Graphic Design
Arrangement of type and visual elements along with specifications for paper, ink colours and printing processes that, when combined, convey a visual message.

Graphics
Visual elements that supplement type to make printed messages more clear or interesting.

Grayscale
A sequence of shades ranging from black through white, used in computer graphics to add detail to images or to represent a colour image on a monochrome output device.

Hue
A specific colour such as yellow or orange.

Indexed Colour
Indexed formats are formats which are mapped to a smaller colour palette – 256-colours or less. All GIF images – whose bit depths can range from 1 to 8 – are, by definition, indexed images. In an indexed image, colours are stored in a palette, which is sometimes referred to as a colour lookup table. The indexed image’s palette contains all of the colours that are available for the image.

Layout
A sample of the original providing (showing) position of printed work (direction, instructions) needed and desired.

Layered
In Photoshop, a layer is a section of information within a file. For example, a RGB file consists of at least four layers: the combined RGB layer, a Red layer, a Green layer, and a Blue.

Leading
Amount of space between lines of type.

Logo (Logotype)
A company, partnership or corporate creation (design) that denotes a unique entity. A possible combination of letters and art work to create a “sole” entity symbol of that specific unit.

Lossless Compression
The process of compressing a file such that, after being compressed and decompressed, it matches its original format bit for bit.

Midtones
In a photograph or illustration, tones created by dots between 30 percent and 70 percent of coverage, as compared to highlights and shadows.

Multichannel
Colour mode in which each multiple channel in Photoshop uses 256 levels of gray.

Pickup Art
Artwork, used in a previous job, to be incorporated in a current job.

Positive Film
Film that prevents light from passing through images, as compared to negative film that allows light to pass through. Also called knockout film.

Proof
Test sheet made to reveal errors or flaws, predict results on press and record how a printing job is intended to appear when finished.

Res-up
The process of increasing the size of a compressed graphics file to a high resolution image with tools like Genuine Fractals PrintPro from LizardTech.

Resolution
Sharpness of an image on film, paper, computer screen, disc, tape or other medium.

RGB
Acronym for red-green-blue. The three colours of light which can be mixed to produce any other colour. Coloured images are often stored as a sequence of RGB triplets or as separate red, green, and blue overlays though this is not the only possible representation (see CMYK).

Scale
To enlarge or reduce a graphic display, such as a drawing or a photographic image, by adjusting its size proportionally.

Sharpening
In Photoshop, a variation of a traditional compositing technique used to sharpen edges in an image. It is useful for images intended both for print and online.

Subtractive Colour
Colour produced by light reflected from a surface, as compared to additive colour. Subtractive colour includes hues in colour photos and colours created by inks on paper.

Tint
Screening or adding white to a solid colour for results of lightening that specific colour.

Visually Lossless Compression
The process of compressing a file such that some data is lost after the file is compressed and decompressed, although the loss is not detectable to the eye.
Welcome to Photoflashgraphics “Glossary of Graphic Terms.”

Algorithm
A detailed sequence of steps for solving a logical or mathematical problem or performing a task.

Additive Colour
A colour produced by light falling onto a surface, as compared to subtractive colour. The additive primary colours are red, green and blue.

Anti-alias
The blending of pixel colours on the perimeter of hard-edged shapes, like type, to smooth undesirable edges (jaggies).

Artwork
All original copy, including type, photos and illustrations, intended for printing. Also called art.

Alpha Channel
A special 8-bit grayscale channel that is used for saving a selection.

CIE-Lab
A colour standard based on imaginary primary colours XYZ, which are purely theoretical and independent of device-dependent colour gamuts such as RGB and CMYK. The virtual colours have been selected so that all colours which can be perceived by the human eye lie within their colour space.

CMYK
Acronym for cyan-magenta-yellow-black. A colour model that describes each colour in terms of the quantity of each secondary colour (cyan, magenta, yellow), and “key” (black) it contains. The CMYK system is used for printing.

Colour Balance
Refers to amounts of process colours that simulate the colours of the original scene or photograph.

Colour Cast
Unwanted colour affecting an entire image or portion of an image.

Colour Correct
Adjust the relationship among the process colours to achieve desirable colours.

Colour Gamut
Range of hues possible to reproduce using a specific device, such as a computer screen, or system, such as four-colour process printing.

Colour Model
Way of categorizing and describing the infinite array of colours found in nature.

Composition
(1) In typography, the assembly of typographic elements, such as words and paragraphs, into pages ready for printing. (2) In graphic design, the arrangement of type, graphics and other elements on the page.

Crop
To cut off part of an image, such as unneeded sections of a graphic or extra white space around the borders.

Crop Marks
Lines near the edges of an image indicating portions to be reproduced. Also called cut marks and tic marks.

DPI (Dots-Per-Inch)
Acronym for dots per inch. A measure of screen and printer resolution that is expressed as the number of dots that a device can print or display per linear inch.

Duotone
A colour mode which adds a single accent colour to a grayscale image.

EPS
Encapsulated Post Script, a known file format usually used to transfer post script information from one program to another.

Encode
To convert a graphics file from one size to another, either larger or smaller, for purposes of printing, editing, or transmitting electronically.

Flattening
A Photoshop CS process in which all visible layers are merged into the background, greatly reducing file size. Flattening an image discards all hidden layers and fills the remaining transparent areas with white.