- R -
rag:
To set copy or align text for a particular
configuration, as when paper/image size or margin/header changes necessitate
adjustments; also called "re-rag" for realignments; see RIP, copyfit,
tweak. Also, a cloth-based pulp used in making high-quality paper, such as bond
(qv). Also, a newspaper or magazine regarded with contempt or distaste; see
tabloid, zine, pauper press.
ragged:
A column of text or a page of copy set
with one or both sides unjustified, leaving one or both print margins irregular
or jagged. Compare rag; see alignment, straight composition, flush, justify,
feathering. [nb: Text lines that do not start at the same point are more
difficult to read, but lines that do not end at the same point are considered
more humanistic or personal; indented verse and center justified poetry is a
stylistic exception or aesthetic variant considered acceptable for short works.
See readability.]
RAM:
The abbreviation for Random Access Memory,
as distinguished from ROM in computer data retrieval. Compare flash memory,
bento storage.
raster:
The scan pattern on a display, such as the
computer screen or television cathode-ray tube, in which the images are formed
by a scanning electron beam that moves in horizontal and vertical lines over the
area. The images on a raster display are made up of many tiny dots called
pixels. Derived from to scratch/scrape, as with a rake, to form a screen
network (array). Also known as "raster display" or "raster
format". Also, a bitmapped graphical image; see bitmap graphics, compare
vector graphics.
raster burn:
Damage to a computer screen caused by
leaving it on for long hours without a screen saver. Also, eyestrain from
staring at a computer screen for too long; this can happen sooner with a low
resolution monitor, or glare from improper backlighting; compare mogigraphia.
raster font:
A bitmapped font. A font in which each
character is formed from pixels arranged to make the shape of the character.
Such an arrangement of pixels is called a bitmap, and loses definition when
scaled. Compare scalable font; see font, type.
raster graphics:
Bitmapped graphics; computer graphics in
which the image is made up of tiny dots called pixels. See bitmap graphics;
compare vector graphics.
raster image processor:
Hardware, software, or both which prepares
images for output in rasterized format (*.RIP) on the computer screen or
printer.
RDA:
The abbreviation of Retail Display
Allowance; being a sum paid to dealers who agree to display the entire cover or
full face of a magazine. See newsstand, kiosk, BBS, banner, distributor. [nb:
in a competitive display, each periodical has 2.7 seconds or less to capture
the attention of potential buyers]
read:
To apprehend or translate signs and
symbols so as to recognize their significance or understand their meaning,
especially in written or printed form. Also [in academese], a processing skill
of symbolic reasoning, sustained by the interfacilation of an intricate
hierarchy of substrata factors, that have been mobilized as a psychological
working system, and impressed into service in accordance with the purpose of
the reader. See word, prose, prosody, language, semiotics, legibility,
readability.
readability:
The characteristics of printed material
that contribute to its ease of reading, including factors that reduce fatigue,
such as the use of serif type, to direct the eye from one letter to the next
throughout the body, and lines of text not longer than 50-53 characters, to
reduce eye movement while increasing reading speed. Sans-serif typefaces
normally read about 70% slower than serif types, which makes them more tiring
for longer text. The optimum line width rule is that a line of text should be
no longer than one-and-a-half times (1.5X) the point size of the lowercase
alphabet used, regardless of font size. For text comprised of alphabetic
letterforms, using a typical serif typeface designed to represent word gestalts
and cultural cognates, a font sized approximately 11.25 points is optimal for
mental processing of human visual geometry over an extended reading period;
however, periodicals often reduce body text size by at least one point due to
restricted space. Size and attribute changes should be infrequent to garner
maximum style effect. A daunting "wall of text" [v: solid] can be
both boring and painful if rests are not interlarded. Reading comfort increases
comprehension. See ragged, raster burn, interlaced, MPX, optical center,
sequence, legible, type noise, z-path.
reader profile:
Based upon theories of literary criticism
that focus on reader response, instead of author intention, which is augmented
by the commercialization of publishing, a sociometric or psychographic analysis
of probable audiences and potential subscribers of specialized periodicals.
Such categorical targeting appeals to advertisers and sponsors. See universe,
circulation, CPM, audit, audience, mass market, crossover market, niche market.
reader spread:
Files prepared in two-page layouts, as
readers would see the finished pages. See spread, wall walk.
read through:
A setup policy that forces the audience to
turn the page in order to continue a story or article. This practice is
implemented by a manipulation of art, spacing, and other page elements, such
that a sentence in a continuing presentation never ends at the bottom of a
page. This practice eliminates any potential confusion about whether a piece is
finished; and also eliminates the need for continue lines or page markers (qqv)
to signal a continuation. This setup is a joint effort, wherein the art department
implements editorial style policy. See pipeline, layout.
real estate:
The available space in a publication which
must be allocated for textual copy, illustrative images, and advertising. There
is always competition for "prime real estate", and each form wants to
increase its "holdings" at the expense of others. See cover
positions, center spread, feature well.
ream:
A standard quantity of paper, consisting
of 20 quires or of 500 sheets [formerly 480 sheets (ie: 20 X 24 = 480);
alternatively 516 sheets]. Derived from "bale". See paper.
ream marked:
Sheets of paper in a carton or on a skid
with markers placed every five-hundredth sheet.
rebus:
A representation of a word or phrase by
pictures or symbols suggesting that word or phrase, or a pictorial riddle of
its syllables; also used in heraldry. Term derives from a Latin phrase
"non verbis sed rebus" (not by words but by things); but comic puns
and satiric squibs published in Paris during carnival were called "de
rebus quae geruntur" (on the things that are happening), which attempted
to avoid libel actions for reporting such frolicsome follies by employing
pictures instead of words. See glyph, hieroglyphics, pictography, ideogram,
logogram, semiotics, alphabet, typology, language.
recall:
The withdrawal or revocation and retrieval
of a product due to defect or other liability, as to order back or
"callback" for public safety, consumer information, and the like.
Retrieval summons for publications usually involve copyright infringement or
libel litigation, since errors, omissions, and other misprints are remedied by
revisions or reprints. See offprint, run-on, out of print, fair use, license,
reprint permission, copyright.
recast:
To remodel or reconstruct a literary work,
document, sentence, or the like; see redact, edit, copyedit, proofread,
rewrite, recension, pore. Also, to provide a play or role with a new cast or
different performer; see drama, play, opus.
recension:
A critical revision of a text, especially
one based on examination of its sources; as derived from "revision of the
censor's roll". See edit, redact, rewrite, pore.
recto/rectos:
A right-hand or odd-numbered page of an
open book or manuscript; the front of a leaf. Title and contents pages are
always recto, while frontispiece and acknowledgment pages are usually verso.
Compare verso. [cf: dexter]
recycled paper:
New paper made wholly or in part from old
or waste paper that's been pulped, blended, and bleached. Of the three types of
paper (ie: wood, cotton fiber, recycled), paper made from reclaimed materials
is the most expensive, most deficient, and least attractive... being always
off-white and frangible. See opacity, paper. [nb: the recycle symbol is
intentionally misleading; since in its solid form means "made from
recycled materials", but in its hollow form means "made of materials
that can be recycled"]
redact:
To put into suitable literary form by
editing; derived from "to drive back" or restore. See edit, copyedit,
proofread, rewrite, recension, recast, pore.
red ink:
An important annotation or significant
demarcation, such as a "red-letter day", as derived from writing in
blood; see rubric. Also, indebtedness, unremunerative, or uneconomical, such as
literary publications; distinguished from the "black ink" color used
in profitable ledgers.
red-pencil:
To alter, edit, or delete with (or as if
with) a red colored pencil. See blue-pencil, proofread.
reference marks:
Any of various distinctive symbols or
superscript numbers used to direct a reader to further information in a
bibliography, annotation, appendix, or other text. See asterisk, dagger,
footnote, shoulder note, side note, marginalia, gloss, notation.
reflective copy:
Products, such as illustrations and
photographic prints (including fabrics), viewed by light reflected from them.
See illustration.
regional book:
A term used in the publishing industry for
a book written to appeal to readers who live in, or have an interest in, a
specific geographic area. Regional books are usually published by small
presses, and are sold in local bookstores and by mail-order. They include local
histories, biographies, genealogies, directories, cookbooks, travel guides,
field guides, and the like.
regional edition:
A periodical tailored for a select
geographical area, usually supplemented with advertising and editorial copy of
local interest. Many consumer magazines issue discrete variants containing
specialized advertising split into separate market regions, sometimes called
"splinter-editions"; and there are more than 190 individual city and
regional periodicals in existence. Originating with "Honolulu" (1888)
and "Philadelphia" (1908), this mode continues with "Arizona
Highways" (1925) and "Vermont Life" (1946). References include:
City and Regional Magazine Association (CRMA). See magazine, periodical, issue,
selective binding.
register:
To place printing properly with regard to
the edges of paper and other printing on the same sheet, so as to be "in
register". See repeatability, spread, choke, body copy. [nb: coloring text
can be an effective stylistic motif, as long as the copy is clear and readable;
but coloring individual words and phrases in the body copy (rather than using
font attributes) will probably not register properly when printed, so will
detract from the design intent]
register marks:
Cross-hairlines on mechanicals and film
that help keep flats, plates, and printing in register; also called
"crossmarks" and "position marks". See keylines.
registration unit:
The place on any press where paper is
accurately and consistently positioned for printing. See guide edge, head stop,
gripper edge, press.
reglet:
A flat narrow strip, fillet, or molding
used to adjust the fit and brace the tension of type set into a chase (qv);
used like a shim. See quoin, furniture, key, tweak.
reissue:
A subsequent impression of an earlier
edition, with a redesigned cover, jacket, and/or title page, and changes in the
front and/or back matter, but body text that is substantially unchanged. See
issue, copy, replica.
relative link:
A hyperlink on the same website, using an
abridged URL; a complete internet address linkage is called
"absolute". Compare target, see link, pointer, hot link, hot spot.
remainder:
Publications that are discounted from the
inventory of the publisher because of overprinting, sluggish sales, or outdated
material. An author's contract may entitle them to a "first right of
refusal" to salvage remaindered titles; or the books and magazines may
simply be pulped into recycled paper to save shipping and storage costs.
remarque:
A distinguishing mark, placed in the
margin, indicating a particular stage of an engraved plate, which mark is later
removed after proof prints; or a plate itself so marked.
renaissance:
The spirit and activity which typified the
period of transition between the Medieval and Modern times, known as the
"Revival of Learning". Conventionally characterized as a Catholic
phenomenon, the Renaissance was transformed by the Reformation into the
Enlightenment, immediately prior to the Industrial Revolution. See athenaeum,
literature.
rendition:
To represent or depict something, as a
rendered version. Also, to adapt or interpret something, as a translation. See
edition.
renewal rate:
The rate of subscribers renewing annually.
For example, if you're a quarterly you would look to the ratio of renewing
subscribers to your total number of expires over the four issues. If a total of
4000 subscribers were up for renewal in a 12 month period and 3000 renew, your
renewal rate would be 75%. When publishers talk about renewal rates, they will
often separate first-time renewals (conversions) from long-term renewals
because conversion rates are typically much lower. In a year of many marketing
campaigns, conversion rates can truly skew renewal rates. See circulation,
conversion rate, draw, fulfillment period, expiration date, subscription.
renewal series:
A sequence of solicitation letters, with
incremental efforts encouraging paid subscribers to renew. Ideally, each series
is comprised of four to seven efforts mailed at regular intervals, which vary
depending on frequency. Typically, a renewal series will begin no later than
three months prior to expire and will include at least one post-expire effort.
Key coded response mechanisms and BREs are also essential components.
repeatability:
Ability of a device, such as an
Imagesetter, to produce film or plates which yield images in register.
replica:
A work of art reproduced or supervised by
the maker of the original; derived from "reply", repeat. Compare
copy, near frame.
reply coupon:
A reply device for direct response
promotions. This convenient mechanism provides a summary of the offer ("4
issues for $24"), allows respondent to fill in name and address
information, and lists payment options ("check enclosed, credit card
order, bill me later"). The publication's return address information
should also be clearly listed. See premium, blow-in card, self-mailer,
tracking, white mail.
reprint permission:
When reference or citation to a given work
exceeds fair use (qv), and does not qualify for any derivative exception,
permission for intended use must be obtained from the copyright holder in
writing. The request should note the exact portion(s) of the work, and how it
will be used. If for non-commercial use, the reprint authorization may request
a waiver of any copyright reproduction fees. If more than one citation is held
by a single copyright then the several reprint requests should be submitted
simultaneously. There is no "blanket permission" for reprints, only
specifics. See license, subsidiary rights, volume rights.
reproduction proof:
A high quality photo sample on coated
stock of a hot type composition intended for cold type image assembly (eg:
camera ready) and production. See hot type, cold type, proof.
reprography:
The reproduction of documents, drawings,
and the like, by any process using light or photography, as xerography, diazo,
or offset printing; contraction derived from REPROduction + photoGRAPHY.
Reprographics is the broad category for all specialized (art, engineering,
architecture) and general office copying; and is cost effective for small to
medium quantity duplication in competition with commercial pressruns. See
duplex, simplex, quick printing, demand printing.
resolution:
The degree of sharpness of a computer-generated
image, as measured by the number of dots per linear inch in a hard-copy
printout, or the number of grid pixels on a display screen. Also, the ability
of a device to record or reproduce a sharp image. The finest images can be
obtained on a gravure press, and the most inferior images are produced by
silkscreen. See unsharp masking, illustration.
reticulate/reticulation:
Resembling or forming a net or network, as
to mark with web-like or interconnected lines. Also, something ornamented with
lines that appear, by layering or shading or other effect, to be interlaced.
Also, any work composed of diamond shaped elements, squared elements set
diagonally, or any other oblique layout on the bias. See mezzotint, tessellate,
layout, design.
retouch:
To alter or improve an illustration by the
addition or subtraction of content or tone. Reducing the amount of light for
certain areas of an image is called "dodge"; and increasing the
amount of light for certain areas of an image is called "burn". See
airbrush, gamma.
return privilege:
The contractual right of the retail
bookseller to send unsold copies of a book back to the publisher for credit,
under certain conditions (eg: minimum shelf time, resaleable condition, prepaid
freight). Publishers normally establish a "reserve against returns"
fund, to avoid paying an author for unsold books, and then attempting to
recover any overpayments; which entitles them to manage the royalty account for
an extended time. This practice increases administrative costs, reduces royalty
payments, and grants an interest-free loan to the publisher from their writers.
reverse:
Type and images reproduced by printing ink
around their outline, thus allowing the underlying color of paper to show
through, and form the image; also called outline or cameo. Type and color
reverses require font sizes larger than normal display faces for an effective
appearance. See cutout, knockout; compare silhouette, drop out.
reverse video:
A display mode on the video screen or
monitor of a computer in which the colors normally used for characters and
background are reversed or transposed. Many programs use reverse video to
highlight items, such as selected text or menu options. Some systems allow the
user to change the mode for all displays. Sometimes called a "negative
image", or "inverse video". See screen.
revolving-door:
Euphemism for the high and rapid turnover
of editorial staff and publishing employees, reflecting an exploitative
industry that foments stress and disloyalty. See golden hello, golden handcuffs,
golden key, golden parachute, headhunting, non-competition agreement, staff.
revue:
A form of theatrical entertainment in
which recent events, popular fads, manners and customs are in skits, songs, and
dances. See bathos, comedy, interlude, drama.
rewrite:
To write in a different form or manner;
revise. Also, to write a news article from facts submitted by a reporter. See
space writer, deskman.
RFC:
The abbreviation of Request For Comment,
being an invitation to analytic suggestion and constructive criticism. Compare
FYI.
RFID:
Radio Frequency IDentification, being an
active form of "smart tag" that can respond to electronic inquiry and
transmit select data without interruption of other processes. May be used to
track movements, trace shipments, coordinate clearances, transfer funds,
arrange adjustments, and signal for services; as embedded in products,
"smart" credit cards, access licenses or passport cards. The most
common application is in transportation through toll or way stations, which facilitates
commuter and commercial traffic. A passive form of this "smart tag"
is the Electronic Product Code (EPC). Compare bar code, UPC.
RGB:
The abbreviation for Red Green Blue, being
the additive primary colors. The category of two-digit hexadecimal representations
of color is often abbreviated "RRGGBB", for Red Red Green Green Blue
Blue ("COLOR=#RRGGBB") substitutions. See illustration.
rhetorical forms:
The use of stylistic devices and figures
of speech, such as a rhetorical question or paradox, to create an effect in
written or spoken communication. Rhetorical forms of expression include:
abecedarian hymn, ablation, acrostic, agonist/antagonist, allegory,
alliteration, allusion, amphigory, anacoluthon, anagram, analogy,
anthropomorphism, anticlimax, antinomy, antiphrasis, antithesis, apodosis,
assonance, bathos, catachresis, chiasmus, cliche/clich‚, climax, consonance,
counterpoint, dissonance, double entendre, dysphemism, echolalia, euphemism,
euphuism, figurative, gravamen, hyperbole, hypocorism, idiom, irony, litotes,
malapropism, meiosis, metaphor, metathesis, metonymy, notarikon, onomatopoeia,
oxymoron, paragoge, parody, paronomasia, pathos, periphrasis, perseveration,
personification ("pathetic fallacy"), pleonasm, polysemy, prolepsis,
protagonist, protasis, pun, sarcasm, satire, simile, spoonerism, solecism,
syllepsis, syncope, synecdoche, synonymy, tautology, thesis, tmesis, trope,
truncation, zeugma. See vernacular, elocution, diction, prose, poetry,
literature, Parthian shot, OULIPO, language, alphabet, imagery.
rhyme:
Identity in the sound of some parts of
verse, especially the terminal words or the end of lines; formerly
"rime". Also, verse or poetry having correspondence in the terminal
sounds of their lines. See perfect rhyme, meter, foot, scansion, prosody,
verse, poetry.
right reading:
Any setup, plate, or image that can be
easily prepress inspected, because it appears the same as its printout. Compare
wrong reading; see illustration.
rim:
Formerly, the outside of the U-shaped copy
desk (qv) where the copyeditors surrounded the editor, and processed work from
copywriters and deskmen for submission to the art department to setup the
current issue; being the publication's second echelon of operational control in
the editorial hierarchy. Compare slot; see fishbowl.
RIP:
The designation for raster image processor
(qv); a pre-press stage performed after stripping. Also, the abbreviation for
Rest In Proportion, being a layout designation for adjusting text and graphics
to fit a given space, often in relation to a fixed object; see copyfit, rag,
tweak.
river:
The appearance of white space,
"flowing like a river" or "running like a white stream",
through the interstices of justified text with poor hyphenation and shorter
measures, creating a visual distraction in the page layout. See H&J,
hourglass, trapped white space, white space.
ROFF:
Contraction of Run-OFF, being the standard
UNIX text formatter using embedded commands, which require associated programs
to be invoked to generate the desired output. The programs involved with ROFF
are: nroff (to format text for display on a terminal or monitor); troff (to
format text for display on a phototypesetter); ptroff (to format text for
display on a PostScript device); tbl (to format tables for ROFF); eqn (to
format mathematical equations for troff/ptroff); neqn (to format mathematical
equations for nroff); checknr (to check ROFF input files for possible errors);
checkeq (to check eqn/neqn input files for possible errors); col (to allow
display of non-standard nroff output on a terminal). Embedded ROFF commands are
prefixed by either a period (.) or a backslash (\), and macros may be invoked
for consistency and efficiency. See GROFF, text editor.
rollout/roll-out:
The fanfare coincident with the initial
release or general display of a new publication, especially the extensive
campaign introducing a production or design, after preliminary test marketing.
