frame is a single graphic in a distribution of graphic images. The speed of an animation is judged by frames per second.
FRONT END SYSTEM
In electronic publishing, the work station or groups containing the applications to software for preparing pages of type and graphics.
FOUR COLOR PROCESS
A printing technique that creates colors by combining, cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
FOURDRINIER
The name applied to an entire modern paper making machine.
FTP (FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL)
A network protocol used to transfer data from one computer to another through a network such as the Internet.
GAIN
In printing, the increase in dot size inherent in the transfer of ink to a substrate. Flexography in particular has significant gain from the designed dot size. Gain can cause process colors to be inconsistent and can fill in universal product codes and make them unreliable.
GALVANIZE
To coat iron or steel with zinc, either by electroplating or hot dipping.
GAMMA
An adjustment that makes the tonal distribution lighter or darker. Gamma adjustments are made to monitors, scanners or during an image editing process.
GAMUT
The range of colors available to a particular output device or a given color space, such as a laser printer or an image setter. If the color range is too wide for that specific device, it is indicated as "out of gamut."
GAMUT TRANSFORMATION
A function of Color Management Systems that converts out of gamut colors to colors within the gamut of the targeted printer.
GANG RUN
To combine multiple jobs on one print plate in order to reduce costs and setup charges.
GAS PERMEABILITY
The ability of a gas or other volatile substance to penetrate a material. Materials that will allow significant passage of gases are said to be permeable, while materials that resist or stop the passage of gases are said to offer gas barrier properties.
GATE
In injection and transfer molding, the orifice through which melted plastic enters the mold cavity. All plastic items manufactured by these processes will exhibit a mark from the gate somewhere on the part.
GATEFOLD
A type of fold in which the paper is folded inward to form four or more panels.
GCMI
Glass Container Manufacturers Institute.
GEL CAP
A gelatin-coated capsule which is easier to swallow, and tamper evident.
GENERIC
RX or OTC drugs which are no longer protected by a patent.
GIF (GRAPHICS INTERCHANGE FORMAT)
GIF images display up to 256 colors. It supports animation and allows an individual palette of 256 color for each frame. The color limitation makes the GIF format inappropriate for reproducing color photographs and other images with consistent color.
GLASS
Four types of glass are specified by the U.S. Pharmacopeia on the basis of chemical durability tests. Type 1, 2 and 3 are intended for packaging parenteral preparations and Type NP for non-parenteral products. Type 1. Containers normally made of borosilicate glass having a highly resistant composition. The specification test, called the Powdered Glass Test, is applied to glass as such in crushed or powdered form. Type 2. Containers made of commercial soda-lime glass which may have been treated on the inside surface at a high temperature to obtain a great improvement in chemical resistance. The usual treatment dealkalized the glass surface to a significant depth producing a chemical resistance similar to that of Type 1, and is known as sulphur treatment. Type 3. Untreated glass containers made of commercial soda-lime glass average or some-what above average chemical resistance. The specification places a limit on the amount of alkaline material extracted in the Powdered Glass Test. This limit is, of course, much higher than that set for Type 1 ware. Type NP. Untreated glass containers made of ordinary soda-lime glass. The specification places a limit on the amount of alkaline material extracted in the Powdered Glass Test. The limit is higher than that set for Type 3 ware.
GLASS SURFACE TREATMENT
Pristine glass has a very high coefficient of friction: Glass containers are surface coated by the glass manufacturer to provide lubricity, so that containers can pass readily on conveying systems and will not cling to and scratch one another on contact.
GLASSINE PAPER
A smooth, dense, translucent paper made from highly beaten chemical pulps. It has very low porosity including resistance to grease, air and vapor transmission. When waxed, lacquered or laminated it is practically impervious to moisture vapor.
GLOSS
The amount of surface sheen or reflectance of a substrate.
GMP
Good Manufacturing Practices (as established by the FDA).
GOB
The controlled globule or mass of molten glass fed into the mold.
GODET
Metal pan, i.e., pressed powder.
G.P.I.
Glass Packaging Institute, an organization composed of most glass container producers to establish industry policies and standards (formerly G.C.M.I.).
GRADIENT
A function in graphic software that permits the user to fill an object or image with a smooth transition of colors, for example a dark blue, gradually becoming lighter, gradually becoming orange, then yellow.
GRAPHIC BACKGROUND
In web page design, some web pages are designed with a graphic background on the web page and the text on top of the graphic. In most cases the graphic background can make the text hard to read.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Visual communication using text and/or images to represent an idea or concept. It is also a term used for all activities relating to visual design, including web design, logo design, packaging design, etc.
GRAPHICS
The design or decoration of the exterior surfaces of a package. Visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain.
GRAVURE PRINTING
A method of printing that uses cells etched or engraved into the surface of a metal cylinder to meter and correctly pattern the ink. Gravure printing presses used in packaging are predominantly roll fed.
GRAYSCALE
Grayscale images consists of black, white, no color and up to 256 shades of gray.
GREASEPROOF PAPER
Highly beaten pulp, usually sulfite, formed into ta translucent sheet with very low porosity. Glassine type without super calendaring.
GRID
Is a two-dimensional format made up of a set of horizontal and vertical axis used to structure content.
GWP
Gift With Purchase.
“H” DIMENSION
(1) on a threaded bottle neck (finish), the measurement from the top of the finish to the point where diameter “T” extended parallel to the centerline intersects the shoulder or bead. (2) the inside height of the closure in a line tangent to the threads of the closure and terminating at the inside top of the closure with liner removed.
HAIRLINE
Very thin rule or keyline. There is no agreed measurement amongst designers and printers, but somewhere between 0.125pt and 0.25pt would seem to be generally agreed measurements.
HALFTONE
(1) To photograph or scan a consistent tone image to alter the image into halftone dots. (2) A photograph or continuous-tone illustration that has been half-toned and that is displayed on film, paper, printing plate or the final printed product.
HALO EFFECT
A vague shadow sometimes surrounding printed halftone dots. Also called halation. The halo itself is called a fringe.
HARD COPY
The permanent reproduction of the output of a computer or printer. For example: teleprinter pages, continuous printed tapes, computer printouts, etc.
HARDNESS
The resistance of a material to compression and indentation.
HARDWOOD
A term applied to deciduous trees, which drop their leaves in the autumn months.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Materials which present a certain amount of danger to the person or environment.
HAZE
A cloudy or foggy appearance in a normally transparent plastic.
HEAD SPACE
The volume of empty space between the fill level of a container and the overflow capacity of the container. The space between the level of the contents in the neck of a bottle and the closure. It is intended to furnish space for expansion of product due to heat or other action after packing.
HEAD STYLE
General definition of a neck finish, i.e, M5, M6.
