PaperCatalog.com - Glossary

S/C - Abbreviation for "super-calendered."

saddle wire binding - To fasten a booklet by wiring the middle fold of the printed sheets of paper.

safety paper - Paper that has been specially treated either with beater additives or surface treatment and is used primarily as negotiable personal checks, bonds and documents. Treatment prevents erasures or alterations of any writing or printing on the surface of the paper. Basic size: 17" x 22"/500 sheets. Substance weight: 20 to 24 lbs.

sales book - Set of forms bound into a book, usually with a stiff backing for ease of manual writing.

sample - In reference to paper, a specimen of a given kind of pulp, or particular grade of paper or board. Samples may be taken for laboratory purposes such as quality control or other testing or may be used as a determinate in purchasing paper or board.

sample room - A location in a paper producer's facility or a merchant house where samples of all grades distributed are kept both for reference and as an aid to sales personnel and paper buyers. Elaborate sample rooms may have on file extensive literature describing the various grades handled by a particular merchant house as well as aids for printers and advertisers.

sample-card bristol - Strong, rigid bristol board used to display samples of commodities, principally fabrics.

SAPI - Sales Association of the Paper Industry. Members are individual sales representatives of paper producers in the United States and Canada.

satin finish - A smooth finish applied to paper.

satin white - Filler produced by the interaction of aluminum sulphate and slake lime.

scanner - Optical scanner, also electric device used in making color separations.

scanning - Point-by-point electronic scanning of color separations under computer control.

school-book perforating - Cross perforation parallel to the spine of jaw-folded signatures which are used principally in school examination books from which students tear answer sheets. Question pages remain bound in book.

Schopper's tester - Instrument that determines the folding endurance of paper.

scoring - In reference to paper conversion, creasing by mechanical means to facilitate folding while guarding against cracking of paper and board. Scoring is essential when heavyweight papers are to be folded across the grain.

screen - In reference to printing, creating a tone effect in the printed image; also called a benday. Screens from which letterpress halftones of photographs are made range from 60 lines-per-inch for printing on newsprint to 150 lines for printing on coated paper.

screen process printing - This printing process uses a screen of fine-mesh silk (thus the common name silk screen printing) tautly stretched across a frame. A squeegee drawn across the screen forces ink through the open image areas which are cut-out by hand using lacquered tissue prior to its adherence to the silk. Special photographic negatives are adhered to the screen when faithful reproduction of intricate designs are sought.

scumming - Term describing the tendency of non-image areas of offset plates to take ink from any image area.

seasoning - Process of allowing paper to adjust to atmospheric conditions of the plant in which it will be used.

secondary fiber - A term used for wastepaper, also referred to as paper stock.

seconds - In reference to paper quality, paper which may have been damaged or has imperfections.

self cover - Booklet cover that matches the inside pages.

semibleached - Chemical woodpulp that is partially bleached.

semi-chemical - Pulp made by applying a mild chemical treatment to the wood chips prior to a mechanical defiberizing process. The principal end use for this pulp is for the corrugated component of a corrugated shipping container.

separation negative - One of the images of a color set.

serif - Short cross line at the ends of the main stroke of many letters and type faces. Its opposite is "sans serif" a style of typeface distinguished by the absence of serifs, or ticks, on the ends of strokes.

set-off - Transferring or smearing of ink from freshly-printed sheets of paper to another surface. (Also called off-set).

sewed - In reference to book publishing, sewing along the binding edge through all pages of a book which subsequently will be case-bound, that is bound within hard covers.

shading - In reference to printing, printing on a form usually to make the area more distinctive.

sheen - Gloss, luster.

sheet - Term which in the paper industry may be applied to a single sheet, a grade of paper, or a description of the paper. Examples include coated, uncoated, offset and letterpress.

sheet roll - A roll of paper that will eventually be trimmed into sheets.

sheetage - Ratio of surface area to the weight of a paper or a board.

sheeter - In paper manufacture, rotary unit over which the web of paper passes to be cut into sheets. In printing, rotary knife at the delivery end of web press that slices press lengths.

sheet-fed - Any printing press requiring paper in sheet form as opposed to paper in rolls.

sheeting - The operation of cutting into sheets any paper or board that is in roll form.

sheetwise - To print one side of a sheet of paper with one form or plate, then turn the sheet over and print that side with another form using the same grippers and side guide.

shives - Undercooked, thus incompletely saturated, wood particles that are removed from the pulp before manufacture of paper begins. Sometimes shives will appear in finished paper.

short grain paper - Paper made with the machine direction in the shortest sheet dimension.

show through - Printing that is seen by looking through a sheet of paper that is not adequately opacified.

show-cardboard - Cardboard lined one side with uncoated paper and coated on the other (similar to coated blanks).

shrinkage - Decrease in the dimensions of a sheet of paper or loss incurred in weight between the amount of pulp used and paper produced.

side roll - Mill term for roll of paper obtained when the paper ordered does not utilize the full width of the paper making machine.

