A glossary of print terms for photobook makers

Printing has its own language, and much of it was invented in workshops long before computers. You do not need to speak it fluently to make a beautiful book, but knowing a handful of words makes every choice easier. Keep this page open while you design.

Page and layout terms

Bleed. The part of an image that runs past the edge of the page and is trimmed away, so photos reach the very edge without white slivers.

Trim. The final edge of the page, where it is cut.

Safe zone. The inner area of a page where text and faces are protected from trimming and binding.

Gutter. The inner margin where pages meet the spine.

Spread. Two facing pages seen together when the book is open. Designers think in spreads, not single pages.

Full bleed. A photo that covers an entire page edge to edge, with no border.

Folio. The page number, plus anything printed with it, such as a running title.

Margin. The empty space between your content and the edge of the page. Generous margins are the quickest way to make a book feel calm and expensive.

Paper terms

GSM. Grams per square metre: the weight of the paper. Everyday office paper is around 80 GSM. Photobook pages typically range from about 150 to 250 GSM. Heavier usually feels more substantial, though finish affects feel too.

Coated. Paper with a smooth surface layer that keeps ink on top, giving sharper detail and richer colour. Silk and gloss are coated.

Uncoated. Paper without that layer. It feels natural and slightly toothy, absorbs ink a little, and gives softer colour. Lovely for journals and text heavy books.

Matte. A coated or lightly coated paper with no shine. Easy to read in any light and resistant to fingerprints.

Silk. A smooth, low sheen coating between matte and gloss. Strong colour without heavy reflections.

Grain. The direction most fibres run in a sheet. Books bind better and turn more easily when the grain runs parallel to the spine.

Colour terms

RGB. Red, green and blue light. How screens and cameras make colour.

CMYK. Cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink. How most printers make colour.

Colour profile. A set of instructions that translates colour from one device to another, such as from screen to a specific paper.

Gamut. The full range of colours a device can produce. Screens have a wider gamut than ink on paper, which is why some neon colours look calmer in print.

Binding terms

Perfect binding. Pages glued into a flat spine. Clean and familiar, but the book does not open fully flat.

Lay-flat binding. A binding that lets each spread open completely flat, ideal for panoramas and photos that cross the middle.

Saddle stitch. Folded sheets stapled through the fold. Common for magazines and zines with fewer pages.

Signature. A large printed sheet folded into a group of pages. Books are often built from several signatures.

Endpapers. The sheets that join the cover to the pages, often in a plain or coloured stock.

Case bound. A hardcover book, where the pages are bound into a rigid cover made from board.

Finishing terms

Proof. A preview of the final printed result, on screen or on paper, for checking before printing.

Linen cover. A hardcover wrapped in woven fabric instead of printed paper. Tactile, quiet and long lasting.

Debossing. Pressing text or a design into a cover so it sits below the surface.

Foil. A thin metallic or coloured layer pressed onto a cover for titles or details.