HEADER/HEADLINE
The text which appears at the top of a printed page, including large text illustrating the opening statement used in a layout.
HEAT TRANSFER LABEL
A label applied to a container by transferring the label, preprinted on a substrate, to the container surface.
HDPE
High Density Polyethylene.
HEEL
The lower portion of a glass or plastic container starting with the bearing surface of the bottom and including a small portion of the lower wall.
HEELTAP
Heavy glass on one side of the bottom of a glass bottle.
HELICAL
Pertaining to or having the appearance of a screw.
HERMETIC SEAL
A seal that will exclude air and will be gas tight at normal temperatures and atmospheric pressures.
HIGHLIGHTS
Lightest part of a photograph or halftone, as opposed to mid tones and shadows.
HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGE
An image with an extreme level of sharpness/clarity. Generally 300ppi (pixels per inch) is considered High Resolution for a digital file.
HI-LITE® PROCESS
A process utilizing hot-stamp foils which create the raised gold or silver effect on glass, metal, phenolic or urea substrates.
HIPS
High Impact Polystyrene made up of crystal polystyrene and rubber, usually butadiene rubber.
HLS
A color space that stands for hue, lightness and saturation.
HMO
Health Maintenance Organization.
HOLDOUT
In printing, a property of coated paper with low ink absorption which allows the ink to set on the surface with high gloss.
HOOP STRESS
The circumferential stress in a cylinder due to internal pressure.
HOT STAMPING
Engraving operation for marking plastics in which roll leaf is stamped with heated metal dies onto the surface of the plastics. Ink compounds can also be used. By means of felt rolls, ink is applied to type and by means of heat and pressure, type is impressed into the material, leaving the marking compounds in the indentation.
HSB
A color space that stands for hue, saturation and brightness.
HUD
Hospital Unit Dose packages intended for use by in-patient hospital pharmacies.
HUE
One of the three primary attributes of color. A hue is a variety of color, such as red, blue, green or yellow.
“I” DIMENSION
A specified minimum dimension inside the bottle neck that will allow sufficient clearance for filler tubers to enter the bottle neck.
I-BEAM
The form the pointer assumes when the text tool is chosen.
IDEOGRAPH
A character or symbol representing an idea without expressing the punctuation of a specific word or words for it.
ILLUSTRATOR, ADOBE
A product developed by Adobe Systems as a drawing program. Text, photographs, and drawn objects can all be manipulated in Illustrator to create the final design. Illustrator draws objects based on vectors. See also Photoshop.
IMAGE ASSEMBLY
A hybrid image constructed from parts of other images.
IMAGE MAP
An image map is a single graphic image (on a website), containing multiple clickable hyperlinks.
INDEX
Position in an arrangement.
INDA
Investigational New Drug Application.
INDENTS
Type that is set in or set back from the margin is said to be indented.
INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING
Usually made up of large heavy units with no attempt to maker them appealing to the eye.
INITIAL CAP
Big, capital letters which are found at the beginning of paragraphs or chapters.
INJECTION BLOW MOLDING
A two stage process where a preform or parison is injection molded. The bottle finish is formed at this time. The preform is then transferred to blow mold where the bottle takes its final shape.
INJECTION MOLDING
A process whereby molten material is forced through a gate, under conditions of heat and pressure, into a closed mold cavity.
INKJET PRINTER
A printer which uses tiny ink droplets sprayed electrostatically onto paper.
IN-MOLD LABELING
This is a sophisticated and fairly new decorating method for injection-molded objects which utilizes polyester labels with a heat-activated release coat. During the mold-close cycle, with the combination of high-injection pressure and heat, the label adheres to the part surface in a heat-seal fashion. Nissha labels offer a combination of colors with mirror metallics.
INSTITUTIONAL PACKAGING
Items which are destined for a particular segment of society such as Medical Doctors, Veterinarians Beauty Operators or Mechanics. Attention is primarily given to protection of the item.
INTERRUPTED THREAD
The threaded portion of the finish of a container which has gaps or interruptions. Usually found at the parting line.
INVERT
Inversion of the tonal values or colors of an image. On an inverted image, black becomes white, blue becomes orange, etc.
ITALIC
The style of letters that usually slope to the right. Used for emphasis within text.
JPEG OR JPG (JOINT PHOTOGRAPHIC ELECTRONIC GROUP)
A common format for compressing digital images.
JUSTIFY
To make a line of type a certain length by spacing out the words and numbers. Type that is justified meets the column width on both the left and right side; the opposite of justifed is Ragged.
KERNING
Modifying the horizontal space between letters.
KEYFRAME (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
Any frame in which a specific aspect of an item (its size, location, color, etc.) is specifically defined.
KEYLINE
A keyline is another name for a rule, line, or even a frame border. Keylines can be set in design software applications to different widths, to be solid or dotted, or even with numerous patterns.
KRAFT
A chemical wood pulp made by the sulphate process, or paper or paperboard made from such pulp. It is brown in color and is the strongest pulp product made from wood. (Kraft is the German word for strong).
“L” DIMENSION
Measured from the top of the finish to the point where diameter “E” extended parallel to centerline intersects the bead (for example, SP-410 and SP-415 finishes).
“L” STYLE THREAD
A type of thread contour (cross-section) roughly trapezoidal in outline. The outermost part is radiuses. This is a “general purpose” thread contour designed for use with either metal or plastic closures.
LABEL CLAIM
The declared contents of a package expressed in fluid ounce and milliliters for volume claims and avoirdupois ounce and grams for net weight claims.
LABEL PANEL
A flat place on a container where a label may be glued.
LABEL SEAL
A pressure sensitive label which is used to close a package such as the plastic film wrap on a soap bar or the label used to cover the openings on a shaker talc sifter fitment.
LAMINATE
(1) A product made by the bonding together of two or more layers of material or materials. (2) To unite layers of materials by extrusion or with adhesives. (3) A plastic film bonded by heat and pressure to a printed sheet for protection or appearance.
LARGEWARE
A name given containers manufactured on machines especially designed for ware of over one gallon capacity.
LASER PRINTER
A printer which uses a laser beam to project an image of the page to be printed onto an electrically charged rotating drum. Photoconductivity removes a charge from the areas exposed to light. Dry ink (toner) particles are then electrostatically picked up by the drum's charged areas, which relays the image onto paper by direct contact and uses heat to fuse the ink to the paper.
LAYERS (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
A function within graphic software that allows the user to assemble, organize and re-edit their artwork.
LEACHING
The removal of a component of the package by the product is referred to as leaching. A dye from the container dissolving in a product is an example of leaching. A leached material becomes a product contaminant.
LEADING
The vertical spacing (measured in points) between lines of text.
