- N -
nameplate:
The distinctive display, usually
formalized or standardized for consistent public recognition, of the
periodical's name. This "flag" is typically printed at the top of the
magazine's cover or a tabloid's front page; and usually cites issue specific
details of date and volume. Often mistakenly called a masthead (qv). See floating
flag, header, initial, rubric.
narrowcast:
A neologism on the model of 'broadcast'
(qv), to target a limited or restricted audience with specialized information
or customized programming, as in the transmission of radio and television
performances (eg: NPR, PBS, etc) for a particular age level, ethnic group,
professional class, or consumer market. People prefer media which reinforces
their opinions and conclusions, selecting media by its application to
lifestyle, education, entertainment, or career. See medium, webcast,
communique, documentary, bully pulpit, commentator, mannerism, dramatis
personae, infomercial, wasteland.
native file:
A file in the application format in which
it was originally created.
natural color:
The undyed light brown color of paper; may
also be called antique, cream, ivory, off-white, or mellow white.
NCR paper:
Abbreviation for No Carbon Required paper,
a brand name for carbonless duplicating paper. Compare flimsy, manifold; see
copy, cc, paper.
near frame:
A related or similar image, such as the
variant thumbnail depicted in the cover credit on the table of contents;
derived from the shot sequence on a film strip. See copy, replica.
near-letter-quality/near letter quality:
A relatively good-grade print output mode
available on most office machine and desktop printers for the production of
working materials and internal correspondence, that generates characters and
images with enough resolution clarity for most practical purposes; abbreviated
"NLQ". Compare draft-quality, letter-quality.
neologism:
A new word or phrase introduced into the
language, or an existing word used in a new sense; also known as
"coinage". See dictionary, orthography, cacography, counterword,
idiolect, alphabet. [cf: calque, proclitic, enclitic] [nb: "Words are, of
course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." by J. Rudyard Kipling]
nested:
Signatures assembled inside one another in
the proper sequence for binding; also called inset or insert (qqv). Compare
quire, imposition, fold lines; see binding, wrap-fold.
NetWare:
The most widely used software for local
area networks (LAN), available for DOS, Macintosh, OS/2, VAX, and UNIX systems
from Novell. Ethernet, Token Ring, and other configurations can also be used
with NetWare. See LAN, program, software.
neutral gray:
Gray without hue or cast. See
illustration.
news:
Informative reports or media coverage of
current events, as distinguished from gossip and propaganda, also known as
"domestic intelligence"; derived from "novelty". Although
news agencies existed during the decline of the Roman Empire in Italy and the
Han Dynasty in China, town criers heralded recent activities without
compensation until the implicit social stratification in the coffee house and
salon subcultures of the Medieval era made commercial presentation of news
profitable. The survival value of information shifts over time from the
forewarned community to the knowledgeable individual, until excess exchange
compels cultural reassessment. The busybody, gossip monger, tattler, hawker,
crier, and herald have been displaced by the news teller, newsreader,
newscaster, newsman, journalist, moderator, commentator; who fear the
"Scheherazade Syndrome" of perishing if their audience ever becomes
bored! Newsworthy stories are dispensed, based upon their impact, timeliness,
proximity, emotion, importance, prominence, unusualness. The free flow of news
has always been a threat to authority, since shared disclosures only reinforce
stable societies. See newspaper, newsletter, news book, tabloid, gazette,
journal, documentary, bully pulpit, expose, screed, disinformation, mediagenic,
copyboy, deskman, muckraker, yellow journalism. [nb: "Slay the messenger
of bad tidings!"; "History is a rebuke of news!"]
news book:
A collection of articles related by
subject, time, or place; as derived from the periodic theme books gathered from
published pamphlets and broadsides in early printing. A monotonic precursor of
multifarious newspapers. See tabloid, gazette, newsletter, pauper press,
compilation, screed, yellow journalism.
newsgroup/news group:
A discussion group on the Internet which
is focused on a particular topic. Communication occurs within any of the
thousands of defined newsgroups by posting messages for others to read, by
sending e-mail messages to participants or subscribers, and by having
interactive online conversations. In order to view and post messages to a
newsgroup, a news reader program is needed to interface the user's computer
with a news server on the Internet. News reader programs are text based, so
even music and movies are binary downloads. Some browsers include newsgroup
software, which may or may not organize by thread. Some newsgroups are
moderated to audit traffic, to arbitrate disputes, to censor input, and to
eliminate monopolization. See forum, thread, UseNet, chatroom, instant
messaging, blog, BBS, listserve.
newsletter:
A written report, often condensed, usually
issued periodically by an organization or agency to present topical information
to employees, contributors, stockholders, or to the public. An internal,
affiliated, parochial, or other provincial newsletter is often deemed to be a
"house organ", because it only plays music approved for the choir to
sing along with the preaching. References, cataloged by subject, include:
"Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters", "The Newsletter on
Newsletters". See tabloid, zine, pauper press, tabazine, magapaper,
periodical, pamphlet, booklet, organ, feuilleton, boilerplate, news book,
collateral.
newspaper:
A daily or weekly publication containing
current news, features, commentary, scheduled events, and advertising. A person
spends an average of thirty-minutes each day reading the newspaper. The width
of the standard newspaper column is thirteen picas (6 pica = 1 inch). See
folio, edition, masthead, subhead, frame, well, poster make-up, front-page,
basement, story, half-life, filler, ear, squib, 30, column rule, feature,
editorial, Op-Ed, feuilleton, book review, funny paper, co-op money, mission
statement, boilerplate, tabloid, journal, organ, gazette, dateline, stringer,
deskman, copyboy, copywriter, paragrapher, copy desk, slot, rim, privilege.
[nb: during the 1863 siege of Vicksburg in the American Civil War, local
newspapers were printed on the plain side of wallpaper] [v: Newspaper
Preservation Act (1971)]
newsprint:
A low-grade paper, made mainly from wood
pulp, used chiefly for newspapers. See paper, sheet.
news release:
A news story or noteworthy statement
prepared and distributed to the press by a publicist, a public relations firm,
a business, or a governmental agency; also called press release. The Four C's
of a news release are: Clear, Concise, Correct, and Complete. See advance,
communique, press kit.
newsstand:
A stall, booth, or other place at which
periodicals are displayed for single-copy sale to the public; also called
"bookstall". See kiosk, BBS, RDA, audience, audit. [nb: in a
competitive display, each periodical has 2.7 seconds or less to capture the
attention of potential buyers]
nib:
A segmented penpoint, used with various
inks to write variable strokes; also called "quill point". Derived
from "sharp point" or beak; the steel nib was invented by the
Shakers, but not patented. See penpoint, ink, stroke, calligraphy.
niche market:
Tailoring subject materials to an area of
particular interest or specific demand, such as topical and regional books,
specialized or technical magazines; often with limited distribution or
restricted availability. See audience, reader profile, universe, circulation,
book, magazine; compare crossover market, mass market.
nipping:
In bookbinding, the pressing together of
the text block and case (or covers) to expel air from between the leaves, and
give the volume its desired shape. When done after sewing but before the covers
are applied, the process is known as "smashing". See bookbinder's
press, binding.
node:
A concentration point in a network where
numerous trunks come together at the same switch. See hypermedia, browser.
noise:
An electric disturbance in a
communications system that interferes with signal reception, or prevents
information transmittal. Also, extraneous data or excessive information
acquired during duplication or transmission. Also, the wrong words, tone, or
channel in a semantic delivery system. See feedback, interface, digital
watermark; compare type noise.
non-competition agreement:
A contract regulating the business
practices of partners or employees in consideration of their privileged access
to operations and techniques, which is specifically restricted by job or
profession, time period, geographic location, and defined clientele, often with
the inducement of financial consideration; also called "restrictive
pact" or "negative covenant". See golden key, golden parachute,
headhunting. [v: monopoly, unfair competition, antitrust]
non-disclosure agreement:
A contract recognizing the
"authorship" of intellectual property, and a restraint for
confidentiality. Similar to a trade secrets (qv) agreement, this protects
ideas, concepts, designs, and formulas from infringement... all of which are
excluded from both trademark and copyright protection. In consideration of the
warrant of privacy, the disclosed information is open to discussion without
further obligation, except against misappropriation. After learning about the confidential
information, the signatory is liable for damages if any form of the idea or
design is exploited for commercial development.
nonpareil:
A six-point type; see font, type. Also, a
slug (qv) occupying six-points between lines; see quad, leading, furniture.
non-standard:
Usage that does not conform in
pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and the like, to what is considered to be
characteristic and acceptable by most educated native speakers of a language.
See slang, colloquialism, vernacular, dialect, psycholinguistics,
sociolinguistics, mannerism, language.
notation/typographic notation:
A system of graphic symbols or signs for a
specialized use, and the process of annotating with such a system; including
abbreviation, acronym, shorthand. Reference notations include: aka [(also known
as)], c [circa (exact date)], ca [circa (about, inexact date)], cf [confer
(compare)], eg [exempli gratia (for example)], et al [et alii/et alia (and
others)], etc [et cetera (and so forth, and so on)], et seq/et seqq [et sequens
(and following/and those following)], ff [(and following)], ibid [ibidem (in
the place already cited)], ie [id est (specifically)], inter alia [(among other
things)], mutatis mutandis [(the necessary changes having been made)], nb [nota
bene (note well)], opcit [opere citato (in the work previously cited)], passim
[(here and there; spread, extended)], qed [quod erat demonstrandum (to be shown/proven)],
qv/qqv [quod vide/quae vide (which see/which things see)], re [res
(regarding)], sic [(thus, precisely, unaltered)], seqq/sqq [sequentia (the
following ones)], ss [scilicet/scirelicet (to wit)], v [(volume, version,
verse, verso, vide, versus/vs, voice, verb, vowel)], verbatim [(exactly)], vide
[(see)], viz [videlicet (namely)]. See proofreader's marks, dingbat, asterisk,
ampersand, at sign, caret, obelus, ligature, footnote, shoulder note, side
note, marginalia, gloss, hanging, type, typeface, typology, diacritic,
punctuation, reference marks.
notch binding/knotch binding:
See burst binding; compare perfect
binding.
novel:
A fictitious prose narrative of
considerable length and complexity, portraying characters and usually
presenting a sequential organization of action and scenes. Derived from
"new kind of story". See novella, dime novel, hypernovel, dialogue,
picaresque, belles-lettres, roman a clef, metafiction, classic, literature,
dramatis personae.
novelization:
To put into the form of a novel, as by
adapting a play or film.
novella:
A fictional prose narrative that is longer
and more complex than a short story; a short novel. Also called
"novelette".
number sign:
A hatch-mark symbol (#) used to denote a
number, a numbered sequence, or a numbering series; and also used to signify
the substitution or replacement of any numeric value. Also, the space-mark sign
indicating the need to insert space, as between words or sections; see section
sign, proofreader's marks. Also, a symbol for pound(s), as a unit of
avoirdupois weight or mass. Also, a computer character assigned special values
for various markups and encodings. [nb: sometimes called 'hash' mark by
association with dice or mince, but actually a haplologic mispronunciation of
"hatch", from which hash is derived]
num-pad/numpad:
A contraction of number pad, being the
separate group of numeric keys arranged similar to a calculator [nb: inverse of
telephone number pad] for computational coprocessing. By toggling the "num
lock" selector, the num-pad can function as an auxiliary keyboard, with
properties assigned by scripts, subroutines, or plug-ins. See six pack,
keyboard.
nuts:
Printer jargon, coined to differentiate
the pronunciation of "en quad" from "em quad". See en,
quad, dash; compare em, mutton.
nybble:
Half a byte
(qv), or four bits; alternate spelling of 'nibble'.
- O -
obelus:
A mark (-/÷) used in ancient manuscripts
to point out questionable words or passages. See notation. [nb: not to be
confused with dagger/obelisk] [cf: sic]
obituary:
A public notice of the death of a person
[v: necrology] that is published in a newspaper or magazine, often with a
biographical sketch. The obituaries of prominent public figures are usually
researched and written in advance of the person's death, so as to be printed on
short notice. Obituaries are indexed by surname of the deceased in biographical
indices of most large libraries. See eulogy, elegy.
object code:
The machine code, directly executable by
the computer system's central processing unit (CPU), generated by a compiler or
an assembler, that was translated from the source code (qv) of a program.
