Glossary

Adhesive contamination	Migration of adhesive away from a label, which can cause printer contamination. Also known as glue contamination.
Anvil cuts	Cuts that penetrate both the face stock and the liner of a label.
Back splits	Also known as back slits or liner cuts. Cuts through the backside of the liner. Back slits increase the potential for adhesive contamination.
Basis weight	Weight in pounds of a specific number of sheets of paper or stock in a standard size for that particular material.
Beam strength	Also known as column strength. Refers to how well the material is able to support itself and remain flat and straight during the printing process.
Butt cut	Cut flush to one another, with no extra area between. This cut does not extend through the liner. Butt cut labels may or may not have an edge matrix removed.
Calendering	The process of moving paper through metal rolls during manufacturing to smooth and gloss the surface of the paper.
Conversion	The process that turns base stock into cut-sheet products designed for specific applications. Conversion includes cutting the base stock to size, perforating the stock, die-cutting, and applying inks and topcoats.
Converters	Print material suppliers who take the base stock from the manufacturer and convert it into cut sheet products.
Corner buckler	The metal tab at the corner of a paper tray that helps the printer separate one sheet of paper from the stack during the pick process.
Curl	Waviness or curvature at the edge of the material that is generally moisture related.
Cut sheet	Single piece (page) of paper or label stock.
Debossing	Process of pressing an image down into the surface of the label or card stock. See also Embossing .
Delamination	The peeling of labels off the backing during the printing process.
Die-cut	Labels: Cut of material (face stock) to form individual labels on sheet. Cuts do not penetrate the liner. Card Stock: Cuts made with dies to create the shapes wanted in the stock. Cuts may or may not go completely through the stock. See also Ties .
Driver edge	For printers that use a fixed reference for feeding paper through the paper path (as opposed to printers that center paper in the path), the edge of the print material that is positioned next to the hardware reference and that is driven by the rollers in the printer. For most Lexmark printers, the driver edge is the left edge of a portrait page.
Embossing	Process of raising the surface of the base material by stamping an image or design with an embossing machine. The machine has a roll with a raised image on the surface. As the print material passes through the machine, the image is pressed into the material. See also Debossing .
Feed	How well the stock moves out of the paper tray and through the printer.
Fiber content	The material used to manufacture the paper. Most high-quality xerographic paper is made from 100 percent chemically pulped wood. This content provides the paper with a high degree of stability resulting in fewer paper feeding problems and better print quality. Paper containing fibers such as cotton have characteristics that can result in degraded paper feeding.
Fuse grade	Qualitative measurement of the adhesion of toner to the printed sheet.
Fusing	Printer process of melting toner and adhering it to the print material.
Grain	The orientation of the fibers in the print material. Grain short indicates that the fibers run the width of the paper. Grain long indicates that the fibers run the length of the paper.
Ink contamination	Transfer of ink from a form to the printer pick mechanism or fuser assembly, which can cause printer contamination.
Laser-perfs	Small perforations (20 to 30 perfs per inch) that create little paper dust and debris and do not normally cause nesting. Also known as micro-perfs or data-perfs.
Leading edge	The edge of the print material that enters the printer paper path first.
Matrix	Unneeded portions of die-cut stock around labels. A stripped matrix is one that is removed to make it easier to peel labels from the liner.
Micro-perfs	See Laser-perfs .
Moisture content	The amount of moisture in the paper, which affects both print quality and paper feeding. Leave paper in its original wrapper until you are ready to use it. Doing so limits the exposure of the paper to moisture changes that can damage the paper.
Nesting	To fit compactly together; to interlock; to stick together.
Offset powder	A powder applied during some printing processes to help dry inks.
Oil bleed	Migration of materials from the substrate or the adhesive out to the face. This generally occurs in aged materials or materials exposed to extreme temperature changes. Also known as penetration, bleed-through, and bleed.
Ooze	Migration of adhesive away from labels, which can cause printer contamination.
Perforation	Line of very small holes or slots punched to facilitate tearing. See also Laser-perfs .
Pick	The mechanical action the printer performs to remove one sheet of material from the tray.
Pick roller	The roller that assists in picking a sheet of material from the tray.
Pick roller assembly	A gear-driven pick arm suspended by a counterbalance spring that allows the printer to automatically adjust the pick force necessary for different types of print materials.
Pull strength	Maximum strength, or holding power, that a label has before it is separated from the liner.
Release	The ability of adhesive to resist label peeling during the printing process.
Roll-over	Bending of the paper edge during conversion due to a dull cutting knife.
Semiliquid	Having characteristics of both liquid and solid.
Shear strength	Cohesive strength of the adhesive.
Sizing	Additives applied to paper (internally or externally) that improve offset printing qualities and resistance to liquids.
Skew	Slant of printed lines in reference to the edge of the paper due to paper moving through the printer in something other than a straight path.
Smoothness	The degree of smoothness of the print material. If the paper is too rough, the toner does not fuse to the paper properly, resulting in poor print quality. If the paper is too smooth, it can cause paper feeding problems in the printer. Smoothness is measured in Sheffield points; lower values indicate smoother paper.
Splatter	The appearance of black specks around a printed image. Generally related to printing on stock that is too heavy or has a surface that repels toner.
Stacking	How well the paper stacks in the output bin.
Stringers	Small bits of adhesive found on top of a pressure-sensitive material at the die-cut and perforated areas. Stringers are indications of a dull blade and are related to the shear strength of the adhesive.
Stripped edge matrix	Labels with a portion of the area around the outer edge of the cut sheet removed.
Supercalendering	A process where paper passes through heated, polished steel and compressed cotton rolls that "iron" the material to a high gloss, polished finish.
Tenting	The creasing of perforated material when it is flexed.
Thermography	A printing process that raises the ink image or design above the surface of the base material. Also known as electro-thermography.
Ties	Small areas along perforations or die-cuts in the face material of a label (pressure-sensitive material), or in card stock, which are not cut through. Ties help stabilize the form and prevent tearing at the perforations and die-cuts.
Toner	The material that adheres to the paper or print material to create the printed image.
Total strip matrix	Labels that have the unneeded portion of the die-cut stock around the labels, including a portion between the labels, removed to make it easier to peel labels from the backing.
Vellum finish	A finish with a rough surface similar to eggshell and antique finishes. A vellum finish is relatively absorbent, providing good ink penetration.
Zone coating	Placing adhesive in selected areas only. Allows no adhesive areas along edge of labels. Also known as patterned adhesive, pattern coated, dry lap, separator, and strip coated.