side wire stitching - Wire staple driven close enough to the backbone of the signatures that comprise a book or periodical to permit the pages to open easily.

sign board - A grade of boxboard made on a cylinder paper machine which has been vat lined with white fiber.

signature - Section of book obtained by folding a single sheet of printed paper in 8, 12, 16 or 32 pages.

silhouette - Halftones from which the screen around any part of the image has been removed.

silicone treated paper - Strong, glazed-finish paper treated one side with silicones to produce release qualities. Used as backing material for pressure sensitive papers.

silk screen - Print from a stencil image-maker where the ink is applied by squeegee through a silk screen.

silver tissue - Tissue free from chemical impurities. Used as a wrapper for wrapping metal objects that are subject to tarnish.

single ply - Term applied to paper or board made on a cylinder machine using only one vat.

single-face carbon - Carbon coated on one face only.

size or sizing - Additive substances applied to the paper either internally through the beater or as a coating that improves printing qualities and resistance to liquids. Commonly used sizes are starch and latex. For the explanation of the test to determine the resistance of paper to ink penetration, see Chapter 6.

size press - Part of the paper machine, usually located between two drier sections, where sizing agents are added.

size tub - Container holding sizing material during the tub sizing process.

skid - Wooden, reusable platform upon which paper is stored or shipped.

slack edges - Edges of a web with a caliper measurement less than the center.

slack sized - Paper that is only slightly sized, thus making it somewhat water-resistant.

slice - In reference to a paper making machine, a device that controls the flow of pulp from the headbox of a Fourdrinier.

slime spots - Imperfections in the paper surface caused by the growth of micro-organisms in the water at the wet end of the paper machine. Occasionally they make their way to the wire or paper. Although they are sterilized during the drying process, they may leave undesirable spots in the paper.

slipped roll - An unevenly wound roll.

slit punching - Open punching.

slitter - A sharp disk which cuts a paper into pre-determined widths.

slitter edge - The edge on a web or sheet left by the disk in the slitting operation.

slot perforation - Small-hole perforation.

slur gauge (The GATF Slur Gauge) - A combination dot gain and slur indicator supplied in positive or negative form. It is a quality control device that shows at a glance dot gain or dot loss. It also demonstrates whether the gain or the loss occurs in contacting, platemaking, proofing or on the press.

slurry - Water suspension of pigments or other substances used in coating or papermaking.

smoothing press - In reference to paper manufacture, two rolls working together to smooth the paper web before it reaches the driers.

smudge factor - Susceptibility of an image to abrasion or rubbing.

soda pulp - Chemical pulp. Wood chips digested in a hot alkaline solution of sodium hydroxide or caustic soda. The hot alkali dissolves the lignin cementing material of the wood, thereby freeing cellulose fibers.

soft fold - Method of preparing large sheets of paper for packing.

soft roll - Badly wound roll.

softwood - Wood from coniferous trees such as pine and spruce.

solid board - Usually refers to a paperboard that is made with the same material throughout its structure.

solid chipboard - Board made on a cylinder machine entirely from wastepapers with no liner or coating.

solid-lined manila board - Paperboard made from wood pulp or wastepaper or a combination of both on a cylinder machine. Underside is manila color. Top liner can be bleached stock or colored. Caliper ranges from .014 of an inch and thicker.

special making order - (See making order).

specialty papers or boards - Paper or board that is manufactured, or subsequently converted, for a specific use. These grades usually cannot be used for anything other than their intended special purpose.

specifier - One who designates the kind of paper or board to be selected for a particular use.

spectal characteristics - Properties of lighter color due to the relative proportions and distribution of the wave lengths composing them.

spectrophotometer - Measures color across a visible spectrum and produces data describing the color of a given sample in terms of the three parameters in color space.

spine - In reference to book publishing, the backbone of the book.

spiral binding - Wires in spiral form inserted through specially punched holes along the binding edge.

spiral laid lines - A paper with laid marks running parallel to the grain as opposed to laid marks which run across the web perpendicular to the grain.

spirit varnished - Coated with a varnish composed of a resin dissolved in alcohol. Spirit varnish is principally applied to labels to provide gloss and scuff resistance.

splice - In papermaking, the joining of the ends of two webs of paper to make a continuous roll.

splice tag - Tab or marker giving the location of a splice.

split coating - Process of simultaneously coating one side of a sheet with two colors.

split-color paper - Duplex paper: white on one side, colored on the other.

spot coating - Coating applied to a pre-determined area of a sheet.

square sheet - A sheet that has equal strength and tear resistance both with and against the grain.

stabilize - In reference to paper characteristics, describes paper that has been seasoned so that the moisture content is the same as the air surrounding it.

stable - Capable of lasting without change; permanent; not easily destroyed or decomposed.

stacker - Device attached to delivery conveyor to collate, compress and bundle signatures.

stained paper - Paper which is stained with color during the calender operation or separately in a bath.

star target (GATF Star Target) - A circle of 3/8" in circumference consisting of 36 black and 36 transparent wedges of equal size. The Star Target image on a press sheet shows the amount of ink spread and its direction by the way the wedges of the target fill in with ink. The GATF Star Target is available in film sheets of 12 negative or positive targets.

