This dictionary covers design, prepress and printing topics.
It was created with the help of Stan Schwartz.

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

B
Abbreviation for Blue, one of the three primary additive colours.
Abbreviation for Bytes or Bits (usually an lower case B means bits but not everybody respects this convention)

backbone
The back of a case bound book connecting the front and back covers, also called the spine

backing up
Printing the reverse side of a printed sheet

back light
The illumination of a subject or object (e.g. a picture or poster) from behind.

back slant
An effect in typography in which the letters slant to the left instead of to the right as in italics.

backslash

back up
- An extra copy of computer work that is kept on separate disks , tape or CDs for safety’s sake in case anything happens to the original data
-The printing of the reverse side of a press sheet.

bad break
Starting a page or column of type with a widow or at the end of a hyphenated word

banding
The undesirable effect of waves or bands of the same colour on a digital graphic.

bandwidth
The capacity of a data connection expressed by the amount of data that can be conducted by it per second

bang
An exclamation mark! Like this one! and these!!!!!

bar

base
Metal below the shoulder of a piece of type; the metal or wood block used for mounting letter press printing plates to make them type high

baseline
In typesetting, an imaginary line on which the bottom of letters rest.The descenders, such as the tail on y and g, fall below the baseline

BASIC
Abbreviation for Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code: a programming language. It has nothing to do with prepress but brings back fond memories.

basis weight
Weight in pounds of 500 sheets of paper cut to a given standard size

Baskerville, John
English writing master, stonecutter, letter designer, typefounder and printer (1706-1775) who worked alongside William Caslon. He is one of the people who transformed English printing and type founding. Of course there is a font named after him.

bas relief
In art, an image that is pressed or engraved into the surface of the work. The opposite effect is called intaglio.

Bass
The original codename used by Apple for the TrueType font technology. Later they changed it to RoyalT. According to an insider, its derivation was down to the fact that a bass (fish) is scale-able.

BBS
Abbreviation for Bulletin Board System

BCP
Abbreviation for Binary Control Protocol

beam splitter
An optical device to redirect a beam of light in two or more directions. A color scannner splits the input light into red, green and blue light beams and directs each to a PMT. The output beam splitter separates the light into as many as ten beams, one to each modulator

bearing base life
Minimum calculated bearing life under proper load

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