PROMOTIONAL PRODUCT GLOSSARY
If it’s the first time you’ve ever ordered a promotional product, we can understand that you’d be overwhelmed by the terminology. What is a run charge? How is deboss different from emboss? And what in the world does CMYK stand for? The following list of terms will teach you all you’ll need to know about promotional products from appliqué to yarn. After each entry, you’ll see a short definition and sometimes an example of how it applies to the promotional products industry.
War Machine Marketing intends to make things as simple as possible & being informed about the process will also help you make better decisions when it comes to choosing your promotional products and their decoration. Knowing the difference between CMYK printing and spot colors has a massive impact on how colorful, realistic, and solid your logo and lettering will turn out. Knowing different types of patterns and fabrics will also indicate how a garment will look and feel as well as its durability to daily wear and the weather. For example, the number of panels on a hat makes a big difference when it comes to choosing between embroidery and printing.
Show up at your next staff meeting armed with all the knowledge you need!
Acrylic
Soft and wooly. Appearance varies from smooth and thin to a thick woven texture. Springs back when crushed.
Art Proof
Artwork submitted for client approval, usually a black- white stat of the camera-ready art.
Backing
Woven or non woven material used underneath the item or fabric being embroidered to provide support and stability.
Bonding
The joining together of two fabrics permanently with a bonding agent (also known as heat sealing).
Brushed Cotton
Cotton fabric that is brushed to remove all the excess lint and fibers from the fabric, leaving an ultra soft, smooth finish.
Bug
Manufacturer's identification mark printed on a form or product, usually in an inconspicuous area.
Camera-Ready Art
Any drawing, photos, illustration or lettering suitable for photographic reproduction.
Casting
Method in which molten metal is forced into a mold of rubber or plaster, then cooled into the desired shape.
CMYK
Cyan, magenta, yellow, black subtractive colors for process color reproduction.
Collateral Materials
Advertising materials that are not transmitted to consumers via traditional ad media, such as catalogs, shelf cards, posters, specification sheets and trade information materials.
Collarette
The trim around the neck of a t-shirt or sweatshirt.
Color Separation
Separation of multicolored original art by camera or laser-scan techniques to produce individual separated colors.
There are four common separations: yellow, magenta, cyan and black.
Coverage
The geographic area reached with specified intensity by an advertising medium. Also that reaction of an audience that is reached one or more times by a particular advertising schedule.
Deboss and Color-Fill
Combining hot-stamping with debossing, so foil fills an image that is pushed down into the product.
Debossing
Depression of an image into a material such as paper, leather or suede, so the image sits below the product surf
Die-Cutting
Using sharp steel blades to cut shapes from printed sheets.
Digitize
To transform graphical input data into digital form for computer processing; to transform graphical input data into digital form for computer processing. To assign a discrete numeric value to an analog variable by analog-to-digital conversion; to assign a discrete numeric value to an analog variable by analog-to-digital conversion
Emboss and Color-Fill
Combining hot-stamping with embossing (opposite of debossing). A raised image is stamped with foil. True embossing cannot be performed on vinyl.
Embossing
Raising of an image on a product, accomplished by pressing the material between concave and convex dies.
Embroidery
Design stitched onto fabric through the use of high speed, computer-controlled sewing machines.
Etched
Imprinting method in which the product to be imaged is coated with a protective coating that resists acid. The image is then exposed, leaving bare metal and protected metal. The acid attacks only the exposed metal, leaving the image etched onto the surface.
Flexography
Imprinting method for paper in which a flexible rubber plate is wrapped around a cylinder. As the paper moves under the plate, it is pressed against it by another roller, and the ink is transferred on the paper.
Foil Stamping
Process in which a metal plate or die is heated and then pressed against foil into a surface, causing the pigments of the foil to transfer to the surface. Also called hot-stamping.
Four-Color Process
Printing process that creates color productions by overprinting screens that individually print reds, yellows, blues and blacks of variable specified intensities.
Fulfillment House
Service firm that processes premium and specialty orders, often packaging and mailing the items. Other services offered include warehousing, accounting, and coupon-redemption management.
Halftone
Engraving made by photographing through a glass screen that breaks the subject into small dots of varying intensities of gray, ranging from white to black.
Heat-Transfer Printing (Direct Transfer Process)
Imprinting method in which an image is screened onto a transfer substrate, which is then laid directly on the material to be imprinted. The image is transferred from the substrate to the material through heat and pressure.
Heat-Transfer Printing (Sublimation)
Process in which a design is transferred to a synthetic fabric by heat and pressure. The heat causes the inks to turn into a gas so that they penetrate the fabric and combine with it to form a permanent imprint. Also called a plastocal transfer.
Hot Stamping
Dry imprinting process in which a design or type is set on a relief die that is subsequently impressed by heat and pressure onto the printing surface.
Lenticular Printing
Process of creating multidimensional, animated or bi-view effects by photographing with an extremely fine screen and placing plastic made up of tiny lenses over the top.
Matte Finish
Dull paper finish without gloss or luster.
Microfiber
Super fine polyester filament yarn recently developed. Microfiber has superior hand feel and draping characteristics to ordinary polyester yarn. Because the fabric is high-count polyester or nylon yarns, it is durable, water-repellent, and windproof, and retains its color, resilience, and soft touch. This fabric is tightly woven from a very fine poly thread and has a sueded finish for a luxurious, soft feel. Microfiber fabric is naturally water repellent due to its construction process and when specially treated, can also be waterproof.
Nylon
High strength, high abrasion resistance, low absorbency, good elasticity. Texture varies from smooth and crisp to soft and bulky.
Offset Printing
Printing process in which a positive image is transferred to a rubber blanket in reverse, which in turn applies it to the surface to be printed, right reading.
Opacity
Heaviness of ink coverage. Open line Product line a supplier will sell to all distributors. Also known as a general line.
Pad Printing
Method of imprinting in which a recessed surface is covered with ink. When the plate is wiped clean, ink remains in the recessed area. A silicone pad then presses against the plate, pulls the ink out of the recesses and is pressed directly against the product.
Puff Prints
Screening process using puff inks. After screening, the product is exposed to heat. A chemical additive in the ink causes it to rise, creating a raised surface.
Resolution
Density of dots for any given output device. The unit of measurement is dots per inch (dpi).
Screen Charge
Charge by suppliers for creating a silk screen of the artwork used for imprinting products.
Screen Printing
Imprinting method in which the image is transferred to the printed surface by using a squeegee to push ink through a stenciled screen stretched over a frame. Screens are treated with a light-sensitive emulsion, then film positives are put in contact with the screens and exposed to light. The light hardens the emulsion not covered by the film, leaving a soft area on the screen for the squeegee to force ink through. Also called silk screening.
Set-Up Charge
Special charges added to certain products in a catalog. It covers the cost of preparing the type for the press and the actual printing.
Shipping Date
Date an order should be shipped from the factory to the purchasing client.
Step-And-Repeat
Same image printed continuously in a pattern on the same sheet of paper.
Sublimation
Dye transfer process where the image consists of a colored dye permanently embedded into the material surface of pores. Used to imprint messages, graphics and photographs on a variety of items, primarily mousepads, mugs, T-shirts, caps and trophy medals.
Vector Graphics
Vector graphics use computer algorithms to describe shapes, lines, animation, etc. The technology of vector graphics is growing in popularity because the images are scalable and smaller in file size, a plus for online viewing and downloading. Vector graphics were developed in response to the limitations of raster-based graphics (popularly known as GIF and JPEG) because raster graphics use pixel-by-pixel definitions.
Woven
Fabric constructed by the interlacing of two or more sets of yarns at right angles to each other.
