Printing Glossary
A
'A' sized paper: Paper sizes are based on dimensions of a large A0 sheet. Letterheads are commonly produced on A4 sized paper.
Acetate: A thin flexible sheet of transparent plastic used to make overlays.
Against the Grain: At right angles to the direction of the grain of the paper.
Alteration: Any change made by the customer after copy or artwork has been given to the service bureau, separator or printer. The change could be in copy, specifications, or both. Also called AA, author alteration or customer alteration.
Application: A computer program designed for a particular use, such as a word processor or page layout application, i.e. Microsoft Word or Quark Xpress.
Art Paper: A common term used to describe a range of smooth papers with a filled surface.
Artwork: A process which follows the initial design stage which makes rough ideas into a print-ready form. All original copy, including type, photos and illustrations intended for printing. Also called art.
Ascender: The part of a lower case letter which rises above the main body, as in “b” or “d”.
A/W: Abbreviation for artwork. | 