LEGEND
A table on a map, chart, etc, listing the specific instructions on how to use.
LEHR
An oven used to anneal glass in order to reduce internal stress that would result from too rapid cooling.
LETTERSET
A printing process involving flexible plates with raised images.
LEXAN
Polycarbonate resin, G.E. Plastics.
LIGHTNESS
The lightness or brightness of a color.
LIDDING STOCK
Material used to seal a blister to prevent or minimize moisture/gas permeation.
LINE WEIGHT
Line weight is a term referring to the thickness of a printing line. Sometimes shapes are drawn with a line weight of zero and then the fill color is used to define the shape.
LINERBOARD
Paperboard used for the flat facings in corrugated fibreboard; the outer plies of solid fibreboard.
LITHOGRAPHY
A printing process involving stones or plates made of flexible sheets of metal whose printing surfaces are partly water repellant and partly ink repellant.
LIVING HINGE
Integral hinge made of flexible plastic.
LDPE
Low Density Polyethylene.
LLDPE
Linear Low Density Polyethylene.
LOGOS
Unique visual business identifiers. A logo is an image that acts like a business signature, identifying the company and differentiating it from the competition. Although not a requirement, many logos illustrate the nature of the business and/or the nature of its products/services.
LOSSLESS
Refers to a form of data compression where the detail is maintained and no data is lost after file downsizing. The lossless compression method is often used in TIFF and GIF formats.
LOSSY
A form of data compression where detail is deleted as the file size are decreased. A usual lossy compression method is JPEG.
LOT NUMBER
A number that is assigned to a production batch so that all of a product’s components can be traced.
LOW RESOLUTION IMAGE
A low-quality scan made from a photograph, or a digital file created at less than 300ppi.
LOWER CASE
The smaller form of letter used in type.
LUG
Extensions around the circumference of a lid which are crimped down to hold the lid securely in place against the body of a container.
LUG CLOSURE
A screw-type closure where the thread is interrupted rather than continuous. The closure is effected by a short camming action. One advantage is that application is very fast, since the closure needs only a few degrees of rotation. In contrast, a normal continuous thread closure might require 360 degrees or more rotation to effect a seal.
LUMINOSITY
The brightness of an area arranged by the amount of light it reflects or diffuses.
LZW (LEMPLE-ZIF-WELCH)
A useful compression technique that compress images that contain large areas of single color, for example screenshots. This technique is supported by TIFF, GIF and PDF.
“M” STYLE THREAD
A type of buttress thread for use with plastic closures. The profile fo the thread is roughly a right triangle. One of the two legs that form the right angle is part of the vertical wall of the neck (finish); the other is the horizontal bearing surface against which the closure threads engage.
MAG 75 (FLEXPAQ)
48 gauge polyester/aluminum 0.0005”/48 gauge polyester/LLDPE 75 used in the manufacture of packettes.
MAGIC WAND TOOL
A tool in graphic software that permits the user to select fractions of an image, such as areas with the same color.
MACHINABILITY TEST
A test done to review the performance of blister components to optimize actual production runs, and find the best machine settings for individual materials.
MARGINS (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
Guidelines in page layout software to show the user the body copy areas. It also allows the user to indicate the dimensions. Margins do not print.
MATTE FINISH
Non-glossy finish on photographic paper or coated printing paper.
MEAN LINE
The line on which the top parts of most of the lowercase letters lay. Also called x-height. The imaginary point of all lowercase characters without ascenders.
METALIZING
Applying a thin coating of metal to a non-metallic surface. May be done by chemical deposition or by exposing the surface to vaporized metal in a vacuum chamber.
MIDTONES
In a photograph or illustration, tones composed by dots between 30 percent and 70 percent of coverage, as opposed to highlights and shadows.
MIGRATION
(SEE BLEED).
MIL
A unit of measurement equivalent to 0.001 inch.
MILITARY PACKAGING
A highly specialized type of packaging in which all elements have been worked out in the most intricate detail.
MILITARY STANDARD 105E SINGLE SAMPLING PLAN
Internationally accepted random sampling.
MINIMUM WALL
A term that designates the minimum thickness of the wall of a container.
MOCK UP
An approximation of the printed material, possibly containing instructions or direction. See also Comprehensive and Dummy.
MODERN
An altered version of Old Style. These high contrast letters have heavy, untapered stems and light serifs. Originally established by Firmin Didot and Giambattista Bodoni during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
MOIRE
In color process printing, the undersirable screen pattern causes by incorrect screen angles of overprinting halftones.
MOLD (PLASTIC)
(V) To shape plastic parts or finished articles by heat and pressure. (N) The cavity into which the plastic composition is placed and from which it takes form.
MOLDS (GLASS)
A set of iron forms that are fastened on a bottle machine to provide a means of shaping a glass container.
MONOGRAPH
Standards issued by the USP.
MONOPRENE
Thermoplastic elastomer from Monarch Rubber Company.
MOTTLE
A speckled or spotted appearance on the surface of a package, generally undesired.
MOUNTING CUP
Cap to an aerosol can in which the dispensing valve is seated and crimped thereto for eventual crimping to can body.
MULLEN TEST
Pressure in pounds per square inch required to force a rubber diaphragm through a rounded hole against a paper specimen firmly clamped around the edge of a hole. This tests the bursting strength of a paper.
MULTIMEDIA
A project that offers the use of various communications, such as text, sound, still or moving images.
MVTR
Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate; the amount of moisture that is transmitted through packaging film or foil over a set period of time.
MYLAR®
The registered trade name of Dupont’s polyester film.
NBR
Nitrile-butadiene rubber. Used as material in manufacture of sponges.
NDA
New Drug Application (must be submitted to the FDA for approval to manufacture and market the drug).
NECK
The part of the container where the bottle cross-section decreases to form the finish.
NECK BEAD
(See TRANSFER BEAD).
NECK INSERT
Part of the mold assembly which forms the neck and finish. Sometimes called the “neck ring”.
NECK RING
That part of the mold equipment which forms the finish of a bottle.
NECK SIZE (TUBE)
The # refers to the number of 64ths of an inch in the opening of the tube neck, i.e., a #16 neck size refers to a 16/64” (1/4”) opening. The number is sometimes preceded by a letter, M = metric series; S = U.S. standard series.
NEWSBOARD
A relatively cheap type of board made on a cylinder machine from waste paper stock.
NEWTONIAN
A term applied to a liquid or viscous suspension in which a deforming force produces a proportionate displacement of the liquid.
NISSHA LABEL
Pre-printed polyester film which is transferred to a substrate under heat and pressure.
NITRILE
Polymers with outstanding barrier properties. Generally the constituents are greater than 60% acrylonitrile along with other co-monomers.
