Glossary
Adhesives: Materials used to bond two surfaces together.
Aqueous Coating: A water based coating that is used to add a desired finish to a printed surface. This type of coating is used for a less reflective finish.
Automatic Bottom Carton (Auto-Bottom): A ready glued folding carton with a composite bottom which positions itself when the box is initially opened.
Bleed: Solid printed area that extends beyond the cut area of the paper or overlaps another color. The purpose of the overlap is to compensate for register issues and ensure that all areas of the carton are covered with the desired color.
CAD Cut: A process of cutting materials without using a die. This process makes a continuous cut around the area of the box using either a knife or water. This style of cutting is a more economical means of finishing the folding carton.
Caliper: The measure of a paper’s thickness.
CMYK: A four color process that creates a wide array of colors utilizing the base colors of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black).
Color Gamut: The producible colors that can be created by utilizing a particular color process such as CMYK.
Die: A device used to cut, shape, or stamp areas on a sheet of paper in order to create a folding carton.
Die Cut: The process that the paperboard undergoes which cuts and creases it so that it is able to be formed into a folding carton.
Die Lines: Lines used in the design of a folding carton which outlines the areas that will be cut and folded.
Dimensions: The length, width, depth, and height of a product. These measurements are used to define the size of the box.
Dots Per Inch (DPI): A measure of printed dot intensity. Specifically, it is the number of dots that fit in a one-inch line. A higher DPI equates to a higher resolution.
Double Glued Side Wall: A style of folding carton that forms a tray with double thick walls.
Folding Carton: A container created by cutting and folding a flat sheet of paperboard.
Fold Over Header: A printed card that is folded in half and used to seal the top of a product bag or other container.
Full Seal End: A style of folding carton with four flaps at each opening which completely overlap to seal the end.
Ganging: Combining more than more printed project onto one printed sheet. This allows for lowered costs because jobs do not need to be set up on a printer individually.
Ghosting: An unwanted image that occurs on a printed sheet that is produced by the printer itself. The cause of this “ghost image” can be from repeated passes of the ink form roller or a reduction/accumulation of ink.
Glue Flap: A flap that is designed to remain connected to one panel during the cutting process which is used to connect one wall of the carton to another wall using glue.
Glued Sleeve: A glued carton that is open on two opposing ends.
Offset Printing: A method of printing that does not utilize silk screens but instead uses printing plates to transfer ink to the sheet. This style of printing is more accurate than silk screening. FoldedColor uses a special screen in addition to the printing plates which yields higher definition printing over standard offset.
PMS Colors: A standardized set of colors that are commonly used in the printing industry. These colors have been standardized by Pantone®, Inc., hence the name PMS (Pantone® Matching System).
Printing Plates: The tools used in offset printing that transfer an image to a printing blanket and ultimately to the printed sheet. Utilizing this printing method, one plate is required for each printed color that is used.
QR Code: An abbreviation for Quick Response Code, this is a specific type of barcode that is capable of storing a large degree of information.
Recyclable: Materials that can be reused by reprocessing them into a new product.
Reverse Tuck End (RTE): A style of folding carton which utilizes a tuck on both ends of the carton where the tucks are attached to opposing panels.
Roll Side Tray with Lid: A style of folding carton that forms a tray and has an attached lid that tucks into the tray.
Scoring: A crease that is applied to a folding carton, usually during the die cutting process, which allows for the carton to be easily folded.
Seal End Carton: A carton with at least one end that has four flaps that are folded inward, two of which are glued together to seal the opening.
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI): According to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative website, “SFI Inc. is an independent, nonprofit organization that is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) program. The SFI program's unique fiber sourcing requirements promote responsible forest management on all suppliers' lands. SFI chain-of-custody (COC) certification tracks the percentage of fiber from certified forests, certified sourcing and post-consumer recycled content. SFI on-product labels identify both certified sourcing and COC claims to help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. “
Snap Lock Carton: A carton with at least one end that has four flaps that are shaped in a manner that allows them to be folded inward into a locking position. Once in the locked position, the flaps seal the opening of the carton.
Straight Tuck End (STE): A style of folding carton which utilizes a tuck on both ends of the carton where the tucks are attached to the same panel.
Straight Tuck End with Fold Over Header: A style of folding carton which utilizes a tuck on both ends of the carton where the tucks are attached to the same panel. This style of folding carton also includes a header that can be used to suspend the carton from a hanging display.
Stripping: A process that takes place after a sheet has been die-cut. During this process, the excess paperboard that has been cut from the usable area is “stripped” off of the sheet and recycled.
Tray Style Carton: A style of folding carton which has a solid bottom with panels folded to form the carton walls.
Tuck: The end portion of a folding carton flap that is used to hold the flap in place by inserting it into the container.
Tuck End Carton: A folding carton which utilizes a tuck on both ends of the carton.
UV Coating (Ultraviolet): A high gloss coating that is applied to a printed surface and cured using ultraviolet radiation.