Objective C:
An object-oriented C programming language
released in slightly different versions by Stepstone, NeXT, and GNU. It is
available for MS-DOS, Macintosh, VAX/VMS, and UNIX operating systems. See
C/C++, language, program.
Objective Pascal:
An extension of Pascal which has
object-oriented programming features. See Pascal, language, program.
object-oriented graphics:
Also called "object-oriented
image". See vector graphics; compare bitmap graphics.
object-oriented programming:
An approach to programming in which each
data item with the operations used on it is designated as an object; the
routines used to operate on the data item are called methods; and objects are
grouped in a hierarchy of classes, with each class inheriting characteristics from
the class above it. Some uses of object-oriented programming are simulation;
work with vectors and other mathematical objects; and work with graphic
objects. Examples of object-oriented programming (OOP) languages are SIMULA,
Smalltalk, C++, Objective C, Oblog, Object Pascal, Eiffel, ESP, ACTOR, Python,
and Loops.
oblique type:
Slanting or sloping, being neither
perpendicular nor parallel to a given line, as a font distorted by a computer
to emulate an Italic typeface. See hint, type family.
OC:
Abbreviation for "set in small
capitals"; see proofreader's marks.
Occam's Razor:
The philosophical and scientific principle
that propositions or assumptions introduced to explain something must not be
multiplied beyond necessity, hence the simplest of several hypotheses is always
the best when accounting for unexplained facts; eponymously derived from
William of Occam, and also called the "law of parsimony". When
rendering problem solving designs, as in HTML or CSS, such simplicity of
structure and style is preferred. [nb: not "Ockham"] [cf: Parkinson's
Laws, Peter Principle]
occasional type:
Category of decorative, novelty, and
miscellaneous typefaces. See type, type family, font.
OCR:
The abbreviation for Optical Character
Recognition/Reader; being the process or technology of reading printed text by
means of electronic scanning, and converting it into digital data. See e-pub.
octavo:
A book size of about 6 x 9 inches (16 x 23
cm), determined by printing on sheets folded to form 8 leaves or 16 pages;
symbol: 8vo. See sheet.
octodecimo:
A book size of about 4 x 6 inches (10 x 16
cm), determined by printing on sheets folded to form 18 leaves or 36 pages;
symbol: 18mo. Also called eighteenmo. See sheet.
oeuvre:
The works of a writer, painter, or other
artist, taken as a whole, the complete body of work; derived from
"operate", work. See opus, aesthetics.
offprint:
A run-on or reprinted article that
originally appeared as part of another or larger publication. See one-shot,
backlist, escalation, reprint permission.
offset/offset printing:
A process in which a lithographic stone,
metal, or paper plate is used to make an inked impression onto a rubber
blanket, that then transfers (offsets) it to the paper being printed. Every
offset unit comprises cylinder, dampening, and inking systems. As a refinement
of lithography innovated by Ira Rubel, offset printing commenced in 1907. Also,
the impression itself, which unit cost decreases as production increases
(unlike xerography). See duplicator, press.
off-shore sheet:
Term used in the United States and Canada
for paper made overseas. See paper.
off the record/off-the-record:
Confidential information that is either
not for publication, or is not for attribution when used as background or
context in an article or essay. Journalistic ethics require that the source be
aware of the reporter's intent, and that any caveats be negotiated before the
interview commences. See non-disclosure agreement, copyright, intelligentsia.
OLE:
The abbreviation for Object Linking and
Embedding, being a way of connecting a file with objects from other
applications; such as a page layout file with a spreadsheet chart, a word
processing file, and a graphics file included. An embedded object becomes part
of the document into which it is embedded, and is no longer linked to the
source document. A linked object is displayed in the destination document but
remains in the source document; when a change is made in a linked object, all
files connected with it are automatically updated. See link, hotlink.
one sheet:
Posters advertising movies or films, sized
about 27" wide by 40" high to fit into standard theater display
boxes. This very collectible memorabilia is now illustrated on both sides so
the image seems to alter when backlit, and may be printed on material other
than paper. See poster, broadside, bill, banner, blanket sheet, advertising.
one-shot:
A slang expression for a periodical which
only produced a single issue. Also, slang for a special edition of a regularly
published magazine. Also, refers to a full text reprint, or a single volume
abridgement, of a complete periodical serialization or of an entire book; see
offprint. Also, a slang reference to the hot melt adhesive used to bind a book
in a single application. Also, a slang term for condensed training or
concentrated instruction, especially computer usage in a single formalized
short-course; as opposed to multiple classes or incremental sessions.
onionskin:
A thin, lightweight, translucent glazed
paper, used especially for making multiple copies; also called flimsy. See
manifold, NCR paper, copy, cc, paper. [nb: both onionskin and manifold are 9#
flimsy papers, but onionskin is stronger due to its cotton fiber content]
onomatopoeia:
The formation of a word by imitation of a
sound made by or associated with its referent (eg: cuckoo, boom, etc); derived
from "making of words". Words imitating violence (eg: crash, whack,
etc) tend to have double or triple consonants. See cliche, morpheme, phoneme,
rhetorical forms.
opacity:
Characteristic of paper that prevents
printing on one side from showing through to the other side[nb: recycled 2%
more opaque than virgin]; see paper, paper coating. Also, characteristic of ink
that prevents the substance from showing through, color hold-out; see strike-through.
Also, the proportion of light absorbed by the emulsion on an area of a
photographic film or plate; see illustration.
opaque paper:
A grade of improved offset paper that
allows relatively little light to pass, which prevents show-through (qv) on double-sided
printing. See paper.
Op-Ed:
A newspaper section or page devoted to
signed articles by commentators, essayists, and selected letters from readers.
Although this public forum of propositions and rebuttals is believed to
represent a platform for the "loyal opposition", as in "opposed
to the editor"; it actually derived from "OPposite [the] EDitorial
[page]". See think piece, editorial.
open-source:
The preferred term of reference for
non-commercial software that retains copyright, but is freely distributed under
single user licensure; it attempts to remedy confusion over meaning of 'free'
as "without charge" as opposed to "without restriction".
Compare public domain software; see shareware, freeware, software.
OpenType:
The trademarked name for scalable fonts
specifically designed for enhanced clarity on the internet, as the successor to
both TrueType and Type 1 PostScript libraries, with multi-lingual typesetting
features, under a collaborative project by Adobe, Apple, and Microsoft. See
scalable font, font.
optical center:
A point approximately 10% higher than the
geometric center of a page, being the point of natural focus, when no more
prominent feature captures the viewer's attention; also called "primary
optical spot". If nothing captures the viewer's attention at the optical
center of the page, the viewer's attention will then be directed to the
upper-left quadrant. When scanning, most people (being right-handed) tend to
notice the contents of recto pages first. Layout position should utilize these
tendencies when attempting to capture or direct the viewer's attention. See
MPX, attic, sinkage, horizon line, sequence, z-path, readability.
opus/opuses/opera:
A literary work or other composition,
usually numbered in order of publication; derived from "work", with
the plural derived from "service" or 'willing work' (ie: a labor of
love). A "magnum opus" is the retrospective designation for the
greatest or chief work of an artist. See desideratum, oeuvre, recast, book,
drama, literature.
orality:
The pre-literate and non-literate
rhetorical convention of spoken communication, oral tradition, and verbal
legacy (eg: Hawaiian); which is probably the source of word games and poetic
rhythms. Contrary to conventional wisdom, illiterate is not synonymous with
ignorant. See vernacular, colloquialism, prose, prosody, verse, language,
rhetorical forms, literature, intelligentsia. [nb: derivative distinction: oral
from "mouth", verbal from "word"] [v: cantor, precentor,
lector] [cf: aphasia]
organ:
A means of communicating information,
thoughts, or opinions on behalf of some organization or group, such as a
political newspaper, a trade magazine, an academic journal, or an association
newsletter. Also, an instrument or means, as of action.
ornament:
An object or feature intended to beautify
the appearance of that to which it is added or of which it is a part, as
embellishment, decoration, adornment, filigree, tracery, including borders,
panels, tool lines, midlines, crests, cameos, cartouches, cornerpieces, corner
motifs, rules, separators, flourishes, vignettes, foils, bullets, dingbats, end
devices; also called "calligraphic ornament".
oronym:
Speech resembling strings of sound that
can result in more than one interpretation of its content (eg: stuffy nose vs
stuff he knows; pull it surprise vs Pulitzer prize; smothers vs some others;
good can decay many ways vs good candy came anyways), which is most apparent in
second languages or non-native tongues. Often used creatively in puns,
doggerel, and other wordplay. See accent, diction, dialect, idiolect,
vocabulary, word, homonym, heteronym, language. [see Confusing Words]
orphan:
In written composition or word processing,
the first line of a paragraph when it appears alone or abandoned at the bottom
of a page; derived from "destitute", as devoid or deprived. Compare
widow; see copyedit, stylesheet, stylebook, word processor, DTP, text editor.
orthographic projection:
A two-dimensional image drawn to simulate
a three-dimensional perspective, including exploded and cutaway views; also
called "orthogonal projection". Compare isometric projection.
orthography:
The art of writing words with the proper
letters, according to the accepted usage of language study. Also, a method of
spelling, as by the use of an alphabet or other system of symbols. See
punctuation, syllabary, dictionary, neologism, typology, semiotics, alphabet;
compare cacography.
OULIPO/Oulipo:
The abbreviation for Ouvroir de
Littérature Potentielle, which is generally translated as the Workshop for Potential
Literature, was founded in 1960 as a laboratory to study the rules and
constraints of story construction, of prose types, and poetic forms, including
experimental characterization, plot catalogues, and media/hypermedia
structures. The OULIPO sponsors symposia and publications, as well as Oulipian
Games (acrostics, ambigrams, combinatorial engines, perverbs, etc). See poetry,
prose, rhetorical forms, literature, language.
outline:
An open typeface structural style in which
strokes and shapes are represented by unfilled outlines. Formerly, type or font
character glyphs either existed as solid "inline" letterforms, or as
unfilled "outline" letterforms. With modern font technology,
letterform shapes are described by resolution-independent outlines; and these
outlines can be filled by paint or halftone, or outlined by adjustable lines.
Because of this capability, very few modern fonts are available in outline
styles. See reverse, cameo, knockout, cutout; compare silhouette, drop out.
out of print:
An out of print (OP) title is one that
will never be reprinted with the same ISBN. A book that will be replaced by a
new edition is declared to be out of print. Also called deadlist.
outsource:
To subcontract for procedures or processes
with specialized vendors outside the printing house, especially non-union
outlets or foreign resources; also called "farm-out",
"out-of-house", or "buy-out"/"bought-out". See
freelance, work for hire.
overhang:
A cover that protrudes, juts, or extends
beyond the trimmed signatures it contains; a projecting cover. Compare cut
flush; see cover paper, separate cover, self-cover, binding, crop, trim,
finish, post-press.
overlay:
To overlap transparent colors to form a
new color; also called a color build or "build". Compare knockout;
see illustration.
overlay proof:
Color proof consisting of clear plastic
sheets laid on top of each other, with their images in register; also called
"layered proof". See proof, illustration.
overprint:
To print additional material over
something already printed, or onto an existing template or format. Also, an
alteration that denotes a changed function or a new authority. Also called
surprint (qv). Compare ink-trap, pre-print, mortise; see illustration.
overrun:
A pressrun or production run beyond the
quantity ordered; to receive more copies than requested, due to flawless
printing, which permissible variant should be factored into the purchase order
agreement. Also, an instance of unanticipated extra, additional, or excessive
cost, which estimate contingency should be factored into the contract.
over-set:
Material that exceeds the allocated space,
which allotment must be adjusted to fit. Compare cast off; see edit, layout,
grid, template, modular make-up, pre-press.
over the transom:
See slush pile, manuscript.