NITROCELLULOSE
Any ester of nitric acid and cellulose used extensively as a constituent of synthetic lacquers.
NOISE (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
Noise is a term used to describe the development of pixels that contain random colors.
NONCOMPLIANCE
Not taking one’s medication properly.
NONPOLAR
Having no concentrations of electrical charge on a molecular scale, thus, incapable of significant dielectric loss.
NON-PRINTING GUIDES
Non-printing guides are alignment aids (rulers or margin guides) found within page layout software.
NON-REPRODUCIBLE COLORS
Non-reproducible colors are colors present in an original photograph that fall outside of the gamut.
NON-RETICULATED FOAM
Closed cell foam.
NOTCH SENSITIVITY
The extent to which the sensitivity of a material to fracture is increased by the presence of a surface inhomogeneity such as a notch, a sudden change of section, a crack or a scratch.
NOTCHED
Refers to the end of a pump dip tube which is V-cut to prevent the dip tube from sealing off on the container bottom.
NYLON
A strong plastic which can be used as a film with high oil and gas resistance, or as a filament in strapping tapes, with high impact resistance.
OBJECT (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
An image usually consists of objects. If a user were to create an image of a flower, the stem and leaves could be treated as objects by themselves, or the leaves could all be treated as one object. In graphic design images are usually built up, object by object. Each object can be edited separately.
OFFSET PRINTING (OFFSET LITHOGRAPHY)
The process where the ink is transferred from the plate to a rubber-blanketed cylinder and from the blanket to the material to be printed (instead of directly from plate to paper).
OFFSETTING
The transfer of printing inks or coatings form the decorated surface of one sheet to the back of another sheet.
OLEFINS
Plastics based on resins made by the polymerization of olefins or copolymerization of olefins with other unsaturated compounds, the olefins being the greates amount by weight.
OPAL
An opaque, white glass used to make jars and bottles.
OPACITY
The density of a color or tonal value. The opacity of an image or object can range from transparent (0% opacity) to opaque (100% opacity). The ability to edit the opacity of individual objects allows the designer to create images that seem to flow into and through one another.
OPAQUE
Descriptive of a material or substance which will not transmit light.
OPD
Original Pack Dispensing. A Pharmaceutical product that is dispensed to the patient in the manufacturer’s original package (i.e., not repackaged by a phamacist or anyone else).
OPEN TYPE
New font format created by Adobe and Microsoft. Open Type fonts can include a set of glyphs defined as True Type or Type 1 curves.
OPHTHALMIC/NASAL TIP
Pointy tip of a tube used for dispensing small amounts of product.
ORANGE PEEL
Uneven surface (or a bottle) somewhat resembling an orange peel.
ORPHAN LINE
The first line of a paragraph appearing on its own at the bottom on a page or column with the remaining part of the paragraph appearing on the next page or column.
OTC
Over The Counter Drugs - available without a prescription.
OUTLINE
This can refer to the outside edge of a font or to the outer edge of a vector graphic image, drawn in a program such as Illustrator or Freehand.
OUTERSHELL
Outer casing on a two piece jar.
OVERFLOW CAPACITY
The capacity of the container to the top of the finish or to the point of overflow.
OVERLAY
In artwork, a transparent covering over the copy where color break is wanted. It's a layer of material taped to a mechanical, photo or proof. Acetate overlays are used to divide colors by having some type or art on them instead of on the mounting board. Tissue overlays are used to carry instructions about the underlying copy and to protect the base art.
OVERPRINT
To print additional material or another color over a previously printed image.
OVER RUN
Additional printed material beyond the order. Overage policy differs in the printing industry, usually within 10% of the original quantity run.
OVERSHELL
Metal, usually aluminum, outer casing on a two piece closure.
“P” STYLE THREAD
A type of buttress thread for use with plastic closures. The profile of the thread is roughly a right triangle. One of the two legs that form the right angle is part of the vertical wall of the neck (finish); the other is horizontal bearing surface, against which the closure threads engage.
PAD PRINTING
Ideal for 3-dimensional, contoured objects, pad printing is an indirect-printing process. High-pigmentation ink with added tack is deposited on an etched-metal plate (cliche), where it fills the etched portions and is cleared from the non-etched portions of the plate by a “doctor blade”. The remaining ink is then picked up from the etched portion of the plate by a soft-silicone pad which subsequently descends and releases the ink from the silicone pad to the ware being printed. Multicolors are done one at a time. Rotary-pad printing is used for very large volume requirements.
PANELING
Distortion (side wall collapse) of a container occurring during aging or storage, caused by the development of a reduced pressure inside the bottle.
PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM
The proprietary Pantone Matching System is used for defining and blending match colors. It accommodates designers with swatches of over 1000 colors and gives printers the formulas for making those colors. Color systems exist for printing, plastics and textiles.
PAPERBOARD
In general, all paper sheets having a thickness of 12 points (0.012 inch) or greater are classified as paperboard.
PARCHMENT
A grease-proof sulphite paper with a parchment finish used primarily in the manufacture of greeting cards.
PARISON
(a) A partially formed glass shape that will be blown into a glass container. Also called a “blank” or a “gob." (b) the extruded hot plastic tube that will be placed in a mold to be inflated into a bottle or other hollow form.
PARTING LINE
A thin ridge of material on the outer surface of a molded item indicating the juncture of individual parts of the mold.
PASTE BOARD (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
A paste board is the area around a page surface in a page layout program. This area allows the user to put down elements that are to be used in the page layout.
PATENTS
Legal protection of an invention lasting no more than 17 years, granting the inventor sole rights to manufacture, use or sell a particular invention, process, etc.
PATH (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
A path is the shape of a single element in an illustration. A path will not show unless it has a fill or line weight assigned to it.
PATTERNED FILL
A custom fill usually defined by the user.
PDF (PORTABLE DOCUMENT FORMAT)
Developed by Adobe Systems in its software program Adobe Acrobat as a universal browser. Files can be downloaded over the Web and viewed page by page, provided the user’s computer has installed the important plug-in which can be downloaded from Adobe’s own Web site.
PERMEABILITY
The property of a film which permits gases and liquids to diffuse through an essentially continuous film barrier.
PERMEATION
The extent to which a gas or water vapor passes through a plastic film or container.
PET
A polyester made from the combination of ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid resulting in a good gas and water barrier.
PETE
An extrudable form of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
PETG
A form of polyethylene terephthalate which has been copolymerized with glycol.
PHENOLIC
The generic name for phenol formaldehyde.
PHOTOSHOP, ADOBE
A product developed by Adobe Systems to create and manipulate rasterized (made up of pixels) images, primarily photographs. Images created in Photoshop can be placed into Illustrator or InDesign to create a final design. See also Illustrator.
