They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky… but even Halloween’s most terrifying creatures don’t come close to the fear some business owners and marketers feel when they start to tackle of the more mysterious and arduous aspects of their marketing That’s why every day in the week leading up to Halloween, CuCo will be releasing a short article debunking a marketing demon that fills the hearts of our clients with fear and sends shivers down their spines. They say knowledge is power, it’s time to kick some of those skeletons out of your closet.

‘Before printing was discovered, a century was equal to a thousand years’ – Henry David Thoreau

Whilst some marketers have a solid grasp of specialised print language, others are left baffled as to what certain processes are, how much they should cost etc. Working within the industry on a daily basis, it can be easy for agencies to slip into print jargon without realising it. If it feels like your being spoken to in gibberish and slipping into a state of panic as you send your brochure off to be printed, read on.

Believe it or not, all of this print jargon does make perfect sense. Here is a quick glossary of some the top most troublesome gremlins:

RGB – A colour system using red, green and blue light added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colours. This is most commonly used in monitors and displays.

Bleed – When a printed area extends beyond the final page size then it is called a bleed. It means that when the artwork is trimmed no white areas are left on the sheet. Allows the printer a small amount of space to account for movement of the paper.

Crop Marks – Marks on the sheet which indicate where cuts should be made or edges can be trimmed.

CMYK – Standard process colours used in four-colour printing. Stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and black (or key colour). Using these four colours in differing proportions, the full colour spectrum can be produced.

GSM – Stands for grams per square meter. The higher the GSM number, the heavier the paper.

Finishing – A term used to cover all bindery operations (cutting, folding, binding and so on). There are a wide range of finishing options available so for the marketer looking to improve the impact of their print materials, finishes like spot UV can make all the difference.

Beat the fear
If the print process leaves you trembling, a good creative agency will always be available to explain print jargon to you. However, if you simply don’t have the time or desire to become a print guru, your agency can manage the whole process for you, ensuring your brochure is printed on the highest quality materials and with the best finishes possible for your budget.

Still scared? Our experts are here to help! Get in touch today and let’s handle the print management process together.