Oxford comma:
The placement of a comma between each item
in a series to prevent confusion about inclusive meaning or exclusive intent;
seemingly derived from an inheritance case in England. See comma, British
quotation, punctuation, stylebook.
Oxford rule:
Printed parallel lines, being thick and
thin or heavy and light; which are reversed when paired in separators (eg: end
device, midline) or borders. See ornament.
oxymoron/oxymora:
A figure of
speech that entails contradiction (eg: just about, conspicuously absent,
thunderous silence, to make haste slowly); derived from "pointedly
foolish". See contranym, euphemism, balderdash, pap, rhetorical forms.
- P -
page:
One side of a leaf of something printed or
written, such as a book, manuscript, or letter; see sheet. Also, a block of
computer memory, up to 4,096 bytes long; or a portion of a program that can be
moved to a computer's internal memory from external storage. Derived from a
"column of writing".
page count:
The total number of pages contained in a
publication; also called "extent". Compare pagination.
page marker:
A visual cue, such as an ornament, which
informs the reader of the continuation of a story or article, or signals the
viewer of a queued or concatenated presentation; used in lieu of an oral or
verbal notification. See dingbat, bullet, guillemet, fist, continue line, read
through, end sign.
page printer:
The general (and more accurate) name used
to describe non-impact printers which produce a completed page in one action,
such as laser, ion deposition, LED and LCD shutter xerographic printers,
electro-erosion and electro-photographic printers. See printer.
page proof:
Proof of type and graphics as they will
look on the finished page, complete with elements such as headings, rules, and
folios. See illustration.
page spread:
The layout of facing pages for checking
continuity, format, style, etc. See folio, backup, crossover.
pagination:
The figures by which the leaves of a book,
manuscript, or the like are marked to indicate their sequence; see contents,
headword. Also, to subdivide an electronic document into pages for printing.
[nb: the body of a book is usually numbered in a different sequence from front/back
matter in the same volume; although the frontispiece, title page, and flyleaves
are counted, their numerals are not displayed]
palette:
The set of colors mixed for use and held
in readiness on a board or tablet; derived from "small shovel". Also,
the full range of colors made available by a computer graphics card, from which
a user may choose those program hues, patterns, and tools most appropriate for
display; see transparent palette, graphics, illustration. Also, a set of
predefined colors that ensures a unanimity of brand from issue to issue for
periodicals, and consistency of style for publications under the same imprint.
pallet:
A small, low, portable platform for
storing or moving goods; see skid. Also, a painter's palette (qv).
pamphlet:
A short treatise or disquisition, often on
a contemporary or controversial subject, published informally, variously sized
and illustrated, and bound by staples or stitching. See brochure, booklet,
chapbook, monograph, tabloid, newsletter, leaflet, journal, catalog, news book,
collateral. [nb: Daniel Defoe is recognized as the "Father of
Pamphleteering"]
PAN:
The abbreviation for Personal Area
Network, being a wireless data link among computers and communications
equipment within a single office or building for autonomous individuals or
independent professionals using cordless integration; such systems are
convenient for remote access to information and resources, but compound the
security issues extant with cable devices. See intranet, MAN, WAN, LAN.
panel:
A distinct section that is sunk below or
raised above the surface, or enclosed by a frame or border; see tool line,
emboss. Also, one page of a brochure, such as one panel of a rack flier. One
panel is on one side of the paper; and a letter-folded sheet has six panels.
pantograph:
An instrument for the mechanical copying
of maps, diagrams, line drawings, or letterforms on any desired scale. See
plotter, Benton pantograph; compare hint.
pantomime:
The representational art of conveying
actions, emotions, and thoughts by gesture without speech, as practiced by a
"mime" or "pantomimist". Also, a play or entertainment in
which the performers express themselves by gesture, often to the accompaniment
of music, as a common theatrical spectacle in England at Christmastime. Also, a
dramatic performance by a masked dancer accompanied by a chorus in ancient
Roman times. ["Pantomime: A play in which the story is told without
violence to the language. The least disagreeable form of dramatic action."
by Ambrose G. Bierce]
pap:
Words, writings, or ideas that lack
substance or real value; derived from "nipple". See euphemism, ad
diction, puffery, balderdash, boilerplate, oxymoron, jingle, doggerel. [nb:
"bunkum": after 16th Congress (1819-21) speech by F. Walker, who said
he was bound to speak for Buncombe (county in NC district he represented),
insincere political speechmaking became the paradigm for all claptrap and
humbug, prate and twaddle. Also called "wish-wash" and
"eyewash" by Jack London, and "wind music" and
"crooning by H.L. Mencken. Compare origin of 'dunce' from John Duns
Scotus.]
paper:
An absorbent material made from plant pulp
or fibrous substances, usually in thin sheets or leaves, dyed or bleached to a
desired hue, pressed or polished into a desired texture, and variously sized
for writing or printing. Paper quality is determined by content (eg: cotton
rag, wood pulp, or recycled paper), with acid-free archival stock being the
most enduring. The standard estimate for calculating the average thickness of
paper is: 100 pages = 1 centimeter. Paper thickness is a factor of the basis weight
on a ream of identical pages; but dissimilar types of paper (eg: bond vs
newsprint) are not easily compared. The word 'paper' derives from
"papyrus", which was formerly used as a writing surface; despite the
papermaking process having been invented in First Century China. Types of paper
include: art paper, bible paper, bank, board paper, body stock, bond paper,
dual-purpose bond paper, book paper, Bristol board, Bristol paper, cardboard,
cartridge, catalog paper, chipboard, corrugated board, cover paper, demy,
duplex paper, equivalent paper, fine papers, flimsy, foolscap, form bond, free
sheet, glassine, groundwood paper, house sheet, ivory board, job lot paper,
kraft paper, laser bond, ledger paper, legal paper, letter paper, lightweight
paper, manila, manifold, monarch, NCR paper, onionskin, opaque paper,
parchment, pasteboard, publishing paper, recycled paper, royal, strawboard,
supercalendered paper, vellum. Paper sizes include: A sizes, A4 paper, B sizes,
basic size, caliper, C sizes, cut sizes, ISO sizes, JIS sizes, legal-size,
letter-size, parent sheet, P sizes. See sheet, quire, ream, basis weight,
substance weight, grammage, CWT, hundredweight, M weight, ruleup, recto, verso,
backtrack, opacity, grain direction, grain long/short paper, cross grain, with
the grain, felt side, wire side, grade, condition, pulp, swatchbook, off-shore
sheet, mill order, making order, make-ready, carton, carload, pre-consumer
waste, broke, post-consumer waste, waste, spoilage. [nb: papyrus was displaced
by parchment for economic reasons before paper, which had been traded through
the Middle East, was finally established in Europe during the 12th century]
paperback:
A paperbound book, also called
"softcover". Paperbacks come in two types: trade and mass market.
Trade paperbacks are the higher end model, printed on better quality paper and
larger in size. A common trim size for trade paperbacks is 6" X 9".
Mass market books are smaller, generally around 4" X 7", and are
often printed on lower grade stock. While large commercial trade presses
usually release their books in hardcover first, independents increasingly go
straight to paperback because they tie up less capital in inventory. However,
going straight to paperback has its downsides: It is often harder to attract review
attention for a paperback original; and you cut out the option of later selling
the right to reprint the book in a paperback edition. See split edition, trade
edition, fillet, separate cover, self-cover, binding, perfect binding, dime
novel.
paperclip/paper clip:
The temporary fastening of papers has been
accomplished by 13th Century ribbon attachments [v: "red tape"], by
the 1835 John Ireland Howe design of solid-head straight-pins, and by the 1899
Johan Vaaler paperclip invention. Vaaler, of Aurskog Norway, patented several
paperclip pattern variations in Germany. The "Konaclip" was patented
by Cornelius J. Brosnan of Springfield Massachusetts in 1900. The "Gem
Clip", a double-oval shape, was then produced by Gem Manufacturing Limited
of England. In addition to the standard double-oblong design, paperclips are
triangular and owl-eye shaped, ribbed and coated. The paperclip is used in a
variety of ways, including: bookmark, picture hanger, money clip, staple
remover, sewing aid, curtain hook, and cord guide. [nb: during its WW2
occupation, Norway was prohibited from displaying traditional national signs,
so Norwegians resisted by wearing paperclips as symbols of solidarity and
patriotism]
paper coating:
Paper is finished wet or dry to obtain
surfaces from dull to premium gloss, and is coated with clay and other
substances that improves reflectivity and ink holdout. See anti-offset powder,
antique finish, aqueous coating, art paper, blade coating, book paper,
bronzing, C1S/C2S, calender, cast-coated paper, chalking, coated paper, cockle
finish, dandy roll, deboss, dull finish, English finish, felt finish, film
coating, finish, flood, genuine finish, gloss finish, grade, ink holdout, laid
finish, linen finish, machine glazed, matte finish, opacity, parchment, satin
finish, scent, slick, text paper, uncoated paper, UV coating, varnish, vellum
finish, wove finish.
PaperNet:
Computer slang for the communications
system employed by the electronically challenged, who are resistant to the
"paperless office" concept, especially referring to written
correspondence conveyed by "snail mail" ("USnail"). See
hard copy; compare e-mail, UseNet, internet.
papier-mache/papier-mƒch‚:
Moistened paper pulp, mixed with glue and
other materials, or layers of paper glued and pressed together, then molded to
form various articles, and becoming hard when dry. Literally derived from
"chewed paper"; see pulp. Also, something false or illusory that may
be easily destroyed or discredited. [cf: papier coll‚]
paragon:
Approximately a nineteen-point type; see
font, type.
paragraph:
A distinct portion of written or printed
matter dealing with a particular idea, beginning on a new line that is usually
indented. Paragraphs are used where there's a greater break in the subject than
between sentences. Stylistically, paragraphs of copy should either be indented
or line separated, but not both. See punctuation, syntax. Also, a brief article
or notice, as in a newspaper; see paragrapher, squib, snippet, filler, bite.
Also, in microprocessor parlance, a 16-byte section of computer memory
beginning at an address that is evenly divisible by 16 (hexadecimal 10); such
that a new paragraph begins at every hexadecimal address ending in 0/zero.
paragrapher:
A person who writes very short pieces or
fillers for a newspaper. See squib, snippet, filler, bite.
paragraph sign:
The special symbol (pilcrow/) indicating
the need to edit or reform the text into one or more paragraphs; also called
"paragraph mark". Also, the same sign used to demarcate unindented
block-style text. See bullet, dingbat, hanging, proofreader's marks.
parallel-fold:
A folding method, in which two parallel
folds will produce a six page sheet. To improve appearance and durability,
materials to be parallel-folded should always be laid-out with the grain of the
paper. Compare French fold; see foldout, accordian-fold, concertina-fold,
wrap-fold.
parameter:
A variable, such as a number or text, that
must be given a specific or constant value during the execution of a computer
program, or a routine/subroutine procedure within a program. Also, a variable
entering into the mathematical form of any statistical distribution, such that
the possible values of the variable correspond to different distributions. See
algorithm, subroutine, switch.
paraph:
An ornamental flourish added to a
signature or autograph, used especially by notaries to protect official
documents against forgery.
parchment:
A stiff off-white paper that has been
treated to resemble the original animal skins (ie: sheepskin, goatskin, etc)
prepared for writing, and used for manuscripts and other documents. See vellum,
paper.
parent sheet:
Any sheet larger than 11" X 17"
or A3. See sheet, paper.
parse:
To grammatically analyze and describe a
word or sentence, identifying the parts of speech, inflectional forms,
syntactic functions, and so forth. See syntax, punctuation.