PHYSICIAN SAMPLE
(See Trial Size)
PICA
A unit of measurement for type. 1 pica is equal to 12 points, which measures approximately 4.23 millimeters or 0.166 inch.
PINCH-OFF
A raised edge around the cavity in the mold, which seals off the part and separates the excess material as the mold closes around the parison in the extrusion blow molding operation.
PINHOLE
A very small hole in a plastic bottle.
PINTEL
Stopper integrated with a closure to form a corkage seal.
PISTON
A filling machine in which the product is metered by drawing it into a cylinder of a set volume and then ejecting a measured amount into a container. Also, a cylinder that moves in a cylindrical vessel which displaces or is displaced by a volume of fluid.
PISTON FILLER
A filling machine in which the product is metered by drawing it into a cylinder of a set volume and then ejecting a measured amount into a container.
PITCH
The distance measured between the centers of two adjacent threads of a closure or a bottle, jar to tube.
PITTING
Depressions in a metal surface caused by corrosion, and also refers to pin holes in metallized surfaces and foil stamping.
PIXEL
The smallest picture element (used to display an image on a computer), that can be individually assigned a color.
PLASTIC FLOW
(See Creep).
PLASTIC MEMORY
The tendency of plastics to return to their original molded form.
PLASTICIZER
A material added during the manufacturing process to increase flexibility.
PLASTICS
Any one of the high polymeric substances capable of flowing and being molded, under heat and pressure.
PLATE
A piece of paper, metal, plastic or rubber carrying an image to be duplicated using a printing press.
PLATEN
A flat plate that exerts or receives pressure.
PLUG
A fitment that is pressed into a bottle neck opening to close off or reduce the passage.
PNG (PORTABLE NETWORK GRAPHICS)
Portable Network Graphics format. PNG (usually pronounced "ping"), is used for lossless compression. The PNG format displays images without jagged edges while keeping file sizes relatively small, making them popular on the web. PNG files are however generally larger than GIF files.
POINT
AA unit of measurement for type. Sizes of fonts are expressed in Point Size. 1 point is 1/12 of a pica.
POLLUTION
The environmental contamination with manmade waste.
POLYCARBONATE
Polymers derived from the direct reaction between aromatic and aliphatic dihydroxy compounds with phosgene or the ester exchange reaction with appropriate phosgene derived precursors.
POLYPROPYLENE
A plastic or resin prepared by the polymerization of propylene as the sole monomer. A monolayer blister film used for pharmaceutical packaging. Use of this film may require machine or tooling modifications.
POLYSTYRENE
A thermoplastic material derived from the polymerization of styrene.
POLYVINYL CHLORIDE
A resin prepared through the polymerization of vinyl chloride alone.
POLYVINYL ACETATE
A resin prepared through the polymerization of vinyl acetate alone.
POPPET
Component of a mechanical pump which closes off the stem of the pump.
POSTERIZE
A tool in graphic software that reduces the number of shades of gray or colors to a specific number.
POSTSCRIPT
A computer description language that allows a programmer to create complex pages using a series of commands.
POUCHES/SACHETS
A flexible material (usually paper, foil, PE, PET or a multi-laminate) used to package medication.
POUR-OUT FINISH
A bottle finish having uniform undercut lips as a dealing surface. Designed to facilitate pouring without dripping.
PPI (PIXELS PER INCH)
A measurement of the resolution of a scanned image. 300ppi is considered high resolution, while 72 ppi is considered very low, or "on-screen-viewing" resolution.
PRESS AND BLOW
Expression used to identify the production principle of the Miller machine or IS machine used in making wide mouth containers. A plunger presses glass into the blank mold, and the partially formed blank is later blown into the finish mold.
PRIMARY COLORS
The primary colors are combined to produce the full range of other colors (non-primary colors), within a color model. The primary colors for the additive color model are: Red, Green and Blue. The primary colors for the subtractive color model are: Cyan, Magenta and Yellow.
PRIMARY PACKAGE
The unit container which is actually in contact with the contents.
PROCESS COLORS
In printing, the subtractive primaries; yellow, magenta, and cyan, plus black in four color process printing.
PROGRAMMING
The extrusion of a parison which differs in thickness in the length direction in order to equalize wall thickness of the blown container.
PROTOTYPE MOLD
A simplified mold construction often made from a light casting alloy or from expoxy resin in order to obtain information for the final mold or part design.
PULL TAB
A projection of small area from a label, usually pressure sensitive, to assist in the removal of the label from the part, i.e., powder sifter fitment, purity seal.
PURCHASE LENGTH
Refers to tube length specification for purposes of purchasing from the vendor.
PURITY SEAL
An extra seal comprising a sheet that is resistant to water vapor or vapor from some specific chemical, and adhered to the top end of a container below the regular cover or closure.
PUSH UP
The contour of the bottom of the plastic container designed in such a manner as to allow as even bearing surface on the outside edge and prevent the bottle from rocking.
PVC
Polyvinyl Chloride. Commonly used for blister packaging of solid and liquid dose products.
PVDC
Polyvinyldine Chloride. Waterborn emulsion that is coated onto PVC or PVC/PE to enhance MVTR & O2 TR transmission.
QUICK MASK
A filter in Photoshop in which a translucent colored mask covers selective areas of an image.
RAGGED
The imbalanced alignment of text lines. Ragged is the opposite of justified or flush. A text block may be formatted to be evenly flush (justified) left and unevenly aligned (ragged) on the right.
RAISED GOLD/PALLADIUM DECORATING
Used to create a raised, precious-metal effect on glass or ceramic ware. A clear ceramic flux is applied and fired in a lehr. The gold or palladium is then screened exactly over the flux and then fired in a lehr.
RAMP
A small depressed cavity (detent) in the base of the bottle to act as guide in positioning the bottle in the decorating machine for application of decoration.
RASTERIZE
An image is said to be rasterized when transformed from vector image to a bitmapped image. When opening a vector image in a bitmap-based editing program, you are generally presented with a dialog box of options for rasterizing the image.
REAM
The unit of quantitative measure used in the marketing of paper, but not paperboard. Usually 500 sheets.
REAMING
A method used to trim and size plastic bottle finishes. A special rotating cutting tool trims the sealing surface smooth and simultaneously reams (bores) the bottle opening to a desired size (also called coring).
RECYCLE
The ability to capture, reprocess and reuse primary material used in the production of an item.
REFLECTION COPY
In photography, illustrative copy that is viewed and must be photgraphed by light reflected from its surface. Examples are photographs, drawings, etc.
REGISTRATION
A condition of correct alignment of one part or operation with another part or operation.
