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

WAN
Abbreviation for Wide Area Network

wander
Translation of the axis during rotation.

watermark
A design impressed or embedded in paper during manufacture.

web
A roll of paper stock used in web or rotary printing.

web growth
The deformation of the paper printed on a web press.The physical deformation occurs as the paper absorbs ink and water and is accelerated with pressure and tension. Factors contributing to web growth include: the type of press, press configuration, paper stock, humidity, ink coverage and the conditions of the blankets. Web width changes also happen with wide web flexo and gravure. With flexo and gravure presses that have interunit hot air dryers, the web width will shrink as it goes through the press because of the moisture loss of the paper due to the hot air drying. Web growth in the web width direction was called fan out. Fan out rollers or spiral taped rollers help minimize this problem. Some web presses used a Fife system or series of “S” rollers to minimize the problem.

web offset
A printing lithographic process that prints on paper from a continuous roll and delivers onto another roll or as folded signatures.

web press
A printing press that prints on rolls of paper. This type of press is typically used to print newspapers, magazines, large catalogues or other jobs where the number of impressions exceeds 25,000 copies. Because Web presses “pull” a continuous piece of paper through the press, lighter weight papers can be used. Many Web presses have the ability to do folding for complicated direct mailers and brochures.

weight
The comparative amount of blackness of a type style. Typefaces of different weights have names such as light, semi, bold or ultra bold.

wet printing
Printing one process colour over the other while still wet.

white balance
The balancing of colors to create a pure white while scanning or retouching an image

white light
Illumination, such as sunlight, composed of all the colors of light in the spectrum. The visible spectrum components can be seen in a rainbow or in sunlight shining through a prism.

widow
The last line of a paragraph that appears at the top of a page all by itself. In Dutch this is called a ‘hoerenjong’ (a son of a whore).

wind-up
Torsional effect of torque driving a lead screw further than the output signal.

window
- A clear, usually rectangular or square, open panel in litho negative for stripping halftone negatives into position with tape.
- A part of the computer screen that is used to show a message or picture. Windows can be opened and closed, resized and reorganized.

WINS
Abbreviation for Windows Internet Naming Service

wire side
The under side of the paper that rests on the wire as it is carried along during manufacture. Opposed to the top, felt side.

WMF
Abbreviation for Windows Metafile Format: the native file format for images on the Windows platform.

wobble
Tilt of the axis during rotation.

word processing
Computer programs that capture keystrokes for retrieval and editing data or text.

word wrap
The ability of a word processing program to automatically end a line and wrap the next words to the following line.

work-and-back
See Sheetwise

work-and-flop
See Work-and-tumble

work-and-tumble
A layout in which both sides of a sheet can be printed using a single plate. The paper is flopped after the first side is printed so that the trailing edge of the first printing becomes the gripper edge for the second printing. The same side guide is used for both passes.

work-and-turn
A layout in which both sides of a sheet can be printed using a single plate. The paper is turned over after the first side is printed, using the same edge of the first printing as the gripper edge for the second printing. Different side guides are used for each pass

workstation
A computer that is more powerful than personal computers (such as the PCs or Macs).

WORM
Abbreviation for Write Once, Read Many. A WORM optical disc can only be imaged once and the data cannot be erase. There is no limit to the number of times the data can be read.

WPD
Abbreviation for Windows Printer Description: Microsofts version of the standard PostScript Printer Drive (PPD).

Wratten gelatin filter
A thin coloured plastic that is optically pure and is used to separate colors in photographic systems. The Wratten filter number specifies the filter color.

wrong font
Proofreader’s mark indicate type is of a wrong face or a wrong font.

wrong-reading
A mirror image (lateral reversal) of a right-reading image. Films are made wrong-reading on the emulsion side (right reading on the base side) for offset platemaking.

WSH
Abbreviation for Windows Scripting Host

WWW
Abbreviation for World Wide Web

WYSIWYG
Abbreviation for What you see is what you get (pronounced “wizzy-wig”): a system or application that is capable of displaying pages or images consistent with the printed result