See testing, advertising. [nb: not to be confused with 'ink roll-out' (qv)]
ROM:
Abbreviation for "set in roman
type"; see proofreader's marks. Also, the abbreviation for Read Only
Memory, as distinguished from RAM in computer data retrieval; compare flash
memory, bento storage.
roman a clef/roman … clef:
A novel that represents historical events
and characters under the guise of fiction; derived from "novel with a
key". Compare historiography. [v: "epistolary fiction" at
journal]
Roman type:
Considered the normal or conventional
style of any given typeface; abbreviated ROM. An oblique or "slant
Roman" is not a true Italic typeface. See proofreader's marks, typeface.
rotary press:
A printing press in which the type or
plates to be printed are fastened upon a rotating cylinder, and impressed on a
continuous roll of moving paper (eg: flexography). Compare cylinder press; see
press.
rotogravure:
A photomechanical process by which
pictures, typeset matter, and especially magazine supplements in newspapers,
are printed from an intaglio copper cylinder. On "shell cylinders",
used to speed setup for the next publication, a nickel sleeve covers the copper
cylinder, then is electroplated with copper for plate etching; thus permitting
the sleeve to be stripped for later recovery, instead of refinishing the base
cylinder each time. Process invented by Carl Kleitsch (1894); term derived from
the name of a Berlin printing firm ("Rotogravur Deutsche Tiefdruck
Gesellschaft"), which was formed from the merger of two other firms
("Rotophot" and "Deutsche Photogravur"). Compare
photogravure; see gravure, gravure press.
router:
A device that connects multiple computer
networks and finds the best path for a data packet to be sent from one network
to another. A router stores and forwards electronic messages between networks,
first determining all possible paths to the destination address and then
picking the most expedient route, based on the traffic load and the number of
hops. A router works at the network layer (layer 3 of the OSI model); a bridge
works at the data link layer (layer 2). A router does more processing than a bridge,
and provide more functionality than bridges. Routers provide network management
capabilities such as load balancing, partitioning of the network, use
statistics, communication priority, and trouble shooting tools that allow
network managers to detect and correct problems even in a complex network of
networks. Given these capabilities, routers are often used in building wide
area or enterprise wide networks. Some routers are protocol-dependent, and some
are protocol-independent. A router can be hardware or a combination of hardware
and software. In internet terminology, routers are also called
"gateways". See internet, WAN, WWW.
royal:
A size of printing paper, 20 x 25 inches
(51 x 64 cm); a size of writing paper, 19 x 24 inches (48 x 61 cm). Compare
monarch; see paper.
royalty:
An agreed portion of the proceeds for the
use of an artistic work, which is paid to its author or copyright owner,
usually based upon a percentage of the retail price of each copy sold; derived
from the compensation for a royal prerogative. See advance, escalation, return
privilege.
RSA:
A public-key encryption technology
developed by RSA Data Security, with the technique's abbreviation based upon
the inventor's surnames: Rivest - Shamir - Adleman/Adelman. The RSA algorithm is
founded upon the fact that there is no efficient way to factor very large
numbers. Deducing an RSA key, therefore, requires an extraordinary amount of
computer processing power and time. The RSA algorithm has become the de-facto
standard for industrial-strength encryption, especially for data sent over the
internet. It is built into many software products, including Netscape Navigator
and Microsoft Internet Explorer. The technology is so powerful that the USA
government has restricted its export to foreign countries. A similar widely
used technology is offered by a company called Cylink. See proxy, firewall,
password, escrow key, steganography.
RTDM:
Abbreviation for Read The Damn Manual,
also known as Read The Funny Manual (RTFM), being an axiom in computer science
that the answer is in the book; it's the invariable response to human errors
blamed on the machine. See debug, kludge, patch, GIGO, help.
rubric:
A title, heading, or the like, in a
manuscript or book, written or printed in red, or otherwise distinguished from
the rest of the text; sometimes called an "ornamented" or
"illuminated" capital. See initial, swash, drop-cap, small-cap,
majuscule.
ruby:
A 5.5 point type; sometimes classified as
agate (qv). See font, type.
rule:
A horizontal or vertical line used as a
graphic element to separate or organize copy; rule thickness is measured by
point or percent, and rule length is measured by pica, percent, inch, or
centimeter. See column rule, header, footer, tool line, Oxford rule, black
space, ornament, fillet, vignette, master page, illustration.
ruleup:
Map or drawing showing how a printing job
must be imposed using a specific press and sheet size.
rums:
A slang term for a miscellaneous
assortment of unsaleable books; as used by London booksellers of the 18th
century, probably derived from the previous contents of the wooden barrels used
to store them. See plug.
rune:
Any of the characters of certain ancient
alphabets, as of a script used for writing Germanic languages, especially of
Scandinavia and Britain, from about the 3rd to 13th centuries; see diacritic,
alphabet. Also, a poem, song, or verse. Also, something secret or mysterious,
as an aphorism with mystical meaning; derived from "secret writing";
see steganography.
runner:
A conversational thread, or a bit of
subsidiary character business, that recurs during an episode as an amusing or
humanizing filler. See dialogue, monologue, byplay, plot, story line.
running foot:
A descriptive word, phrase, title, or the
like, usually repeated at the bottom of each page of a book, periodical, or
other publication; also known as foot or footer (qqv). Compare running head;
see foot and folio line, dateline, website.
running head:
A descriptive word, phrase, title, or the
like, usually repeated at the top of each page of a book, periodical, or other
publication; also known as "folio line" or header (qv). Compare
running foot; see meta tag, dateline, website.
run-on:
Something added
or extended, as an appendix, reprint, or reproduction. Also, a continuation, as
a definition that extends onto the next column, a story that runs onto the next
page, or a verse that flows onto the next line, especially one without a
syntactic break.
- S -
saddle-stitch binding:
An overcast or spaced running stitch in
heavy thread or cord, often in contrasting color, along the back-edge of a
book; also called "side-sewn binding", "cleat-stitch
binding", and "side-wire binding". In binding tabloid
fold-overs, the retaining staples or stitches at the valley or gutter have
likewise acquired this designation; also called "pamphlet binding",
"saddle-wire binding", and "stitch binding". Compare
side-stitch binding; see binding, sheet, signature.
SAMI:
The acronym for Synchronized Accessible
Media Interchange, being a MicroSoft file format that specifies and enables the
simultaneous presentation of text and multimedia, such as for closed captioning
of audio output. Compare SMIL.
samizdat:
A borrowed Russian word, which was
popularly introduced to the American language about 1960 by dissident reformers
and disfranchised refuseniks, that means "unauthorized publication",
and has become synonymous with "underground press". Such
"unofficial literature" is often anti-propagandistic, and is usually
pseudonymous or anonymous. See graffiti, imprimatur, disinformation,
censorship, freedom of speech.
samizdatchik/samizdatchiki:
From the borrowed Russian word samizdat,
the author, agent, or publisher of unauthorized writing; any disseminators of
materials from an unofficial or underground press. See allonym, graffitist.
samples:
A small quantity of goods, or a selection
from production, intended to show the quality, style, or nature of the whole;
specimen, exemplification. Samples are concurrent with the pressrun, and are
not proof copies; however, "advance samples" can be produced at
additional expense for verification. A better sampling method would be ink
roll-out and/or tail-in testing. See hand sample, advance copies, swatchbook.
sandwich:
An insertion or reference insinuated into
a proof copy before it goes to press; see insert, AA, change order, proofread,
interpolation, interlinear, trope. Also, a short notice placed in the body of
text; also called a "reference line".
sans-serif:
A style of type without serifs (qv). See
typeface, type family, font. [nb: sans-serif normally reads about 70% slower
than serif typefaces, which makes it more tiring for longer text; see
readability]
satin finish:
Alternate term for dull finish on coated
paper. See paper coating.
scalable:
The development of a product or business
into new applications or derivations, as a book into seminars and films, or a
play into festivals and scholarships; being diversification more than
monopolistic expansion. See entrepreneurship, venture.
scalable font:
A font that can be used to print
characters of any size. In a scalable font, the outlines of the characters are
stored as vector graphics, rather than having a bitmap of each character.
Because the outline can be scaled to any size and then filled in with dots, all
sizes will print with the same quality. Examples of scalable fonts are the
Adobe Type 1 PostScript fonts, Microsoft TrueType fonts, OpenType, Intellifont
typefaces, and Speedo fonts. See font.
scamp:
A rough sketch of a design showing the
basic concept. Also, any job done in a hasty or careless manner. See block-in,
sketch, line drawing.
scanner:
A device that converts an analog image,
such as a photo, into a digital image; furthermore, most text can be imported
into ASCII characters, but style and misspellings will require editing in a
word-processing program.
scansion:
A system for determining the meter of a
piece of poetry; as derived from "climb". Based upon whether a
syllable is accented or not, a verse so marked can be analyzed for its rhythmic
pattern. See accent, foot, meter, prosody, rhyme, caesura.
scenario:
An outline of the plot, or sometimes the
complete script, of a dramatic work, giving particulars of the scenes,
characters, story development, and production directions. Also, any imagined or
conjectured sequence of events, as from several detailed plans or
possibilities; the brainstorming of options. See story line, storyboard.
scent:
A distinctive characteristic that may be
introduced into a printing job, usually by flooding (like a varnish) the substance
onto uncoated paper, to obtain a particular fragrance or aroma. Although the
artistic effect is not unlike foil stamps or die cuts, scent impregnated paper
may induce adverse responses in the reader recipient, including allergic
reactions and respiratory distress, for which the printer and publisher can be
held liable. See paper coating. [nb: "scratch 'n' sniff" is the
trademark for a patented scent process]
schwa:
The neutral vowel sound typically
occurring in unstressed syllables, as mid-central in English words. Also, the
phonetic symbol (inverted e) used to represent this sound. Derived from
"no vowel". See vowel, syllabary, diacritic, accent.
score:
A mark, line, or incision as denotation or
demarcation. Also, to mark or cut surface ridges, usually in a pattern. Also,
to facilitate bending or folding with a crease. Also, any group or set of
twenty.
scrap:
Any small amount of data temporarily
pasted from the clipboard or scrapbook onto the blank space of a program margin
or computer desktop for later transfer into a permanent file. See squib,
snippet. [nb: scrap and clipboard data is transitory, but scrapbook (qv) data
is retained during shutdown and retrievable after reboot]
scrapbook:
An album or other repository for storing
or displaying clips, images, mementos, or collectibles. Also, in the Macintosh
computer environments, a desk accessory that enables the storage of multiple
objects for future use; see scrap.
scratchboard:
A board prepared with black India ink over
a China clay surface; also called "scraperboard". Drawings are
produced by scraping away the ink to expose the clay surface, which may then be
transferred.
screamer:
A sensational headline printed in very
large type. See streamer, banner, heading.
screed:
Any long essay, discourse, or
disquisition, especially a tirade, diatribe, philippic, or jeremiad; as derived
from "torn fragment". See news, flame, flame-bait, balderdash,
sleazy. [v: billingsgate]
screen:
A glass plate on which two sets of
intersecting lines have been etched, used to make halftones and color builds.
Also, a display component, computer monitor, video display terminal (VDT), or
cathode-ray tube (CRT); see EGA, SVGA, XGA, SXGA, UXGA, raster, ppi/ppcm,
reverse video, soft copy, raster burn; compare console.
screen angles:
Angles at which screens intersect with the
horizontal line of the press sheet. The common screen angles for separations
are black @45 degrees, magenta @75 degrees, yellow @90 degrees, and cyan @105
degrees.
screen font:
Font generated by font utility (eg:
Display PostScript) to display on a computer monitor. Compare printer font; see
font.
screen percentage:
Alternate term for dot area (qv). See
illustration.
screen printing:
A method of printing by using a squeegee
to force ink through an assembly of mesh fabric and a stencil; also called
"screen process printing". See silkscreen.
screen ruling:
Number of rows or lines of dots per inch
(or centimeter) in a screen tint or halftone, representing a density ratio of
fill to background; also called "line count", "screen
value", "screen frequency", and "screen size".
screen shot:
The printout of an establishing shot or
snapshot of the image displayed on a computer screen, usually taken in context
for verification or troubleshooting. Since the screen shot may be documenting a
glitch, provision is made in the operating system to execute this instruction
by keyboard commands. The screen image may be saved as a file on the hard
drive, which can later be opened with a diagnostics or graphics program.
screen tint:
Color created by dots instead of solid ink
coverage; also called "fill pattern", "shading",
"tint", and "tone". Compare watermark; see screen ruling,
illustration.
screw-and-post bind:
To bind materials using a bolt that screws
into a matching post, available in lengths ranging from quarter-inch to three
inches. This durable assembly can be stylish, and has the advantage of user
disassembly for renewable contents. See loose-leaf, side binding, binding.
script:
The cursive letters or characters used in
writing by hand; a system of handwriting. Also, a handwritten manuscript or
document. Also, text of the scene directions and dialogue of actors in a play,
film, or other performance; compare novelization. Also, a plan, as a set of
instructions for an application or utility program written in the same language
as the program; see macro, batch file, subroutine, CGI script, Jscript,
VBscript, language.
script kiddie:
A person, normally technologically
unsophisticated, who randomly seeks specific weaknesses over the Internet to
gain root access to a system for general exploitation. Because the weakness was
discovered by someone else, the script kiddie doesn't understand how to develop
the exploitation. Specific data or links cannot be targeted by the script
kiddie, who must search for unlocked gateways or other vulnerable victims. See
hacker, cracker, phreak, turist, software.
scriptorium:
A cloistered room, where manuscripts are
stored, read, or copied; derived from "writing + place". See carrel,
book press, bookstand, kiosk, script, incunabula, codex, volume, scroll,
protocol, spine.
scroll:
A roll of parchment, papyrus, paper, or
other writing material, especially for ancient documents or scriptures. See
banderole, volume, protocol, codex, incunabula, artifact. [v: volumen,
scrinium]
scum:
An undesirable film of thick ink in
non-image areas; also called blush, catch up, haze, and toning. Scumming may
appear on portions of a sheet or across the entire sheet, and results from poor
ink/water balance. Compare setoff, slur, hickey, picking, mottle, cheater bar;
see ghosting, illustration.
search engine:
A program that searches documents for
specified keywords and returns a file list of corresponding matches. Although
search engine is really a general class of programs, the term is often used to
designate specific systems that enable users to search for documents on the
World Wide Web and USENET newsgroups; including: All The Web, Alta Vista,
Archie, Excite, Google, HotBot, InfoSeek, Jughead, Lycos, Veronica, WebCrawler,
Yahoo!. Search engines typically work by sending out a spider (qv) to fetch as
many documents as possible. Another program, called an indexer, then reads
these documents and creates an index based on the words contained in each
document. Each search engine uses a proprietary algorithm to create its indices
such that, ideally, only meaningful results are returned for each query. Also
called "webot" (contraction of web and robot) for obeying
instructions to automatically retrieve internet data. See crawler, spider, meta
tag, portal, program, software.
section sign:
The hatch-mark or number sign (#) used to
indicate the need to insert space, as divisions between sections. Also, a
special symbol, such as the interlaced Ss () mark, used to denote categorical
subclassifications, to demarcate textual divisions, or to signify regulatory
sections; sometimes abbreviated "sec". Multiple signs indicate
additional spaces (###), or plural sections (). See bullet, dingbat,
proofreader's marks, hanging.
selective binding:
The practice of placing signatures or
inserts into magazines or catalogs according to demographic or geographic
guidelines. With the development of online publications, the user (reader or
researcher) will be increasingly able to self-select such tailored information.
See e-pub, issue, regional edition, binding.
self-cover:
A printing (eg: brochure) or publication
(eg: newsletter) that uses the same paper weight throughout the item, for both
body and cover/wrapper; so the outside is less durable, and style effects (eg:
overhang) are impractical. Compare separate cover; see cover paper, paperback,
cut flush, binding.
self-mailer:
A fold-over or reversible reply mechanism,
which retains the recipient's vital statistics, and exposes the pre-addressed
return destination when completed; see blow-in card, reply coupon. Also, a
brochure, booklet, newsletter, or other small publication designed for
dissemination by secure folding without a separate envelope. See wafer.
self-publishing:
A book designed, edited, printed,
distributed, and paid for entirely by its author. See assisted self-publishing,
subsidy publisher, vanity press, publishing house.
sell line:
On newsstand periodicals, cover line (qv).
sell-through rate:
The percentage of magazines actually sold
through retail outlets. For example, if your distributor sends various
bookstores 100 magazines, and 20 are returned at the end of the selling cycle,
your sell-through rate is 80%. See draw.
semantics:
A branch of linguistics dealing with the
study of meaning, including the ways meaning is structured in language, and
changes in meaning and form over time. Also, the branch of semiotics or logic
dealing with the relationship between signs or symbols, and what they denote.
Also, the meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign,
sentence, or similar representation. See morpheme, language, semiotics, noise.
[cf: orthoepy]
semicolon/semi-colon:
The punctuation mark (;) used to indicate
a major division in a sentence, as the division between distinct clauses or
list items, when a comma will not suffice. It conventionally separates the two
clauses of a compound sentence. Compare colon; see punctuation.
semiotics:
The study and analysis of signs and
symbols as elements of systems of communication, as language, gestures, or
clothing. Also, a general theory of signs and symbolism, usually divided into
the branches of pragmatics, semantics, and syntactics. See ideogram, logogram,
pictography, hieroglyphics, glyph, rebus, signifier, sign language, vocabulary,
language, alphabet, typology. [cf: zoosemiotics, philology] [nb: "Symbols
have one characteristic in common with signs; they point beyond themselves to
something else. The red sign at the street corner points to the order to stop
the movements of cars at certain intervals. A red light and the stopping of
cars have essentially no relation to each other, but conventionally they are
united as long as the convention lasts. The same is true of letters and numbers
and partly even words. They point beyond themselves to sounds and meanings.
They are given this special function by convention within a nation or by
international conventions, as mathematical signs. Sometimes such signs are
called symbols; but this is unfortunate because it makes the distinction
between signs and symbols more difficult. Decisive is the fact that signs do
not participate in the reality of that to which they point, while symbols do.
Therefore, signs can be replaced for reasons of expediency or convention, while
symbols cannot." by Paul Tillich, "Symbols of Faith, Dynamics of
Faith" (1958)]
sentence:
A structurally independent grammatical
unit of one or more words, typically consisting of a subject and a predicate
containing a finite verb and expressing a statement, question, request,
command, or exclamation, conventionally begun with a capital letter and
concluded with end punctuation in writing, and usually separated by pauses in
speech. As a connotative gestalt, even a denotative sentence is more than the
sum of its parts. See elliptical sentence, phrase, parts of speech,
punctuation.
separate cover:
A printing (eg: brochure) or publication
(eg: newsletter) that uses a heavier paper stock externally than is used
internally, so that the exterior wrapper protects the interior body. This more
durable outside can also be styled (eg: die cut, emboss, gatefold, etc).
Compare self-cover; see cover paper, paperback, overhang, binding.
sequel:
A literary or filmic work that continues
or supplements the narrative of a preceding work, as a subsequence; abbreviated
"seq". See series; compare prequel.
sequence:
The design principle that the arrangement
of page elements or the layout pattern can direct the reader's attention in a
particular direction or to a specific order of items, by using size, color,
shape, and placement. See z-path, optical center, leader, readability; compare
balance, contrast, jump article.
serialization:
To create or release a work in serial,
installment, or episode form, as to publish or broadcast incrementally. If
published in series before compilation, then the work is in "first
serialization"; and if separated into series after being published whole,
then the work is in "second serialization". See installment,
fascicle.
series:
A set of successive issues or volumes of a
periodical published in like form with similarity of subject or purpose. Also,
two or more publications or broadcasts related by theme, format, or the like
(eg: trilogy, tetralogy); see sequel, installment, fascicle. Also, a regularly
scheduled program with a set format, a regular cast of characters, and a
continuing theme or story.
serif:
A smaller line used to finish-off a main
stroke of a letter. Categories include: square-serif, slab-serif,
bracketed-serif. Compare stem; see ear, stroke, typeface, type family, font,
typography.
serigraphy:
The silkscreen (qv) printing process;
derived from "silk + draw".
service feature:
A late development in newspapers,
recognizing that an audience could be retained with contents other than news
and advertising. More than other published material, the service features
present a more accurate portrayal of community character and interest. Services
include legal notices, public announcements, scheduled events, affairs and
activities, meeting reports, assorted listings, employment solicitations, and
obituaries. See feature, newspaper, 30.
servicemark:
A proprietary term or symbol (ie: SM) that
distinguishes the provider of a distinctive service. Compare trademark.
sesquipedalism:
A word containing many syllables; see
syllabary. Also, a person given to using long words; see prolixity, pleonasm,
polysemy, writer, mogigraphia.
setoff:
The undesirable transfer of wet ink from
the top of one sheet to the underside of another as they lay in the delivery
stack of a press; also called "offset". Compare scum, ghosting, slur,
hickey, picking, mottle; see illustration.
set size:
The width of the type body of a given
point size. Compare body size; see expanded type, baseline, measure, font,
typeface.
SGML:
The abbreviation for Standard Generalized
Markup Language, being an information-management standard created by Charles F.
