Print terms without the shop-counter fog
Short explanations for the production details that decide whether AI artwork can become a clean physical print.
Shop operations
Move work by the next production decision.
Jobs that need artwork, review, proof approval, or output remain separated and accountable.
Bleed
Extra artwork that extends beyond the trim edge so there is no white sliver after cutting.
Trim
The final cut size of the printed piece.
Safe zone
The inner area where important text and logos should stay to avoid being cut off.
DPI
Dots per inch, used as the practical resolution target for printed output.
CMYK
The cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink color model used by most print workflows.
RGB
The red, green, and blue light color model used by screens.
Crop marks
Small marks outside the artwork that show where a printer should trim.
Registration
Alignment between ink colors, print passes, or finishing steps.
Rich black
A deeper black built from multiple ink channels instead of only black ink.
Overprint
A print setting where one color prints over another instead of knocking it out.
Spot color
A named ink color used for exact brand colors, specialty inks, or cut paths.
ICC profile
A color profile that describes how colors should convert for a specific print condition.
Vector
Artwork made from shapes and paths that can scale without pixelation.
Raster
Artwork made from pixels, such as PNG, JPG, WebP, and TIFF.
Resolution
The amount of image detail available for the chosen print size.
PPI
Pixels per inch, often used to describe image resolution before it becomes printed dots.
PDF/X-1a
A print-focused PDF standard that requires predictable output conditions.
PDF/X-4
A modern print PDF standard that can preserve transparency and color-managed output for workflows that support it.
TrimBox
The PDF box that describes the intended finished trim size of the printed piece.
BleedBox
The PDF box that includes bleed area beyond the final trim edge.
Effective DPI
The real print resolution after pixel dimensions are divided by the final physical print size.
Cutline
A vector path that tells a cutter where to trim stickers, decals, labels, or shaped prints.
White ink
An underbase or spot ink used when printing on clear, dark, metallic, or specialty materials.
Upscaling
Increasing image pixel dimensions so artwork can print larger with fewer soft edges.
Color gamut
The range of colors a screen, printer, ink set, or color profile can reproduce.
Transparency
Partially see-through pixels or objects that can flatten unpredictably in print workflows.
File integrity
Whether a file can be opened, decoded, and processed without corruption or unsupported structure.
Preflight
A file check that looks for print problems before production.