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This dictionary covers graphic design, prepress and print terminology.
Stan Schwartz supplied most of the terms of this online glossary.

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

IBC

Abbreviation for Inside Back Cover: Also called the third cover, this is the one but last page of a publication.

ICC

Abbreviation for International Color Consortium, an organisation which was established in 1993 to create, promote and encourage the standardization and evolution of an open, vendor-neutral, cross-platform color management system architecture and components. To do so, they developed the ICC profile specifications. The ICC web site can be found here.

ICM

- Abbreviation for Image Color Management, the color management engine written by Heidelberg and used by Microsoft from Windows 95 till Windows XP. In Vista and Windows 7 it has been supplanted by WCS.
- Abbreviation for Image Color Matching,

icon

In a graphical operating system, such as the Macintosh operating system or Windows, a small picture that represent an application, file and or parts of the operating system such as a font and utility.

IDE

- Abbreviation for Integrated Development Environment
- Abbreviation for Integrated Drive Electronics – a interface to connect hard disks or a CD-ROM drives to a computer. It was cheaper than SCSI but not as fast or versatile. Nowadays it has been replaced by newer technologies such as SATA.

ideograph

A symbol that primarily denotes an idea (or meaning) in contrast to a sound (or pronunciation) – for example, a symbol showing a telephone.

IFC

Abbreviation of Inside Front Cover

IIS

Abbreviation for Internet Information Server, the application which turns a computer running Microsoft Windows into a web server.

iMac

Popular range of Macintosh computers, spearheaded by the ‘bondi blue’ model which was launched in 1998.

image area

The portion of the printing plate that carries the ink and prints on paper.

imagesetter

High resolution device for producing film from electronically generated page layouts. Nowadays these machines have mostly been replaced by CtP (computer to plate) systems. Below is an image of my favorite imagesetter, the Agfa Avantra 30 with an on-line Rapiline developper. This is a 4-up system, capable of imaging 4 imposed A4-pages on a single piece of film at resolutions up to 3600 dpi.

IMAP

Abbreviation for Internet Messaging Application Program

import

Bringing data from one file to another. For example, a graphic in EPS or TIFF format can be imported in a QuarkXPress file.

imposition

- The correct positioning pages on a press sheet so that when the press sheet is folded to form a signature, the pages are in the correct numerical sequence.
- The positioning of various images (usually into a flat) in such a way that when the job is printed and folded, the images will be in correct sequence and position.
- The plan and arrangement of pages in a press form so that when printed, folded and trimmed, they appear in the correct order.

impression

The pressure of a printing surface as it contacts paper.

imprint

The name and location of the publisher and the printer, which by law are required to be included in publications. Sometimes additional data such as internal ID-codes, the quantity printed or the publishing date are added.

index bristol

A relatively thick paper stock; basis size—25 1/2 x 30 1/2.

indexed color

A color system in which a limited number of colors are used. These colors are defined in a lookup table of colors. Colour specified from a 24-bit palette but displayed in an 8-bit system is indexed color.

indicia

Markings pre-printed on mailing envelopes to replace the stamp.

industrial papers

A term used to denote papers such as janitorial, sanitary or heavy packing papers.

inferior

In typography, characters set in a smaller point size and positioned below the baseline. Inferiors are typically used in chemical equations and sometimes called subscripts.

ink fountain

The device which stores and meters ink to the inking rollers.

ink holdout

A quality of paper to be resistant to ink absorption, allowing the ink to dry on the paper surface.

ink mist

Any threads or filaments which protrude from the main printed letter body of long inks, as seen in newsprint.

ink setoff

A printing defect in which wet ink is transferred to the reverse side of the sheet lying on top of it. It is also called offsetting.

ink setting

The inertial resistance to flow that occurs to ink as soon as it is printed.

inkometer

A device used to measure the tack of ink.

in-line

Describes components a system arranged in a logical production sequence. For example, an in-line film processor can be connected to an imagesetter so that the film is output directly from the imagesetter to the processor without operator intervention.

in-line problem

An imbalanced difficulty that occurs when the page printing above another in the direction of travel on a printing press requires a different ink feed.

inferior characters

- Small characters, generally used in mathematical data that are usually positioned below the baseline. Called subscripts in computer usage.
- Type set below a line in a size about 20% smaller than the other text. Also called subscripts. For example, the 2 in the expression H2O.

initial

The first letter of a block text copy set in a display typeface or size. Often used for emphasis or decoration to begin the chapter of a book.

inner caps

Mixed case format where an uppercase letter is in a position other than first in the word–for example, “M” in “iMac.” Inner caps sometimes appear in names but they were made popular by Apple and then used for a lot of software and hardware products.

inkjet

A method of printing images using jets that squirt minuscule drops of ink onto a variety of surfaces. Images can be produced with single colors. For example, a subscribers name can be inserted into a magazine, or a color image can be created by using process colors.

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