REGRIND
The material from a processor’s production which is reused in the manufacture of molded items. A thermoplastic from a processor’s own production which, having been processed by molding, extrusion, etc., is then reground or pelletized.
RELIEF PRINTING
A printing method that uses a plate on which the image is formed by those portions of the plate that are raised above (stand out in relief) to the main plate surface. Flexography, letter-press and letterset are relief printing processes.
RELIEVED AREA
An area that is predesigned into a package for easier openings.
REMOVAL TORQUE
The amount of rotational force required to remove a closure from a container.
RESAMPLE
A function accessible in image editing that permits the user to change the resolution of the image while keeping its pixel count intact.
RESOLUTION
The resolution of an image is an important factor in deciding the attainable output quality. The higher the resolution of an image, the less pixilated it will be and the curves of the image will appear smoother.
RESONANCE
A spring-mass relationship in which the outpit is greater than the input. All masses have a specific frequency or frequencies at whcih resonance will occur. Resonance can be induced by transport vibrations and is a common cause of damage.
RETICULATED FOAM
Open cell foam.
RGB (RED, GREEN, BLUE)
RGB is the color model used to project color on a computer monitor. By combining these three colors, a large percentage of the visible color spectrum can be represented.
RHEOLOGY
The study of fluid flow (viscosity) characteristics.
RICH MEDIA
Rich media are banner ads that use technology more developed than standard GIF animation, for example; Flash, Shockwave, Streaming video etc.
RIGHT JUSTIFIED
Type aligned with its right column margin. Also known as "flush right."
RIP (RASTER IMAGE PROCESSOR)
Transfers fonts and graphics into raster images, which are used by the printer to draw onto the page.
RIVERS
A river is a typographic term for the ugly white gaps that can appear in justified columns of type, when there is too much space between words on sequential lines of text. Rivers are particularly common in narrow columns of text, where the type size is relatively large.
ROCKER
A plastic bottle with a bulged or deformed bottom, causing rocking of the bottle in the upright position.
ROLL-ON BALL SOCKET
That part of a roll-on package into which the roll ball snaps.
ROTATIONAL MOLDING
A method of shaping seamless plastic containers in which a charge of plastic is placed into a metal mold, which is then sealed. The mold is rotated around several axis while external heat is used to melt the contained plastic, which then flows to evenly coat the entire inside of the mold. The mold is cooled while still rotating and then opened to release the part.
ROYALTY-FREE PHOTOS
Intellectual property like photos and graphic images that are sold for a single standard fee. These can be used repeatedly by the purchaser only, but the company that sold the images usually still owns all the rights to it.
RULES (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
Alignment or measurement aids found in page layout software.
RUNNER
In injection molding, one of the passages that take plastic melt from the injection point (sprue) and distribute it to the various cavities in a multicavity mold.
RX
Drugs that require a doctor’s prescription for legal dispensation.
“S” DIMENSION
The vertical distance (height) measured from the top of the land area to the very most upper part of the start of the thread finish.
SA66
3M trade name for pulp/aluminum foil/mylar cap liner material.
SADDLE FINISH
A molding defect which occurs during the Lehr process (cooling of the material). The top of the neck finish will actually have two high points approximately 180o opposite each other.
SANS SERIF
A style of typeface that means "without feet." Examples of sans serif typefaces include Arial, Helvetica, AvantGarde and Verdana.
SANTOPRENE
Polypropylene alloy based elastomer, Advanced Elastomer Systems.
SARAN
Polyvinylidene chloride film, Dow USA.
SATURATION
Saturation is the color intensity of an image. A color with high saturation will appear brighter and more vibrant than the same color with low saturation. Colors in grayscale images have no saturations (white, grays and black).
SCALE
A design is said to scale if it is still successful when applied to larger situations.
SCAN - A - WEB
In web-printing, a rotating mirror arrangement where speed can be varied to match speed of press so image on paper can be examined during printing.
SCANNER
An electronic device used in making color and tone-corrected separations of images.
SCLAIR
Linear polyethylene resins, DuPont Canada Inc.
SCORE
A continuous crease or series of perforations which allow the board to be bent without tearing or cracking.
SCUFF
To rub or abrade.
SEALING BEAD
A bead of material which is molded onto the top of the land area completely around the top of the neck finish in order to further enhance the sealing capabilities of the component.
SEALING LAND
The top surface of a container finish to which a cap liner or gasket engages and compresses to effect a seal.
SELECTION (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
Selection refers to an area of an image that is isolated so it can be edited while the rest of the image is protected.
SELECTIVE COLOR CORRECTION ADJUSTMENT
A setting available in graphic software that allows the user to adjust a specific color in an image. For example, you can remove the blue in green grass without affecting the blue of the sky.
SEPARATION
Photographing of artwork with the use of filters to separate the individual colors. The filters consist of red, yellow, blue, and black. This process creates individual C, M, Y, and K (black) printing plastes from original art (either from paper or a digital file).
SERIF
Serif fonts have tiny flourishes at the end of their strokes. Serif fonts can be easy to read as the serifs help lead the eye across the words. Examples of serif typefaces include Times, Bodoni, Garamond and Baskerville.
SF
Senior Friendly; easier for older people to handle and open.
SHADOW DETAIL
Shadow detail refers to the amount of detail held in the dark areas of an image. If the shadow is lightened too much in an attempt to expose more detail, the risk is there to reduce the overall contrast of the image.
SHARPEN
To reduce in color strength, as when halftone dots become smaller; opposite of “thicken” or “dot spread.”
SHORT SHOT
The result of an insufficient amount of plastic materials being charged to the mold.
SHOW-THROUGH
In printing, the undesirable condition in which the printing on the reverse side of a sheet can be seen through the sheet under normal lighting conditions.
SHRINK MARK
An imperfection, a depression in the surface of a molded bottle where it has retracted from the mold.
SIFTER TOP
Perforated top on a container or fitment designed to dispense contents.
SILK SCREEN PRINTING
A printing process widely used on plastic bottles and other articles, employing as a stencil a taut woven fabric secured in a frame, the fabric being coated in selected areas with a masking material that is not penetrated by the ink being used. The stencil fabric is commonly called a “silk screen” even though silk is rarely used today. Nylon is most often used, and screens of copper, stainless steel and many other materials are suitable. The screen is placed above the part to be decorated, and a flexible squeegee forces ink through the openings in the screen onto the surface of the article. Multicolor work requires multiple screens and impressions.
SINK MARK
A shallow depression on the surface of an injection molded part due to collapse of the surface as the molten plastic material cools and contracts.
SKIRT
The wall of a closure below the functional threads.
SKIVING
Cutting off a thin layer. Removing a portion of thickness of board of sheeting.
SKU
Stock Keeping Unit.