Goldfarb and adopted by the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) in 1986. SGML is widely used in the publishing industry, particularly for
multimedia. See tag, DTD, HTML, markup.
shadows:
The darkest areas of an image or
photograph; as distinguished from midtones and highlights. See key,
illustration.
shareware:
Copyrighted software that is usually
distributed free of charge, but includes a request by the owner or developer
for a nominal license fee, if the software user finds the product valuable. An
enhanced or upgraded version is often forthcoming to those satisfied users who
have paid the registration fee. Shareware programs that have been compiled from
code or feature contributions may alternatively be called
"donationware". See freeware, public domain software, open-source,
software.
sheet:
A piece of paper or some similar absorbent
material, variously sized, as used for writing or printing. See broadside,
blanket sheet, eight sheet, parent sheet, flyleaf, leaf, page, folio, quarto,
octavo, duodecimo, sixteenmo, octodecimo, signature, form, quire, recto, verso,
backtrack, paper.
sheet-fed press/sheetfed press:
Press that prints on sheets of cut paper,
usually sized between 11" X 17" and 54" X 77". Compare web
press; see quick printing, press.
sheetwise:
The technique of printing one side of a
sheet with one set of plates, then the other side of the sheet with a set of different
plates; also called work and back. Front-only or "one-up" jobs
require sheetwise printing. Compare perfecting, work and turn, work and tumble;
see stripping, imposition, template.
shell:
A separate piece of program software that
provides direct communication between the user and the operating system; also
called a "command interpreter". The Macintosh Finder is a shell, as
is the command interface program (COMMAND.COM) in MS-DOS. Various other shells,
including mouse-oriented or visual programs, can interface with UNIX and other
command-based systems. Many applications allow the user to
"shell-out" by a hot-key sequence to the operating system. See C
shell, multitasking, TSR, subroutine, command line, task.
shingling:
The allowance made to compensate for creep
(qv); also called "stair stepping" and "progressive
margins". The art and text copy must be adjusted so placement and margins
will remain consistent when signatures are trimmed. [nb: "push out"
or creep is the problem; shingling is the solution]
short run:
A relatively small quantity to be printed
in relation to the size and speed of the press used. Compare demand printing,
quick printing; see pressrun.
shoulder note:
A note written or printed in the outer
corner of the head margin of a page, usually in writing or type that
distinguishes it from the text. See gloss, marginalia, reference marks,
notation, corner snipe.
shovelware:
A slang reference to content transferred
from an old to a new medium without modification or adaptation, such as when
using pre-formatted conversion programs. See software.
showcase:
An exhibit, display, or special
presentation of some excellent specimen or representative model. Also, a glass
cabinet or case [vitrine] for the display and protection of articles; compare
easel. Also, the best possible printing quality; rated highest in the ranking
of basic, good, premium, showcase.
show-off:
The autographic sign, symbol, or device
marked upon or embedded into a designer's or craftsman's product, including
electronic media; also called "maker's mark". See signet, logo,
brand, indicia; compare digital watermark.
show-through:
A problem that occurs when the printing on
one side of a sheet is visible from the other side. See opacity.
shrink wrap:
The process of wrapping products or
packages in clear plastic film, then using heat to tighten the film around the
item.
sidebar:
A typographically distinct section of a
page, as in a book or magazine, that amplifies, supplements, or highlights the
main text. Compare call-out, squib, footnote; see box, bite, mortise, feature,
byplay, counterfactual, factoid.
side binding:
See side-stitch binding, screw-and-post
bind, loose-leaf, fan, mechanical binding, binding.
side note:
A note written or printed on one of the
side margins of a page, adjacent to the passage to which it refers, usually in
writing or type distinct from the text. A side note, also known as a
"marginal note", may be cut-in or set into the text from the margin
so that body copy wraps around it on three sides. See gloss, marginalia,
notation, reference marks.
side-stitch binding:
To bind by stapling through sheets along
one edge; also called "cleat-stitch binding", "side-sewn
binding", and "side-wire binding". A very durable and
potentially stylish form of this method, known as "Smythe sewn", is
top-stitched with thread, often in multiple rows and in coordinated colors.
Compare fan, saddle-stitch binding; see binding, sheet, signature.
sign:
See ornament, semiotics, glyph, graphics,
signifier, sign language.
signature:
A printed sheet folded to page size
(usually in multiples of four pages) for binding together, with other such
sheets, to form a book, magazine, or the like. Also, a mark placed on the first
page of every sheet to guide the binder in folding and gathering them. See
form, lap, sheet, fold lines, insert, tip, inset, nested, binding.
signet:
A distinctive mark or impression, as if
made by a seal or cachet. See indicia, imprimatur, logo, autograph, show-off,
brand, trademark, hallmark, colophon.
signifier:
A pattern of sense impressions, such as a
series of sounds or written symbols, that expresses a meaning. See phoneme,
morpheme, semiotics. [nb: the thing or concept denoted by a signifier is
"signified"]
sign language:
A communications system, employing symbolic
gestures and other formalized hand-signs, as utilized by deaf persons, or
speakers without a common language; not to be confused with pantomime or body
language (qv). Ritualistic movements employed in communication are conscious
acts, hence differ from body language and mannerisms. A related symbology,
called fingerspelling, is actually a surrogate alphabet, that substitutes
manual letters for printed or cursive glyphs. A signal code combines
communication and signs to form language. See specialized format,
accessibility, vocabulary. [nb: there is no universal sign language among deaf
persons; sign languages are as culturally bound as spoken languages, with the
most prominent in America being: American Sign Language (ASL), and American
English Sign Language (AMESLAN)]
silhouette:
Eponymous term for an outlined shape or
contrasting depiction, usually without depth; also refers to an image from
which the background has been removed. See illustration.
silicon:
A nonmetallic element, having amorphous or
crystalline forms, as used in alloys and semiconductors, especially for silicon
wafers in electronic devices. See chip. [nb: not "silicone" polymer]
silkscreen:
A printmaking technique, in which a mesh
cloth is stretched over a heavy wooden frame and the design, painted onto the
screen by tusche or affixed by stencil, is printed by having a squeegee force
color through the pores of the material in areas not blocked out by a glue
sizing; also called "silkscreen process" and "screen print",
but formally known as serigraphy (qv) or "mitography".
simile:
A figure of speech which explicitly
compares two distinct objects or concepts by the direct use of "like"
or "as" (eg: "She is like a rose." and "Now the
chimney was all of the house that stood, Like a pistil after the petals
go."); derived from "similar", as a likeness. Compare metaphor;
see rhetorical forms.
simplex:
To print on one side of a sheet from a
dedicated peripheral or a networked device, as in the remote queuing of
corporate or institutional documents; compare duplex, see xerography,
reprography, demand printing, quick printing. Also, a telecommunications system
permitting transfer on only one channel or in only one direction at a time;
compare duplex.
sine qua non/sine qua causa non:
An indispensable or essential condition,
element, or factor, as a quiddity; derived from Latin "without which
(thing) nothing". Compare tour de force; see constant, grid, template,
design. [v: raison d'ˆtre/raisons d'ˆtre]
single-copy sales:
Those publications sold through retail
outlets, either through a distributor or directly. Can also include bulk single
copy sales to conferences and meetings. See sell-through rate, circulation,
newsstand, audit.
sinkage/sink:
The amount of space left blank at the top
of a page, additional to the normal margin, before the first line of type,
usually to set apart the chapters or subdivisions of a publication. See attic,
horizon line, headpiece, heading, title page, optical center.
six pack:
Slang for the group of keys clustered together
on a computer keyboard, usually functioning as DELete, INSert, End, Home, Page
Up, and Page Down; with allusion to adult beverages similarly packaged. See
num-pad, keyboard.
sixteenmo:
A book size (about 4 x 6 inches; 10 x 15
cm) determined by printing on sheets folded to form 16 leaves or 32 pages;
symbol: 16mo. Also called sextodecimo. See sheet.
sketch:
Any rough draft, plan, or design; see
thumbnail, FPO. Also, a simple drawing or hasty painting giving only essential
features, often used as a preliminary work; see line drawing, block-in, scamp,
illustration. Also, a short piece of descriptive writing; sometimes as an
outline for a longer work. Also, a short comic routine, or a brief dramatic
scene, as an episode; see vignette.
skid:
A low mobile platform for ease of handling
goods. See pallet.
skyline:
A headline, cover line, bulletin, teaser,
hook, or story set above the nameplate on the front-page of a publication for
maximum visibility. A significant story which is text dominant, such as fact or
emotion, will be used in this manner, because it lacks the visual elements that
will draw a reader into the account. Compare strap, kicker, attic, corner
snipe; see subhead, heading, horizon line, optical center.
slander:
A defamation or calumny; as a malicious
and false statement or report by oral utterance rather than by writing,
pictures, and so forth (libel); derived from scandal. Speech proposing a
transaction or exchange is commercial or contractual, and does not enjoy the
Free Speech protections of debate.
slang:
Informal idiom and vocabulary usage that
is characteristically more metaphorical, elliptical, and ephemeral than
ordinary language; a nonstandard vocabulary composed chiefly of synonyms for
standard words and phrases. See dialect, vernacular, colloquialism,
catch-phrase, counterword, rhetorical forms, language, sociolinguistics.
["Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands, and
goes to work." Carl Sandburg (1959)]
slash:
A short oblique stroke used as a divider
or separator, being a diagonal, virgule, solidus; see punctuation. Also, a path
(qv) delimiter for filenames and internet addresses (qqv); compare backslash.
Also, the closing tag delimiter in an HTML element; see HTML tag, container
tag. Also, the punctuation mark used with switches on command arguments; see
parameter, subroutine.
sleazy:
A contemptible or disreputable publication
characterized by sordid, vulgar, or squalid contents. See muckracker, factoid,
counterfactual, screed, yellow journalism, journalism, news, balderdash. [v:
billingsgate]
sleepy:
Can connote muted and subdued, as quietly
restful, or dull and uninspiring, as blandly soporific; but a publication
should not be prosaic, vapid, insipid, or unimaginative.
slick:
A contranym, derived from
"sleek"/"smooth", meaning both remarkable and tawdry.
'Slick writing' is deft, but glib. A 'slick magazine' is showy but shallow;
being all image without substance... slicks are usually qualitatively
juxtaposed to pulps, although there may be little distinguishing their
contents. Thus, any book or periodical produced in large quantity on
heavily-coated low-quality paper that's printed on a heat-set web press so
every page can be dry varnished for maximum reflectivity. Also called
"glossy" (which is also a contranym, meaning both lustrous and
deceptive). Compare pulp, uncoated paper; see varnish, book paper, coated
paper, art paper, gloss paper, paper coating.
slide:
see dialect, idiolect, accent.
SLIP:
The abbreviation for Serial Line Internet
Protocol, being a communication standard that allows a computer to be directly
connected to the Internet using a graphical user interface (GUI). By a dial-up
connection (such as telephone circuits or RS-232 cables), SLIP may use a serial
modem to link Local Area Networks (LAN) or to access the internet/WWW. SLIP
does not include error detection, data compression, and modem communication
elements found in the PPP protocol. See TCP/IP, internet address, URL, web
server.
slipcase:
A box for a book, for a set of books, or a
periodical series, that's open on one side so the spine is visible. See
portfolio, jacket, accordian-fold.
slogan:
A distinctive phrase or motto, identified
with a particular product, party, institution, or the like; derived from
"army + cry" (sluagh-ghairm), formerly as a Scottish clan gathering
call or war cry. See jingle, catchword, catch-phrase, diction, trigger term,
advertising.
slot:
Formerly, the middle of the U-shaped copy
desk (qv) where the editor was surrounded by copyeditors, who processed work
from copywriters and deskmen for submission to the art department to setup the
current issue; being the publication's operations and control center, the
editorial nexus. Compare rim; see fishbowl.
slug:
A short phrase or title used to indicate the
story content of a piece of copy, which label does not display with the copy;
see meta tag. Also, the line of type carrying this information. Also, a line of
type in one piece, as produced by a Linotype. Also, a strip of type metal, less
than type-high, used for spacing; see quad, leading, nonpareil, furniture,
feathering. Also, a spacing strip containing a type-high number or other
character for temporary use.
slur:
To spot, stain, soil, or blot, as a spread
or smear of ink; same derivation ("sloormud") as sully, slight,
defile, or disparage. See hickey, picking, mottle, scum, setoff.
slush pile:
A quantity of unsolicited material, sent
"over the transom" on speculation by aspiring writers, usually read
by staff interns, editorial assistants, or practicum students; derived from the
occasional need to patch or fill a publication with slush for
"cement" or "lubrication". See filler, squib, bite,
snippet, puffery, manuscript.
small-cap:
A small capital letter; a capital letter
of a particular font, having the height of a lowercase letter. See OC, CAP, LC,
drop-cap, majuscule.
small pica:
A 10.5 point type; see font, type.
small press:
A relatively small publisher of limited
resources, and not controlled by an outside institution or entity; also called
"little press" or "niche publisher". Most small presses
employ fewer than a dozen people, and publish no more than four-dozen new
titles each year. The bimonthly trade journal for small publishers is
"Small Press", which publishes approximately 100 reviews of small
press books in each issue. References include: Literary Market Place (LMP),
"Directory of Literary Magazines and Presses" (CLMP),
"DustBooks' Guide to Little Magazines and Small Presses",
"Writer's Market" (WDS). The Small Press Center is a nonprofit
cultural and educational institution dedicated to promoting awareness of small
independent publishers and their contribution to society. See backlist, niche
publishing, publish.
smart tag:
Slang for EPC or RFID codes (qqv); compare
bar code.
SMIL:
The abbreviation for Synchronized
Multimedia Integration Language, being a new markup language developed by the
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that enables web developers to divide
multimedia content into separate files (audio, image/video, and text) that stream
as individual components that present themselves seamlessly, as if they were a
single multimedia entity. This separation reduces static and complexity, while
increasing access and transfer. SMIL is based on the eXtensible Markup Language
(XML). Rather than defining the actual formats used to represent multimedia
data, it defines the commands that specify whether and when the various
multimedia components should be played, setting the parameters for simultaneity
and sequence. Compare SAMI.
SMTP:
Abbreviation for Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol, being the standard TCP/IP protocol governing electronic mail
transmission and reception used on the internet and other server networks.
Additionally, SMTP is generally used to send messages from a mail client to a
mail server. Client e-mail messages can be retrieved from host servers using
either POP or IMAP. Related risks include the spreading of viruses in attached
files, and distributing spam, the internet's "junk mail". SMTP is
defined in RFC 821, with associated message format descriptions in RFC 822; and
uses TCP/IP port 25. See e-mail.
smurf:
Causing a security breach in an online
network by an overload from ICMP echo (PING) request replies. Internet
broadcast addresses distribute all received messages to the hosts connected to
the subnet. Each broadcast address can support up to 255 hosts, so a single
PING request can be multiplied 255 times. The return address of the request
itself is spoofed to the smurf attacker's victim. All the hosts receiving the
PING request reply to this victim's spoof address instead of the real sender's
address. A single smurf attacker sending hundreds of these PING messages per
second can fill the spoof victim's T-1 (or even T-3) line with PING replies,
and bring the entire internet service down. Smurfing attempts to deny service
by disabling a computer or network, system or security. See virus, worm,
sniffer, Trojan Horse, spoofer, deadman, malware.
Snap:
A WYSIWYG guides or rules program feature
used for accurately aligning text or graphics. The effect is exercised by
various non-printing guidelines, such as column or margin guides, which
automatically place the text or graphics in the correct position (ie: flush to
the column guide) when activated by the mouse. The feature is optional and can
be toggled off. See format, master page, stylesheet. Also, the abbreviation for
Specifications for Non-Heat-set Advertising and Printing (SNAP); being an
industry guideline specific to #5 groundwood paper. See trade customs, trade
associations.
sniffer:
A program and/or device that monitors data
traveling over a network. Sniffers can be used both for legitimate network
management functions, and for stealing information off a network. Unauthorized
sniffers can be extremely dangerous to a network's security because they are
virtually impossible to detect, and can be inserted almost anywhere. On TCP/IP
networks, where they sniff packets, they're often called "packet
sniffers". See cookie, tracking, adware, spyware, smurf, spoofer, virus.
snipe:
To attack a person or a person's work with
petulant or snide criticism, especially anonymously or from a safe distance;
derived from "position of concealment", as sniper. See critic.
snippet:
A small fragment or short passage taken
from a document, book, film, or the like, as a scrap of information; an excerpt
or extract. See blurb, squib, paragraph, teaser, trailer, epigraph, call-out,
sidebar, filler, bite, scrap, ear.
SNOBOL:
The acronym for String Oriented Symbolic
Language (qv).
sociolinguistics:
The study of the interactions between the
linguistic and social variables of a dynamic language; the study of language as
it functions in society, especially bearing upon cross-cultural, transnational,
interracial, and other socioeconomic influences. Examines the process of
"language engineering" which resolves problems with standardization
and unification. See slang, colloquialism, vernacular, dialect, non-standard,
standard, creole, language; compare psycholinguistics. [v: bilingualism]
soft copy:
Type and images viewed on a computer
screen or monitor; also called "soft proof". See reader spread,
PaperNet; compare hard copy.
soft offer:
A subscription offer that allows new or
renewing subscribers to send no money up front. With soft offers, one issue
will often be served, or "graced", prior to cancellation for
non-payment. Also known as a "bill me" offer. See circulation,
differential pricing, subscription. [nb: should be used only if capable of
accurate and comprehensive invoicing]
software:
Coded programs for directing the
processing of electronic data or the operation of a computer and its
peripherals. Also, any material (such as audiovisual media) requiring the use
of mechanical or electrical equipment (ie: hardware). Also, the documentation
for such programs or materials. See bit, byte, nybble, pixel, analog, debug,
bug, glitch, kludge, alpha test, beta test, vaporware, crippled, warez, adware,
cookie, command line, shell, multitasking, TSR, subroutine, algorithm, macro,
script, batch file, control character, parameter, meta tag, search engine,
spider, plug-in, suite, interface, GUI, WYSIWYG, open-source, freeware,
shareware, public domain software, shovelware, cobweb-site, feature-shock,
hacker, phreak, turist, FAQ, help, trap door, firewall, deadman, honeypot,
sniffer, spoofer, smurf, script kitty, cracker, steganography, virus, worm,
malware; compare language, markup, program, database, graphics.
SOHO:
Abbreviation for Small Office/Home Office,
designating both a production capacity and a contrapositive lifestyle (ie:
personal versus bureaucratic, artistic versus industrial).
solecism:
A nonstandard or ungrammatical usage (eg:
flammable/inflammable/non-flammable); derived from the name of a city in
Cilicia where a corrupt form of Attic Greek was spoken. Also, any error,
impropriety, or inconsistency. See rhetorical forms; compare neologism,
compound. [nb: nonstandard/substandard words include: ain't, alot, alright,
anyways, anywheres, conflicted, complected, enormity, heighth, hern (mine,
thine), hisn (his'n), irregardless, mischievious, nohow (not
"knowhow"), nowheres, snuck, somewheres, theirn (their'n), thunk,
unflammable, you-all (y'all), yourn (your'n), youse, you-uns (you-ens)]
solid:
A color having uniformity of tone. Also, a
compound word written without a hyphen; see composition. Also, printing with
few open spaces, or type lines not separated by leading, as "set
solid"; see minus leading, readability.
solid leading:
Text set with the default leading of the
font or typeface used; leading without any additional interline spacing.
Compare minus leading; see leading, alignment.
soliloquy:
A speech in a drama in which a character,
alone or as if alone, discloses innermost thoughts; in prose, this style of
"interior monologue" is often called a 'dialogue', to distinguish it
from the verbal exchange between two characters, known as "duologue".
See monologue, apostrophe, verse.
sound-bite/sound bite:
A brief but striking remark or statement
excerpted from one source for insertion into another source, especially a
comment extracted from an interview and broadcast in a news story. See bite,
ear, snippet, blurb, squib, filler, paragraph, call-out, box, sidebar,
epigraph, contents; compare sound-clip.
sound-clip/sound clip:
A short segment or brief excerpt of speech
or music introduced into electronic media as a primary, complementary, or
supplementary component, also called "audio-clip"; including voice
mail, verbal messages, audible labels, musical cues, narrations, background
melodies, instrumental or choral expositions (eg: prelude, interlude,
postlude). See MIDI; compare sound-bite.
source code:
Human-readable computer program statements
written in a high-level or assembly language; compare object code.
