Understand the “ABC’s of Printing” and you’ll be able to carry on an intelligent conversation at the water cooler.

Aqueous Coating-It’s a clear water-based gloss most commonly used on postcards.

Banner-The word banner is derived from a Latin name “bandum”, a cloth used to make flags.

Color bars-Printed on the trim border of a press sheet, a color bar is a trouble-shooting reference tool when proofing the color of a project.

Decals-A picture, design, or lettering on paper or plastic, with an adhesive backing.

Embossing-Using heat and pressure, material is re-shaped to form raised lettering or design.

Four Color Processing-Otherwise known as CMYK-Cyan (a bright blue), Magenta (a vivid red-purple), Yellow, and Black.

Grand Format Printing-Digital printing process that allows you to print media with extra-large dimensions on a variety of materials such as vinyl, canvas, flag cloth, mylar, window film, paper, carpet, and synthetic fabrics.

House Sheet-Standard paper kept in stock at all times by a printer.

Internet Banners-An online advertisement typically 460×68 pixels, usually placed at the top a Web page.

Jules Cheret-A French Lithographer who was responsible for bringing artistic sentiments to advertising and printing in the late 1800s.

Key lines-Lines, which show the exact size, shape and location of photographs or other graphic elements. The materials outside these lines become trimmed.

Lithography- Plates are used to of printing using plates whose image areas attract ink and whose nonimage areas repel ink.

Monks and Manuscripts-Before the invention of the printing press, Monks would spend hours on end duplicating manuscripts.

Neon Sign-Electrified gas, contained in a tube of glass, which is bent into particular shapes.

On-Demand Printing-Digital printing that does not require a set quantity. Duplicates can be created, as the demand needs it.

Pica-Unit of measure in typesetting. One pica = 1/6 inch

Quote-Price of a job offered to a customer by the printer before job begins.

Resolution-Measurement of the sharpness and quality of an image. The higher the resolution, the better a document is for printing, however images viewed on a computer monitor do not require nearly as high of a resolution.

Screen Printing- Method of printing by using a squeegee to force ink through an assembly of mesh fabric and a stencil.

Turn-around Time-The time a printer estimates that a job will be done.

UV Coating-Ultra-violet-cured gloss applied over printed-paper, which is dried by exposure to UV radiation.

Vinyl-The world’s most versatile plastic used for decals, banners, and signs.

Web-A roll of printing paper.

Xerography-A dry photographic process in which a negative image formed by a powder on an electrically charged plate is thermally fixed as positive on a paper.

Yellow-a crucial pigment in four color processing referred to as CMYK.

Zip File-Compressing into a smaller archive, reducing file size.

Is Fido the next barking billboard?

The world of advertising has come leaps and bounds since writing on Egyptian stonewalls, printing in newspapers, and tugging airplane flags past ballparks. Advertising has gone beyond the once fantastical new trend of large format printing, and started to show up in places you’d never imagine. With the advancement of digital printing, the question begs to be asked: how far can it go? In California, you can purchase beachside trashcans with your company’s logo, and of course we’ve seen cars wrapped in colorful decals. It is the beauty of removable adhesive decals that make temporary advertising the way of the future. If there is a flat surface, you bet you can advertise on it. This includes durable street decals that withstand heavy traffic, and vinyl decals to cover the meal tray in airplanes and the bin you put your shoes in at the security line.

And it’s not just temporary adhesive that’s becoming a trend! Because digital printing is cost efficient, not quantity driven, and you can leave your mark on just about any material, we’re seeing ads on items as takeout boxes and woven material; Just recently Salvation Army printed ads on fleece blankets which wer e passed out to the homeless, and NY pizza boxes with a Cingular logo began showing up at doors.

One wonder if someday you can screen print your dog urging others to lower their insurance, cover your front door with the newest anti-diarrhea medicine, or spray paint your lawn with the golden arches in order to cash in on the valuable real estate that is our everyday life.