packaging vocabulary





Anilox Roll: An engraved ink metering roll used in flexographic presses to provide a controlled film of ink to the printing plate.

ASTM: American Society for Testing Materials


Barrier Coatings: Is a covering that is applied to the surface of an object, usually referred to as the substrate. In many cases coatings are applied to improve surface properties of the substrate, such as appearance, adhesion, wetability, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and scratch resistance. In other cases, in particular in printing processes, the coating forms an essential part of the finished product.



Blister: A small raised area, caused by the expansion of trapped gas or other fluid beneath the metal surface. In a lamination, small localized areas free or freed from adhesion.



Bug: A mark printed in an inconspicuous location on a package to identify who the printer of the package is. (ie: the Catty Corporation bug).


Coating and printing processes: Involve the application of a thin film of functional material to a substrate, such as paper, fabric, film, foil or sheet stock.


Cold Seal: A dry adhesive applied to a substrate such as foil, paper and film, that when folded onto itself can provide an adhesive bond using only pressure without using heat. Cold seals are typically used in wrapping food products such as ice cream bars.


Color Key Proof: Also chromalin – a proof, which shows the approximate, expected result of a four-color printing, provided by the color separator or printer.

Color Correction: A system of using a spectrophotometer to measure the chroma intensity and mathematically indicate the correction that is necessary to bring the color to an approved standard.



Core: Tube on which coiled product is wound; usually made of fiber, plastic, aluminum, steel or carton.

Curl: An undesirable condition caused by uneven rates of absorption or evaporation of moisture, uneven rates of contraction or expansion, or internal stresses in the material. Curl is the most prevalent in laminated structures where the components have differing physical properties.


Dead –Fold: A characteristic that can be folded, molded, crimped, and formed with ease. A thick layer of adhesive may act as a “hinge” to permit stiff foil-laminated stock to retain good dead-fold. In this case, the adhesive material itself must have good dead- fold and its effectiveness depends upon its thickness.



Dry Bond Lamination: A process of laminating 2 or more substrates together such as paper, film, and foils using 100% solids adhesive lamination.

Dwell Time: The time usually expression in seconds at a given temperature required for the application of heat to seal a heat sealing membrane.



Elongation: The linear stretch of material during tensile loading.

Extrusion: A product formed by pushing material through a die.


FIFO (First In First Out): Method used to ensure that the oldest raw material or finished good is used first to help ensure quality.

Finished Goods: A manufacturing classification of inventory when good product has gone through the final manufacturing process and is ready for sale to customers.



Foil: A rolled aluminum product.


Gauge: A term used in referring to the thickness. Here are some examples and equivalents:
1 mil = 25.4 microns
1 micron = one millionth of a meter
1 inch = 25.4 mm = 2.54 cm
100 gauge = 1 mil
80 gauge = 8/10 mil = .0008 inches

Glue Lamination: A process of using either a water-based or solvent-based glue applied to a substrate such as paper, film, or foil to laminate 2 or more substrates together.

Gravure Printing: Gravure printing is ideal for printing in long runs. It is a web fed process, which contributes to higher printing speeds, Gravure cylinders (a steel base with a copper coating, is then engraved with the desired pattern, then coated after engraving with a chrome plating for durability in the printing process) are engraved and can give an extremely light to a heavy lay of ink, gives excellent reproduction of detail, which is very important in total legibility and overall appeal of a print job. The image to be printed lies below the surface of the cylinder. When the inked surface of the roll is wiped clean with a doctor blade, the ink remaining in the engraved depression (cells) the material runs over the cylinder the ink is then deposited on that material in the pattern engraved.




Hickies: Marks on printed material caused by dirt or foreign material during the printing process.

Hot Tack: The ability of a freshly made seal to resist puckering, or separating when stressed.


ITR: In The Round polymer. –Used in Flexographic printing, when graphic design is needed to be continuous, and cannot utilize a plate break. Also known as Seamless.


Kaizen: Japanese term used frequently when describing Lean Manufacturing which translates to “change”. A term that is often referred to as a Kaizen Event meaning a team working together to produce change in a process that would yield savings.

Keyline: Also called mechanical. This is the guide used in making plates or engraving cylinders, and printing a piece – a diagram of copy and art for reproduction.




Line Print: Solid black line artwork, which does not require half-tone reproduction.


Master Roll: Also known as mother reel. A finished roll that comes off the press.

Matte Finish Foil: Foil having a diffuse reflecting finish or satin-like appearance.

Melting Point: The temperature at which a solid compound goes to the liquid state.

