Like other professions, a particular jargon has come to be used in the publishing world. This list of terms and definitions should translates the language of publishers, printer setters, and editors.
Artifact
A visible defect in a scanned image, usually caused by hardware or software limitations.
A defect in an image caused by repeated encoding/compressing of JPEG images.
Back Flap
The back part of a dust jacket that folds inward and contains copy continued from the front flap and/or a photo and biography of the author.
Banding
An undesirable graphic effect in which a gradation contains visible stepping of shades.
Binding
The fastening of assembled sheets or signatures along one edge (inside edge or inner margin) of a publication. The binding process also includes folding, gathering, trimming, stitching, gluing, and/or casing.
Bitmap (.bmp)
A format for saving images, particularly black and white images, not recommended for use in manuscripts to be submitted to Lulu.
Bleed (Full Bleed)
The portion of an image, line, or color that extends beyond the final page size.
Bleed is necessary when you want images, lines or colors to go to the edge of the finished page. For example, a 6 x 9" page is created larger (6.25 x 9.25") and is centered .125"(1/8") around the finished page size. See the image below.
When creating a document with bleed keep in mind that important art and text should be .25"(1/4") from the edge of the finished page size. This will allow for trim variance as well as bleed. The variance is shown below from the blue dotted line to the orange dotted line.
Casewrap (Case)
The most common type of binding for Hardcover books. Coated paper is attached to boards and then glued to the spine of a bound book.
CCITT Compression (Not Recommended)
Method for compressing monochrome bitmap images used by fax machines.
CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
The colors of the subtractive color system, also known as process colors. This is the image mode ideal for traditional print.
Coil-Bound (PlastiCoil)
The most common type of binding for instructional manuals, cookbooks and calendars since it permits them to lie flat. Pages are held together with a round plastic coil inserted through holes punched along the inner margins of the pages.
Composition
Formerly used to describe the process of hand-setting letterpress type, now used to describe the process of designing and laying out pages and sections of a manuscript.
Copyediting
Includes checking spelling, grammar, punctuation, proper abbreviations, numbers and lists, and proper word usage in a manuscript, as well as the table of contents.
Copyright
A form of intellectual property, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to that work's publication, distribution and adaptation for a certain time period. After the time period the work is said to enter the public domain. For information on U.S. copyright laws visit copyright.gov
Copyright License
Defines what other people are allowed to do with your work.
Copyright Page
The page that typically appears after the title page, containing the artistic property protection (license). If the book has an ISBN then the ISBN number must also be included on this page.
You, as the creator, are both the copyright holder and publisher of all works created and distributed using the tools and services available on the Lulu.com website. Therefore, when creating your work's copyright page, you should list yourself as the copyright holder and publisher. If you wish, you may list Lulu as the distributor.
Example:
Copyright © 2013 YOUR NAME. All rights reserved.
Published by YOUR NAME / COMPANY HERE
ISBN 123-4-567891-01-2
Distributed by Lulu
Digital Rights Management (DRM)
System or technology used to place limitations (access to or copying of) onto digital content (eBooks, music, etc.). A publisher or author of an eBook, not the retailer, determines the level of restrictions applied to an eBook. This includes how many times an eBook can be downloaded for a single purchase, and the number of devices (computers, eBook readers, etc.) to which the eBook can be transferred.
DRM works best when administered by those who control how content is purchased and viewed. Companies like Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble integrate a reader’s experience from purchasing to downloading and finally to reading. These companies do a fantastic job in this area, and eBooks published through Lulu and distributed through these retail sites will include the same encryption applied by those retailers.
Dots Per Inch (dpi)
The physical density of pixels/dots in an image when printed. The higher the dpi the source image, the clearer and more detailed (up to a point) the output of the printer will be.
Download
A file transferred from the Internet to your computer. The act of transferring a file from the Internet to your computer.
Drop Shadow
Dust Jacket (Dust Cover)
A separate paper wrapper that covers a casewrap book and protects the cover. Lulu dust jacket casewraps are bound in navy blue linen.
eBook (Electronic Book)
Digital equivalent of a conventional printed book. EBooks are read on personal computers, smart phones, or eBook readers. There are many eBook formats available, some can be used on multiple devices while others are only available on certain devices.
Encapsulated PostScript (.eps)
A document file format that contains PostScript information for high-resolution graphics.
Endsheet (Endpaper)
A sheet of paper that attaches the inside pages of a hardcover book to the cover.
EPUB (.epub)
Proposed format from the International Digital Publishing Forum. “.epub” is the file extension of an XML format for digital books and publications. EPUB re-flows content, so that text can be optimized for the display screen being used at the time.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
A way to transfer files to and from websites without using a browser. Usually requires an FTP client.
Flush
To align text or images along one edge of a page layout.
Footer
An area in the bottom margin of a page, often containing the page number.
Format
General physical appearance of a book or magazine, such as the typeface, binding, quality of paper, margins, etc.
Graphics Interchange Format (.gif)
An image file format best suited for digital images with few colors, such as cartoon clip art. It also supports transparency and limited animation.
Grayscale
The range of gray tones between black and white as displayed on a monitor or in an image.
Gutter
The inner margins of two facing pages in a publication.
Header (or Head Margin)
The top of a page above the headline or text.
High Contrast
A photographic reproduction that contains higher density levels than usual.
Hue
The attribute of a color that distinguishes it from other colors.
ISBN (International Standard Book Number)
A unique number provided by R.R. Bowker/Reed Reference Publishing and assigned by the publisher identifying the binding, edition, and publisher of a book.
Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpg or .jpeg)
An image file format ideal for digital images with lots of colors, such as photographs.