SP:
Encircled abbreviation for "spell
out"; see proofreader's marks. Also, conventional abbreviation for
"misspelled" or "spelling error", usually with correction
interlarded.
space:
Term used to denote advertising linage
(qv).
space writer:
A journalist or copywriter paid on the
basis of length of copy, usually computed in column inches. See linage,
feature-length, writer.
spam:
The mass distribution of unsolicited
e-mail messages to large numbers of newsgroups or mailing lists, with little
regard for the burden such activity places upon subscribers. Spamming is
considered to be one of the worst violations of netiquette, because it forces
internet users to waste valuable time scanning and deleting "junk
e-mail" messages. This practice is also known as Excessive Cross-Posting
(ECP) and Excessive Multi-Posting (EMP). The person sending such messages is
known as a "spammer". The term purportedly derives from a song
performed on "Monty Python's Flying Circus" where the word was
incessantly repeated. Origin is also attributed to the University of Southern
California computer lab, which analogized "junk e-mail" to the
trademarked Hormel Foods product, consisting of meat that is chopped and
compressed into a canned loaf (formally renamed from "Spiced Ham" in
1937). Also ascribed to an advertising editor of the "Dallas Times
Herald", who suggested "throwing a can of Spam into an electric fan
just to see if it will stick to any unwary passersby"; which notion is
similar to "run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes". See flame-bait,
flame, adware, pop-up, e-mail.
specialized format:
Any form of published material converted
into an alternative medium (eg: braille, audio, digital text, etc) to enable
accessible use solely by disabled persons, as authorized by the
Vocational-Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The
exception phrase in the boilerplate prohibition ("Copying of this material
in any manner, except in a specialized format, is strictly
prohibited."), listed with the disclaimers and other legal notices on the
acknowledgements page, is the publisher's recognition of the civil right to
access public matter. As with Fair Use, this "re-publication" may
entail permissions and fees. The "Chafee Amendment" (PL 104-197) to
the Copyright Act (Title 17 USC, Section 121) improves acquisition time by
presuming re-publication permission for recognized access service providers.
See DAISY, crawl, MSAA, WAI, validation, accessibility, fair use, copyright,
acknowledgements.
specialty printer:
Printer whose equipment, supplies,
workflow, and marketing is targeted to a specific category of products.
specifications:
The precise and complete written
description of the detailed features for a printing job; abbreviated
"specs". See estimate, fixed costs, variable costs, formula pricing,
unit cost, quotation, job order.
specular highlight:
Highlight area with no printable dots,
thus no detail; also called "catchlight" and "dropout
highlight". See illustration.
spider:
A program that automatically fetches
webpages; also known as a crawler, so named for their stealthy creep over data.
Spiders are used to feed pages to search engines for indexing. Because most
webpages contain links to other websites, a spider can start almost anywhere by
detecting connections and retrieving the matches. Large search engines have
many spiders working in parallel. See crawler, search engine, meta tag.
spine:
The back of a book, either covering or
integrated with the binding, usually marked with the title, author, and
imprint; also called "backbone". See headband, binding, key title.
[nb: Scrolls and volumes were title marked with tags, tickets, or protocols,
and were stowed in a variety of containers and pigeonholes; but incunabula and
codex volumes were usually title marked on their front cover (because books
were shelved flat, as in a bookbinder's press), or upon retaining straps (used
because pages would swell with moisture, and damage the binding). When, in the
Medieval era, books began to be shelved vertically, they were either placed on
their spine (with their title marked on the fore-edge), or on their base with
their spine inward against the back wall of the book press (with their title
marked on the retaining straps). Spines were first imprinted with identifying
marks when publishers subdivided folios into multiple volumes during the 16th
Century. Beginning in the 17th Century, a half-title page was printed in
abbreviation on one of the flyleaves so it could be cut-out and tipped over the
fore-edge or pasted onto the spine for book identification on shelving.]
spiral-bound:
A book bound with a continuous plastic or
wire loop that passes through holes in the edge of the material; also called
coil or mechanical bind. This inexpensive method of binding is well suited for
guides, manuals, and references; and has the advantage of laying flat on a
table, so the reader may make "hands free" reference to its contents.
Compare comb binding, lay-flat bind; see binding.
split edition:
Simultaneous publication of both
hardcover and paperback editions of the same book; also called dual edition
(qv). Publishers often do a small run of hardcovers to sell to libraries. See
trade edition, volume rights.
spoilage:
Paper which must be recycled due to
mistakes or accidents. See pre-consumer waste, broke, post-consumer waste,
waste, paper.
spoofer:
A program used by a cracker to trick a
computer system into thinking it is being accessed by an authorized user. IP
spoofing is a technique used to gain unauthorized access to computers, whereby
the intruder sends messages to a computer with an IP address indicating that
the message is coming from a trusted port. To engage in IP spoofing, a cracker
must first use a variety of techniques to find an IP address of a trusted port,
and then modify the packet headers, so that it appears that the packets are
coming from that port. See virus, worm, sniffer, Trojan Horse, smurf, deadman,
malware.
spot color:
Any color created by printing only one
ink; also known as "flat color". See fifth color, illustration.
spread:
The technique of slightly expanding or
enlarging the size of an image to accomplish a trap with another image; see
choke, register. Also, a two-page arrangement of copy; see reader spread,
printer spread, crossover, backup, page spread, double spread, center spread.
spyware:
Any intrusive software that covertly
gathers user information through the user's InterNet connection, sometimes as a
hidden component of a shareware or freeware application, and transmits that
information in the background to a third party. Spyware may extract personal
information (eg: passwords, PINs, account designations), business or
professional data (ie: medical or financial records), consumer practices or
website visitations. Spyware exists as independent executable programs that
have the ability to monitor keystrokes, scan files on the hard drive, snoop
other applications (eg: e-mail, spreadsheet, word processor, etc), read
cookies, change the default home page on the Web browser, and install other
spyware programs. Licensing agreements that accompany software downloads
sometimes warn the user that a spyware program will be installed along with the
requested software, but the licensing agreements may not always be read
completely because the notice of a spyware installation is often couched in
complex and obtuse legal disclaimers. Because spyware is using memory and
system resources, the applications running in the background can lead to system
crashes or general system instability. See cookie, tracking, adware, pop-up,
sniffer, smurf, spoofer, virus, malware.
SQL:
The abbreviation for Structured Query
Language (pronounced 'S Q L' or SeQueL), being a standard ISO and ANSI language
used to create, maintain, and query relational databases. SQL uses regular
English words for many of its commands, which makes it easy to use. It is often
embedded within other programming languages. Facilities of the SQL Access Group
include: SQL Link (SQLL), Interactive SQL (ISQL), SQL Server (SQLS), ANSI SQL
Standard Scalable And Portable (AS3AP), SQL Module Language, SQL Enterprise Manager
(SEM), Call Level Interface (CLI). See XQL, language.
squatting:
The occupation of property without
permission or payment, or usurpation without right or title. A company's name
or domain name may differ from their trademark, but trademarks are particular
to specific products or markets. Registered and notable trademarks are
protected against diminishment by blurring or tarnish, from dilution by
proliferation, or by conversion to generic form. Filing an "intent to
use" registration is evidence of use, but no trademark can be reserved
without use, or reserved solely for profiteering resale. Deception and
imitation are redressed by unfair competition provisions in the Trademark Act.
Blocking web access or internet registration for established trademarks (called
"cyber squatting") has been addressed by the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C). See fair use, trademark, copyright. [cf: usufruct]
squeegee:
An implement, usually edged with rubber,
used for removing excess water from surfaces, excess developer from photographic
prints, or for evenly forcing paint or ink through a screen in serigraphy; also
called blade. See screen printing, silkscreen.
squib:
Any short writing, usually witty or
sarcastic. Also, a short news story, often used as a filler. Derived from a
spluttering firecracker. See snippet, paragraph, call-out, sidebar, bite, ear,
scrap, rebus, epigraph, feuilleton, boilerplate. [v: bagatelle]
SSI:
The abbreviation for Server-Side
Includes; which is the ability to include files from the server inside an HTML
document by placing tags in the HTML file that link to those files. Using
Server-Side Includes makes it unnecessary to include multiple copies of the
same information in the HTML file, and makes it easier to work with
frequently-updated information. Server-Side Includes are available on some HTTP
servers. Also, the abbreviation for Small-Scale Integration; being the use of
integrated circuits with less than 100 logic gates, as in the early
third-generation computers (qv).
SSL:
The abbreviation for Secure Sockets
Layer, being an online encryption security level that permits commercial
transactions on the World Wide Web; implementation changes filename extensions
from HTML to SHTML, and works with CGI Script. Compare PGP, RSA; see firewall,
proxy, password.
staff:
A group of people, such as employees or
subcontractors, who perform specific functions when implementing or executing
the work of an establishment. A publishing house staff may include: publisher,
manager, editor (and proofreader or copywriter), art director (and
photographer), advertising director (and salesmen), distribution director,
comptroller (and accountant or bookkeeper), secretary (and clerk or
receptionist), assistants, associates, and volunteers. See work for hire,
freelance, outsource, revolving-door, headhunting, non-competition agreement.
stamp:
A die or block for impressing or
imprinting a design; to impress with a mark or device, as a distinguishing
feature or an indication of authenticity or approval. See emboss, deboss, die,
foil, foil blocking, foil stamp.
standard:
Usage that conforms 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 semantics,
semiotics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, word, vocabulary, language;
compare non-standard.
standard viewing conditions:
A simulation of the color of daylight on
a "normal" or bright day: a background of 60 percent neutral gray,
and light that measures 5000 degrees Kelvin. See illustration.
standing head:
A headline that remains the same from one
issue of a periodical to another. See constant, heading.
stanza:
An arrangement of a certain number of
lines, usually four or more, sometimes having a fixed length, meter, or rhyme
scheme, forming a division of a poem. Compare strophe; see foot, stave, verse.
[v: rubaiyat]
staple binding:
See saddle-stitch binding, side-stitch
binding.
stave:
A verse or stanza of a poem or song,
especially the alliterative sound in a line of verse. Also, the set of spaced
horizontal lines on which music is written; staff, score.
steganography:
The theory and techniques of hiding
information by embedding concealed messages within otherwise innocuous or
commonplace materials; also called "stego", as derived from
"covered + writing". Unused or useless data bits in regular computer
files are replaced with invisible bits of covert information. This hidden
information can be plain text, cipher code, or even images, and may be inserted
into text, audio, graphic, web, or e-mail files. Unlike encryption, which
alters obvious signs by translating something readable into something
unreadable, secret writing is not detected because it is not overt and not
suspicious. Because encryption provides confidentiality but not secrecy,
steganography and cryptography are often combined to augment security.
Originally used in ancient Greece, where an inscribed tablet was overlaid with
another message in wax, modern practice uses specialized "steganalysis"
software to detect or distribute data, by injection or substitution, among the
electronic noise of typical files. When data is injected, the host medium often
increases noticeably in size; and when data is substituted, the host medium
often degrades noticeably in quality. See digital watermark, DAISY, trap door,
key, warez, virus, quantum, rune. [v: polyptych, polygraphia]
stem:
The major structural parts of a
character, which are mostly straight vertical (or nearly vertical) and
horizontal (or nearly horizontal) strokes. See ear, finial, crossbar, kern,
serif, type, typeface, font, typography.
stencil:
A sheet, plate, or other material bearing
a pierced design or cut-out pattern, as used to transfer or reproduce by paint
or ink to another surface; derived from a metathetic conversion of ornamental
spangle. See ties, template.
stenograph:
A character written in shorthand; see
instant messaging, notation. Also, any of various typewriter-like keyboard
instruments used for writing in shorthand.
step and repeat:
Pre-press technique of exposing an image
in a precise multiple pattern so as to create a flat or plate. See plate.
stepped head:
A headline forming a staggered or
progressive effect. See heading.
stereotype:
A printing plate, made by the process of
taking a mold of composed type and casting type metal from the mold. Also, any
conventional expression or unoriginal idea, as the simplified image or
standardized conception of outsiders. See type. [cf: prototype, archetype]
STET:
Abbreviation for "let it
stand", to retain material previously deleted; see proofreader's marks.
stipple/stippling:
A method of drawing, painting, or
engraving by dots or "small touches"; and the work so created.
Compare pixelated, webpox; see pointillism, mezzotint, tessellate, reticulate,
illustration.
stochastic screening:
An algorithm that uses a semi-random
arrangement of pixels to create the appearance of grey by varying the placement
(not size) of halftone dots; also called "sub weight". Improves on
the standard halftone screen by maximizing the number of grey tones that can be
represented by a limited output resolution. See dithering, halftone, gray
levels, illustration. [nb: stochastic: a process that involves a randomly
determined sequence, any sample of which may be an element of a probability
distribution]
stone age:
In computer jargon, any outmoded,
outdated, or obsolete automated processing system (whether or not it still
functions!), that is, everything not currently promoted as the "latest and
greatest" machine; but especially refers to the early period or
first-generation of computers (qv).
story:
A narrative, either true or fictitious,
in prose or verse; as a fictitious tale that's shorter and less elaborate than
a novel. See feature story, vignette, lay, squib, 30.
storyboard:
A panel, or series of panels, displaying
sketches that graphically depict scheduled scenes, with changes of action or
story line, as for a television or motion picture production. The sequence
plotted on the storyboard may not follow the script but will later be assembled
into the proper order. This piecemeal construction with integral links also
applies to website development. Compare art board, flowchart; see cinema
verite, film. [cf: tablature: to mark or score on a board]
story line:
The main plot (qv), or the succession of
incidents of a novel, poem, or drama; also called "theme" or
"motif". See drama, foreshadowing, denouement. [v: leitmotif]
straight composition:
Copy arranged as both flush left and
right; bijustified. See alignment, justify, flush, H&J, feathering, column
rule, ragged, indent.
strap:
A subheading used above the main headline
in a newspaper article; also called kicker or "precede". See deck,
subhead, heading; compare skyline.
stratum/strata:
A layer of material, naturally or
artificially formed, often formed one upon another; derived from
"cover" or "spread".
strawboard:
A thick board made from straw pulp,
that's not suitable for printing, but used in bookwork, and in the making of
envelopes and cartons. See paper.
stream:
A continuous succession, especially of
data input, as contents flowing "on stream" to complete a project or
enable operation; such as when text flows into a template around design
elements and graphical objects. Compare pipeline; see read through.
streambedding:
A contraction of (main)stream +
(em)bedding, as used to describe the flow of graphics data with coding
inserted, as in EPS and SVG formats.
stream of consciousness/stream-of-consciousness:
A style of writing that simulates, often
with non-standard syntax, the constant flow of thoughts and emotions, ideas and
images, in a meld of interior monologue and exterior dialogue by one or more
characters, in the juxtaposition of random sequences, inconsistent expressions,
and indistinct levels of reality; being a psychodynamic referent applied to
literature. Coined by William James, this style represents the same point made
by Cratylus, who was the seminal proponent of universal change; believing that
everything was not only mutable, but actually changed before it could be
expressed or represented. Cratylus is famous for correcting the statement: you
cannot step into the same river twice, made popular in America as you can never
go home again, into something like a Zen retort: you can't even step into
the same river once. This radical metaphysic persuaded him that words were
useless, and talking was useless... perhaps worse than useless, since in
talking one has the illusion of comprehension. See literature.
streamer:
Alternate term for banner (qv). As a sensational
headline, this term should be designated: screamer.
stress variation:
Typefaces with a difference in stroke and
stem thicknesses, in simulation of antique (distressed) or calligraphic (brush)
styles. See typeface.
strike-through:
The saturation of ink into a sheet so
that it penetrates to the other side of the page, also called
"soak-through"; compare opacity. Also, to mark through or over-strike
copy, showing changes or corrections, as when copyediting text or revising
legal documents; see copyedit, proofread.
string:
See character string, SNOBOL.
stringer:
A part-time news correspondent covering a
subject or locality for a periodical; probably derived from rank or status, as
a "second-stringer". See freelance, deskman, writer, journalism.
String Oriented Symbolic Language:
A programming language from Bell Labs
used for string processing, compiler development, and pattern matching;
abbreviated "SNOBOL" (snowball). See language.
strip:
To assemble images on film for
platemaking.
stripping:
The positioning of all pieces in the
layout onto large sheets of paper to construct the templates. Consideration
must be given to optimum utility, precise placement, color relations, and
efficient pressruns. See imposition, guideline, format.
stroke:
The movement of a pen, pencil, brush, and
similar writing instruments, or the resultant mark made by such a movement; see
serif, stem, type, typography, alphabet. Also, a distinctive manner or
effective touch in a literary composition. Also, a piece of work, a feat; see
masterpiece.
strophe:
In modern poetry, any separate section or
extended movement in a poem, distinguished from a stanza in that it does not
follow a regularly repeated pattern; compare stanza, see monostrophe,
apostrophe, prosody, verse. Also, the part of an ancient Greek choral ode sung
by the chorus, and the movement (strophe/antistrophe) of the chorus while
singing. Also, the first of the three series of lines forming the divisions of
each section of a Pindaric ode [an ode consisting of several units, each
composed of a strophe and an antistrophe of identical form followed by a
contrasting epode].
stylebook:
A reference book containing the rules of
usage in punctuation, grammar, typography, and the like, used by writers,
editors, proofreaders, and typographers; also known as style guide or style
guideline. The standard stylebooks include: "MLA Style Manual and Guide to
Scholarly Publishing", "The Chicago Manual of Style", "A
Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations" [Turabian],
"The BlueBook" [law], "Am. Psych. Assn. Publication
Manual", "The New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and
Usage", "The Associated Press Stylebook", "The New York
Times Manual of Style and Usage", "The Gregg Reference Manual",
and "USGPO Style Manual".
stylesheet/style sheet:
The customary rules that a publisher
observes regarding syntactic composition and document formatting, which
represent particular guidelines for similar projects. By extension from these
editing and layout formulations, a computer file which establishes consistent
treatment of each similar item or all associated data, as by a uniform
template, without coding different features separately. See CSS, XSL, JSS,
widow, orphan, Snap, master page, format, punctuation, copyedit, stylebook.
stylish:
Conforming to current fashion; vogue,
smart, chic, dernier cri, faddish, trendy, fancy, whimsy, craze, mania,
clinquant, kitsch. See art, design, graphic design, designing on press, CRAP,
Occam's Razor, slick. [v: de rigueur]
stylus:
A pointed instrument used for inscribing
or embossing, including automatic machine transcription. Also, any pen-like
instrument used in calligraphy or artwork; as derived from "stilus"
(stake) for pointed writing instrument. See pen, writing instrument; compare
puck.
subhead:
A title or heading of a subdivision, such
as in a chapter, essay, or newspaper article. Also, a subordinate division of a
title or heading. See cross head, deck, strap, jump head, heading.
subroutine:
A sequence of instructions inserted into
a computer program, or any stipulated section of code that can be invoked; also
called "module". See algorithm, macro, script, batch file, parameter,
TSR, shell, control character, switch, slash, backslash.
subscript:
A letter, number, or symbol written below
or printed low on a line of text; also called "inferior". Compare
superscript.
subscription:
A sum of money given or pledged as a
contribution, payment, investment, or the like. Also, the right to receive a
periodical publication, utilize a service, attend performances, participate in
functions, and the like for a prepaid sum of money; see differential pricing,
soft offer, fulfillment period, expiration date, renewal rate, audit,
agent-sold subscriptions. Also, the act of appending one's signature or mark to
a form or document, usually denoting assent, agreement, or approval.
subsidiary rights:
The rights to publish in different
formats, or to produce in different media, a derivative or convertible work
that's based on an original expression of tangible intellectual property.
Compare volume rights; see copyright, non-disclosure agreement, work for hire,
fair use, public domain, license, plagiarism, reprint permission,
serialization.
subsidy publisher:
A publisher that produces books for a fee.
Like the major publishing houses, a subsidy press maintains editorial control,
then publishes and distributes the book under its imprint. Authors pay all
publishing costs, and usually retain copyright. Depending upon the contract,
subsidy publishers may pay royalties, or give the author a fixed quantity of
books in lieu of remuneration. See assisted self-publishing, self-publishing,
vanity press, publishing house.
substance weight:
An alternate term for basis weight,
usually referring to bond paper; also called "sub wt". See paper.
subtractive color:
Color produced by light reflected from a
surface. Subtractive color includes hues in color photos, and colors created by
inks on paper. See illustration.
subtractive primary colors:
Yellow, magenta and cyan. In the graphic
arts, these colors are known as process colors because, along with black, they
are the ink colors used in color-process printing. Compare additive colors; see
illustration.
suitcase:
Slang for the complete set of printer and
screen fonts supplied with a job specification as a guarantee of print
accuracy. See COLD, job order.
suite:
A number of connected or related things
forming a series or set, as an ensemble of integrated programs (v: Acrobat) or
compatible software (v: MIME); derived as a metathetic variation of suit
("siute") meaning "to follow". See program, software.
supercalender:
A roll or set of rolls for giving a
smooth high finish to paper.
supercalendered paper:
Groundwood paper calendered using
alternating chrome and fiber rollers to produce a smooth, thin sheet for
magazines, catalogs, and directories; abbreviated SC paper. See paper.
superscript:
A letter, number, or symbol written above
or printed high on a line of text; also called "superior". Compare
subscript.
surprint:
To print an image over another image, as
text over a graphic, as line drawing over continuous tone; to impose an overlay
onto a base depiction in the same illustration area by registered plate
sequence. Also called "double print" or overprint (qv). See
pre-print, screen tint, ink-trap, watermark, tip-on; compare mortise.