Metric Conversions:
1 kilogram (kg) = 2.2046 pounds 1 meter = 39.37 inches = 1.0936 yards
1 pound = 0.4536 kilograms 1 mile = 1.6094 kilometers
1 short ton = 2000 pounds 1 yard = 0.9144 meter
1 kilometer = 0.6237 miles
1 mil = 1/1000 of an inch = .001
1 mil = 25.4 microns
1 micron = one millionth of a meter
1 inch = 25.4 mm = 2.54 cm
100 gauge = 1 mil
80 gauge = 8/10 mil = .0008 inches

MVTR: Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate Water Vapor Transmission Rate, (also known as WVTR water vapor transmission rate), which moisture vapor can permeate through the structure and into a dry atmosphere on the other side. It is recorded in units of gm/100 inches square/24 hour (g/m2/24hr). WVTR is dependant on the gauge of the structure, the materials used in the structure, and the quality of the materials used. Vapor can pass through channels in the seals, holes, tears, or imperfections in the package.


OTR: Oxygen Transmission Rate, is defined as the constant rate at which oxygen permeates through a film at specified conditions of temperature and relative humidity. Values are expressed in cc/m2/24hr (SI units). Standard conditions are 230C and 0%RH.



Pinholes: Minute holes in foil. Foil below .0015 inches, it is possible to have minute discontinuities or “pinholes”. When aluminum foil of half the above thickness, or .0005 inch is tested nearly every one-foot-square test piece contains so-called “pinholes”. Reducing the foil below .0005 inch gauge results in an increased number of “pinholes” per square foot and the discontinuities are usually somewhat larger. Embossing or creasing of the foil will naturally increase the WVTR of the foil, but only at the points which have been embossed or creased sufficiently to generate breaks in the foil.


Process Print: Also four-color process – Indicates the four-color plates or cylinders commonly used in color printing. Usually of photographic quality.


Ramp up Procedures: Runs of less then full production quantity to verify that new products or process meet or exceed the expectant or desired results also know as a Trial.


Reverse Printing: 1.) Printing an image on the back of a transparent material so that when viewed from the front the image is correct. 2.) Laying down a printed background on an opaque surface, leaving certain design areas open.

Rotogravure Print: Also known as Roto or Gravure. This is a type of intaglio printing process which involves engraving the image onto an image carrier. Like Offset and Flexography, it uses a rotary printing press and this is why the image is engraved onto a cooper cylinder. Tha vast majority of gravure presses prints on rolls (also known as webs) of paper, rather than sheets of paper. (Sheetfed gravure is a small, specialty market.) Rotary gravure presses are the fastest and widest presses in operation, printing everything from narrow labels to 12 feet (4m) – wide rolls of vinyl flooring. Additional operations may be in-line.


Safety Stock: An extra amount of either raw materials or finished goods carried in inventory to protect against late deliveries or inaccurate forecasts.


Sheeting: The cutting of a large master roll into sheets.


Slitting: The cutting of a large master roll into small rolls used.

Solvent Based Ink: An ink system that uses a solvent (petroleum-based product) as its vehicle to contain pigment, resin, and other components.

Spectrophotometer: A device that measures color using a spectral reflectance and data set. It generates values to describe color quantitatively.

Supported Structure: A construction that has been laminated; such as foil laminated to paper.


Tear Strength: A measure of how likely a substrate will continue to tear once started. Tear strength will differ with and against the grain (in the case of paper).

Telescoping: Transverse slipping of successive layers of a coil so that the edge of the foil is conical rather than flat.

Tensile Strength: Measurement of weight required to break a strip of paper or paperboard in kilograms. Measurement is in pounds per square inch for metal.

Tolerance: Allowable deviation from a nominal or specified dimension.

Trap: To compensate for registration variation, two adjacent colors must spread or overlap, usually the lighter color will overlap into the darker color.


UOM: Unit of measure.

Unsupported Foil: Foil with no backing (paper or otherwise).


Value Stream: The series of steps required to bring a product or service to the customer.

Viscosity: The property of material to resist flow. The higher the viscosity generally the thicker or slower a material flows.


Water-Based Ink: An ink system which uses water as the majority medium to combine all components. Typically water based ink systems can contain as much as 5% solvent and still be considered water-based.

Wax Lamination: A process of using a hot wax to laminate two substrates together (such as foil and paper). Wax lamination typically is used when a “dead fold” is highly desirable (i.e. when a crisp square corner is desired on a package).

Web Press: A printing press which has a rotary action, and uses large rolls of paper, foil, and/or poly.

Wet Bond Lamination: A process of laminating 2 or more substrates by using an adhesive that is liquid at the time of nip point. Wet bond lamination is only used when the adhesive can be dried through at least 1 of the substrates (such as paper).

WVTR: Water Vapor Transmission Rate, (also known as MVTR moisture vapor transmission rate). See definition under MVTR.

Work-in-Process (WIP): Items between machines waiting to be processed.


X-Rite: Color correction system utilizing a spectrophotometer to measure the variation in chroma intensity.


Yield: The square inches per one pound of a material. For example, if one pound of material has 41,000 square inches, then 100 pounds of the same material will have 4,100,000 square inches. Formulas:

Total square inches = pounds

Total square inches = yield

Pounds x Yield = Total square inches

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