Parthian shot:
A sharp but telling remark or gesture made
in closing or when departing, that's used as a literary or theatrical device;
also called "parting shot", from the arrows (dart) cast in retreat by
the Parthian cavalry. See rhetorical forms, imagery, editorial, Op-Ed.
parts of speech:
Of the eight parts of speech in English,
the class of form words (ie: noun, verb, adjective, adverb) is dynamic, and the
class of function words (ie: preposition, article, pronoun, conjunction) is
static. The two tenses in English are past and present, with all other forms
being inflected. Although the derivation of loanwords tends to instill
exceptions, language attempts to evolve anomalies toward standardization. See
modal auxiliary, clause, phrase, elliptical sentence, appositive, copula,
verbal, constituent, parse, gender, form class, word class, grammar,
punctuation, syntax, language, stylebook.
Pascal:
A high-level computer language designed to
facilitate structured programming. It is named after Blaise Pascal, a French
mathematician, who developed a calculating machine in 1642. Pascal, known for
its highly structured simplicity, was designed for teaching programming. Its
restrictive nature makes it a safe tool for students, but can be a handicap in
general-purpose programming. Nevertheless, Pascal became a widely used
programming language, and was the basis for many later languages including
Modula-2, Ada, dBASE, and PAL. A descendant simplification of ALGOL, Pascal was
designed by Niklaus Wirth in the early 1970s. See Objective Pascal, language.
pass:
One complete sequence of activities, such
as a pass through a manuscript to check spelling, or a pass through a press to lay
down varnish.
pass-along:
The informal sharing of publications among
non-paying readers, such as friends and associates, forming an incalculable
secondary audience (as distinguished from lending library borrowers). See
universe, audience. [nb: free distribution of photocopied materials in academic
or research settings is a form of pass-along that violates copyright]
password:
A secret sequence of alphanumeric
characters and other symbols used for necessary authentication prior to log-in
onto a computer system. Password protection allows a system to assign log-in
names to users for file or program access. The Password Authentication Protocol
(PAP) is a means of restricting access to authorized users by validating their
input code during log-in; this is often called a "handshake". Most
log-in environments display bullets or asterisks instead of the password, and
leave the field uncalibrated so crackers cannot predict the code count. A
computer account whose password is the user's name, called a "Joe account",
is easily invaded by crackers, because the security access code can be readily
guessed. Password accountability can also trace user activity, since each
increment of access is recorded; this demonstrable trail is often called a
"footprint". See RSA, PGP, Secure MIME @MIME, SSL, firewall, proxy,
trap door, escrow key, Clipper.
pasteboard:
A stiff board made of sheets of paper
pasted together, or layers of paper pulp pressed together. See cardboard,
paper.
paste-up:
To mount copy to art boards and, if necessary,
to overlays so it is assembled into a camera-ready mechanical. See mechanical,
art board, artwork.
pastiche/pasticcio:
A literary or artistic piece consisting
wholly or chiefly of motifs or techniques from borrowed sources, as a
hodgepodge assemblage; derived from "paste", to strew or sprinkle.
See compilation, collage, montage. [v: omnium-gatherum; cf: satire, burlesque,
harlequinade]
patch:
An interim modification of a program,
designed to repair a bug or glitch on the current version, so as to prevent a
software recall, and show manufacturing responsiveness to customer
satisfaction. The revised version of the patched program will improve and
incorporate the repair, but new and different bugs will probably occur in the
upgrade. See kludge, debug, plug-in.
patent:
The exclusive ownership of an invention or
process, and the protected right to manufacture, license, or sell said
invention or process for a specified period of time; as manifest by the
"letters patent", being the legal instrument issued by government
authorization to the patentee. See intellectual property; compare copyright,
trademark.
path:
A route from one point to another. The
logical route listing through a computer's hierarchy of structured files and
subdirectories that locates specific data within a particular system; also
known as "pathway", "pathname", "access", or
"address". Also, a link between two nodes or stations in a
communications network. Also, in graphics, the accumulated segments that will
be overwritten by a stream of text. See internet address, filename, slash,
backslash, pipe.
pathos:
The power in life or the quality in art of
evoking a feeling of compassion or pity; derived "suffering". Compare
bathos; see tragedy, drama.
pauper press:
Cheap and unofficial newsletters with
popular support, which were inspired by the dynamic and voluble American
Revolutionary War press. These unregistered and tax-resistant "penny
dreadfuls" sought high circulation, rather than the high advertising of
conventional newsletters; and were the precursor of the sensational tabloid.
This periodical form disappeared when the Stamp Act (1765 - 1855) was repealed.
See newsletter, news book, tabloid, pulp, rag, zine, newspaper. [nb: one
ingenious evader printed on plain calico, and entitled it the "Political
Handkerchief"... possible origin of "the rag"?!]
PCI:
The abbreviation for Per Column Inch, as
used to compute advertising rates; see fractional ad, advertising,.
PCL:
The abbreviation for Printer Control
Language; being the control language for HP LaserJet printers, and supported by
many other printers and typesetting machines. PCL tells the printer how to
print a page, as does a Page Description Language. See printer driver.
PDF:
The abbreviation for Portable Document
Format, being a cross-platform publishing protocol for both pre-press/print and
electronic media output devices; also called "page description
format". Although any configuration can be imported into PDF, the
graphical output can only be viewed with Acrobat Reader, an application freely
distributed by Adobe Systems. If a document is reconverted through the Acrobat
exchange interpreter to/from its original source, it will probably develop
translation glitches. In conformity with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act,
PDF can also be converted to HTML or ASCII formats for access by adaptive
devices.
PDL:
The abbreviation for Page Description
Language; being a high-level programming language for determining the output of
a page printer designed to work with it, independent of the printer's internal
codes. The applications software is independent of the physical printing
device, as with imPress, Interpress, PostScript, and DDL. See printer driver.
PE:
Abbreviation for printer error, which
correction is not accountable to editorial expenses; see typographical error,
AA, proofread, underrun. Also, abbreviation for Percent Enlargement of images,
used when a size or density conversion must be proportional.
pearl:
A five-point type; sometimes classified as
agate (qv). See font, type.
pen:
Any of various instruments for writing or
drawing with ink or a similar substance; term derived from 'feather'. See
fountain pen, ballpoint, pencil, quill, writing instrument; compare puck. Also,
a penpoint, integral or detachable, with or without penholder handle or shaft;
see nib, penpoint, ink. Also, Also, metonym or symbol for a writer or author.
Also, organizational abbreviation for the International Association of Poets,
Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists (P.E.N.).
pencil:
A slender stick of wood or tube of metal
containing a core of a solid coloring material, such as graphite or the like,
used for writing or drawing. Also, an artist's paintbrush (archaic) used for
fine or detail work; derived from "little tail" (penicillus). See pen,
writing instrument.
pen name:
See allonym, samizdatchik, ghostwriter.
[nb: "I name no one; it is enough to point out the kind." by Publius
Cornelius Tacitus (neminem nominabo, genus hominum significasse contentus)]
penpoint:
The tip of a ballpoint pen or the split
point of any other writing instrument (qv), being a small tapered end for the
controlled dispensing of ink. See nib, ink, stroke, calligraphy.
perf:
Abridgement of perforation, being a hole
or series of holes made by (or as if by) boring, punching, or piercing through
paper or some other material, and used as a border or divider, or an aid to
partition; derived from "drill".
perfect binding:
A method of binding books in which the
backs of the sections are ground off (resulting in textured surface for
adhesion), and the leaves glued to a cloth backing or wrapped paper cover; also
called "adhesive bind", "cut-back bind", "glue
bind", "drawn-on binding", "paper bind", "patent
bind", "soft bind", and "softcover". Compare burst
binding; see binding, burst binding, paperback.
perfecting:
The process of printing on both sides of
the paper during a single pressrun on either a sheet-fed or web press;
especially useful on uncoated text-weight paper printing long copy with few
illustrations, such as books. Compare work and turn, work and tumble; see
duplex.
perfect press:
Sheet-fed or web press capable of printing
both sides of the paper during a single pass; also called "duplex
press" and "perfector", as invented by Friedrich Koenig/Konig.
See press.
perfect rhyme:
The rhyme of two words which are
pronounced identically but differ in meaning (eg: rain/reign, soul/sole); also
called "rime riche". Also, rhyme in which the stressed vowels and all
following consonants and vowels are identical, but the preceding consonants are
different (eg: chain/brain, dole/pole); also called "full rhyme". See
rhyme, meter, foot, scansion, prosody, verse, poetry.
period:
The point, dot, or character (.) used to
mark the end of a declarative sentence, or to indicate an abbreviation; also
called "full point" or "full stop". Also, a well-balanced
or impressive sentence. Also, a group of two or more cola. Also, the same mark
used as a decimal point when fractionating numbers for mathematical calculations
or monetary computations. Compare comma; see foot, ellipsis, elliptical
sentence, sentence, punctuation, stylebook.
periodical:
A publication, such as a journal or
newsletter, that is issued under the same title at regular intervals. See
magazine, e-mag, e-pub, little magazine, regional edition, newsletter, trade
journal, public relations magazine, gazette, journal, organ, zine, tabloid,
tabazine, magapaper, newspaper, series, feature, violin piece, department,
umbrella, constant, running head, running foot, dateline, publication date,
volume number, back issue, key title, ISSN, Gresham's Law.
PERL:
The abbreviation for Practical Extraction
and Reporting Language; see UNIX, language.
PGP:
The abbreviation for Pretty Good Privacy,
which was developed by Philip Zimmermann, and is distributed in both freeware
and commercial versions. PGP is an encryption program based on RSA (qv)
public-key cryptography. PGP allows users to exchange files and messages, with
both privacy and authentication, over all kinds of networks. The messages are
unreadable unless the receiver has an encryption key. PGP encrypts data using
the International Data Encryption Algorithm (IDEA) with a randomly generated
key, then encrypts the key using the receiver's public key. After the message
is transmitted, PGP uses the receiver's private RSA key to decrypt the IDEA
key, then decrypts the message using that key. PGP features keys longer than
128 bits, and can be used with UNIX, MS-DOS, Windows, and Macintosh. Because
PGP is based on public-key cryptography, no secure channels (cf: SSL) are
needed to exchange keys between users. PGP can also provide digital signatures
for files or messages. Because of its effectiveness and access, it is illegal
to use PGP in many countries outside the USA. See proxy, firewall, password,
escrow key, Clipper, steganography.
phoneme:
Any of the minimal units of speech sound
in a language that can serve to distinguish one word from another, by the
relationship between sounds and letters. Any combination of phonemes which
regularly occur together and which, as a group, are associated with some point
in the content structure is a morpheme. See digraph, morpheme, syllabary,
syntax, language, alphabet. [v: phonology, toneme, etic, emic; cf: allophone]
photocopy:
A photographic reproduction of a document,
print, or the like, including photostat. See reprography, xerography.
photogenic:
An appealing subject or attractive feature
for photography; see mediagenic. Also, causing, producing, or emitting light,
as luminiferous or phosphorescent.
photography:
The process of producing images of objects
on sensitized surfaces by the chemical action of light or by other forms of
radiant energy. This process, originated by J. Nicephore Niepce, was made
practical in 1837/9 by Louis J.M. Daguerre, inventor of the
"daguerreotype"; by developing a picture onto a sensitized silver
iodide surface through exposure to mercury vapor. Louis Ducos du Hauron
advanced the principle of color photography in 1862 by the superimposition of
three basic colors (ie: red, yellow, blue) that would be combined in different
proportions to give an infinite variety of shades and tints; then designed a
camera to take three separate impressions of the same image [v: progressives]
to implement this theory by 1869. See bromide, cinematography, film, gamma,
illustration. [nb: the first authentic photograph was a still-life, the second
was a landscape, and there is considerable evidence that the third was of a
nude model!]
photogravure:
A process, based on photography, by which
an intaglio engraving is formed on a metal plate, from which ink reproductions
are made. This method, which requires screens for both text and image copy, has
the advantage of high speed and long run capability needed in publishing. See
gravure, gravure press.
phototypesetter:
Since 1946, a high-resolution printing
plate with a relief printing surface produced by photography. See Imagesetter,
typesetter.
phrase:
Any sequential arrangement of two or more
words, lacking the characteristics of a clause, usually serving as a
construction in a grammatical unit. Compare clause; see catch-phrase,
appositive, elliptical sentence, sentence, parts of speech.
phreak:
A person, also called a "phone
phreak", who uses computers or other electronic devices to tamper with telecommunications
systems, and to place long-distance telephone calls without paying toll
charges. See hacker, cracker, script kiddie, turist, software.