SVG:
The abbreviation for Scaled Vector
Graphics; a text-based vocabulary that interfaces with human-readable XML tags.
See graphics, illustration; compare Flash.
SVGA:
The abbreviation for Super Video Graphics
Array; being a high resolution video display standard for color monitors,
defined by VESA. SVGA monitors display up to 16.7 million colors with
resolutions up to 1,280 x 1,024 pixels, and are good for multimedia
applications. See screen, illustration.
swash/swash letter:
A capital letter written or printed in
Italics with at least one long tail or flourish added for dramatic effect. See
initial, rubric, drop-cap, display type, typeface, ITAL, paraph.
swatchbook/swatch book:
A collection of specimen materials, or a
manufacturer's set of production samples, showing particular characteristics;
as of paper, ink, or the like. See samples.
sweat equity:
Unreimbursed labor, that increases the
value of a property, or is invested to establish an enterprise. See budget,
marketing plan, appropriation.
switch:
The syntactic parameters used in an
argument for controlling the execution of a command or an application, which
are typically punctuated with a forward-slash (/), to distinguish qualified
instructions from file paths or internet addresses. See slash, subroutine,
backslash. Also, a regulatory device for directing or re-directing an electric
current, or for making or breaking a circuit.
SWOP:
The abbreviation for Specifications for
Web Offset Publications; being an industry guideline. See trade customs, trade
associations.
swung dash:
A punctuation mark (~) used in place of a
word, or part of a word, previously spelled-out. See apostrophe, elision, dash,
tilde, punctuation, notation.
SXGA:
The abbreviation for Super eXtended
Graphics Array, being a specification that can display 1280 x 1024 resolution,
or approximately 1.3 million pixels. See screen, illustration.
syllabary:
A list or catalog of syllables. Also, a
set of written symbols, each representing a syllable, used in writing certain
languages (eg: Japanese). See schwa, diacritic, accent, foot, glide,
punctuation, orthography, Unicode, sesquipedalism. [v: pyrrhic]
symbol:
See semiotics, glyph, graphics, sign
language, prose, verse, rhetorical forms.
syntax:
The patterns for formation of phrases and
sentences from words, and the rules for the formation of grammatical sentences
in a language. Prescriptive and proscriptive "rules of usage" are not
strictly grammar or syntax; but if idiom violates syntactic use, it is better
to rephrase or rewrite than to flout either system of effective communication.
See alphabet, language, punctuation, orthography, vocabulary, syllabary,
morpheme, phoneme, parse, gender, pidgin. [v: inflection, suppletion] [nb:
Chomskyan "transformational generative grammar"]
system tray:
A feature introduced with MS-Windows95, the system tray is normally
located at the right side of the task bar, next to the clock, and contains
miniature icons for ready access to system functions, such as fax, printer,
modem, volume, and the like. The options and controls on these system tray
icons may be accessed by a mouse right- or double-click.
- T -
tabazine:
Combination of tabloid and magazine for
regional or trade distribution, usually arranged in tabloid format. See
regional edition, public relations magazine, trade journal, newsletter,
magapaper, zine, periodical.
table of contents:
Abbreviated "TOC"; see
contents.
tabloid:
An illustrated publication
dimensionally about half the size of a regular newspaper, often containing
condensed or sensational articles, being a format widely used for newsletters;
sometimes called a "scandal sheet". See pauper press, rag, pulp,
zine, tabazine, pamphlet, booklet, magazine, chapbook, feuilleton, boilerplate,
news book, poster make-up, collateral. [nb: "Whate'er men do, or say, or
think, or dream, Our motley paper seizes for its theme." by Juvenal
(Decimus Junius Juvenalis) in "Satire 1" as translated and embellished
by Alexander Pope, used as the epigraph of the "Prospectus" in the
first issue (2 April 1709) of Richard Steele's "Tatler", outlining
the general principles for publication. The CounterCultural
"Zarzuela" is a modern specimen of classic satire.]
tabular:
Copy set in a table format of columns
and rows.
tag:
The Markup Language compliant code that
is embedded within the body of a document, which allows information, such as
formatting, indexing, and linking, to remain independent of application or
platform; and the document is later translated into its final form by a Markup
Language compatible application. See alt tag, title tag, container tag,
deprecated tag, HTML tag, meta tag, SSI, attribute, markup, TIFF, validation.
tail-in:
To add other work to the end of an
existing pressrun, usually as a test of color or paper for a future job. See
gang, proof, die strike, samples.
tailpiece/tail-piece:
A decoration, usually a printer's
ornament or a small illustration, printed in the blank space at the end of a
book chapter or other subdivision; also called "tail ornament".
Compare headpiece, frontispiece.
take-off:
A media imitation, derivative, or
by-product, based upon a preexisting character, theme, hook, or other
commercial idea; as a copy, clone, repro, spin-off, outgrowth, side-effect,
counterfeit, faux, knock-off, rip-off. See dummy.
tanka:
A Japanese poem consisting of 31
syllables in five lines, with five syllables in the first and third lines, and
seven in the others; derived from "short + song". See haiku, hokku.
target:
Synonymous with destination, being any
file location, database, application mode, storage medium, or hardware device
to which processing is directed or output; see object code. Also, an attribute
of an anchor tag hyperlink on a webpage contained within a frameset, or when
enabled by the underline character (_), as a reserved value controlling the
display of windowed data. Compare relative link; see link, hot link, hot spot,
pointer.
target ink densities:
Densities of the four process inks as
recommended for various printing processes and grades of paper. See process
colors, illustration.
task:
An operating system concept that refers
to the combination of a program being executed, together with its housekeeping
or bookkeeping information. Whenever a program is executed, accountability
connections enable traces and links to support program functions. Multitasking
operating systems (such as UNIX, OS/2, and Windows) are capable of running many
tasks at the same time. In most operating systems, there is a direct
relationship between the task and the program, but some
"multithreading" operating systems allow a program to be subdivided
into multiple tasks. The terms 'task' and 'process' are often used
interchangeably, although some operating systems distinguish between them. See
multitasking, TSR, shell.
tautology:
The needless repetition of an idea in
different words, a "word salad" circumlocution (eg: beautiful
calligraphy, double spread, widow woman, rooftop, advance planning, advance
warning, sand dune, self confessed, pizza pie, free gift), as derived from
"same + knowledge"; see rhetorical forms. Also, a logical proposition
consisting entirely of valid elements, or a compound proposition containing
elements which restate each other; a self-proving circular argument. See
puffery, balderdash, pleonasm, prolixity.
TBA:
Abbreviation for "To Be
Announced", as a schedule or proposal notation; also represented as
"To Be Determined" (TBD).
TCP/IP/TCP-IP/TCPIP:
The abbreviation for Transmission
Control Protocol, which interfaces with the Internet Protocol; these protocols
were developed by DARPA to enable communication between different types of
computers and computer networks. The IP is a connectionless protocol which
provides packet routing. TCP is connection-oriented and provides reliable
communication and multiplexing. See internet address, sniffer, web server.
tear sheet:
A page, containing an advertisement
from a current magazine or other publication, that's torn-out and sent to the
advertiser as proof of publication. See comps, audit, advertising.
teaser:
A highlight or excerpt used to engage
the audience's attention, such as call-outs or film clips; see trailer,
snippet, contents. Also, an advertisement that lures customers by offering a
promotional gift, premium, or bonus; see hook, blurb, cover lines.
telecon:
Contraction of TELEgraph + CONference,
in which principals met at linked stations for long-distance discussion; since
applied to any mode of telecommunications conference. [nb: despite similarity,
telecon is not telecomm]
telex:
A two-way teletypewriter service
channeled through a public telecommunications system for direct communication
between subscribers at remote locations; derived from "tel(eprinter) +
ex(change)". See e-mail, fax.
TELNET:
The contraction of Terminal Emulation
protocoL NETwork, which is abbreviated "TN"; being a virtual terminal
protocol that allows users of one host to log into a remote host and interact
as normal terminal users of that remote host. TELNET is the main Internet terminal
emulation protocol for creating a connection with a remote system, regardless
of distance, availing the user of the opportunity to be on one computer and do
work on another system. Originally developed for ARPAnet, TELNET runs on top of
the TCP/IP protocol. In WWW publishing, TELNET is used to log into the web
server, and 'set the permissions' of files and directories. Once a TELNET
session has been established, commands specific to the remote host must be
used. Assistance on host-specific commands can usually be obtained by typing:
help, ?, or menu. TELNET is most likely to be used by program developers and
anyone who has a need to use specific applications or data located at a
particular host computer. TELNET risks the exposure of passwords over an open
network, which may be stolen and misused. See FTP, anonymous FTP, HTTP,
protocol, trap door, internet.
template:
A pattern or style arranged for a
particular use, subject to modification or transposition; see format, constant,
protocol, overprint, stripping, stencil, pipeline, grid, well. Also, a guide or
gauge, as a keyboard reference to computer program commands; sometimes called a
"cheat sheet".
tessellate:
A design or pattern formed of small
blocks or elements, as a dappled or mosaic image, which may be used as a
background. Compare mottle, hickey, stipple; see reticulate, wallpaper,
illustration. [v: grill, stellular, vairs, miniver]
testing:
The practice of comparing the results
of one offer or "creative" against another. For example, in a direct
mail effort you might offer your standard half-price subscription rate to a
rental list of subscribers, and compare the results of that offer with a
slightly different rate offered to another similar rental list of subscribers.
It's advisable to also offer your standard rate to a control group. Or, a
variety of premiums could be contrasted with different series letters. Testing
is a good way to determine your most effective offers, copy, and design; but
market research ought to include critical analyses of competitors, and reader
surveys. See coding, rollout, audit.
TeX:
Document preparation and processing
software that provides complete control over typographical formatting. Devised
to reproduce computational equations, it is still the premier system for
producing books and articles that require complex typeset mathematical
formulae. The plain TeX macro package for general-purpose typeset text
processing, written by Donald E. Knuth, and LaTeX, originally written by Leslie
Lamport, provide an interface between subject input and output options. After
creating the copy, a WYSIWYG preview of the document can be generated in an
X-window environment using the "xdvi" (TeX device independent)
subroutine. Derived from text editor, with the terminal letter being the Greek
letter 'chi' rather than the English letter 'X'. See LaTeX, LyX, text editor.
text:
The main body of matter in a
manuscript, book, or the like, as distinguished from notes, appendixes,
illustrations, and other supplemental matter; derived from "woven
pattern" (textus), to weave a pattern with words. Also, the wording
adopted as authentic or authoritative, or any of the various forms in which a
writing exists, such as paraphrase, translation, transcription. Also, a unit of
connected speech or writing that forms a cohesive whole, especially a passage
selected for study. Also, type (qv), especially black letter (qv), as
distinguished from margins and illustrations; see gray space.
text box:
Also called "copy block"; see
box, call-out, grid box, mortise, sidebar, side note, ear, crawl, zipper sign,
caption.
TEXTEDIT:
The standard screen-oriented editor
with formatting functions supported by Sun Microsystems in their window
environment. This WYSIWYG program is controlled by drop-down boxes (eg: File, View,
Edit, etc) located on a menu bar at the top of the screen, and features may be
selected by a mouse right-click. A scroll bar is positioned on the left of the
screen. See text editor.
text editor:
A program enabling the creation,
modification, and formatting of a text document or file on a computer system or
workstation. Plain text files are used in programming and messaging, but may be
edited for style (eg: color, font, embedded graphics, etc) and layout (eg:
proportional spacing, justification, etc). There are three major types of text
editor: line editor, showing one line of copy at a time (eg: UNIX
"ed" and "ex"); screen-oriented or display-oriented editor
(aka: "visual editor"), showing a full screen of copy at a time (eg:
UNIX "Vi", "JOVE", "EMACS",
"TEXTEDIT"); text formatter, embedding style guides within text files
(eg: UNIX "FMT", "PR", "ROFF", "TeX").
See DTP, word processor, e-pub, web publishing.
text paper:
Designation for printing papers with
textured surfaces such as laid or linen. Some mills also use text to refer to
any paper they consider top-of-the-line, whether its surface has a texture or
not. See paper coating.
text type:
In general, any monofont or monospaced
font, which is typically displayed in a document without the letter or style
formatting performed by word processors and DTP; also known as typewriter-style
or teletype-style lettering. All unextended ASCII text is plain; HTML will
display a monospace font with the <TT>, <CODE>, and <PRE>
tags. See font, monotype, TT, EBCDIC, ASCII, Extended ASCII, Unicode, gray
space.
thermography:
A technique for imitating an embossed
appearance, as on stationery, by fusing colored wet ink and a colorless
adhesive resin powder to the paper by heat; also called "raised
printing". Compare engrave, etch; see toner.
thesaurus:
A book containing synonyms and
antonyms, arranged by subject or alphabetically; first published in 1852 by
Peter Mark Roget as "Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases Classified and
Arranged so as to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and Assist in Literary
Composition" in a thousand categories. Also, any comprehensive reference
book, such as a dictionary or encyclopedia; derived from Latin for
"treasury" or "storehouse", a repository. See dictionary,
gloss, vocabulary.
thesis:
A subject for a composition, or the
theme for an essay; compare antithesis, see rhetorical forms. Also, a part of a
metrical foot that does not bear the ictus or stress; see foot, verse. Also,
the downward stroke, or the part of a metrical foot that bears the ictus [cf:
arsis]; see strophe. Also, formal writing that incorporates original research
on a subject, such as discourse, treatise, exposition, disquisition, tractate,
exegesis, dissertation; see monograph, gray literature, DAI, hermeneutics, opus,
compare desideratum. Also, a proposition stated for consideration, as one to be
discussed and proved, or as one to be maintained against objections [v:
Hegelian dialectic]; derived from "the act of setting down".
30:
The end-of-story sign used in telegraphy,
teletype, telex, telecom, and internet submission of news to syndicates,
agents, or publishers; ostensibly derived from the Roman numeral thirty (XXX)
used by telegraphers imitative of the triple asterisk end sign normally used
elsewhere in publishing. Alternative derivations include thirty picas per slug
on linotype machines, thirty stories per transmission, or thirty features per
subscription. See end sign.
thingamajig/thingumajig:
A referent for any unknown object,
tool, gadget, device, mechanism, technique, or process, or for any typical or
representative specimen; also called thingamabob, thingy, thingamadoodle,
whatsis, whatchamacallit/whudyacallit, doohickey, doodad, doojigger, doojiggy,
gismo/gizmo, dingus, widget. See balderdash, bunkum @ solecism, euphemism,
boilerplate, shovelware, suitcase. [v: artha (materialism)]
think piece:
In Journalism, an article analyzing and
giving the background of a news event, often with the author's opinions and
forecast for the future; also called "dope story". Compare editorial,
Op-Ed, bully pulpit, expose, news.
thread:
A topical sequence of reply messages
posted on a BBS or forum, which can be read entire and expanded as long as the
subject attracts interest. A single forum or conference typically contains many
threads covering different subjects. A new thread series can be initiated by
posting a comment or question on a different subject. Archived threads can
expose research defects or creative options. Also, a part of a program that can
execute independently of other parts, such that multithread program designs
enable concurrent execution of threaded parts.
thread sled:
The browser software linking the user
to the internet news server for chatroom or newsgroup messaging. See thread,
listserve, UseNet.
three-quarter binding:
A book binding in which the material
used for the back extends farther over the covers than in half binding (qv).
See binding.
three-quarter web:
Press using rolls 22" to 27"
wide to print eight-page signatures with a flat trim size typically 17" X
22"; also called an "eight-page web". See press.
thumbnail:
Anything small, brief, or concise, such
as a miniature image or biographical sketch.
ticker:
A telegraphic receiving instrument that
automatically prints news, stock prices, market reports, and any other
subscription information onto a paper tape. See ticker tape.
ticker tape:
The ribbon of narrow paper upon which a
ticker prints news or quotations (qv). Compare caption, crawl, zipper sign.
ties:
A structural connection, originally of
hair but later of silk thread, joining design elements that span large open
areas of a stencil (qv) for pattern stability and consistency.
TIFF:
The abbreviation for Tag Image File
Format, a standard file format commonly used for scanning, storage, and
interchange of gray scale graphic images. See tag, graphics, illustration.
tilde:
A titulus superscription (~) placed
over a consonant to indicate a palatal nasal sound, or over a vowel to indicate
nasalization; see diacritic, punctuation. Also, a swung dash; see dash,
apostrophe, elision.
tint:
A variety of color, especially
delicate, pale, or dilute; see hue, illustration.
tint block:
A faintly colored background or uniform
shade upon which an illustration is to be produced. See illustration.
tip/tipping/tip-in/tipping-in:
To insert or inset an additional page
or supplemental sheet into a signature before binding, as for illustrations or
corrigenda. See half-title page, integral.
tip-on:
A stock wrapper that conceals and
protects the art on the cover of a periodical, usually text printed, and may be
die-cut. Also, a half wrapper that lists cover lines and decks for the
contents, used instead of surprints. See cover paper.
title page:
An unnumbered recto page at the
beginning of a book giving the title, subtitle, author's name, place of
publication, publisher's name and imprint. Compare half-title page; see
heading, sinkage, protocol, spine, acknowledgments, vignette, key title, front
matter.
title tag:
An alternative HTML attribute that
displays the stipulated data description, which may be nested or sequenced;
most often used as a context-sensitive document or object label, appearing as a
"tool tip". Also, an element in an HTML heading that labels a
document or page, with the description displayed in the browser title bar.
Compare alt tag; see tag, markup.
tittle:
A dot or other small mark in writing or
printing, used as a diacritic or punctuation. Also, any very small thing or any
insignificant amount, as a particle, jot, or whit. See bang. [nb: "It was
said of old Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, that she never puts dots over her
i's, to save ink." by Horace Walpole]
(TK)/(T.K.):
Authorial notation to proofreader or
editor that missing words need to be filled-in to complete the composition,
usually being a detail or reference; abbreviation represents "words To
Kome". See fill-in, proofreader's marks, notation.
tolerance:
The permissible range of variation or
deviation in the characteristics of an object or process. Also, the amount of
endurance or the degree of resistance integrated into a variable process or
unknown condition.
tombstone:
A boxed advertisement without artwork
or illustrations, especially one announcing an issue of a stock or bond; also
known as a "tombstone ad" or "boxed card"; compare card,
see advertising. Also, equivalent headlines placed side by side to deliberately
compete for reader attention; see heading. Also, the inadvertent horizontal
alignment of similar elements, such as subheads in different articles in
parallel columns appearing to be related, which detracts from their individual
impact.
tonal range:
Difference between the darkest and
lightest areas of copy. See quarter tones, tone compression, illustration.
tone compression:
Reduction in the tonal range from original
scene to printed reproduction.
toner:
A highly concentrated organic pigment
(qv); compare dye, ink. Also, either a dry powder, or a powder dispersed in an
organic liquid, used in xerography (qv) to produce the final image.
tool line:
An embossed or scored decorative line,
sometimes forming a border or frame, used for subtle accent, emphasis, and
ornamentation. See rule, fillet, die, panel, blank.
total area coverage:
Total of the dot percentages of the
process colors in the final film; also called "maximum density",
"total dot density", and "total ink coverage". See
illustration.
tour de force:
An exceptional achievement by an
artist, author, or other creative person, that is unlikely to be equaled or
surpassed by anyone; a quintessential stroke of genius, as derived from
"feat of skill or strength". Also, any achievement or resolution that
demonstrates unusual strength, great ingenuity, or adroit skill. Compare sine
qua non; see masterpiece, argus, dandy roll, oeuvre, aesthetics, ars gratia
artis, l'art pour l'art.