SLIP CAP
Cover cap used on pencils to protect the tip against breakage and contamination.
SMALL CAPS
Capital letters that are about the same height as the typeface’s x-height. Some software programs automatically create their own small caps, but true small caps are often only found in expert typefaces.
SNDA
Supplemental Drug Application.
SOFTWOOD
Wood which is obtained from coniferous trees such as pine.
SOLDER
A low melting point metal alloy used to bond other metals. Usually composed of lead and tin in varying proportions.
SOLID DOSE
Non-liquid dosages such as tablets, capsules, caplets, etc.
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
The ratio of weight of a body to the weight of an equal volume of water at the same specified temperature.
SPIN WELD
A technique of joining two plastic parts through the use of frictional heat generated by spinning the parts to be joined.
S.P.I.
Society of the Plastic Industry.
SPIRAL WOUND TUBE
Tubular packages made by spirally winding paper or foil-lined paper. Used as an insert and barrier material in shaker talc containers.
SPLIT SCREEN PRINTING
A screen with a divider strip to separate colors in order to do multicolor silk screen labeling in a single operation.
SPRAY FROSTING
Ceramic paints formulated to look like acid etching are sprayed on the surface of the glassware and then fired in lehr.
SPRINKLER FINISH
A restricted orifice molded into the finish of a glass bottle.
SPRUE
In injection molding, the passage that brings molten plastic from the end of the extruder to the passage or passages that will distribute the plastic to the mold cavities. In a single cavity mold, the sprue would lead directly to the gate. In a multicavity mold, the sprue would join the runner system.
STABILITY TESTING
The process used to confirm the efficacy of individual medicines for a set time within a given package under elevated humidity and temperature conditions.
STEP CUT
Refers to the end of a pump dip tube which is stepped to prevent the dip tube from sealing off on the container bottom.
STORAGE LIFE
The period of time during which a product can be stored under specified temperature conditions and remain suitable for use. Storage life is sometimes called shelf life.
STRESS CRACK
A fissure or separation that develops in a material under an applied load or stress.
STRESS CRACKING
The development of cracks which are frequently accelerated by the environment to which the plastic is exposed.
STRIATION
Lines that can appear on the surface of glass or plastic components resulting from uneven cooling of the part in the mold. Can also result from a chemical attack on the component.
STRIP PACK
A package used to protect solid dose pharmaceutical products, and to provide relatively inexpensive protection for individual dosages.
SUBLIMATION
A type of heat transfer that uses dye instead of ink to apply a message or code to a molded part, such as a computer keyboard. A chemical reaction occurs when heat and pressure are applied. The dye is vaporized and penetrates into the substrate (sublimed). It actually dyes the substrate to .002˝ - .004˝ deep.
SUBTRACTIVE COLOR
A term defining the three subtractive primary colors; Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. As opposed to the three additive colors; Red, Blue and Green.
SUPER CALENDAR
In papermaking, a calendar stack, separate from the papermaking machine, with alternate metal and resilient rolls, used to produce a high finish on the paper.
SURFACE TREATING
Any method of treating a plastic so as to alter the surface and render it receptive to inks, lacquers and adhesives, such as chemical, flame or electronic treating.
“T” DIMENSION
The outside diameter of the threaded portion of a container finish.
TAMPER EVIDENT
One or more safey features used to indicate that a package is not in the original condition as it was when shipped from the manufacturer of packager.
TAPPI
The Technical Association of the Paper and Pulp Industry.
TEAR STRENGTH
The resistance of a material to tearing as determined by accepted test methods.
TEAR STRIP
A narrow ribbon of film, cord, etc., usually incorporated mechanically in the wrapper or overwrap during the wrapping operation to facilitate opening of the package.
TEMPLATE
Refers to a printing project’s basic details in relation to its dimensions. Also means an established size and form which is to be followed for new designs.
TEXT WRAP (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
A term used in page layout software, specifically to the way text can be shaped around the edges of images.
THERIMAGE®
Registered trademark of Dennison Manufacturing Company for their heat transfer label process.
THERMOFORMING
A method of forming plastics in which a plastic sheet material is heated to a point where it is soft and pliable. The sheet is then formed to the desired shaped using vacuum, pressure and mechanical assists or any combination of these.
THERMOPLASTIC
Those plastic materials which are not cross linked during the molding operation. They are capable of being remolded.
THERMOSET
Those plastic materials which are cross-linked during the molding operation. They are NOT capable of being remolded.
THREE-PIECE CAN
Also known as 3P, a steel can is made of a top, a main body piece, and a bottom. Tin-coated steel is formed into a cylinder, and the bottom is added. The top is added after the the can is filled.
THUMBNAIL
A thumbnail is a reduced-size version of the original image. Also refers to a quick, small layout sketch.
TIFF (TAGGED IMAGE FILE FORMAT)
A graphic file format used for storing images. TIFF is a commonly used file format for high color depth images.
TINPLATE
Sheet steel, usually of special formula and temper, coated on both sides with a controlled thickness of pure tin. The tin acts to protect the steel and reduce the possibility of corrosion.
TINT
A color is made lighter by adding white, to create a tint.
TOLERANCE
Minimum/maximum range of measurement.
TOLERANCE (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
Tolerance is the range of pixels a tool in graphic software functions in.
TONAL DISTRIBUTION (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
Tones can be redistributed during the scanning or image editing process. To lighten dark images or to darken light images.
TOTTLE
Tube-bottle (pinch bottom tube).
TORQUE
Force in a circular motion as applied to closure on a container, either to attach or remove the closure.
TORQUE REQUIREMENT
The minimum degree of closure tightness to achieve a projected yearly maximum weight loss of 2%.
TRADE MARKS
The principal function of a trade mark is to indicate the origin of goods. Registration of a trade remains in effect for 20 years.
TRANSFER BEAD
A projecting bead or ring on the outer surface of some glass containers, usually just belos the finish, to provide a surface of engagement for the jaws of handling devices during manufacture.
TRANSMISSION
Quantity of moisture and/or gas passing through the packaging film or foil over a specific period of time.
TRANSPARENT COPY
In photography, illustrating copy, such as a color transparency or positive film through which light must pass in order for it to be seen or reproduced.
TRAPPING
In printing, the ability to print a wet ink film over a perviously printed ink. Dry trapping is printing wet ink over dry ink. Wet trapping is printing over wet ink. In prepress, refers to how much overprinting colors overlap to eliminate white line between colors in printing.
TRIAL SIZE
Sample of a drug given to the patient by a doctor in a blister, strip pack or small bottle for patient to try medication, free of charge. Also known as physician sample.
TRIM SIZE
The size of the printed material in its finished stage.