starch - A white, odorless carbohydrate found in various plants. Usually made from corn. Also obtained from tapioca, potatoes and wheat. Used as a sizing agent for paper.

starch coated - Coated paper in which starch is used as adhesive for the pigment.

starred rolls - Rolls that have damaged ends due to handling.

static electricity - Charges of electricity that may be contained by paper which has been improperly dried or has sustained excessive pressure in calendering. It is particularly apparent in paper which is too dry, but can also exist in properly dried paper which has become affected by local atmospheric conditions after shipment.

statistical quality control - System of sampling and testing for the purpose of keeping variations within established limits.

step and repeat - Technique of affixing multiple images on a film or plate to extremely close tolerances.

step and repeat machine - Photocomposer.

stereotype - Letterpress plate made of rubber, plastic or metal which is made from a molded matrix.

stiffness - Property of paper and paperboard to resist bending. For the explanation of the test to determine the stiffness of paper, see Chapter 6.

stippling - Converting process that applies an embossed surface to the paper.

stitching - Use of wire fastenings as a permanent fastening for continuous forms.

stock - General term with many meanings. (1) Paper or board that is on hand in inventory. (2) Paper or board that has been designated for a particular use and only awaits the printing or converting process. (3) Pulp which has been processed to a state where dilution is the only step necessary for it to be made into paper of board (4) Wet pulp at any stage of manufacture. (5) Wastepaper (See base stock, sheet, grade).

stock sizes and weights - Paper that is held in inventory by a paper producing company or distributor. Standard sizes of paper or board.

stocking merchant - Paper distributor that stocks in his warehouse enough paper to immediately fill anticipated orders in the market.

stress - In reference to paper characteristics, fibers in a sheet of paper may be termed under stress because they have shrunk during drying.

stretch - In reference to paper characteristics, the term describes the "give" of a sheet of paper when it is subjected to tensile pressure.

stretch resistance - Stretch properties are essential for paper to fold well and to resist stress in use. Stretch resistance is measured on tensile testing instruments. For the explanation of the test to determine tensile strength, see Chapter 6.

strike-in - Penetration of printing ink into a sheet of paper.

strike-off - Test run of a dummy form.

strike-on - A term replacing cold-type for typewriter-like, mechanical impact composition to be reproduced.

strike-through - Penetration of printing ink through a sheet of paper.

strip gumming - Adhesive roll-coated to a precise line pattern.

stripping - In offset printing: negatives are properly positioned on a masking sheet (goldenrod masking paper). In photoengraving: film containing the photographic image from the wet-plate is moved and turned.

stub roll - Usually refers to a small diameter roll or a roll with only a small amount of paper remaining on the roll.

substance weight - Same as basis weight.

suction box - Device that removes water from the paper machine by a suction action located beneath the wire at the wet end.

suede paper - Velour finished paper.

sulphate pulp - Predominant fiber used by the paper industry. It is obtained by cooking wood chips with the chemicals sodium sulphate and sodium hydroxide. The sodium sulphate is converted to sodium sulphide in the process. It is the sodium sulphide that is actually the effective cooking agent, but the word sulphate is still used as the title.

sulphite pulp - Cooking by using calcium bisulphite and sulphurous acid for the dilignification of wood.

supercalender - Alternating rolls of highly polished steel and compressed cotton in a stack. During the process the paper is subjected to the heated steel rolls and "ironed" by the compressed cotton rolls. It imparts a high gloss finish to the paper. Supercalender stacks are not an inherent part of the paper machine, whereas the calender rolls are.

supercalendered rotogravure - Compact dense papers with good formation supercalendered to a high finish of uniform smoothness. Made from mechanical and chemical wood pulp. Basic size: 25" x 38"/500 sheets. Basis weight: 35 to 39 lbs.

super-fine writing - Writing paper with smooth finish and close formation, made of sulphite and cotton fiber pulps.

surface coloring - An off-machine method of applying color to the surface of a sheet.

surface plate - Metal offset plate with light-hardened image on the surface in sharp contrast to the etched image below the surface.

surface sized - Term applied to paper that has been sized by applying a sizing agent when the web of paper is partially dry. Purpose is to increase resistance to ink penetration. (See tub sized).

surface strength - Bonding strength of paper exhibited when tested with a stress that is perpendicular to the surface of the paper. For the explanation of the test to determine the surface strength of paper or board--the wax pick test--see Chapter 6.

swatchbook - Same as sample book--A grouping of papers usually in bound form, that displays the weights, colors, finishes and other particulars of a collection of papers to aid in the selection of grades.

sword hygroscope - Sword-shaped hygrometer that may be inserted into a pile of paper to determine its moisture content compared with the surrounding air.

synchronous - High speed printer with constant line printing speed regardless of the type of characters printed.

synthetic - A complex material formed by the chemical union of its elements or a simpler process. Many resins and rubber- like materials are made synthetically.