TR:
Abbreviation for "transpose";
see proofreader's marks.
trackball:
A type of pointing device; essentially
being an upside down mouse of the mechanical or optomechanical type, complete
with buttons. The unit is stationary (may even be keyboard mounted), does not
need maneuver space, and the roller is directly manipulated by the user. Unlike
a mouse, the trackball unit may be handheld during operation, similar to a
joystick. The "Turbo Mouse", made available by Kensington Microware,
is a Macintosh trackball. See pointer.
tracking:
The practice of assigning codes to all
marketing materials and determining the success of your efforts by looking at
net responses and rates of return; see coding, testing, white mail, audit,
cookie, sniffer. Also, adjusting space between all letters to make them fit the
line; see copyfit, kern, rag, RIP, tweak; compare leading.
trade associations:
Professional membership groups that
promulgate informal guidelines, similar to guilds or gesellschafts; including: Graphic
Arts Technical Foundation (GATF), National Association of Printers and
Lithographers (NAPL), Printing Industries of America (PIA), Graphics
Communications Association (GCA), Committee for Graphics Arts Technology
Standards (CGATS), American Association of Publishers (AAP). See GRACOL, SWOP,
SNAP, trade customs.
trade customs:
Business terms and policies codified by
trade association to provide guidelines for contracts. The Printing Industry
Trade Customs describe the common business practices of the printing industry.
Graphic Communications Trade Customs and Business Practices have been in
general use in the industry throughout the United States and Canada for more
than seventy years. These trade customs and business practices were formally
promulgated at an annual convention of the United Typotheise of America in
1922. They were revised and updated in 1945 and 1974, and were updated and
adopted by the Graphic Arts Council of North America in 1985. A consortium of
the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF), National Association of Printers
and Lithographers (NAPL), and Printing Industries of America (PIA) revised them
in 1994. The use of any Trade Customs must always be an independent, individual
business decision. As each company drafts its own contractual provisions, it
will also want to consider customers' wishes, relationships with potential
customers, and other competitive issues. See GRACOL, SWOP, SNAP, trade
associations.
trade edition:
An edition of a book, usually the
optimal compromise between quality and cost, for distribution through general
bookstores; also known as "trade binding" and "commercial
edition". A well designed and manufactured softcover book is more durable
than a poorly designed and cheaply made hardback book. Since printers were
originally prohibited from selling directly to the public, licensed stationers
would commission a few books to be bound "for the trade", but kept
most works unbound until purchased... with the binding matching previous
purchases for their customer's library. There are numerous examples of historic
personages reading unbound manuscripts, magazine fashion, because they did not
want to wait for binding of a new book. With mass-production and the
mechanization of bookbinding, publishers began offering standard and deluxe
editions; which devolved into split editions, and imprints solely representing
production quality. See paperback, treasure binding, volume rights.
trade journal:
A periodical devoted to disseminating
news and information of interest to a specific industry or trade. Trade
journals are usually published by trade associations, and may be available for
reference, including: "Publishers Weekly", "Folio, the Magazine
for Magazine Management", "Circulation Management Editor and
Publisher", "Magazine Design and Production", "Newspapers
and Technology", "Publishing and Production Executive". See
gazette, organ, periodical; compare public relations magazine.
trademark:
Any symbol or term adopted for use by a
manufacturer or merchant to distinguish a product or commercial line from its
competitors, and registered with the patent office to assure its exclusivity;
including "trade name" and "trade dress", and equivalent to
branding. The registered trademark symbol is ®, and the common law symbol is ®/TM.
Compare servicemark; see product mark, collective mark, imprint, brand, logo,
copyright, fair use. [nb: specimens of former trademarks include: automat,
carborundum, dictaphone, dumpster, escalator, fiberglas, laundromat, loafer,
mailgram, nicad, pablum, peg-board, photostat, plexiglas, popsicle, realtor,
scuba, sheetrock, spackle, spoof, tarmac, telegram, teletype, windbreaker; and
specimens of trademarks liable to become generic include: Adrenalin, Aqua-lung,
Astroturf, Band-Aid, Breathalyzer, Brillo, Formica, Frisbee/Frisbie,
Fuzzbuster, Google, Gore-Tex, Hula-Hoop, Jeep, Jell-O, Kleenex, Magic Marker,
Masonite, Naugahyde, Ping-Pong, Post-it, Q-Tip, Scotch tape, Social Register,
Styrofoam, Technicolor, Thermopane, Ultrasuede, Vaseline, Velcro, Xerox, ZIP
code]
trade secret:
A secret method, technique, process,
formula, pattern, compilation, or device used to competitive advantage in a
business, which exclusivity is secured by financial inducements and
non-disclosure agreements. Trade secrets cannot be protected against
encroachment by copyright, which eventually expires, or by patent, which is
publicly disclosed during registration. Piracy of trade secrets includes
deconstruction, decompiling, and other reverse engineering. See intellectual
property, forbearance agreement, golden handcuffs, autograph, steganography.
[v: Uniform Trade Secrets Act]
tragedy/tragedia:
A literary form, chiefly dramatic,
which evokes strong emotions in the audience by presenting an often superior
and noble being who demonstrates great courage and perseverance while facing
and struggling against certain defeat. Aristotle defined this form as a
dramatic presentation that arouses pity and fear in the audience, thus
stimulating a catharsis of these emotions. The forms of tragedy have changed to
reflect the beliefs, values, and conventions of the age in which they are
produced. However, the fundamental tragic vision remains the same: the
spectacle of an idealistic, courageous, or noble human being in conflict either
with private motives, personal frailty, or individual destiny, set in a hostile
milieu or indifferent universe. Derived from "goat song" (tragoidia).
See pathos, conflict, drama, literature, muse.
trailer:
A short promotional film (qv) showing
highlights of a forthcoming movie; see teaser, snippet. Also, the blank film at
the end of a reel or strip of film, for winding off the film in a camera,
projector, or motion-picture editing device; equivalent to a
"leader".
tramp printer:
An itinerant pressman or traveling
artificer; also called a "vagabond printer". An alternative lifestyle
for a skilled union worker of the 19th Century, who traverses or voyages
without destination, in the same sense as an unscheduled "tramp
steamer" without a fixed route. [v: "A Race of Men:" by Robert
Service]
transition:
The passage or change from one state or
stage, one subject or concept to another; as a passage in writing that links
one scene or topic to another.
translucent paper:
A category of paper that permits the
passage of diffuse light, such as glassine, onionskin, or the like. See
flyleaf, paper.
transparent palette:
By setting a clear base on a normally
rectilinear graphic, the image will display as if directly placed onto the
webpage background, with an irregular, eccentric, or inconsistent shape.
Additionally, the border can be hidden (or made invisible by setting the
parameter to zero) so a hollow box will not display on non-graphical browsers.
See GIF, PNG, bitmap, palette, illustration.
trap:
See ink-trap, image-trap, dry-trap,
wet-trap, knockout, spread, keyline.
trap door:
A method of bypassing a system's
security, notably for repair or inspection, by utilizing some hardware or
software mechanism, also called a "backdoor", which was previously
integrated and intentionally concealed for this purpose by the designers. Such
a service entry by a super-user [eg: UNIX access by "tech", TELNET
access by "guest"] is usually undocumented, and is therefore a
potential security risk. See password, escrow key, Clipper, firewall, deadman.
trapped white space:
An isolated and unused or unusable area
of a layout which implies a need for shifted images, more text, or point
adjustments in type or leading. Instead of bringing light or air into a layout,
such trapped white space acts like a hole that needs to be filled. See white
space, river, hourglass.
treasure binding:
Among codex volumes, the elaborately
decorated front cover of a book, intended to represent the "wealth of
knowledge" it contained. Tradecraft ornamentation on case-bound books
persisted after the mechanization of the printing press, but has deteriorated
from gem or jewel adornment into clinquant ostentation since industrialized
mass-production has substituted intrinsic value with extrinsic commodity. See
trade edition, cameo binding, binding, volume rights.
trigger term:
A word or phrase that initiates a
reaction or precipitates a series of reactions, evocative language;
inflammatory expressions may also be known as "hate speech" or
"fighting words" [v: casus belli]. See catchword, catch-phrase,
slogan, puffery, slander, libel, euphemism, expurgate, censorship, freedom of
speech.
trim:
The removal of something superfluous or
dispensable by, or as if by cutting, as something that is (or is intended to
be) cut off or eliminated; especially the outer edges of a page of a book,
magazine, or the like, before folding or binding. The permissible variations
set by ISO for trim tolerance is 1.5mm for dimensions up to 150mm, 2mm for
dimensions above 150mm up to 600mm, and 3mm for dimensions above 600mm; and DIN
trim variations are 1mm, 1.5mm, and 2mm respectively for the same range of
dimensions. The ISO standards for slightly larger formats of untrimmed raw
paper are defined by the series "RA" and "SRA". See choke, creep,
crop, crop marks, deckle edge, cutoff, cut flush, cast off, hairline, draw,
finish, post-press, guillotine cutter.
Trojan Horse:
A nonreplicating computer subroutine
planted illegally in another program to do local damage when the software is
activated; most frequently concealed in anti-virus applications. This
masquerading algorithm mimics the Greek sabotage in the Trojan War by
concealing its destructiveness behind a benign cover. Compare virus, worm,
sniffer, smurf, spoofer, deadman, malware.
trope:
Any literary or rhetorical device, as
metonymy, synecdoche, irony, or other figure of speech, that consists in the
use of words in other than their literal sense; see metaphor, simile,
euphemism, oxymoron, rhetorical forms, word. Also, a verse or phrase formerly
interpolated into a liturgical text as amplification or embellishment; see
interpolation, interlinear, insert, sandwich.
truncation:
The omission of one or more unaccented
syllables at the beginning or the end of a line of verse (qv); compare
expletive, see foot, rhetorical forms. Also, to trim or abridge a work, as to
shorten, crop, cut, abbreviate, excise, expunge, excerpt, amputate, condense;
see compilation, digest, analects, crunch, expurgate, euphemism, censorship.
TSR:
The abbreviation for Terminate and Stay
Resident, being a subordinate computer program, with any of several ancillary
functions, usually loaded (held resident) in RAM for instant activation by a
hotkey combination, while another program is used. In this "context
switching" form of multitasking (qv), the central processor's
"attention" is turned from one programmatic task to another; rather
than sequentially or alternately allocating increments of time to each task.
TSRs typically include: notepad, dictionary, calculator, phone dialer, search
engine, or terminal emulator. These pop-up interrupts are also known as
"memory-resident programs". See hot-key, shell, multitasking, pop-up
utility, subroutine, task.
TT:
An HTML container tag indicating the
use of a typewriter-style font; see text type. Also, the abbreviation for
TrueType, a class of Microsoft font typography, also designated
"TTF", which was principally invented by Sampo Kaasila as an original
design by Apple called "Royal" to compensate for Adobe Type 1 format
limitations; see scalable font.
turist:
Computer slang for a net visitor or web
surfer, with the implication of being a gawker, rubbernecker, or non-resident
alien; alternate spelling of 'tourist'. See hacker, cracker, phreak, script
kitty, software.
tusche:
A greaselike liquid used in
lithography, as a medium receptive to lithographic ink; and in etching and
silkscreen, as a dye resist. Derived from "to lay on color", to
touch.
tweak/tweaking:
To make small, fine, or minute
adjustments to something, as when personalizing program or system variables.
Changing the values of software or hardware settings can retard or interfere
with efficient operations. See frobnicate, debug, Alpha test, Beta test,
unsharp masking, color contrast, hint, kern, leading, reglet, tracking,
copyfit, rag, RIP, designing on press; compare twiddle.
twiddle/twiddling:
To make gross or large adjustments to
something, or to idly play or trifle with something; as to haphazardly fiddle
an outcome. Also known as "bum", "mess with", "mess
around", "mess about", "fudge factor", "shotgun
debugging". Compare tweak, frobnicate, debug.
two-line beaver/2-line beaver:
Approximately a fifteen-point type; see
font, type.
two-line English/2-line English:
Approximately a twenty-five point type;
see font, type.
two-line pica/2-line pica:
Approximately a 24.4 point type; see
font, type.
tympan:
A heavy treated paper or padlike device
interposed in a hinged frame between the platen of a printing press and the
sheet to be printed, in order to soften and equalize the pressure. See frisket,
letterpress.
type:
A clay, wood, or metal block with a
raised character on its surface that, when fixed into a press and coated with
ink, prints an impression of the character on paper or some similar absorbent
surface. Also, such pieces or blocks of typeface collectively. See font,
scalable font, typeface, intaglio, gravure, foundry type, ascender, descender,
baseline, x-height, aspect ratio, body size, set size, point, measure, pitch,
minikin, brilliant, gem, diamond, agate, pearl, ruby, nonpareil, minion,
brevier, bourgeois, long primer, elite, small pica, pica, English, two-line
beaver, great primer, paragon, double pica, two-line pica, two-line English,
Gothic, Roman type, black letter, text type, display type, expanded type,
condensed type, expert set, cursive, minuscule, uncial, majuscule, swash,
rubric, drop-cap, serif, crossbar, finial, ear, sans-serif, bowl, apex, stem,
kern, Italics, digraph, ligature, notation, stereotype, cliche, matrix, logo,
bullet, guillemet, dingbat, gray space, galley, chase, alphabet.
type case:
General term for a compartmented box,
often portable, used for storing typefaces in a manner ready for picking,
usually arranged in order by frequency of letter use, including special symbols
and dingbats; also called "font box", "printer's case", and
"news case". A Chinese magistrate named Wang Chen is credited with
originating (ca1313) the segmented type case to separately hold 60,000
different characters. See California job case, demon letters, printer's pi.
[nb: designating small letters as "lower-case" and capitals as
"upper-case" derives from the original arrangement of font boxes,
with majuscule situated above minuscule]
typeface:
Any design of type, including a full
range of characters, as letters, numbers, and marks of punctuation, in all
sizes. The general style or appearance of type: as large, broad, or narrow.
Type order classifications include: sans-serif; Roman (old style, transitional,
modern); Egyptian (aka: square-serif, slab-serif); text; script/cursive;
occasional (aka: novelty, decorative, miscellany). See font, scalable font,
type, intaglio, gravure, foundry type, ascender, descender, baseline, x-height,
aspect ratio, body size, set size, point, measure, pitch, minikin, brilliant,
gem, diamond, agate, pearl, ruby, nonpareil, minion, brevier, bourgeois, long
primer, elite, small pica, pica, English, two-line beaver, great primer,
paragon, double pica, two-line pica, two-line English, Gothic, Roman type,
black letter, text type, display type, expanded type, condensed type, expert
set, cursive, minuscule, uncial, majuscule, swash, rubric, drop-cap, serif,
crossbar, finial, ear, sans-serif, bowl, apex, stem, kern, Italics, digraph,
ligature, notation, stereotype, cliche, matrix, logo, bullet, guillemet, dingbat,
gray space, galley, chase, alphabet.
type family:
The collection of typefaces that were
designed together, and intended to be used together; also called "typeface
family" or "family". Each of the style and weight combinations,
such as regular and attributed, is called a face or typeface. See hint, font,
type, legibility, readability. [nb: type form suppliers include: ZipaTone,
ChartPak, Formatt, PressType]
type metal:
An alloy for making printing type,
consisting chiefly of lead and antimony, and sometimes containing small
quantities of tin, copper, zinc, and/or bismuth. See foundry type, hot type,
hellbox, typeface, type. [cf: ley, terne, pewter, britannia]
type noise:
The incongruity or discord created by
inappropriate or excessive type contrasts. The "rule of mono-typographic
harmony" promotes consistency, legibility, and readability by limiting
print to one type family, or to contrasts of size and attribution between no
more than two type families. Scale or weight juxtapositions can energize a layout,
but the style must be consistent throughout the publication. See typography.
typesetter:
A person who sets or composes type;
compositor or typographer. Also, a typesetting machine. Compare
phototypesetter, Imagesetter; see linotype, text editor.
typewriter:
A machine for writing in monospaced
characters by manually pressing the letters of a keyboard. Invented in 1808,
these "strike-on" devices originally functioned by keystrokes at the
back of the sheet pressing against carbon in front of the page to create an
image. Electric typewriters with film ribbons would later become 'cold type'
copy producers, before displacement by DTP computers (nb: 400 double-spaced
typewritten pages approximately equal 1KB). See text type, mimeograph, writing
instruments. Also, former term for a typist.
typographer:
A person who sets types, and arranges
the process of printing from them. See compositor.
typographical error:
An error in printed or typewritten
matter, resulting from a mistake in typing, or from mechanical failure or the
like; also called "typo". Derived from using the "wrong
hand". See PE.
typography:
The art or process of printing with
arranged type. Also, the general character or appearance of printed matter. The
function of typographic style is that the visual structure must accurately
represent the logical structure, so the reader will understand the author's
ideas. No less than any other syntax, a logical argument or mathematical
formula is a coherent grammatical unit in typographical style. See bowl, ear,
finial, stem, kern, serif, crossbar, stroke, apex, aspect ratio, hint, font,
typeface, type noise, legibility, readability.
typology:
The
systematic study and classification of prefigurative symbols or types in
literature. Also, the study and classification of languages according to
structural features, without reference to their histories. See notation,
alphabet. [cf: philology]
- U -
U&LC:
Notation for setting in Uppercase and
LowerCase type. See down style, heading, C&IC, CAP, LC, proofreader's marks.
umbrella:
A department or section in a periodical
that gathers a number of elements or encompasses a diverse assemblage. See
editorial well, compilation.
uncial:
Designating, written in, or pertaining
to a form of majuscule writing, having a curved or rounded shape, and used
chiefly in Greek and Latin manuscripts from ca3rd - 9th century AD. See
minuscule, cursive, font, typeface.
uncoated paper:
Paper that has not been coated with
clay; also called "offset paper". Compare coated paper; see book paper,
paper coating.
undercolor removal:
Technique of making color separations
such that the amount of cyan, magenta, and yellow ink is reduced in midtone and
shadow areas, while the amount of black is increased; abbreviated UCR. See
process colors, illustration.
underline:
To demarcate or emphasize something
with a line beneath; to underscore. In e-mail and ASCII text, this is indicated
by placing an underline immediately before and after the affected word or
phrase (eg: _Paradise_Lost_). Also, a caption beneath an illustration; see
credit line, cover credit, byline. Also, the crucial character eliciting the
reserved value of the target attribute in an anchor tag hyperlink; see target.
underrun:
A pressrun or production run below the
quantity ordered; to receive fewer copies than requested, due to printing
spoilage or printer's error, which permissible variant should be factored into
the purchase order agreement. Also, an instance of costing less than
anticipated, which estimate contingency should be factored into the contract.
Unicode:
A character set that uses 16-bits (two
bytes) for each character, and therefore is able to include more characters
than either EBCDIC or ASCII schemes. Unicode can have 65,536 characters, and
therefore can be used to encode almost all the languages of the world. This
expansion makes Unicode more suitable for foreign language character sets
containing accented letters and other special marks. Unicode includes the ASCII
character set within it. See ASCII, EBCDIC, ANSI, ISO.
UniPress:
The commercial version of "Gosling
Emacs", a screen editor, manufactured by UniPress Software, which produces
UNIX applications and development tools. See EMACS, text editor.
unit cost:
The cost of any single item in a print
run, computed by dividing the total cost of the printing job by the quantity of
products delivered. See estimate, fixed costs, variable costs, formula pricing,
quotation, specifications.
universe:
The sum total of a magazine's potential
audience -- usually devised by combining the paid circulations of similar
magazines. The assumed universe for literary magazines is in the 750,000 -
1,000,000 range. This said, by marketing to this universe through traditional
methods, a decent rate of return would be anything greater than 1%. Therefore,
if you sent a subscription offer to the entire universe of 750,000 and your
rate of return was 1%, then you would theoretically acquire 7500 subscribers.
So while a "potential readership" of 750,000 to 1,000,000 sounds
impressive, the true potential gains from this hypothetical universe are far
more modest. See audience, reader profile, CPM, audit, list broker,
circulation, mass market, crossover market, niche market.