TRIMMED LENGTH
Refers to the tube length of a sealed tube after the seal area is trimmed. The corporate spec. allows the trimmed length to be ± 0.060˝ (1.5mm) of the nominal tube length.
TRUNCATE
To shorten or cut off.
TUBE CRIMPING AREA
The uncoated portion of the tube located at the open end of the tube. The corporate tube spec. is 9mm ± 1.2mm of uncoated length.
TUBE DIAMETER
Determined by measuring the outside diameter of the tube just below the shoulder where tube is most rigid and can be accurately measured with a caliper.
TUBE LENGTH
Determined by measuring the distance from the outer edge of the tube shoulder to the end of the open end of the tube.
TWO-PIECE CAN
Also known as 2P, an aluminum can is made from two pieces. A sheet of aluminum is formed to make the body, and the top is added after the can is filled.
TYPEFACE
A typeface consists of a series of fonts and a full range of characters, such as numbers, letters, marks and punctuations.
TYPOGRAPHY
The study of typefaces and their proper usages.
TYVEK®
The registered trade name of Dupont polyethelyene film used as a breathable or as lidstock that is difficult to tear.
ULTRA SONIC WELDING
A technique of joining materials through the application of vibrating mechanical pressure at ultrasonic frequencies. A film sealing method in which sealing is accomplished through the application of vibrating mechanical pressure at ultrasonic frequencies (20 to 40 KC). The vibrating pressures at the film interface develops enough localized heat to melt and fuse the plastic surfaces effecting the seal.
UNCOATED PAPER
This is paper that hasn’t had a coating applied to it for smoothness.
UNDERCUT
In plastic molding, a shape that cannot be directly removed from the mold without the need to incorporate mold parts that need to be moved out of the way to release the part. Undercuts significantly increase tooling costs.
UNIT CAVITY
A mold with only one cavity, usually a pilot for the production set of molds.
UNIT-DOSE
The prescribed amount of each dosage in a package.
UNIT-OF-USE
The exact amount of a drug’s treatment prepackaging by the manufacturer or pharmacist in standardized amounts.
UNSHARP MASK (DESIGN SOFTWARE)
A method used to heighten the sharpness or focus of images by selecting and increasing the contrast of pixels alongside the edges of images.
UPC (UNIVERSAL PRODUCT CODE)
A 10-digit number which uniquely identifies products. The first 5 digits identifies the manufacturer and the second 5 digits identifies the item.
UPPER CASE
Also known as capital letters, they are the larger characters in a typeface.
UREA PLASTICS
Resins made through the condensation of urea and aldehydes.
URETHANE
A type of isocyanate plastic generally elastomeric in form and available as foams, solid plastics and coatings.
USP
United States Pharmacopoeia (a non-governmental, non-profit, scientific body that establishes drug standards in the United States).
U.V. COATING
A glossy coating applied to the paper surface and dried using ultraviolet light. This adds a certain level of protection to the printed material.
U.V. CURING
A process which uses UV light wavelengths instead of heat to cause the cross linking of an ink or coating.
U.V. INHIBITOR
A chemical which is added to a plastic resin which absorbs UV light and helps prevent damage to and prolongs the life of the plastic. Tinuvin compounds (hindered amine light stabilizers from Ciba-Geigy) are an example. (See UV STABILIZER).
U.V. STABILIZER (ULTRAVIOLET)
Any chemical compound which, when admixed with a thermoplastic resin, selectively absorbs UV rays and minimizes chemical and/or physical changes that may be caused.
VACUUM FORMING
A forming process in which a heated sheet of plastic is molded by causing it to flow by reducing air pressure on one side of the sheet.
VALUE
This refers to the degree of lightness or darkness of a color.
VALVE
A device which regulates the flow of material through an opening.
VARNISH
This is a liquid coating applied to a surface for protection and for a glossy effect.
VECTOR GRAPHICS
Vector graphics are drawn in paths. This allows the designer to resize images freely without getting pixilated edges as is the case with bitmapped images. The vector format is generally used for in printing while the bitmap format is used for onscreen display.
VENT HOLE
Hole in the tank of a mechanical pump dispenser which allows the pump to “vent”, i.e., pump air into the package to displace the material being dispensed from the package. If the pump does not vent, a vacuum will be created in the packaged causing the pump to stop functioning and may also result in deformation (wall pull-in) of the container.
VELOX
A photographic paper print made from a screen negative.
VIAL
Glass or plastic container filled with product.
VIGNETTE
An illustration in which the background fades gradually away until it blends into the unprinted paper.
VISCOSITY
That property of material by virtue of which it tends to resist deformation of flow.
WARPAGE
Dimensional distortion in a unit after molding.
WASHBOARD
A wavy condition of horizontal lines in the body of the bottle.
WAX RELEASE LABELS
A heat transfer labeling process that is an economical way to add color and graphic excitment to large volumes of plastic packaging. The plastic surface of the package to be decorated is preflamed, if required, and then exposed to a label printed on specially treated material. The finished package is then postflamed to permanently bond the label to the plastic.
WEIGHT (DESGIN SOFTWARE)
The range of a stroke’s width. Some typeface families have many weights like ultra-bold and extra-light. Associated to the heaviness of the stroke for a specific font, such as Light, Regular, Book, Demi, Heavy, Black, and Extra Bold.
WELD LINES
A visible line created on the surface of a molded part caused by two flowing streams of plastic joining with the cavity as the cavity is filled.
WET STRENGTH
A measure of the physical strength properties of paper when saturated with water.
WHITE POINT
Is one of a handful of reference illuminants used in colorimetry which is used to define the color 'white.' Based on the application, different definitions of white are needed to give sufficient results.
WIDOW LINE
A single line of a paragraph at the bottom of a page or column.
WIDTH
Refers to whether the basic typeface has been lengthened or compressed horizontally. The typical variations are Condensed, Normal, or Extended.
WIP
Work In Progress.
WIPER
Fitment in the top of a wand type package (i.e., mascara) which wipes the product applicator upon removal from the package.
WOPE
White opaque polyethylene. Used in manufacture of packettes.
WORK AND TURN
To print one side of a sheet of paper, turn it over from left to right and print the second side using the same gripper and plate.
WVTR
Water Vapor Transmission Rate; the amount of moisture that is transmitted through packaging film or foil over a set period of time.
WYSIWYG
In electronic publishing, an acronym for "what you see is what you get", i.e., the composite page viewed electronically is what the printer will output.
X-HEIGHT
This is the height of the lowercase letters that do not have ascenders or decenders, such as "a," "c," "e" and "m."
YIELD POINT
That point beyond which the stresses applied to a material will cause permanent deformation.
YUKALON
HIgh nitrile content, acrylonitrile rubber.