Pi fonts:
Special characters, such as scientific
symbols and mathematical signs, not usually included in a font, but which are
added as coordinated supplements. See dingbat, wingding, font.
pica:
The Anglo-American unit of typographic
measure, equal to 0.166 inch (4.218mm) or 12/12.2 points, used as a linear
gauge for type, pages containing type, and so forth; see measure, pitch,
compare point. Also, a 12-point type, widely used for typewriters, having 10
characters to the inch, sized between small pica and English; compare elite,
see typeface, font. [nb: the em square measure is both height and width, while
the en measure is full height but half the width of em; both pica and point are
linear measures, with pica of line length, and point of line height]
picaresque:
A form of prose fiction that describes a
series of humorous or satiric episodes of a roguish adventurer; derived from
"rogue" or "vagabond" (picaro). See prose, novel,
literature. [nb: not 'picturesque']
picking:
The lifting of fibres out from the paper
as a result of ink being too tacky, which shows as small white dots on areas of
solid color. Compare hickey, slur, mottle, scum, setoff.
PICT:
A Macintosh format for defining images.
See graphics, illustration.
pictography:
A method or system of recording events or
expressing ideas by pictures or pictorial symbols; also called "picture
writing". Also, any diagrammatic record consisting of pictorial symbols.
See ideogram, hieroglyphics, rebus, semiotics, alphabet, typology.
pidgin:
An auxiliary non-native language, that has
developed from the need of speakers of different languages to communicate, and
is essentially a simplified and short-lived form of a prominent language, with
a reduced vocabulary and grammatical structure; origin may be a variant of
"business talk" in Chinese pidgin English. A pidgin evolves into a
creole when it acquires syntax (eg: Krio). Both "baby talk"
(preconstructive) and "telegraph speech" (deconstructive) may be
classified as pidgin due to their discordance. See creole, lingua franca,
jargon, vernacular, pig Latin, language.
pig Latin:
An informal or juvenile language derived
from ordinary English by moving the first consonant or consonant cluster of
each word to the end of the same word, and adding the sound (long-a) [eg:
Eakspay Igpay Atinlay = Speak Pig Latin]. See pidgin, creole, vernacular,
language.
pigment:
An insoluble dry substance, usually
pulverized, that becomes a paint, ink, dye, or stain when suspended in a liquid
vehicle. Also, a coloring matter or substance. See carbon black, ink, dye, hue,
tint.
pipe:
A portion of memory that can be used by
one process to pass information along to another; also called
"pipelining". Two computer processes are connected so that the output
of one can be used as the input to the other. Pipelining refers to the use of
pipes in passing the output of one task as input to another until a desired
sequence of tasks has been carried out. Pipes are symbolized in the MS-DOS and
OS/2 operating systems by the vertical-bar or stem (|) character, as in the
command: DIR | SORT | MORE, which calls for a directory listing, pipes the
output to the sort command, and then pipes the results of the sort command to
the more command, which displays its output one screenful at a time. See slash,
backslash, path, filename.
pipeline:
A developmental process or delivery
channel, such as directing or re-directing the flow of data automatically into
jumps or templates. Compare pipe, stream; see layout, grid, template, read
through, text editor.
pitch:
A unit of typographic measurement
indicating the number of characters to a horizontal inch; as based upon the
regular distance between any two adjacent things in a series. See pica, point,
em, en, measure, typeface, font.
pixel:
The smallest element of an image that can
be individually processed in a video display system; abbreviated
"px", as derived from "picture + element" or "picture
+ cell". Compare vector, lpi/lpcm; see ppi/ppcm, bitmap, interpolation,
illustration.
pixelated/pixellated:
Visible as a pattern of pixels, such that
the details of the bitmapped image are distorted, and the presentation detracts
from the effect of the created impression. Pixelation most often occurs as a
result of over-enlargement, but is also affected by software format and screen
interlacing. See pixel, moire, mottle, dithering, web pox, illustration.
pixel map:
A three-dimensional array of bits
represented as a two-dimensional array of pixels, in which each pixel has a
depth of a certain number of bits.
plagiarism/plagiary:
The unauthorized use of the language and
thoughts of another author, and the representation of them as one's own;
derived from "to snare", as kidnapping. See fair use, public domain,
non-disclosure agreement, credit line, byline, ghostwriter, copyright,
appropriation. [nb: "If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; but if
you steal from many, it's research." attributed to Wilson Mizner.
Attribution also depends upon the identity of the thief; as Daniel Defoe hired
hacks to counterfeit works pseudonymously, and as Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne
Clemens) has been "excused" for stealing from Washington Irving, Josh
Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw), Samuel Butler, Robert Richardson, Alexandre
Dumas, Andrew Carnegie, and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Plagiarism is not the same
as misquotation (qv), especially when credit is disclaimed, as by Greeley for
Soule.]
planography:
The art or technique of printing directly
from a flat surface or by offset. [nb: not "planigraph"] See press.
plate:
Piece of paper, metal, plastic, or rubber
carrying an image to be reproduced using a printing press. See digital plate,
flat, burn, emulsion, fountain solution, screen, halftone, intaglio,
flexography, lithography, offset, gravure press, hologram, register marks,
strip, sheetwise, step and repeat, opacity, hickey, film.
platen:
A cylinder or flat plate in a printing
press for pressing the paper against an inked surface to produce an impression;
compare bed. Also, the roller of a typewriter or impact printer used for
guiding paper through the device.
plate-ready film:
Stripped negatives or positives fully
prepared for platemaking. See working film, flat, illustration.
platform:
A threshold level of computer environment,
such as an operating system or a data base, which enables software applications
to function; see program. Also, any group of compatible computers that can run
similar software, therefore, "cross-platform" is software compatible
with any computer system or hardware; see POSIX.
play:
Dramatic performance; see drama,
pantomime, dramtis personae, broadcast, script, dramaturgy, recast, writer.
Also, attention or coverage; see feature, story. Also, a pun. Also, enterprise
or venture (qv).
pleasing color:
Any color that the customer considers
satisfactory, even if it may not match the samples or originals. See contract
proof.
pleonasm:
The use of more words than are necessary
to express an idea, a circumlocution; a redundancy (eg: for free, free gift,
true fact, false fabrication, terrible tragedy, concede defeat, ways and means,
close proximity, now pending, just exactly, near approximation, revert back,
more perfect, advance registration, in order to, at the present time, numerous
myriad, few in number, in the course of, consensus of opinion, possible
suspect, minimize as far as possible, with the exception of, with the result
that). See puffery, balderdash, prolixity, sesquipedalism, tautology,
rhetorical forms. ["Pleonasm: An army of words escorting a corporal of
thought." by Ambrose G. Bierce]
plot:
The main story or principal theme of a
literary or dramatic work; also called "motif". See story line, deus
ex machina, foreshadowing, denouement. [v: leitmotif]
plot summary:
Synopsis. See scenario, story line,
storyboard.
plotter:
A device or instrument for calculating
lines and measuring angles on a chart. Also, a type of computer printer that
draws a graphical representation on paper with one or more attached pens. See
graph plotter, pantograph.
plug:
A slang term used in publishing to refer
to a new book that is not selling well, hence the use of promotion in an
attempt to boost readership. Compare puff, see rums.
plug-in/plugin:
An accessory program that augments a main
application with extended features or special capabilities, especially for
multimedia environments. Plug-ins are sometimes distributed by a software
manufacturer as an interim upgrade of primary programs. The advantage of
plug-ins, most of which are made by third-party vendors, is that the user only
needs to install a small piece of software to a larger program in order to
obtain a new feature. The pool of possible derivatives is usually too large for
the original program publisher to incorporate all of the plug-in options into
each revision. See patch, program, software. [nb: a plug-in is known as a
"Java Bean" by Java and an "Xtension" by Quark]
pluralia pantum:
Irregular nouns that are always plural;
are not derived from a singular affect (eg: amends, annals, jitters,
shenanigans, doldrums, delirium tremens, etc). See word, vocabulary.
PMS/PMS Colors:
The obsolete abbreviation for Pantone
Matching System, being a set of standard colors, with each color designated by
a number. Printers use PMS sample books to pick colors and then mix the inks to
the exact specifications. On the computer, many graphics programs allow the
user to pick colors by PMS number and display the chosen colors (or their nearest
calibrated monitor approximation) on the VDT screen. The correct tradename for
the colors in the Pantone Matching System is PANTONE Colors. Other suppliers,
such as Toyo, compete with PMS, but availability is a cost factor in
production. See four-color process, swatchbook, illustration.
PNG:
The abbreviation for Portable Network
Graphics; a low-loss compression bitmap graphics file (*.PNG) format, offering
both partial and fully transparent palettes, gray scale template, but no
animation. As approved by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in 1996, PNG is
patent- and license-free, and is therefore a good substitute for *.GIF format,
which utilizes the proprietary LZW data compression algorithm. PNG is widely
supported by the latest graphics software and current browsers. Compare GIF;
see graphics, illustration.
pochoir:
A method of hand illustration, used
primarily in deluxe editions, in which color is applied by dabbing ink or paint
through a stencil made of paper, metal, or celluloid to produce a handcrafted
effect. This same technique may be used to add color to a preprinted design;
derived from "stencil". See illustration.
poet:
See writer, muse.
poetic license:
Liberty or latitude, especially as taken
by a poet or other writer, in deviating from conventional form, logic, fact, or
the like, to produce a desired effect. Also called "literary
license"; see anachronism, grammar.
poet laureate:
An eminent poet whose work has been
recognized and proclaimed as notable or representative of a people or region;
which in Great Britain is a lifelong appointment, and in the U.S.A. (since
1985) is an annual term of office. A Medieval Italian scholar named Petrarch
(Francesco Petrarca) was the first poet to be crowned with a laurel wreath
since Virgil. See literati, intelligentsia, immortals.
poetry:
Literary work in metrical form, as poetic
works, poems, and verse; also known as poesy. Also, prose with poetic
qualities. See prosody, verse, rhetorical forms, OULIPO.
point:
A unit of type measurement equal to
0.013875 inch (1/72 inch), or 1/12 pica (0.351mm); see pica, pitch, em, en.
Also, a diacritic, as a dot or line, indicating a vowel or the modification of
a sound in a writing system; see accent. Also, a unit of measure of paper or
card thickness, equal to 1/1000 of an inch (0.001"). See typeface, font.
[nb: letters over 72-points are always sized by inches or centimeters]
pointer:
A pointing device that enables the user to
select menu items or command options on a display screen for input or output;
examples include mouse, trackball, joystick, touchpad, puck, stylus, and light
pen. A pointer may be variously represented as an arrow, cross, I-beam, hand,
or other object, depending upon the content and application; and may also be
known as a "mouse cursor". See image map, insertion point, console.
Also, a programming variable that contains the encoded instruction or memory
address to jump processing into another part of the data structure. Also, a
hypertext link or cue on a webpage; see link.
pointillism:
The application of primary colors painted
in small dots and brush strokes laid proportionately on a neutral field,
employed as a Neo-/Post-Impressionist technique. See stipple, color build,
color shift, hue, tint, value; compare mezzotint, tesselate, reticulate.
point of view:
The specified manner of presentation, or
the perspective of appraisal for a literary or dramatic work; the position of
the character or standpoint of the narrator in relation to the story. [v: mood,
tone]
poison-pen:
An acrimonious or malicious composition,
usually sent or posted anonymously. See flame-bait, flame, screed; compare
euphemism.
polyglot:
A book containing the same text composed
in several languages, as a bilingual edition or scholarly translation, as
derived from "many + tongued"; see edition, vulgate. Also, facility
or fluency in several languages, being multilingual; see creole. Also, a
mixture or confusion of several languages; see pidgin.
polysemy:
Words with several or multiple meanings,
as having a diversity of meaning rather than a vague ambiguity of intent;
derived from "many + signs". See word, vocabulary, counterword,
pleonasm, tautology, puffery, prolixity, sesquipedalism.