UNIX:
A multi-user, multitasking,
programmatic operating system, developed by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, et
al, and originally licensed by AT&T's Bell Laboratories. It was originally
designed for minicomputers, then revised for use on mainframes and personal
computers. There are now many versions of UNIX which can be used on many different
platforms. UNIX is written in the C/C++ programming language, which was also
developed at AT&T; and has TCP/IP built-in. Because it allows multiple
programs to run simultaneously and multiple users to access a single computer,
it has been widely used by universities and businesses where many people use
the same data base. It is the most commonly used operating system for Internet
nodes. UNIX is available in several related forms, including: AIX (Advanced
Interactive Executive by IBM); A/UX (Apple Macintosh graphical version);
BSD-UNIX (Berkeley Software Distribution); MACH (Carnegie Mellon Univ version
using "NeXT"); POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface); System V
(AT&T version); XENIX (MS version); X-Window System (MIT developed GUI for
UNIX); and UseNet (UNIX www via UNIX to UNIX Copy [uucp]). An open computing
environment, based on UNIX System V, was promoted by UNIX International (UI)
until all proprietary rights were purchased by Novell in 1993. Since its
development in 1984, the Free Software Foundation has freely distributed a
replacement for UNIX called "GNU's Not UNIX!" (GNU), a recursive
acronym. Variants of the GNU OS, using the command-line Linux kernel, are now
widely distributed with GNU/Linux system applications. See C shell, filename,
POSIX, internet.
unsharp masking:
The technique of adjusting dot size to
make a halftone or separation appear in better focus; also called
"peaking" and "edge enhancement". See resolution, tweak,
illustration.
up:
A term indicating that multiple copies
of the identical image should be printed in one impression on a single sheet
(eg: "two up" = print same image twice on each sheet). See
illustration.
UPC:
Universal Product Code; a bar code that
allows your publication to be identified and processed in the retail
marketplace. No magazine or book should be without a UPC. Most distributors and
retail managers won't even consider taking on a magazine without a UPC on the
front cover; and bulk mail will not be processed without a bar code on the
address label. To order a UPC, call the UPC authorizing agent at (212) 996-6000
or the Uniform Code Council. Fees for the codes vary, but should be no more
than $50. UPCs can be printed directly onto a magazine cover, or preprinted
labels can be purchased and applied separately. See bar code, EAN Bookland bar
code, EPC, RFID, ISBN, ISSN, LCN, Dewey decimal system, book categorization.
URL:
The abbreviation for Uniform/Universal
Resource Locator, being the object specific address of an external webpage, or
the internal location of a relative link. Protocol indicators include: http:,
ftp:, gopher:, news:, mailto:. See domain name, anchor tag, link, homepage,
internet address, TCP/IP, SLIP, website.
USB:
Universal Standard Bus; see bus,
computer, hardware.
usegroup/user group:
See UseNet, newsgroup, forum, chatroom,
instant messaging, listserve, BBS, blog, zine.
UseNet:
A worldwide Bulletin Board System (BBS)
that can be accessed through the Internet or other online services for the
exchange of current information. Messages and news articles are posted, and
users respond by e-mail. The UseNet entails thousands of forums, called
newsgroups, covering every interest group, including: comp (computers), sci
(science), news (current events), misc (miscellaneous), rec (sports/hobbies),
soc (social), alt (alternative), and talk (discussions). Graduate students at
Duke University and the University of North Carolina started the UseNet in 1979
using the UUCP communications protocol. The term "UseNet" was coined
by Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis in 1982 from the extant "General Access UNIX
Network" at Duke University. Sometimes called the "User's
Network"; UseNet news employs the NNTP protocol. See thread, listserve,
UNIX [uucp], forum, blog; compare PaperNet.
UV coating:
Liquid applied to a printed sheet, then
bonded and cured with ultraviolet light. See paper coating.
UXGA:
The
abbreviation for Ultra eXtended Graphics Array, being a specification that can
display 1600 x 1200 resolution, or approximately 1.9 million pixels. See screen,
illustration.
- V -
validation:
A document or website survey that
checks for code accuracy and conformity with HTML/CSS standards for access by
different browsers. A validation survey will generate a report or markup of
errors and irregularities; or a "no problems" certification
(sometimes an accreditation icon that can be posted). Most validators now
prompt for the inclusion of disability access features, such as ALT tags or
NOFRAMES alternatives. See tag, markup, WAI.
valley:
The depression formed by folding sheets
for sizing or binding. See gutter, signature.
value:
The shade (darkness) or tint
(lightness) of a color; also called brightness, lightness, shade, and tone.
Compare hue, chroma; see solid, illustration.
vanity press:
A subsidy publisher that produces books
with the author paying all costs, including advertising, distribution, and
shipping. As with other publishers, vanity presses normally do not permit
author discretion, other than paper color and binding style. The author retains
copyright. The royalty portion of sales disbursed by other publishers is
non-existent, but the author retains all income (less expenses) from all book
sales. The phrase "lemon squeezer" was coined by H.L. Mencken to
describe this vanity "press" that extorts money for printing bad
books. See self-publishing, assisted self-publishing, subsidy publisher,
publishing house.
vaporware:
A computer software product that is
announced and promoted while it is still being developed, but may never be
marketed.
variable costs:
Costs that change depending on how many
pieces are produced. Compare fixed costs; see unit cost, estimate, quotation,
specifications.
varnish:
Liquid coating applied to stock for
protection and appearance; applied "in-line" (wet) in same pass with
ink, or "dry" in separate pass over printed matter. See laminate,
lacquer, ink, trap, paper coating.
VAX:
The abbreviation for Virtual Address
eXtension, being a family of 32-bit computers from Digital Equipment
Corporation (DEC) which use the VMS operating system. The first VAX models were
released in 1977, including mainframes, minicomputers, and microcomputers. See
VMS.
VAX MIPS:
The abbreviation for VAX Million
Instructions Per Second, being a unit of measurement of computer performance;
also called VAX Unit of Performance (VUP). One VUP equals the performance of a
Digital Equipment Corporation's VAX 11/780. This is also equivalent to one
SPECmark.
VBscript/VBScript:
Short for Visual Basic Scripting
Edition, a scripting language developed by Microsoft, and supported by the
Internet Explorer (IE) web browser. Similar to JavaScript, VBscript is based on
the Visual Basic programming language, but is much simpler. It enables Web
authors to include interactive controls, such as buttons and scrollbars, on their
webpages. See language.
vector graphics:
Graphic images represented in the
computer as instructions to draw lines, Bezier curves, or objects, rather than
as rasters or bitmaps; also called "object-oriented graphics" and
"geometric graphics". See graphics, illustration.
vellum:
A textured off-white paper that has
been treated to resemble the original animal skins (ie: calfskin, lambskin,
kidskin, etc) prepared for writing, and used for manuscripts and other
documents. See parchment, paper.
vellum finish:
An imitative effect, being a somewhat
rough or toothy finish of paper. See paper coating.
venture:
A small company, usually new or
renewed, that recognizes an unmet or inadequately met market need, and provides
a distinctive solution in a competitive manner, which is sufficiently
compelling to clients or customers to return a profit on the investment of
creativity, energy, time, and resources. See venture capital, entrepreneurship,
scalable.
venture capital:
Funds available for investment in a new
enterprise or for a profit-making business; also called "equity
capital", "risk capital", or "seed money". See
business angel, benefactor, entrepreneurship, budget, marketing plan.
verbal:
Of, consisting of, or pertaining to
words, usually spoken instead of written, usually literal or verbatim instead
of figurative or proximate; see orality. Also, pertaining to, derived from, or
functioning as a verb, such as gerund, infinitive, participle, or adjective;
see parts of speech.
vernacular:
Expression or writing in the common or
conventional language indigenous to a population; being the plain language,
native patois, mother tongue, or regional dialect of ordinary people. This
holistic form of communication is "vulgar" in the sense of being
prosaic, colloquial, customary, or unsophisticated. Standard regional
references include: "Dictionary of American Regional English" (DARE);
"Word Geography"; "Linguistic Atlas of New England"; and
"Linguistic Atlas of the Upper Mid-West". Also, any distinctive
language that identifies a class, profession, or other group, such as parlance,
jargon, idiom, argot, lingo, cant, slang, or the like; as contrasted with
multilingual diversity. See polyglot, lingua franca, pidgin, pig Latin, creole,
mannerism, counterword, euphemism, ad diction, balderdash, language,
sociolinguistics, orality, literature. [v: demotic, catachresis, haplograph;
cf: hieratic, calque, proclitic, enclitic]
verse:
A poem or a piece of poetry, as a line
or stanza, of a particular type of metrical composition (eg: poesy, stave,
stich, hemistich, monostich, distich, tristich, tetrastich, pentastich,
hexastich, heptastich, telestich, epithalamion, prothalamion, soliloquy,
apostrophe, couplet, rondel/-et, iambic/-s, rondeau, sestina/sextain,
sirvente/-s, virelay/virelai, quatrain, allegory, sonnet, romaunt, epic
{invocation, canto, rhapsody}, epos, ode, palinode, elegy, monody, threnody,
dirge, lyric/-s, madrigal, epode, lay, ballad, rune, triolet, villanelle,
ballade, envoy, haiku, tanka, hokku, idyll, georgic, eclogue, cento, acrostic,
limerick, doggerel, jingle). See foot, meter, scansion, stave, strophe, blank
verse, free verse, accent, forced line, prosody, poetry, caesura, orality.
verso/versos:
A left-hand or even-numbered page of an
open book or manuscript; the reverse of a leaf. Title and contents pages are
always recto, while frontispiece and acknowledgment pages are usually verso.
Compare recto. [cf: sinister]
VESA:
The abbreviation for Video Electronics
Standards Association; being an organization which sets standards for video and
multimedia in PCs. VESA established the Super VGA (SVGA) standard and the VESA
Local Bus. The membership of VESA is comprised of PC vendors. See illustration.
Vi:
Contraction of Visual, being a UNIX
screen-oriented editor that was written by Bill Joy, who later became a founder
of Sun Microsystems. Vi is related to the "ex" UNIX line editor, and
they share many commands. The program may be invoked by either "vi"
or "vedit" at the UNIX prompt, which operates in either command or
insert mode. A text formatter, such as "FMT" or "PR", can
be run within this program. See text editor.
videation:
The visualization of unseen objects or
scenes; a "mind picture" or "mind's eye view". A neologism
for a mental construct of unmanifested images, which may be abstract,
interpretive, representational, distorted, or exaggerated. Compare imagery.
[cf: fantasy, phantasm, mirage, haptic, limen/liminal]
videotex:
A telecommunications information
transmission and retrieval system that provides interactive access to databases
and electronic commerce; derived from "see + terms".
vignette:
A decorative design or small
illustration, as used on the title page to introduce a book, or to separate
sections and chapters; derived "little vine", from decorative designs
depicting branches, leaves, grapes, or other naturalistic motifs. Also, an
engraving, drawing, photograph, or the like that is shaded off gradually at the
edges, leaving no definite line at the border; see ornament, rule, tool line,
dingbat. Also, a gracefully short literary sketch, or a brief appealing scene
or quietly touching episode in a play, movie, or other dramatization; see
story, sketch.
violin piece:
A leading story that sets the tone,
mood, flavor, or color in a thematic issue of a periodical. See feature story,
anchor.
virtual:
Anything temporarily simulated or
apparently extended by computer software, such as a virtual disk in RAM,
virtual image, virtual memory, virtual host/administrator; as distinguished
from something actual or real. Among computer scientists, it distinguishes
something that is merely conceptual from something that has physical substance;
an imaginary set of memory area locations is not the same as the real physical
memory composed of transistors. In the same sense, the insubstantial mind is a
virtual brain; and the incorporeal spirit is a virtual body.
virtual server:
A server, such as a VLAN, that shares
computer resources with other similar servers. A virtual server is
distinguished from a dedicated server, which runs only server software. Virtual
web servers are a very popular way of providing low-cost web hosting services.
Instead of requiring a separate computer for each server, dozens of virtual
servers can co-reside on the same computer. In most cases, performance is not
affected and each web site behaves as if it is being served by a dedicated
server. However, if too many virtual servers reside on the same computer, or if
one virtual server monopolizes resources, web pages will be delivered more
slowly. See bandwidth, web server.
virus:
A segment of self-replicating code
that's been illegally planted into a computer program, most often to damage a
system, to corrupt a database, or to shut down a network. Countermeasures began
in 1987 when a virus infected ARPANET. Anti-virus ("virucide")
software attempts to inoculate applications, and firewalls attempt to immunize
computers, but the only viable protection against epidemic infection is
quarantine; and multiple backups are the only viable precaution against plague.
See worm, sniffer, Trojan Horse, smurf, spoofer, deadman, malware,
steganography.
Visual BASIC:
A visual programming environment from
Microsoft, used for developing Windows applications. Visual BASIC makes it
possible to develop practical programs very quickly. The programmer designs
windows graphically, then drags program elements, represented by icons, from
the Visual BASIC Toolbox, and writes BASIC code for each element. Visual BASIC
is event-driven; procedures are called automatically when the end user chooses
menu items, clicks the mouse, moves objects on the screen, or interacts in
other approved ways. See GUI, language, program, software.
VMS:
The abbreviation for Virtual Memory
System, being the Digital Equipment Corporation's multi-user, multitasking
operating system for the VAX series of computers. See virtual memory, VAX,
program, software.
VOC:
The abbreviation for Volatile Organic
Compounds, being the base petroleum substance vehicles used for many printing
inks and commercial dyes.
vocabulary:
The words and phrases of a language,
especially when arranged in a list, glossary, or lexis; see dictionary,
thesaurus, syntax. Also, any collection of signs or symbols constituting a
means or system of nonverbal communication; see sign language, semiotics. Also,
the set of forms, techniques, or other means of expression available to an
artist or characteristic of an art form; see gloss, writing system. [v:
acronym, agnomen, anatonym, anomia, antonomasia, antonym, back formation,
blend, calque, clip, cognomen, compound, contraction, contranym, cryptonym,
double entendre, echolalia, eponym, haplograph, heteronym, homonym, hypocorism,
hyponym, innominate, metonym, misnomer, mot juste, neologism, nomenclature,
onomastics, oronym, paronym, perseveration, pluralia pantum, polysemy,
retronym, suppletion, synonym, taxonomy, toponym] [nb: "dyslexicon"
as compound neologism from dys(functional) + lexicon for an impaired vocabulary
(not from 'dyslexia')]
VoiceXML:
A markup language standard based on XML
and developed by the VoiceXML Forum (formed by AT&T, IBM, Lucent
Technologies, and Motorola). VoiceXML was developed to provide voice access to
websites over the telephone. See VoxML, markup.
volume:
A book, especially as a separately
bound portion of a larger work, or as one of a series of works. Also, a set of
issues of a periodical, often covering one year. Also, a roll of papyrus,
parchment, or paper, as a scroll; derived from a "roll of sheets".
Compare protocol, spine; see incunabula, codex.
volume number:
Books, such as multi-volume reference
works, are normally numbered on their spine and title page. All the issues of a
periodical published during a specific calendar year, or during a publishing
cycle, are usually bound together in a single volume; which volumes are
numbered sequentially from the first year that the title appeared. See back
issue, periodical, book, contents, masthead.
volume rights:
The rights, usually negotiated with a
publisher by an author or the author's agent, to publish a work in volume form,
including hardcover, paperback, book club, and textbook editions. Volume rights
also include publication of the work in its entirety in a single issue of a
periodical, and any full or partial reprint in an anthology. Compare subsidiary
rights; see copyright, non-disclosure agreement, work for hire, fair use,
license, public domain, plagiarism, reprint permission, serialization.
vowel:
A speech sound produced without
occluding, diverting, or obstructing the flow of air from the lungs, and
usually constituting the sound of greatest sonority in a syllable; derived from
"vocal". Also, a letter or other symbol representing a vowel sound.
Compare schwa, consonant; see breve, macron, alphabet. [nb: vowels were
introduced to the ancient Greek alphabet (ca750BC), transforming ideographs
into a phonetic language]
VoxML:
A Voice [Latin "vox"] Markup
Language developed by Motorola with technical contributions by AT&T, IBM,
and Lucent Technologies, as a voice-based interface to websites, and for
enabling users to request data by speaking over the telephone. Requested data
is delivered as common synthesized speech. Compatible with and similar in
syntax to HTML, it can also be integrated into a website, so that an internet
link could talk. See VoiceXML, markup.
VRML:
The abbreviation for Virtual Reality
Modeling Language, being a three-dimensional graphics language that produces a
hyperspace "world" (*.wrl) on the Internet. After downloading a VRML
webpage, its content can be viewed, rotated, and manipulated with simulations
launched from within a VRML enabled browser. The first VRML viewer was WebSpace
from SGI, whose Open Inventor graphics library was the basis for developing
VRML. WebFX, WorldView, and Fountain are other Windows viewers, and Whurlwind
and Voyager are Mac viewers. VRML, pronounced "ver-mal", is also
known as "Virtual Reality Markup Language". See language, graphics.
VSAT:
The abbreviation for Very Small
Aperture Terminal, being an earthbound station used in satellite communications
of data, voice and video signals, excluding broadcast television (v: DSS). A
VSAT consists of two parts, a transceiver that is placed outdoors in direct
line of sight to the satellite and a device that is placed indoors to interface
the transceiver with the end user's communications device, such as a PC. The
transceiver receives or sends a signal to a satellite transponder in the sky.
The satellite sends and receives signals from a ground station computer that
acts as a hub for the system. Each end user is interconnected with the hub
station via the satellite, forming a star topology. The hub controls the entire
operation of the network. For one end user to communicate with another, each
transmission has to first go to the hub station that then retransmits it via
the satellite to the other end-user's terminal. VSAT can handle up to 56 Kbps.
See WAN, GEO, LEO, MEO, DSS, broadcast, webcast.
vulgate:
Any commonly
used version of a work; the accepted text, as the Latin translation of the
Bible. See edition, polyglot.
- W -
wafer:
A thin adhesive disk, sometimes
decorated or ornamented, as used for sealing self-mailer replies or
publications.
WAI:
The abbreviation for the Web
Accessibility Initiative, being the set of coding guidelines and programming
protocols that have been promulgated by W3C and NISO since 1997 for developing
and publishing web content that enables disability access. The WAI promotes
development of: tools, technology, guidelines, education, research and
development. See specialized format, validation, MSAA, accessibility.
wallpaper:
A picture or pattern displayed as a
background on a webpage or desktop GUI arrangements, as selected by the user
from stock art integral to programs or systems, or created by a developer from
original designs. Characters and graphics display on this screen or canvas.
Some programs and devices allow users to control the color or shading of this
background. Wallpaper for a webpage is set as background at the <BODY>
tag. See tessellate, template, cartoon, background, illustration.
wall walk:
The final layout of proofs, arranged as
reader spreads on an office wall, so a complete issue can be examined as the
staff "walks the wall" for any last minute adjustments. This form of
presentation not only offers unusual continuity, but also shows how some
designs "carry" beyond reading range, and how others display
distracting patterns (eg: white rivers, bijustified uniformity, etc). See
proof, imposition, layout, reader spread.
WAN:
The abbreviation for Wide Area Network,
being a network in which computers are connected to each other over a long
distance, using telephone common carrier lines and satellite communications.
The jump between a Local Area Network and a WAN is made through a device called
a bridge or a router. See LAN, MAN, PAN, intranet, Ethernet, internet, VSAT,
website, WATTS.
warez:
Unlicensed or pirated software, with
the copy protection or registration deactivated, that's illegally distributed
via BBS or UseNet newsgroups. See software, steganography, sniffer, Trojan
Horse, worm, smurf, spoofer, deadman, virus, malware.
wash up:
To clean ink and fountain solutions
from rollers, fountains, screens, and other press components.
waste:
Paper which must be recycled as a
result of normal preparation, printing, or bindery operations; see pre-consumer
waste, broke, post-consumer waste, spoilage. Also, anything ruined by use,
inadequately used, unproductively used, or unused, also called
"trash" or "junk"; see bitbucket, boneyard.
wasteland:
An historic period or locality that is
intellectually barren or spiritually bankrupt, with particular reference to
broadcast media of the modern era; derived from an unproductive or devastated
area. See broadcast, webcast, infomercial, advertorial, medium, intelligentsia,
literati, litterateur, immortals.
watermark:
A translucent logo in bond paper
created during manufacture. Compare screen tint, show-off, digital watermark;
see dandy roll, illustration.
WATTS:
The abbreviation for Wide Area
Telephone and Telegraph System; see WAN.
webcast:
To disseminate productions or
presentations by means of the internet; coinage derived from "world wide
web" joined with "broadcast"(qv), as related to 'telecast'
("far + throw"), 'narrowcast', and 'newscast'. See medium, multicast
backbone, VSAT, web publishing, e-pub, blog, zine, DTP, bully pulpit,
wasteland.
webmaster:
The person who manages or hosts a
website, usually the site developer or designer, usually contacted through an
anonymous e-mail address linked to the homepage; also known as
"steward", "administrator", "majordomo" or
"chatelaine".
webpage:
An electronic text file in HTML, which
may also contain JavaScript code or other commands, forming a document for the
World Wide Web. Accessing a Web document requires typing the address or URL of
the homepage into your Web browser. The homepage is the default HTML document
for a website which contains hypertext links to other HTML documents that can
be stored on any server in the world. See page, markup.
web pox:
Derisive slang for the
techno-pointillism created by systematic dithering on a restricted palette,
when low-yield graphics output attempts to emulate high-yield graphics input.
