Glossary

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Acid free paper is made from pulp with a pH about or a little above 7 so it resists deterioration from age. It is also called alkaline paper, archival paper, neutral pH paper, permanent paper, and thesis paper.

Additive color is produced by individual lights, such as an image on a computer monitor. The primary colors that create additive colors are red, green, and blue.

Adhesive binding is when single sheets stuck together at the back with glue or paste to form a book. The most common type is perfect binding.

An alteration is any change made by the customer the work has been given to the printer. The change could be in copy, specifications, art, etc. It is also called AA, author alteration and customer alteration. There is often a charge for alterations after a proof has been approved.

Anti offset powder is a very fine powder lightly sprayed over the printed surface of coated paper as sheets leave a press. It helps prevent "offsetting"- where the wet ink on the front of one sheet rubs off on the back of the sheet on top of it.

An aqueous coating is a water based application by a press to protect and enhance the printing underneath.  Aqueous coating is often used to instantly seal in ink so that the paper can be immediately folded and handled without damaging or smearing the ink that is still wet. It comes comes in various finishes such as gloss, dull, and soft touch.