POP/P.O.P.:
The abbreviation for Post Office Protocol;
being a protocol used by mail clients to download messages from a mail server
on the Internet. The older version, POP2, a standard since the mid-1980's,
requires SMTP to send messages. The newer version, POP3, can be used with or
without SMTP. Some e-mail applications can use the newer Internet Message
Access Protocol (IMAP). Also, the abbreviation for Point of Presence; being the
closest site where a user can connect to an Internet server or other remote
server; or, the location where a line from a long-distance telephone carrier
makes a local connection. Also, a slang term meaning to remove or retrieve data
from a stack of work in progress; the opposite of "push", for adding
to the data stack. Also, the abbreviation for Point of Purchase; being a
computer terminal or vending machine situated in a store or shopping mall where
a customer can view products with their prices and select items to buy. See
e-mail.
pop-up:
A type of child-sized window that appears
on top of (over or above) the browser display of a visited webpage. This
overlay window pane frequently advertises a product or service, but may contain
accessibility specifications or important announcements regarding the visited
website. The pop-up box covers a portion of the primary display, necessitating
a "click through", which intrusion and delay annoys many visitors,
and can alienate potential clients or customers. A similar
"pop-under" box, which appears in back of (behind or under) the
browser window, will only be revealed during the sequential disconnection from
the Internet. Blocking software can eliminate pop-ups (and pop-unders), but
loading of a webpage can be delayed due to suppression of a necessary dialog
box; furthermore, some child windows will not display if pop-up blocking is
active. See box, adware, spyware, spam.
pop-up utility:
A program installed as memory resident,
and launched during start-up or coincident with another application, so as to
be immediately available whenever a "hot key" keyboard combination is
executed. When activated, the pop-up utility overlays any other application
until closed for later recall. It differs from task-switching in that the
primary program remains displayed, and the pop-up utility often interacts with
that program, such as in a dictionary or search procedure. In MS-DOS systems,
this utility is known as a "terminate and stay resident" (TSR)
program.
pore:
To steadily read or attentively study some
subject or material. Also, to meditate upon or ponder over intently. Also, to
earnestly or steadily gaze. See edit, redact, recension, blue-/red-pencil,
proofread, copyedit, rewrite, stylebook.
pornography:
Pictorial or verbal depictions intended to
arouse sexual excitement, or tending to deprave or corrupt; also known as
"porn", as derived from "writing about harlots".
Pornography is generally considered to be venery or obscenity that panders to
lewd, lascivious, salacious, or prurient interest without artistic merit or
other redeeming value. See curiosa, photography, expurgate, censorship. [cf:
eros, erotica, exhibitionism, masturbation, onanism, exotica; v: nihil obstat,
bowdlerize, vulgarity, smut, dirty, hot stuff, adult, soft-/hard-core, X-/XXX-rated,
blue movie, skin mag/flick, snuff film, stripper, stag show, striptease, girlie
mag/show, burlesque, "burley-cue" (with "girlie-cue"),
bawdyhouse, brothel, bordel/bordello, bagnio, house of ill repute, house of ill
fame, cathouse, stews, maison de passe, maison close]
portal/portal website/web portal:
A website serving as an entrance to the
internet or as a starting point for "web surfing", usually offering a
broad array of resources and services, such as e-mail, e-pubs, forums, search
engines, and on-line shopping malls; derived from "gateway",
especially an impressive or imposing one, or one leading into a tunnel or mine.
Compare homepage; see website.
portfolio:
A flat portable case for stowing loose
pages, as a manuscript, documents, illustrations, or other work product. See
slipcase, loose-leaf, jacket, boustrophedon.
POSIX:
An acronym created from the phrase
Portable Operating System Interface, the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard that defines a set of operating system
services. Programs that adhere to the POSIX standard can be easily ported from
one system to another. POSIX was based on UNIX system services, but was created
in a way that allows it to be implemented by other operating systems. See file
system, program, platform, computer.
post-consumer waste:
Paper that has been printed and returned
to a paper mill for recycling, instead of disposal into a landfill. Compare
pre-consumer waste, spoilage.
poster:
A broadsheet or placard designed for
display in a public place, as for advertising or propagandizing; see one sheet,
broadside, eight sheet, bill, blanket sheet, banner, fly sheet, leaflet,
handbill, advertising.
poster make-up:
A newspaper or tabloid layout pattern,
with large headings, short articles, and numerous pictures. Compare well,
frame; see news.
post-press/postpress:
The necessary assembly, trimming, binding,
and packaging of a publication preliminary to distribution; compare pre-press,
see finish.
PostScript:
A page description language from Adobe
Systems that controls desktop printers and imagesetters. PostScript translates
the text and graphic images that appear on the computer screen via Display
PostScript into instructions for the printer. PostScript must be used with a
printer that can interpret it using a PPD file. See PostScript Level 2, EPS,
streambedding, preflight, GhostScript, illustration.
PostScript Level 2:
An enhanced version of PostScript which
has improvements in color halftone screening, color matching, and memory
management, built-in image file decompression, and the ability to work with
extended character sets.
potboiler:
A mediocre work of literature, or any
other art, produced merely for financial gain. See dime novel, yellow
journalism, writer.
pounce:
A fine powder, as of cuttlebone, formerly
used to prevent ink from spreading in writing, or to prepare parchment for
writing. Also, a fine powder, often of charcoal, used in transferring a design
through a perforated pattern. Derived from pumice. See anti-offset powder.
PPD file:
The abbreviation for PostScript Printer
Description file, being a file that gives the PostScript driver information
about a printer. Compare EPS; see printer driver.
ppi/ppcm:
The abbreviation for pixels per
inch/centimeter, being a unit of measurement for input resolution and display
on monitors; compare lpi/lpcm. Also, the abbreviation for pages per inch, being
the relative thickness of a book, as a volume prepared for sale in competition
with similar treatments or to a select audience giving the impression of
increased content.
PPP:
The abbreviation for Point-to-Point
Protocol; being a protocol for communication between computers using TCP/IP,
over standard telephone lines, ISDN, and other high-speed connections. PPP was
developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and is defined with
graphical fronts (like Mosaic and Netscape) in RFC 1171. It can be used to
connect a computer to the Internet, for services such as the World Wide Web and
e-mail. PPP is faster than SLIP, includes error detection and data compression;
it can be used for router-to-router and host-to-network connections with both
synchronous and asynchronous transmission. A Macintosh control panel, called
"Config PPP", is opened by the user to establish a connection
containing PPP instructions, such as port speed, modem string, telephone
number, server identity, and the like. See SLIP, TCP/IP.
PR:
A UNIX text formatter, which is defaulted
to produce documents headed with the file name, date, and page number.
Multi-column output is among the available options; and PR can run within a
screen-oriented editor, such as "Vi". See text editor.
pre-consumer waste:
Paper that has not been printed, including
trimmings leftover from converting paper into products (such as envelopes),
from roll ends, from unusable damaged paper, and from mill waste. See broke;
compare post-consumer waste, spoilage.
preface:
A preliminary statement, especially by the
author or editor of a book, setting forth the purpose, establishing the
perspective, and acknowledging contributions or assistance. A preface usually
follows a foreword, if both are used. Derived from "to say
beforehand"; may also be known as "prolegomenon". See front
matter.
preflight:
The initial print job in-take process,
often performed by preflight utility software, which determines the
completeness of documents or files before any actual work begins; also called a
"flight check". The utility analysis program detects problems (eg:
missing images) or omissions (eg: absent fonts) prior to being sent to a
PostScript RIP; and such a utility may also contain a previewer. See pre-press.
preliminary proof:
Any proof examined prior to making a
contract proof. See composite proof, integral proof, galley proof, bombproof.
premium:
An added incentive to subscribe, renew, or
donate; it's always something concrete like a special issue, tote bag, or
t-shirt. Promotions to increase patronage based upon discounts and premiums
usually attract short-term clientele, alienate or annoy regular subscribers
subjected to the price disparity or frequency of solicitation, and fail to
garner high subscription renewals. See testing, blow-in card, reply coupon,
self-mailer.
pre-press/prepress:
The setup and checking of print design
before production to ensure that text and illustrations are camera-ready;
functions performed by the printer or pre-press service prior to printing may
include: color correcting and separating, stripping, and platemaking. With
mixed media production, this term is evolving into "electronic
pre-press" (EPP) or "pre-media" for spectrum coverage. Compare
post-press, preflight.
pre-print:
To print portions of sheets that will be
used for later imprinting. Compare overprint, surprint.
prequel:
A sequel to a film, play, or piece of
fiction that prefigures or foreshadows the original. See series; compare
sequel.
press:
All presses are composed of the following
units: feeding, registration, printing, delivery. See bed, chase, cold-set web,
cylinder press, demand printing, duplicator, feeding unit, flexography, form
web, frisket, full web, galley, gravure press, guide edge, half web, head stop,
heat-set web, impression cylinder, ink fountain, ink-jet printing, letterpress,
linotype, lithography, mimeograph, mini web, monotype, offset, perfect press,
planography, platen, quick printing, reprography, rotary press, sheet-fed
press, three-quarter web, tympan, web press, xerography; anti-offset powder,
pounce. [nb: "Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract
our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved
end." by Henry David Thoreau]
press check:
Event at which makeready sheets from the
press are examined before authorizing production to begin; also called
"on-site inspection". Optional press checks may include
determinations of specific materials, true color, separation quality, image
consistency, registration accuracy, fold sequences, trim measurements, and
physical flaws. Press check sheets should be compared with marked proofs to
ensure that corrections were made.
press kit:
An information packet compiled on a
specific subject, person, or event, which is also called a media kit; and
usually contains a news release, a story summary, background details (eg:
resume/r‚sum‚, biography, statistics), and any related materials (eg: jacket
illustration, white paper). See advance, publicist, blad, advertising.
press proof:
Proof made on production press, using the
plates, ink, and paper specified for the job; also called
"strike-off". See proof.
pressrun:
The quantity from a printing press for a
specified job; also called "run". See long run, short run, gang,
overrun, underrun, tail-in.
preview:
A feature in text-based or command line
(non-WYSIWYG) DTP and word processing software that simulates (or approximates)
the appearance of a document before printing. See GUI, graphics.
price break:
Quantity at which unit cost of paper or
printing drops. In the United States and Canada, price breaks for paper are
typically at 4 cartons, 16 cartons, 5,000 pounds, and 20,000 pounds.
printer:
A person or firm engaged in the business
of printing; see tramp printer, printery. Also, a machine used for printing;
see press. Also, a computer peripheral or output device that produces a paper
copy of data or graphics; see page printer, printer driver, plotter.
printer driver:
A software routine that describes the
physical characteristics of a particular printer, and converts output data for
printing into a form that the printer command controls can utilize. Most modern
operating systems come with printer drivers for the most common types of
printers, but they must be installed before the printer can be used. Updated
drivers can also be downloaded from the printer manufacturer's Web site. See
PCL, PDL, PPD, Epson emulation, Express, escape sequence.
printer font:
Font converted from display device and
produced by software in an output device. Compare screen font; see font.
printer's devil:
A young or inexperienced worker in a
printing shop, ranked below the level of apprentice. See demon letters.
printer's pi:
The jumbled disarray of type spilled from
its case, or unsorted from disassembled chases; hodgepodge, m‚lange. See demon letters,
type case.
printer spreads:
Files prepared so they are imposed for
printing. See crossover, spread.
printery:
An establishment for the production of
printing; a print shop.
printing:
Any process that transfers to paper, or
another substrate, an image from an original, such as a film negative or
positive, electronic memory, stencil, die, or plate. The three types of
printing are: relief or block (letterpress); recessed or intaglio (gravure);
flat or offset (planography). The six steps of printing are: design, image
assembly, image conversion, image carrier preparation, image transfer,
finishing. Quality is usually classified: basic, good, premium, showcase (qv).
printing plate:
The surface carrying an image to be
printed. See cliche.
printing unit:
Assembly of fountain, rollers and
cylinders that will print one ink color; also called deck, tower, color
station, ink station, and printer station.
privilege:
A right, immunity, defense, benefit, or
exemption granted to special group of people, especially persons in authority
or office, to free them from certain obligations or liabilities; notably
including: "absolute" (public official), "congressional speech
and debate" (constitutional exemption), "public personage/figure"
(no shield beyond specific area), "practitioner's" (physician,
psychologist, chaplain, etc), "employer's" (to communicate with
employees about work), "whistleblower's" (expose corruption without
trespass or intrusion), "qualified" (opinion clause beyond profession
or issue). In publishing, "comparative advertising" (contrast
recognizable products, not opinion), "reporter's" (fair comment
immunity), "editor's" (alter grammar and quotes without changing
meaning; no defamation or infringement). The Supreme Court (Pittsburgh Press
Co. v. Human Rel. Comm'n, 1973) emphasized the importance of independent
editorial judgment. It prohibited "any restriction whatever, whether of
context or layout, on stories or commentary originated by [the press], its
columnists, or its contributors." The Court reaffirmed "unequivocally
the protection afforded to editorial judgment and to the free expression of
views on these and other issues, however controversial." The judicial
decision (Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo, 1974) averred that "[t]he
choice of material to go into a newspaper, and the decisions made as to
limitations on the size and content of the paper, and treatment of public
issues and public officials -- whether fair or unfair -- constitute the
exercise of editorial control and judgment." See edit, freedom of speech.
