EVV Print Graphics Glossary

The means within a program to reduce or enlarge the amount of space an image will occupy. Some programs maintain the aspect ratio between width and height whilst scaling, thereby avoiding distortion.

Refers to when a graphic is applied to the inside surface of the substrate (usually glass), and viewed through the substrate, as opposed to ‘First Surface’. Second surface applications on glass require the graphic to be reversed and applied to the back side so they read correctly. They sometimes compete with the reflections of the glass, but the advantage is that they are well protected from the elements and potential vandalism.

Vinyl based materials all tend to shrink over their lifespan. Cast vinyls tend to shrink the least, but it can vary by the quality of the material used, the manufacturing process, and the type of adhesive. The printing process can introduce some shrinkage as well, particularly with solvent inks which can swell the material slightly when printed.

See Sandwich Board

Sintra is a lightweight yet rigid board of moderately expanded closed-cell polyvinyl chloride (PVC) extruded in a homogenous sheet with a low gloss matte finish. It is available in several colours and can be cut and snapped or sawn with relative ease. A good material for interior hard signs.

This term is used to describe any ink that is not water-based. Piezo inkjet printers whose inks use petroleum or a petroleum by-product such as an acetone like carrier liquid. "Eco-Solvent" inks usually contain glycol esters or glycol ether esters and are slower drying. The final prints have decent colour representation but offer little scratch resistance. Because of the environmental and health concerns, solvent printing is slowly being phased out.

A specific color in a design, usually designated to be printed with a specific matching ink, rather than through process CMYK printing. Used to reduce cost or when CMYK is unable to accurately represent a color.

A line representing part of a letter or other type character. (2) The colour applied to the perimeter of an object in a graphics program (as opposed to fill which is the overall colour of the object). Most graphics programs allow the user to specify the thickness of the stroke.

A file of instructions used to apply character, paragraph, and page formats to a document.

A character printed smaller than standard text and positioned slightly below the baseline; commonly used in mathematical and chemical notation.

A substrate is a solid substance or medium to which another substance is applied and to which that second substance adheres. It may also be the base media on which something is printed or adhered to, for example paper or film.

A character printed smaller than standard text and positioned slightly above the baseline of the surrounding text; commonly used in reference citation and mathematical and technical notation.