Justification
Aligning each line of a paragraph so that the edges of the text are straight along one or both margins.
Keywords
Single words or short phrases that describe your book and help improve search results.
Landscape
Landscape can describe an image or page that is wider than it is tall or the page orientation for a home printer. Lulu’s printers cannot print files in a landscape orientation. See http://athleticaid.com/yaquinapress/landscape for more info.
Lines Per Inch
The number of rows of halftone cells per inch, also referred to as screen frequency. The finer the frequency, the less noticeable the halftone dots.
Lossless Compression
A method of compression in which very little data is lost when decompressed.
Lossy Compression
A method of compression in which data is lost when decompressed.
LZW Compression
A lossless data compression algorithm designed to be fast to implement, but not the best option because it performs only limited analysis of the data.
Margin
The white space surrounding the text or main content of a page.
Other Revenue
If your book does not have a Lulu-owned ISBN, then your earnings are not royalties but simply, Other Revenue, which is the amount of money you make on each sale of your published material. Other Revenues are not subject to withholding and are not reported to the IRS.
Overprint
In most cases, when two objects of different colors overlap they knockout -- they won't print on top of each other. To intentionally print one layer of ink on top of another is to overprint. Overprinting is sometimes used to avoid the need for trapping and avoid gaps between touching colors. Spot colors intended to designate the application of spot varnish are also set up to overprint.
Page Count
Total number of pages in a book, counting both sides of each sheet of paper.
Pages Per Inch
Unit used to measure paper thickness.
Pagination
System by which pages are numbered. The arrangement and number of pages in a book, as noted in a catalog or bibliography.
Paper Stock
Paper Weight
Perfect-Bound
The most common type of binding, usually for paperback books. Pages are gathered, one on top of another; then flexible adhesive is applied to the spine.
Pixel
Common term for picture element, the smallest single component of a digital image or monitor.
Pixelated
A displayed or printed image is said to be pixelated when the edges are jagged when they should be smooth. This happens when the image resolution (see DPI) is too low.
Pixels Per Inch (PPI)
Or pixel density is the measurement of the resolution of computer displays, image scanners, or digital camera image sensors. Also can be used to describe the resolution of an image to be printed within a specified space.
Example: A 300 x 300 pixel image printed on a 1-inch square would have 300 pixels per inch.
Point
A typographic unit of measure. Traditionally, there are 72.27, 72.29, or 72.3 points to the inch, depending on whom you ask. For the purpose of designating type sizes, most modern publishing applications use 72 points to the inch.
Portable Document Format (.pdf)
A file format developed by Adobe to allow the creation and sharing of documents that will look and print the same on any machine.
Portable Network Graphic (.png)
An bitmapped image file format that uses lossless compression.
Portrait
Portrait can describe an image or page that is taller than it is wide or the page orientation for a home printer. Lulu’s printers cannot print files in a landscape orientation. See http://athleticaid.com/yaquinapress/landscape for more info.
Preview
A PDF version of your print-ready file that allows creators see how their project will print.
Print on Demand (POD)
Printing, usually from a digital file to a digital printer, only when the object is needed and in the quantity required.
Proof
A pre-publication printing intended for editorial use, or occasionally to be sent out for review.
Public Domain
Intellectual property which is not owned or controlled by anyone. These works are public property and available to use for any purpose.
Raster Image Processor (RIP)
A device that takes the PDF we send to the printer and makes it into something the printer can understand.
Resolution
Defines amount of detail and clarity in images, measured in dots per inch or pixels per inch.
Revenue
Creator revenue is the total monies you earn from the sale of your published material. Creator revenue includes Royalties and Other Revenue. Sales and revenue can be viewed from the My Lulu > My Revenue page.
RGB (Red, Green, Blue)
The hues of the additive color system. This is the image mode ideal for digital images.
Rich Text Format (RTF)
A universal document file format that is readable across operating systems and word processors. Unlike .txt, it offers limited formatting capabilities like bold and centered text.
Royalty
When a creator buys a Lulu distribution service and their material is assigned a Lulu-owned ISBN, Lulu becomes the publisher of record and all earnings are regarded as royalties for that material, regardless of delivery format. The creator revenue generated by sales of material with a Lulu-owned ISBN meets the true and legal definition of a royalty. Royalties are reported to the IRS and are subject to withholding.
Saddle-Stitched
The most common type of binding for booklets or comics. Folded sheets of paper are held together with staples along the spine of the book. Books are printed in multiples of 4 pages.
Scaling
The process of determining the amount an image should be reduced or enlarged to fit a specified area.
Spine
The backbone of a book. The spine displays the title and author of the book and is often the only part of the book that can be seen on a shelf.
Spread
Stock
The type of paper or other material that will be used for printing.
Tagged Image File Format (.tiff)
A standard graphic format for the storage of high-resolution (greater than 72 dpi) scanned images that can be imported into a page layout program.
Template
A pre-formatted document that is protected from overwriting and can be used repeatedly to create new documents.
Text Block
Pages containing the content of a book (text, illustrations, etc.).
Tint
A solid color that has been screened back less than 100% to create a lighter shade of that particular color.
Title Page
The page at or near the front of a book that lists the title, author, publisher, date, etc.
Toner
Imaging material used in laser printers, copiers, and other electrophotographic devices.
Transparency
Trim Size
The size of a page/book after it has been trimmed.
Upload
To transfer a file from your computer to a website, like Lulu.com.
Variance
Slight deviation or difference from the original form. In printing there is a possible difference from book to book or run to run of books. There is an acceptable 1/8th inch variance as well as an acceptable color variance.
Word Document Docx (.docx)
Default file type for Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010. This Document type is a different format than the previous .doc file type.