PRO:
Abbreviation for Public Relations
Official, a publicist; also known as Public Affairs Officer (PAO) or Public
Information Officer (PIO).
process colors:
The colors used for four-color process
printing: magenta (or "process red"), cyan (or "process
blue"), yellow (or "process yellow"), and black (or
"process black"). See CMYK, PMS, four-color process, subtractive
primary colors, target ink densities, undercolor removal, swatchbook, illustration.
procurement cost:
Total cost of a printing job, including
staff time, storage, and overhead.
production advance:
A publisher's payment to a writer to help
defray the cost of producing the manuscript, including illustrations, indexing,
and special features. The production advance is deducted from amortized royalty
payments. A production grant will not be recouped by the publisher. See
advance.
product mark:
A trademark (qv) used on only one product;
see imprint, brand, collective mark.
program:
A performance or production, usually in
broadcast media. Also, a list, prospectus, or syllabus: see catalog. Also, a
sequence of coded instructions enabling a computer to perform tasks; see
control character, algorithm, subroutine, macro, batch file, script, parameter,
meta tag, search engine, plug-in, suite, interface, Linux, NetWare, UNIX, VMS,
BeOS, Windows, DOS, CP/M, MP/M, POSIX; compare software, language, markup,
database, graphics. [nb: derived from "a written public notice";
compare etymology of 'publish']
progressives:
Color proofs for each stage of printing,
showing each color printed singly and then superimposed on the preceding color;
also called "progressive proofs". See du Hauron's color theory @
photography.
prolixity:
Writing or speaking extended to an
unnecessary or tedious length, as wordy, bombastic, periphrastic, or verbose.
See pleonasm, tautology, puffery, sesquipedalism.
prologue:
An introductory part of a publication or
production; any preface or preamble. Compare epilogue; see front matter.
prompt:
The symbol on a computer screen indicating
readiness to accept input or instructions, or the point of focus in a message
box requesting more information or a response. See cursor, mouse, pointer,
insertion point, keyboard, box.
proof:
Test sheet made to reveal errors or flaws,
adjust settings, predict press results, and record trial as standard of
comparison for finished print job. Proof images will fade from overexposure,
and actual colors cannot be shown, but all defects, mistakes, and questions
should be noted directly on the example. A contact print becomes a "color
break proof" when varnish and colors are marked-up, and a "color
proof" when builds are revealed. Since proofs are printed on coated paper,
fluorescence must be added to simulate appearance on uncoated paper. Digital
proofs only generate film or plates after corrections are ready to print. See
blueline, Dylux, composite proof, integral proof, overlay proof, press proof,
reproduction proof, galley proof, bombproof, proofread, DTP, samples; compare
die strike.
proofread:
Reading of text after typesetting but
before printing. A proofreader compares the compositor's typeset pages to the
original manuscript -- which is always a smart practice even when an author
supplies the manuscript on disk, since anomalous coding errors often occur.
(nb: One annoying thing about QuarkXpress is that it strips out formatting when
you flow in text.) Editors and authors read for stray typographical errors, and
sometimes make more substantive changes. Compositors generally charge a fee for
"author's alterations" (AA) or any editorial changes. However, in
this age of desktop publishing, many publishers are setting their own pages,
making it cheap and easy to produce round after round of page proofs. If you
can't do your own typesetting, see if you can make a deal with your typesetter
that includes one round of corrections. Some typesetters are willing to give
you the computer file with your page proofs so that you can enter the
corrections yourself. It is wise to give your authors only one crack at page
proofs and give them a strict, tight deadline (a week should be enough);
authors can get cold feet at the end and make disastrous last minute changes.
For the publisher who has typeset her own book, the first time changes will
cost money is after the disk has been sent to the printer or service bureau to
be made into film. When you make changes on the blueline proof (that aren't
correction of printer's errors), you will be charged for a new piece of film on
each page you make an author's alteration (or AA). Therefore, make sure to mark
any printer's errors clearly with the letters "PE". In the digital
age, broken type and weird blots are becoming a thing of the past, but check
carefully for them anyway, as well as cropping problems and anything else that
diverges from your vision of the book. See copyedit, redact, change order,
typographical error, bombproof, sandwich, strike-through, proof, recension,
pore, edit.
proofreader's marks:
With more editing and typesetting being
performed on computers, the esoteric proofreader's marks are falling into
disuse, but their principles still apply to blueline and galley proofs. Unlike
corrections on manuscripts, corrections on proofs must always be put in the
margin, left or right, next to the line of type in which the correction is to
be made. A mark within the line -- a caret for an addition, a line through a
letter or word to be deleted -- will indicate where the correction is to be
made. A correction or addition should never be written above a line of type.
The typesetters, who are responsible for making the corrections, only scan the
margins, and will not look for writing buried between lines of type. When more
than one alteration is to be made in a line, corrections should be marked in
the margin in the order they are to be made in the line, reading from left to
right; with a vertical or slant line separating one correction from the next.
Every mark in the margin requires a mark in the line, and vice versa. Where
many corrections occur in a line or two, it is best to cross out the whole
passage containing the errors, and write it all correctly in the margin. A
longer correction or addition should be typed onto a separate slip, and
fastened to one end of the proof. A circled note in the margin reading
"insert attached", with a caret in the line to show where it goes,
will alert the typesetter. When correcting proofs, authors and editors should
use an ink or pencil color (see blue-/red-pencil) different from that used by
the proofreader. See AA, ALL CAPS, BF, C&IC, CAP, CAP&LC, CAP&SC,
caret, end sign, H&J, ITAL, LC, ms, number sign, OC, paragraph sign, PE,
ROM, section sign, SP, STET, (TK), TR, U&LC, WF, (00), typographical error,
notation.
propaganda:
The deliberate and methodical spreading of
ideas or information to promote or injure a cause, movement, policy, nation, or
other entity. Derived from propagate ("to increase or enlarge by
transmission or reproduction"), as an abridgment of the Congregation for
Propagating the Faith ("congregatio de propaganda fide"), a committee
of cardinals established by Pope Gregory XV in 1622. See freedom of speech,
advertising, PSA, flackery, censorship, counterfactual, factoid,
disinformation. [nb: the eponymous "dunce" was coined (ca1520) as an expression
for any ignorant dolt or stupid dullard by reference to John Duns Scotus
("Doctor Subtilis"), whose writings were attacked by the humanists as
foolish; hence the dunce cap, and its mark on paper. See foolscap; compare
bunkum @ solecism.]
proportional font:
The characters within each set differ in
width, and retain that distinctive ratio when scaled; contrasted with
non-proportional fonts, having fixed widths or mono-spacing. See scalable font,
raster font, font; compare en, em.
prose:
The ordinary form of spoken or written
language, without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse;
derived from "straight forward". In composition, the subjective form
of timely and topical journalism observes the Five W's (ie: who, what, when,
where, why); while the stylistic function of storytelling is patterned upon the
ABCDE's (ie: action, background, consequences, development, ending) of
systematic writing. See story, essay, picaresque, vernacular, novel,
literature, rhetorical forms, orality, OULIPO. [nb: the closest that prose ever
gets to poetry is the use of metaphor and allegory, but too often the metaphors
are mixed ("mixaphors") and cliches are substituted for symbols] [v:
bureaucratese, officialese, legalese, academese, journalese, computerese]
prosody:
The broad study or science of how language
is handled in the composition of poetry. The term encompasses versification
(meter, rhyme, traditional forms); Anglo-Saxon poetics; syllable-count methods
and forms; free verse; distortion and dissonance applied to traditional
methods; sprung rhythm; and any specific stylistic rules or requirements of
special poetic movements. See foot, meter, verse, caesura, orality.
protasis:
The clause expressing the condition in a
conditional sentence, usually beginning with 'if' in English constructions;
compare apodosis, see rhetorical forms. Also, the first part of an ancient
drama, in which the characters are introduced, as derived from
"proposition"; see dramatis personae, drama.
protocol:
An original draft, minute, or record from
which a document or annex is prepared. Also, a plan or regimen; may also be
known as contents, agenda, docket, apercu, program, outline, summary. Also, a
set of rules governing the format of messages that are exchanged between
computers. Originally derived from a leaf or tag attached to the first sheet of
a papyrus roll; see scroll.
proxy:
A mechanism allowing one system to
"front" for another system when responding to protocol requests.
Security applications in gateways and firewalls use proxy intermediary services
to screen the secured network from external users. A proxy server provides
access to files from other servers by retrieving them either from its local
cache or from a remote server.
PSA:
The abbreviation for Public Service
Announcement, being a notice or warning published without compensation for
community benefit by the mass media as a requirement for licensure; an unpaid
ad by the avuncular government for the citizen's own good. See advertising,
advertorial, infomercial, censorship, propaganda.
pseudonym:
See allonym. [cf: innominate]
P sizes:
Even though the ISO A series paper size
formats were introduced by the Ontario Government in 1972, the standard
Canadian "Paper Sizes for Correspondence", defined by CAN 2-9.60M,
were adopted in 1976. The Canadian paper sizes are essentially the US paper
sizes, converted to metric numbers and sometimes rounded to the nearest half
centimeter. The six formats are: P1 (560 X 860 mm), P2 (430 X 560 mm), P3 (280
X 430 mm), P4 (215 X 280 mm), P5 (140 X 215 mm), P6 (107 X 140 mm). The
Canadian pseudo-ISO system suffers the two major inconveniences of the US
formats: no common height/width ratio, and significant difference from
worldwide usage. See ISO sizes, paper.
psycholinguistics:
The study of the relationship between
language and the cognitive or behavioral characteristics of those who use it;
including pragmatics. Examines the determinants which vary acquisition (or
effacement) rates, lateralization, cognitive processing, and comprehension. See
slang, colloquialism, vernacular, dialect, non-standard, standard, language;
compare sociolinguistics. [nb: psycholinguistics has been successfully applied
to criminalistics and forensics]
publication:
The act of bringing before the public a
book, periodical, map, engraving, piece of music, or other tangible creation.
