Printing Terms Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X-Y-Z
Object Ling and Embedding (OLE): The specification that details the implementation of Windows Objects, and the interprocess commnication that supports them.
Object-Oriented Graphic: A graphic created with geometric elements that are saved in a draw-type or EPS file format.
Off-line: Something not presently active or available for access in a system.
Off-loading: Relieving the intensive amount of data processing associated with a specific application from the CPU by performing these calculations in a dedicated or specialized server.
Oil Mounting: in scanning, it is possible as well as necessary sometimes to mount originals (usually 35mm) in oil. In cases where the original has been mishandled, has surface abrasion (on the base) or when exceptionally large reproductions are necessary (over 1000%) the original is mounted in an optical oil on the small scanning drum.
On-line: Something active or available for access in a system.
One-bit Image: An image with only black or white pixels.
OPI: Open Prepress Interface. A descriptive language developed by Aldus and prepress vendors to provide a standardized link between desktop publishing and prepress systems. An OPI file is actually a viewing file which provides a link between the image placed in a page layout and the high resolution separation. It is automatically swapped out when the file is prepped for output.
Opaque: In lithography, to block out areas on a negative that are not wanted on the printing plate. In color reproduction, the blacking out of colors which are not desired in the final reproduction. The material which is used looks brown or black and is applied to the negative surface with a fine brush or pen.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR): The ability of a scanner with the proper software to capture, recognize and translate printed alpha-numeric characters into machine readable text.
Optical Disc: A direct access storage device that is written and read by laser light. Certain optical discs are considered Write Once Read Many, or WORM, because data is permanently engraved in the disc's surface either by gouging pits (ablation); or by causing the non-image area to bubble, reflecting light away from the reading head. Erasable optical drives use technologies such as the magneto-optic technique, which electrically alters the bias of grains of material after they have been heated by a laser. Compact discs (CDs) and laser (or video) discs are optical discs. Their storage capacities are far greater than magnetic media, and are likely to replace magnetic hard disks and tape in the near future.
Optical Scanner: Input device that translates human-readable or microform images to bit-mapped or rastered machine-readable data.
Optical storage: The means of storing or archiving data on optical discs such as CDs or laser discs.
Orientation: The relative direction of a display or printed page, either horizontal (called "landscape" orientation) or vertical (called "portrait" orientation).
Orphan: One or more ending lines of a paragraph at the beginning of a page or column and seperated from the rest of the paragraph at the end of the previous page or column.
Orthocromatic: Photographic and lithographic films which are insensitive to red but sensitive to ultraviolet, blue, green and yellow areas of the spectrum.
Outline Mask: An electronic filtering function that can trace an area or object in an image and extract it. A silhouetting function used in page makeup is also referred to as an outline mask.
Output: Information that has been manipulated by the central processing unit (CPU) of the computer, and displayed either on the video monitor or rendered on paper or film as hard copy, or saved on disk in a digital format.
Output device: Any device by which a computer transforms its information to the "outside world." In general, you can think of an output device as a machine that translates machine-readable data into human-readable information. Examples: printers, microform devices, video screens.
Output Resolution: Stated in lines per inch or lines per millimeter, output resolution reflects the number of pixels per unit size the plotter can put onto the film.
Overprinting (Double Printing): Printing over an area that has already been printed. Often used in color printing in order to enhance a particular color, or contrast and distinguish a particular color from other similar colors. It is used when the normal process color system is unable to discern close color differences, but are required by the customer.