Druckterms

Druckterms refers to the set of terminology used in the printing and publishing industry. It functions as a glossary for designers, printers, and clients to communicate clearly across prepress, printing, and postpress stages. The terms cover several domains, including prepress and file preparation (bleed, trim, safe area, crop marks, trapping, overprint, knockout, dot gain, resolution, halftone screening, imposition, proofs, color management, ICC profiles, color spaces such as CMYK and Pantone), printing processes (offset printing, digital printing, screen printing; registration; ink drying or curing), and substrates and inks (paper weight, finish, coatings, uncoated versus coated stocks; ink coverage; Pantone colors).

Postpress terminology addresses finishing steps such as binding, folding, trimming, die-cutting, embossing and debossing, foil stamping, lamination, varnish or coating, scoring, perforation, gutters, and spine construction. The concept also encompasses quality assurance and proofing terms (soft proofs, wet proofs, proof tolerances) and file preparation standards (PDF/X, embedded fonts, color profiles). In addition, terms often differentiate between process colors (CMYK) and spot colors (Pantone or other named colors), and may include discussions of color management, registration, and trapping techniques.

Druckterms vary by country and language, with many English industry terms used internationally alongside native German equivalents. Understanding Druckterms supports clearer communication, reduces production errors, and aids in budgeting and scheduling across design, prepress, printing, and finishing workflows. See also printing, typography, color management, and graphic production to place these terms in broader context.