In the Information Age, where more than 65% of workers prepare, process, or
preserve communications, a publication is simply a delivery system for its
contents. The ideas embodied by this mission are better able to reach their
demographic target if properly designed. See publish, design, mission
statement, guideline, series, periodical, copyright, Gresham's Law.
publication date:
The scheduled circulation date for a
publication, usually a series issue of a periodical, intended to reach
subscribers and newsstands before the cover date. Dating a publication is
important for both advertisers and readers, since surveys show that undated ads
are not trusted, and undated copy is presumed to be worthless and is discarded
unread. Some publishers use a projected publication date on the cover of their
periodicals to prevent distributors from removing "outdated" material
from the newsstand before it has a chance to sell; but this false date then
becomes the new standard interval, so there is no lasting advantage. See
deadline, dateline, expiration date, morgue day.
publication printer:
Printing company specializing in
magazines, catalogs, and other products that are typically web printed and
saddle-stitched. See saddle-stitch binding, web press.
public domain:
The legal status of tangible intellectual
property, such as a literary work, which has lost copyright protection, by
dilution or expiration, or for which there never was any protection. See
copyright, fair use, subsidiary rights, volume rights.
public domain software:
A computer program, application, or
adaptation that has been freely donated for public use by its owner or
developer, including unlicensed copying and unrestricted distribution. Such practices
are often a philosophical expression about Free Speech in cyberspace, and are a
reaction against copyright and proprietary ownership. Compare freeware,
open-source, shareware; see software.
publicist:
A person who publicizes, especially a
public-relations consultant or press agent; the person who customizes book
advertising, and arranges interviews. Derisive or disparaging reference to a
publicist or press agent as "flak" (flak) may have something to do
with the difficulties they create, but probably describes their ostentatious
tumult with little effect (like the same term applied to antiaircraft fire).
See press kit, news release, blad, flackery, puffery.
public relations magazine:
A periodical issued by a business,
institution, association, or the like, for internal distribution to its
employees, or for external distribution to its customers, shareholders, and
other interested parties, presenting news about the organization and its
personnel; also called "internal...", "external...",
"promotional...", "employee...", or "house
organ". Originating with "Lowell Offering" (Lowell Cotton Mills
1840), "The Mechanic" (H.B. Smith 1847), "The Travelerer's
Record" (Traveler's Insurance Co 1865; became "Protection"), "The
Locomotive" (Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co 1867),
until currently constituting a majority of all periodicals. Copies of public
relations magazines are filed with the company's or organization's annual
reports, trade catalogues, and news clippings. References include: International
Association of Business Communicators (IABC), American Society of Business
Press Editors (ASBPE), Society of National Association of Publications. The
IABC presents categorized "Golden Quill" awards for excellence in
this trade publication field, including magapaper. See newsletter, magazine,
periodical; compare trade journal.
publish:
The trade of issuing books, music,
photographs, maps, and other material for sale to the public; which includes
negotiating with authors and their literary agents, editing the author's
manuscript, designing the tangible product, producing the finished product,
publicizing the work, and arranging market distribution channels. The trade
association of the publishing industry in the United States is the American
Association of Publishers (AAP), and the industry's trade journal is
"Publishers Weekly" (1872). As derived from "to make
public", announce, proclaim, blaze. See publication, copyright, niche
market, Gresham's Law; compare program.
publishing house:
Any of the large commercial publishers
that purchase manuscripts from agents or authors, usually paying an advance on
royalties before the book is released. Unless otherwise arranged in the book
contract, publishing houses make all editorial decisions (eg: style, content,
format), pay all development and production costs, and arrange all advertising
and distribution. The author's copyright and subsidiary rights are usually
purchased entire; but these options are negotiable. When the book sells,
royalties earned will be deducted from the advance previously paid, and the
publishing house may also charge administrative fees. The contract stipulates
whether royalties are paid on the wholesale or retail price, and whether the
author has the right to purchase any remaindered copies at discount for later
resale. See subsidy publisher, self-publishing, assisted self-publishing,
vanity press.
publishing paper:
Paper made in weights, colors, and
surfaces suited to books, magazines, and catalogs. See paper.
puck:
A device used to draw on a digitizing
tablet (qv); also called a "cursor pen". A puck is similar to a
mouse, except that it has a window with cross hairs for pinpoint placement, and
it can have as many as 16 buttons. A stylus (also called a cursor pen) looks like
a simple ballpoint pen but uses an electronic head instead of ink. See pointer.
puff:
Exaggerated praise of a published work,
usually written for advertising purposes by the publisher or a copywriter. A
puff usually appears on the dust jacket of a book, and in review publications.
Compare plug; see blurb, ad diction, puffery.
puffery:
Unduly exaggerated publicity, acclaim, or
praise, as a tendency to extol fancifully by use of an "atomic
flyswatter"; turgid, tumid, bombastic, hyperbolic, grandiloquent,
magniloquent, verbose. See blurb, hook, banner, teaser, jargon, boilerplate,
pleonasm, tautology, prolixity, balderdash, ballyhoo, pap, ad diction,
flackery, publicist, advertising. [v: euphuism; cf: litotes, meiosis] [nb:
Medieval alchemists were often referred to as "puffers" to
distinguish their bogus propositions from the true knowledge and science of
philosophers.]
Pulitzer Prize:
Any of the annual awards in journalism,
literature, or music bestowed upon individuals or institutions for outstanding
performance or meritorious public service. After Joseph Pulitzer endowed the
Columbia School of Journalism, the trustees inaugurated the honorary Prize in
1917; which has since been expanded to include recognition for American
history, biography, poetry, novel, drama, and music.
pull-quote:
Alternate term for call-out (qv); also
called "pull-line" or "call-up". See sidebar, box,
counterfactual, factoid.
pulp:
Any soft, moist, slightly cohering mass,
as in the conversion of wood pith or other plant fibers in the making of paper.
Alternatives to chipped wood and recycled waste include flax, hemp, coconut,
kenaf, and bamboo; see paper, papier-mache, rag, broke, waste, remainder. Also,
a magazine or book printed on low-quality paper, usually containing lurid
material; see tabloid, zine, pauper press; compare slick.
pun:
The humorous use of a word or phrase, as a
"play on words", so as to emphasize or suggest different meanings or
applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound [ie:
heteronym, homonym (qqv)] but different in meaning; derived from
"pound", as to mistreat [words]. See double entendre, rhetorical
forms. [v: paronomasia] [see Confusing Words]
punctuation:
The systematic practice, in writing or
printing, of using certain conventional marks and characters in order to
separate grammatical elements and clarify the meaning. Punctuation marks are
the mechanical means for making the meaning of a sentence easily understood.
They indicate the proper relationships between words, phrases, and clauses when
word order alone is not sufficient to make these relationships clear. No
attempt should be made to redeem an improperly constructed sentence with
punctuation; rather, it should be rephrased or recast. Formerly, internal
punctuation marks, such as the semicolon and ellipsis, were separated like
words with single spaces, and external punctuation marks, such as the
exclamation point and question mark, were double spaced; but several factors
led to a style change in the modern era. In an effort to conserve space that
could be sold to advertisers, newspapers and tabloids reduced indentations and
single spaced all punctuation. Contributing to this style change were the
format conventions in HTML and SGML coding, which reduces all multiple spaces
to a single space. The most significant contribution to altered punctuation
spacing has been the proliferation of proportional fonts in word processing and
DTP programs. The more sophisticated stylebooks give different recommendations
for the spacing of monotype or typewriter type (TT) and of proportional fonts;
making the appearance and readability of copy more crucial than the uniformity
of invariable rules. See stylebook, orthography, Oxford comma, British
quotation, quotation marks, ellipsis, hyphen, dash, swung dash, tilde,
apostrophe, colon, semicolon, comma, period, exclamation point, question mark,
interrobang, tittle, diacritic, paragraph, copyedit, proofreader's marks,
syllabary, dictionary, notation, indent, hanging, typeface, syntax, parse,
alphabet.
pushcart press:
Any small publisher with direct public
sales and marginal advertising; as derived from street vendors of other
products distributed by handcart.
put to bed:
Catch-phrase for finishing a publication
prior to production and distribution; also called "put through". See
deadline.
Python:
An
object-oriented interpreted programming language developed by Guido van Rossum.
Python is very portable since Python interpreters are available for most
operating system platforms. Although Python is copyrighted, the source code is
freely available; and unlike GNU software, it can be commercially re-sold. The
name is derived from the television show "Monty Python's Flying
Circus", one of Guido van Rossum's favorites. See object-oriented
programming, language.
- Q -
quad:
An abridgement of quadrat, being a piece
of type metal of lower height than the lettered types, serving to cause a blank
in printed matter, used for spacing; see slug, leading, nonpareil, furniture;
compare feathering. Also, the standard spacing interval for letters, words, and
sentences in printed matter as sized by font; see nuts, mutton, letter spacing,
stylebook.
quadding-out:
Slang for filling or closing a line of
composed type with enough spacers to finish it to the margin or end.
quadtone:
A four-color halftone. See monotone,
duotone, CMYK. four-color process, process colors, illustration.
quantum/quantum computing:
First proposed in the 1970s, quantum
computing relies on quantum mechanics by taking advantage of certain quantum
physics properties of atoms or nuclei that allow them to work together as
quantum bits, or "qubits", to be the computer's processor and memory.
By interacting with each other while being isolated from the external
environment, qubits can perform certain calculations exponentially faster than
conventional computers. Qubits do not rely on the traditional binary nature of
computing. While traditional computers encode information into bits using
binary numbers, either a 0 or 1, and can only do calculations on one set of
numbers at once [v: "von Neumann architecture" @ IAS], quantum
computers encode information as a series of quantum-mechanical states such as
spin directions of electrons or polarization orientations of a photon that
might represent a 1 or a 0, might represent a combination of the two, or might
represent a number expressing that the state of the qubit is somewhere between
1 and 0, or a superposition of many different numbers at once. A quantum
computer can do an arbitrary reversible classical computation on all the
numbers simultaneously, which a binary system cannot do, and also has some
ability to produce interference between various different numbers. By doing a
computation on many different numbers at once, then interfering the results to
get a single answer, a quantum computer has the potential to be much more
powerful than a classical computer of the same size. In using only a single
processing unit, a quantum computer can naturally perform myriad operations in
parallel. Quantum computing is not well suited for tasks such as word
processing and e-mail, but it is ideal for tasks such as cryptography,
modeling, and indexing very large databases. See analog, cybernetics, computer.
quarter binding:
A book binding in which the spine is
leather and the sides are cloth or paper. See binding.
quarter tones:
Tones between shadows and midtones (3/4
tones) and between highlight and midtones (1/4 tones). See tonal range.
quarto:
A book size of about 9 x 12 inches (24 x
30 cm), determined by folding printed sheets twice to form four leaves or eight
pages; symbol: 4to (qq = quartos). See sheet.
question mark:
A punctuation mark (?) indicating a
question, inquiry, rhetorical investigation, hesitation, or doubt; also called
"interrogation point"; see interrobang, punctuation. Also, a symbol
that can substitute in DOS and UNIX for any single variable character; see
wildcard.
queue:
A sequence of ordered items awaiting
processing, especially for some electronic action in a computer system. See
pagination, gang.
quick printing:
Printing using small sheet-fed presses and
cut sizes of bond or offset paper. See duplicator, demand printing,
reprography, short run, press.
quill:
The feather of a bird formed into a pen
(qv) for writing; see writing instrument.
quire:
A set of 24 uniform sheets of paper; see
ream. Also, a section of printed leaves in proper sequence after gathering and
folding; derived from a "set of four sheets". See binding.
quoin:
Wedge-shaped pieces of wood or metal for
securing type in a chase (qv), which are locked (closed or set) and unlocked
(opened or released) with a "quoin key". See reglet, key.
quotation:
To cite or represent a phrase or passage,
as from a speech or book, also called "quote"; see epigraph, epigram,
bite, squib, snippet, call-out, ear, misquotation. Also, the current price
offered by a printer to produce a specific job; see estimate, fixed costs,
variable costs, formula pricing, unit cost, specifications, ticker tape.
quotation marks:
The marks
(") placed at the beginning and end of cited phrases or passages to
indicate attribution other than the author, to identify dialogue in print, and
to denote selected words or phrases for emphasis; also known as
"quotes" or "quote marks". For quotations within quotations,
or "inner quotations", the enclosed citation is demarcated with
"half-" or "single-quotes" (apostrophe) to distinguish it
from the external citation marked with "full-" or
"double-quotes". In printing, the opening and closing marks are
differentiated. Compare apostrophe; see punctuation.
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