Good website design is contingent upon adequate reception. See color balance,
color correct, color build, color gamut, color map.
web press:
A printing press into which paper is
continuously and automatically fed from rolls, with the output cut into sheets
after printing. Also called "reel-fed press"; derived from 'web' as a
large roll of paper. Compare sheet-fed press; see press.
web publishing:
See webcast, e-pub, DTP, multicast
backbone, website, webpage, selective binding, text editor, word processor.
web ring:
A cooperative interactive listing of
related links by non-competitive or service-oriented websites for the benefit
of the user seeking information or resources; also called "web loop".
Differs from simple referrals in that the links are reciprocal, and a central
or hub directory is maintained by the host or sponsor.
web server:
A computer that hosts two or more websites
on the internet, with access protocols for multiple user interface. Server
programs that enable interpretation and response to browser inquiries include:
Apache (all platforms); iPlanet [formerly Netscape] (Windows and UNIX);
Microsoft Internet Information Server (Windows). See Internet Access Provider,
Internet Service Provider, browser, IP, TCP/IP, SLIP, bandwidth, LAN, MAN, WAN,
ASP, Cold Fusion, cookie, honeypot; compare virtual server.
website/web-site:
A location on the Internet containing
HTML documents that can be viewed by using a browser. This web location,
identified on a server by a discrete host name, and managed by a company or
organization, contains a group of similar webpages connected by hyperlinks. A
website may include text, graphics, audio, video, and hyperlinks to other
webpages. See www, portal, homepage, URL, GII, TCP/IP, bandwidth, internet
address, frames, bitload, mirror, feature-shock, cobweb-site. [nb: the internet
address of every print publication should appear on the front or back cover, in
the masthead, in the acknowledgements, on the table of contents, and in the
running foot or running head]
weight:
The relative darkness of the characters
in the various typefaces within a type family. Weight is indicated by relative
terms such as thin, light, bold, extra-bold, and black. See font.
well:
Any container or receptacle, as a
layout area framed to receive a stream of copy or other input. See editorial
well, feature well, double pyramid, poster make-up; compare frame.
wet-trap:
To print all colors and laminates in a
single pressrun, as contrasted with multiple pressruns (dry-trap); also known
as "in-line printing". See trap, illustration.
WF:
Abbreviation for "wrong
font", to be set in proper type; see proofreader's marks.
white knight:
A hero who comes to the rescue of a
beleaguered entity or cause, as a benefactor (qv) or company that intercedes
for another concern. See business angel.
white mail:
Orders for subscriptions with no known
origin or source (ie: a letter or email requesting a subscription from an
individual who has not previously subscribed and doesn't mention why s/he is
interested in subscribing now). Considered to be a good indicator of a
magazine's word-of-mouth popularity (or, in its absence, a lack thereof). See
reply coupon, tracking.
white point:
Reference point, defining the lightest
area in an image. See illustration; compare black point.
white space:
The designation for the unprinted area
of a printed piece or graphical display, regardless of stock or coat color;
being the necessary background for contrast with the foreground text or images,
but also used stylistically. Term includes marginal allocations and sectional
divisions (v: column rule), as white space should constitute at least half of
the area of a published page in a book, and at least a third of the area of a
published page in a magazine that's not wholly pictorial or advertising.
Compare gray space, black space; see air, apron, gutter, river, hourglass,
trapped white space, attic, sinkage.
wholesaler:
A company that sells or resells large
quantities of new publications to bookstores, libraries, and other types of
retail outlets. Wholesalers do not actively create a demand for publications.
Since distributors work on behalf of publishers, the distributors will probably
be selling to the major wholesalers, such as Ingram and Baker and Taylor. All
independent literary publishers should be carried by Small Press Distribution,
the only not-for-profit book wholesaler, which specializes in literary titles.
See distributor.
widow:
The short last line of a paragraph,
especially an abbreviated or brief one, or one consisting of only a single
word. Also, in written composition or word processing, the last line of a
paragraph when it is carried over to the top of the following page. Compare
orphan; see copyedit, stylesheet, stylebook, word processor, DTP, text editor.
wildcard/wild card:
Anything having unknown or
unpredictable qualities, but with the potential of decisive application;
especially a symbol that can substitute for any variable character or string.
In DOS and UNIX, the question mark (?) can be used to represent any single
character, and the asterisk (*) can represent any group of characters. Many
operating systems support the use of wildcards in search parameters and
filename requests.
Winchester disk:
A hard disk permanently mounted into a
hermetically sealed unit (called a "disk cartridge") that is housed
within either a computer's central processing unit (CPU) or in an external disk
drive case; derived from the IBM prototype featuring 30 millisecond access to
30 megabytes of data, which "30/30" feature was similar to a.30-30
caliber rifle. Removable harddrives ("disk caddy") have evolved into
alternative environments, data security mode, and supplemental storage devices,
such as Castlewood "Orb" and Iomega "JAZ". See disc,
hardware. [v: Bernoulli box]
window:
In applications and graphical
interfaces, a specially delineated portion of the screen environment that can
contain its own document or message. Each window can act independently, as if
it were a virtual display device. In window-based programs, the screen may be
divided into several windows or panes, each of which has its own boundaries and
can contain a different document, or another view into the same document. Each
window might also contain its own menu or other controls, and the user might be
able to resize individual windows at will. Some programs allow windows to be
opened side-by-side (tile) on the screen; and others allow open windows to
overlap (cascade) one another. The Macintosh Finder, Microsoft Windows (c1985),
and the OS/2 Presentation Manager are all examples of windowing environments.
See GUI, box, program.
wingding:
See dingbat, Pi fonts, ornament, glyph.
wire:
The woven wire mesh over which the wet
pulp (furnish) is spread in a papermaking machine (fourdrinier). See text
paper, deckle.
wire side:
The side of the paper that rests
against the fourdrinier wire during papermaking; usually considered to be the
"bottom side" or "back side". Compare felt side; see
deckle, paper.
with the grain:
Parallel to the grain direction of the
paper being used. See grain direction, grain long/short paper, cross grain,
cracking, paper.
WMF:
The abbreviation for Windows Metafile
Format, being a file format (*.WMF) used to exchange graphics information, as
both vector and bitmap images, between Microsoft Windows applications. The
Enhanced Windows Metafile (*.EMF) format is an enhancement. See graphics,
metafile, illustration.
word:
A single unit of language that
functions as a principal carrier of meaning; being a discrete element of verbal
or textual expression. Consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written
representation, a word is typically the smallest linguistic unit capable of
independent use. A word is separated from other words by spaces (in writing) or
pauses (in speaking), and is often distinguished by pronunciation (as verb from
noun, declaration from query). See alphabet, language, morpheme, phoneme,
syntax, diction, clip, blend, contraction, compound word, oronym, keyword,
headword, headless-word, etymology, vocabulary, semiotics, syllabary,
rhetorical forms, trope, orality, lexigram, neologism, mot juste, misnomer,
ghost word, counterword, polysemy, sesquipedalism.
word class:
A group of words, all of which are
members of the same form class or part of speech (qqv).
word of mouth/word-of-mouth:
Direct oral communication, especially
personal endorsement of a product, as the recommendation of a book or magazine...
the most potent form of sales catalyst. See echo effect, advertising, marketing
plan.
word processor/wp:
A computer program designed for text
management, including editing and printing; the most common application of
computer software. A "dedicated word processor" is a single function
computer, entirely devoted to a text program. See exception dictionary, widow,
orphan, punctuation, preview, text editor, DTP, e-pub, web publishing.
work and back/work 'n' back:
Alternative name for sheetwise (qv)
printing.
work and tumble/work 'n' tumble:
To print a sheet on both front and back
so that a different combination of images is printed using a different set of
plates by employing opposite gripper edges (qv). Compare perfecting, sheetwise.
work and turn/work 'n' turn:
To print a sheet on both front and back
so that the same combination of images is printed using the same set of plates
by employing the same gripper edges (qv). Compare perfecting, sheetwise.
work for hire:
Creative work purchased by an employer
or contracted by a client for which the creator has been fully compensated, and
for which the creator agrees to assign or transfer all copyrights and
subsidiary rights with the finished or released product. See copyright,
non-disclosure agreement, subsidiary rights, volume rights, fair use, public
domain, plagiarism, kill fee, outsource, freelance.
working film:
Intermediate film that will be copied
to make final film after all corrections are made; also called
"buildups". See plate-ready film, illustration.
working the corners:
Slang reference to the detailed
attention given to every aspect of promoting and developing market resources
for a publication.
workstation/work station:
An office area assigned to one person,
accommodating a computer terminal connected to a mainframe, a micro- or
minicomputer connected to a data-processing network, or other electronic
equipment. Also, a powerful microcomputer, often with a high-resolution
display, used for computer-aided design, electronic publishing, or other graphics-intensive
processing. See e-pub, DTP, web publishing, webcast.
worm:
Something that penetrates, consumes
slowly, or injures insidiously; especially a self-replicating computer code or
algorithm planted illegally into a software program, usually an internet
download, so as to destroy data, reformat allocations, or disorganize systems.
A worm is an expansive virus that cannot attach itself to other programs. See
virus, sniffer, Trojan Horse, smurf, spoofer, deadman, malware. Also, an
abbreviation for "write once, read many" designating optical disc or
CD-R technology; see CD, COLD.
wove finish:
A somewhat smooth or slightly patterned
finish on bond paper. See paper coating.
wrap-fold:
To nest or contain the panels of a
brochure or leaflet so that interior copy will only be exposed when completely
opened; also called "barrel-fold" and "e-fold". See French
fold, foldout, accordian-fold, concertina-fold, parallel-fold.
wrapper:
Slang for cover, especially self-cover.
wright:
A skilled or constructive worker, such
as a 'playwright'; being a metathetic derivation of "work". See
dramaturgy, writer.
writer:
A person who composes thoughts into
literary forms, such as prose or poetry, especially as an occupation or
profession; including: author, litterateur, inditer, novelist, essayist,
correspondent, columnist, journalist, reporter, newswriter, newspaperman,
gazetteer, scandalmonger, stringer, sportswriter, deskman, copywriter,
rewriter, space writer, reviewer, critic, wright, scriptwriter, screenwriter, playwright,
dramatist, librettist, bard, poet, troubadour, trouvŠre, lyricist, songwriter,
wordsmith, word merchant, glossator, glossographer, ghostwriter, scribbler,
scrawler, hack, Grub Street writer, penny-a-liner, epigone, plagiarist,
graffitist, scribe, scrivener, amanuensis, copyist, transcriber/transcriptionist,
penman, calligrapher. See allonym, poet laureate, muse, intelligentsia,
literati, immortals, mogigraphia, sesquipedalism.
writing instrument:
Any tool or implement used to depict
letterforms or glyphs as a means of expression or communication; especially
pen, pencil, chalk, charcoal, crayon, brush, stylus, typewriter, stenograph,
printer.
writing paper:
Paper that is especially suitable for
writing on in ink; also called "communication paper" or
"stationery". See body stock, bank, flimsy, monarch, letter-size,
offset, legal-size, foolscap, paper; compare bond paper.
writing system:
The collection of scripts and
orthography required to represent any given human language in visual media;
compartmentalized into alphabetic, syllabic, and logographic. See glyph,
alphabet, vocabulary, gloss, syllabary, language; compare orality.
wrong reading:
An image that is backwards when
compared to the original; also called "flopped" and "reverse
reading". Compare right reading; see illustration.
WWW:
The abbreviation for the World Wide
Web, being an Internet client-server hypertext-distributed
information-retrieval system which originated from the CERN High-Energy Physics
Laboratories in Geneva, Switzerland, and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency Network (DARPANet). See internet address, internet, website.
WYSIWYG/WUCIWUG:
The acronym for What You See Is What
You Get; which refers to the ability of a computer program to present a page
image in graphical layout, so it appears during composition on the screen the
way it will actually printout later. Before advanced computer technology made
WYSIWYG possible, a typesetter formatting a page would see only unformatted
lines of coding with generic type on the screen, so numerous proof prints were
required to test the setup. With the introduction of WYSIWYG by Aldus, the
encoding process was concealed, with the result that machine markup concealed
technical method from the result-oriented designer. Compare preview; see GUI,
Snap, WYSIWYM, WYSIWYN, xdvi @ LaTeX/TeX, X-Window @ UNIX.
WYSIWYM/WUCIWUM:
The acronym for What You See Is What
You Mean; which is the output generated for a document by a style-enhanced
program that automatically sets display and arrangement particulars based upon
established guidelines, so the document author only needs to compose the
contents of the work. See LyX, Interleaf, CSS.
WYSIWYN/WUCIWUN:
The acronym
for What You See Is What You Need; which is the output generated for a document
or other object by an authoring tool prompting for pertinent markup or
proffering valid options that the designer may select. See WYSIWYM, WYSIWYG,
GUI.
- X -
xerography:
A copying process in which areas on a
sheet of paper, corresponding to those on the original, are sensitized by
static electricity, and then sprinkled with black or colored resin that adheres
and is fused to the paper; derived from "dry + draw". Also called
"electrostatic copy". See reprography, photocopy, quick printing,
demand printing.
XGA:
The abbreviation for eXtended Graphics
Array, being a specification that can display from 640 x 480 to 1024 x 768
pixels in a non-interlaced resolution of 65,536 simultaneous colors. XGA is a
high-resolution graphics standard introduced by IBM in 1990 to replace the
8514/A video standard, which only generated 256 colors at the same resolutions.
See screen, illustration.
x-height:
The standard height of the main body of
a letter, excluding the ascenders and descenders. See baseline, x-line, body
size, font, typeface.
XHTML:
The abbreviation for eXtensible
HyperText Markup Language, which combines HTML 4.0 and XML 1.0 into a single
format for the Internet. See markup.
x-line:
An imaginary line at x-height running
parallel with the baseline (qv); also called mean line. Compare cap line.
XML:
The abbreviation for eXtensible Markup
Language, being an open standard for describing data from the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C). XML is used for defining data elements on a webpage and
business exchange documents. It uses a tag structure similar to HTML; however,
whereas HTML defines how elements are displayed, XML defines what those
elements contain. HTML uses predefined tags, but XML allows tags to be defined
by the developer of the webpage. Thus, virtually any data items can be
identified, allowing webpages to function like database records. By providing a
common method for identifying data, XML supports business transactions, and is
expected to become the dominant format for electronic data interchange. Since
its introduction, XML has been hyped tremendously as the panacea to e-commerce,
but it's only the first step. The human-readable XML attributes and tags (ie:
XLink, XPointer, XPath) provide a simple data format, but the intelligent
defining of these tags and common adherance to their usage will determine their
value. For example, Commercial XML (or CXML) from Ariba and Common Business
Library (or CBL) from Commerce One are among the earliest XML vocabularies for
business data. DSML is a set of XML tags that defines the items in a directory.
XML tags are defined in an XML schema, which defines content type as well as
name. XML tags can also be described in the original SGML DTD format, since XML
is a subject of SGML language. There are several websites that provide
repositories for publishing and reviewing XML schemas. Unlike HTML, which uses
a rather loose coding style and which is tolerant of coding errors, XML pages
have to be well formed, which means they must comply with rigid rules. See
markup, CSS, XSL, SVG, videotex.
XQL:
The abbreviation for eXtensible Query
Language; being a search protocol and query language that uses XML as a data
model, and is very similar to XSL Patterns. XQL expressions are easily parsed,
easily typed, and can be used in a variety of software environments - as part
of an URL, in XML or HTML attributes, in programming language strings, and so
forth. XQL has already been implemented in web browsers, document repositories,
XML middleware, Perl libraries, and command-line utilities. See SQL, XSL, XML,
language.
XSD:
The abbreviation for XML Schema
Definition; which is an XML-based language for describing grammar or a class of
documents. Schemas specify the structure of XML documents and the data type of
each element or attribute of the XML document. A schema is similar to a DTD,
but much more flexible; it can define structured types, constraints on legal
values, legal formats of messages, type inheritance, and so on.
XSL:
The abbreviation for eXtensible Style
Language (or eXtensible Stylesheet Language). A language used to create
stylesheets for XML, similar to CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) that are used for
HTML. In XML, content and presentation are separate. XML tags do not indicate
how they should be displayed. An XML document has to be formatted before it can
be read, and the formatting is usually accomplished with stylesheets.
Stylesheets consist of formatting rules for how particular XML tags affect the
display of a document on a computer screen or a printed page. In XML, different
stylesheets can be applied to the same data to hide or display different parts
of a document for different users. XSL is more robust and involved than CSS.
XSL has had a long and tumultuous development process, so it is still a working
draft. Because it is complex and not yet fully useful, XSL isn't currently the
best alternative for formatting your XML documents, but it may be in the
future.
xylography:
The art of
engraving on wood, or printing from such engravings; also called
"woodcut" or "woodblock". See block print, chiaroscuro,
scratchboard, foundry type, hot type, letterpress.
- Y -
YANK:
The world's first international news
and entertainment magazine, subtitled "the voice of the enlisted
man"; being staffed by and published for U.S. Army enlisted men and
non-commissioned officers, as endorsed by Chief of Staff George C. Marshall.
Printed (1942-46) rotogravure 24-page 11" X 14" saddlestitch format
that sold for five-cents a copy; featuring articles, letters, stories, poems,
cartoons, photos, and a full-page pin-up picture. Although edited and censored
for wartime distribution, it was considered a necessary "safety
valve" against combat tensions and the "party line" of
officialdom; hence some images and expressions from "Yank" were used
by the enemy to demonstrate American decadence. YANK often shared resources
with "Stars and Stripes" newspaper (17 April 1942 as weekly, 2
November 1942 as daily), but they weren't in competition... YANK published more
features and less news in 21 theater editions. The most popular feature in YANK
was the "Sad Sack" comic strip by George Baker; just as "GI
Joe" (featuring the Willie and Joe characters) cartoon by Bill Mauldin was
the most popular item in "Stars and Stripes". See magazine,
periodical, cartoon.
yellow journalism:
Published reporting that emphasizes
sensational or lurid details, often by distorting the facts; directly derived
from the Hearst and Pulitzer press's "Yellow Kid" competition, but
indicative of prior manipulations. See expose, muckraker, sleazy, screed, news
book, news. [v: billingsgate] [nb: During an internecine editorial dispute, the
"New York Evening Post" characterized the competing "New York
World" as a 'yellow dog', and received the retort: in the accusation of
yellow journalism, our response is the same as any dog to a Post.]
YODL:
The
abbreviation for Yet One-other Document Language, which is a tools package that
implements a pre-document language conversion into several output formats,
chiefly LaTeX and HTML. It resembles SGML but is designed to be more
transparent, easier to use, and extensible with respect to new commands or
output formats. YODL supports conditional parsing of the input, makes logical
or component document-splitting easier, defines counters for chapters and sections,
and file searches similar to C programs. YODL may be FTP downloaded, either as
source code or as a Linux binary. See language.
- Z -
zeroing:
To calibrate the base value scale, as
of a densitometer.
(00)/(#00):
Authorial notation to proofreader or
editor that missing numerals need to be filled-in to complete the composition,
usually being a detail or reference; abbreviation represents any number set or
numeric arrangement without words. See fill-in, proofreader's marks, notation.
zincography:
The art or process of producing a
printing surface in relief on a zinc plate by acid etching. See etch, engrave.
zine:
An extension of the low-budget
specialty pulp magazines of the Depression era, the "fanzine" (fan +
[maga]zine) first appeared during the 1940's as an amateur publication
supporting popular topics, such as sports, music, and science fiction. With the
development of DTP and e-publishing, these newsletters have expanded their
range and developed sophistication. Small partisan groups of adepts and
aficionados are inexpensively served by exchange forums, sometimes in
multimedia "webzine" formats. See pauper press, pulp, rag, tabloid,
tabazine, magapaper, newsletter, e-mag, periodical, webcast, blog.
zipper sign:
The illuminated text stream of continuously
moving headlines shown scrolling on the sides of the Times Tower on Times
Square in New York City, operated from 1928 through 1963, and intermittently
since; see caption, crawl, ticker tape, text box.
z-path:
The logical scanning progression, and
the most common viewing direction used by readers, beginning at the optical
center (qv) and descending across the body to the foot of the page. See
sequence, readability.
zygomorphy:
Bilateral
symmetry; also "zygomorphism". See art.
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