SMART DIGITAL

Glossary T   U   V   W   X  Y  Z



T

T1
A dedicated, point-to-point, high-speed communications line that can support file transfers of over 11 megabytes per minute.

tagged image file format (TIFF)
File format for storing and exchanging bitmapped or raster images (i.e., scans and images created in paint and photo-retouching programs). This standard can represent black & white, grayscale, and color images. It is commonly used in page layout applications. TIFF was originally developed by Aldus Corporation (now part of Adobe Systems) late in 1985. Microsoft played a role in the drafting of TIFF which led to TIFF’s acceptance on both the Macintosh and Windows world.

tagged image file format for image technology (TIFF/IT)
An ANSI standard that builds on the work done with TIFF, and which also has roots in DDES (Digital Data Exchange Standards). TIFF/IT provides a media-independent, standardized method of exchanging images between high-end and desktop systems. TIFF/IT should play an important role in digital advertisement transmission. Although created digitally, many ads still are sent to magazines as film because of concerns about color quality. If TIFF/IT is successful, it will remove an important barrier to the acceptance of direct-to-plate and direct-to-press technologies.

Terabyte
1,024 Gigabytes of digital data.

thermal transfer
A printing process that uses a thermal print head to create color images from a digital file. Some thermal printers can provide both thermal transfer and dye sublimation. Thermal transfer printers are more economical, but don’t provide the high quality of dye sublimation.

TIFF
Tagged image file format. File interchange format for scanned images.

tonal resolution (output device)
For an output device, tonal resolution refers to the ability to vary either the size or the intensity of the smallest mark that they make. A one-bit output device can print only two levels: black and white. An eight-bit device can represent 256 levels for each dot that is printed.

tonal resolution (scanner)
For a scan, tonal resolution refers to the number of grays or color that are represented within each pixel. A one-bit scan can represent two levels: black and white. An eight-bit monochrome scan can represent 256 levels: black, white, and 254 levels of gray. A 24-bit color scan can represent over 16 million levels.

toner
The toner for electrophotographic systems is made up of tiny plastic resin particles that can be less than ten microns, (i.e., less than 4/10,000 of an inch). When mixed with developer (also known as carrier), the toner can be charged and applied to the image area on the photoconductive drum. Dry toners fall in two categories: mono-component (where the developer and toner are supplied mixed together) or dual-component (in which the toner particles and developer are mixed during the printing process). Liquid toner contains charging particles suspended in a liquid (as in Indigo E-Print ElectroInk). Liquid toners generally have smaller particle size than dry toners, which improves the ability of the toner to display detail.

tri-level xerography
An electrophotographic printing process developed by Xerox that uses three charge levels to print two colors at once. See Electrophotography.





U

unwinder
Pre-processing system that unrolls paper from a web (roll) and feeds it into a high-speed printing system.





V

variable data
Text, numbers, graphics, or images extracted from a computer database and used to personalize one page, multiple pages, or all pages of a document (enables one-to-one marketing).

variable imaging
The process of printing text and/or images that may vary from impression to impression. Often this involves the creation of a master page with numerous variable fields that may contain either text or images. One example is a direct mail letter with a different, personalized name and address on each letter (one-to-one marketing).

vector
A computer file type which uses mathematical formulas to describe lines, curves, and tints. Images created by an illustration program like Adobe Illustrator are in vector format.





W

waterless offset
Offset lithographic printing requires a fountain solution that keeps the ink from being attracted to the non-image areas of the printing plate. In waterless offset, the non-image areas of the plate are specially treated with silicone to reject the ink. Therefore no fountain solution (i.e., “water”) is required.

web
Paper that is fed through a printing device from a roll (rather than as individual sheets of paper). Offset lithography uses two primary methods of moving paper through a press: sheet-fed and web (or roll-fed). Many high-speed printers are roll-fed because the web can be printed quickly with less handling than a sheet-fed printer. The web constitutes a continuous stream of paper moving through the device. The web may be cut into sheets after it is printed, or it may be re-rolled for further processing. Some printers use continuous form paper, which may not be fed from a roll, but is nonetheless a continuous web of paper.

web press
A printing press that uses paper from rolls rather than cut sheets. Web presses are generally faster than sheet-fed presses. They may also include in-line finishing equipment for cutting or folding.

wide area network (WAN)
A combination of computer hardware and software that interconnects numerous computers and peripherals over a wide geographic area. WANs provide communication with and access to shared data. See local area network.

write once/read many (WORM)
See magneto optical.





X

xerography
An electrophotographic printing process that uses a photoconductive drum or belt, electrostatic charges and toner to form an image.

XML
Extensible Markup Language.