Glossary of Exhibit Graphics Terms

A

Acrylic
Plastic sheet. Sheet size is typically 4' x 8'; thickness varies from 1/16" up.

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B

Backlighted Art
An image transparency illuminated from a light source behind the image. Duratrans, VPF, etc.

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C

Cibachromes
Process of developing reflective or backlit image from direct positive to positive printing.

Chromagenic Process
Development of positive image from a negative. Colors are formed from the chemicals used in the development process and partially from the emulsion contained in the base materials on the print paper. Process used for c-Prints, Duraflex, Duratrans, and VPF photo prints.

Chrome
Photographic color transparency; color reads as a positive or as seen in life.

Cold Mounting
Method of mounting a print to a substrate under pressure with a film adhesive under pressure rollers.

Continuous Tone
Grays and shading are solid areas of light or dark, not broken down into dots or lines as in halftones. Photographics prints have continuous tone.

C-Prints
Professional quality color prints developed from negatives by a chromagenic process. Seen as a reflective art

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D

Delaminate
Separation into layers, seen usually at the edge of laminated photo prints where chaffing or dust has raised the protective laminate surface.

Diffuser
In photography display terms, a material used to distribute light evenly across a surface. Usually a translucent white plastic material.

Display Transparencies
Photographic image on a clear film base for backlighted art. Typically VPF or similar process but can also include Duratrans and Cibachrome transparencies

Duraflex (Kodak)
C-Print produced on a flexible plastic substrate. Seen as reflective art.

Duratrans (Kodak)
C-Print produced o translucent film base and can be seen as reflective or backlit art.

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E

Emulsion
The light-sensitive coating on one surface of photographic film on which an image is formed.

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F

Film Negative (Film Neg)
A negative or clear-reading image surrounded by positive or black photo emulsion on a clear film.

Film Positive (Film Pos)
A positive or black-reading image of photo emulsion on a clear film.

Fluorescent
Tubular electric lamp providing ultraviolet light which emits a cool-colored visible light,. Available in color-balanced temperatures.

Foam Core (Fome-Cor) Substrate
Soft paper sandwich with foam center. Die cuts easily, the best choice for unique die cut "pillowed" edges. Lightweight, rigid, and smooth.

4" x 5"
Slang for a chrome or transparency produced as a four inch by five inch standard.

Font
Complete set of type composed of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks of a given size and design such as “Helvetica” or "Goudy."

Frisket
Graphic image produced by spray painting an adhesive stencil resulting in a "one off" print.

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G

Gatorboard (Gatorfoam)

Substrate "Sandwich" board with foam center and a semi-hard veneer surface. Foam center is a high-density Styrofoam and the surfaces are a resign impregnated paper. Available in white or Kraft with white center or black with black center.

Gels
Colored films used to add color to backlit graphics that are film positives or negatives as originals.

Glossy
Having a surface luster or brightness, i.e., shiny

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H

Halftone
Simulated continuous tone image created by a series of dots of varying sizes to produce grays and subtle shading./ Most printed matter uses halftones.

High-Resolution
Image which uses more pixels to represent each unit of area. Usually reproduces more detail and subtle color transitions when printed than can lower-resolution images.

Hot Mounting
Method of mounting a print to a substrate by activating an adhesive by heat on a press.

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I

Incandescent
Electric lamp in which a filament gives off warm-colored light when heated to incandescence by an electric current. Usually gives off a warm-colored light.

Illustration Board
Substrate: Rigid paper.

Internegative (Interneg)
Negative made on a special emulsion film from a transparency or a slide to make color prints. Necessary for C-Prints, Duraflex, Duratrans, and VPF photo prints. Has characteristic copper color.

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J

Nope!

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K

Nope!

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L

Laminate
(Overlaminate or overlam) Protective coating, usually clear, adhered to or added onto a graphic image for protection from scratching, cleaners, and fading.

Lexan®
General Electric-engineered thermoplastic designed for use in most adverse conditions such as bullet-proof glass, internal engine parts, plastic hinges, and chemical plants. Front surface is special matte finish which avoids glare and showing of fingerprints or other smudges.

Lightbox
Box to hold light fixtures to illuminate a photographic transparency or backlit art.

Line Conversion
Photographic process of converting continuous tone images into line images using line pattern screens. Often used to create black and white originals of photographics for silk screening.

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M

Masonite
Substrate: Plastic impregnated fiber board composite.

Matte
Dull finish, not shiny.

Megaprints
Similar to scanamurals with different attributes.

Museum Box Mount
A construction used for mounting -- wood frame with depth -- photo mounted to surface.

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N

Negative
Photographic image on film in which the values of the original are reversed so that the dark areas appear light and vice versa.

Non-diffusion
Clear protective coating through which an image can be clearly seen as in a photographic overlaminate.

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O

One Off
Single print or image, usually a hand-produced or not-for-production run type graphic.

Overspray
Clear lacquer or acrylic spray that protects the surface of a graphic image. Inexpensive and of moderate protection.

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P

Perspexi
Acrylic plastic sheets in different thicknesses used to protect graphic surfaces or as a substrate for graphic images. Product of ICI.

Plexiglasi
Acrylic plastic sheets in different thicknesses used to protect graphic surfaces or as a substrate for graphic images. Product of Rohm and Haas. Plastic sheet. Sheet size is typically 4' x 8'; thickness varies from 1/16" up.

PMS
Pantone Matching Systemi -- System of categorizing colors by number.

Quartz
Type of incandescent lamp encased in a quartz casing giving off color-balanced light. Quartz lamps burn very hot.

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Q

Nope!

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R

Reflective Art
Images that must be viewed by light reflected from its surface, front lighting, any photography or art that is not lighted from behind. C-Prints, opaque silk screening, etc.

Resolution
Number of dots or pixels per linear unit used to reproduce artwork and images.

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S

Scanamurals
Photographic image produced by an optical scanner that triggers paint jets I four colors to a finished substrate which is mounted to a rotating drum. Used for very large, flexible photo prints in indoor as well as outdoor applications.

Silk Screen
Stencil printing process in which ink is forced onto the material to be printed through meshes of screen fabric so prepared as to have pervious printing areas an impervious non-printing areas.

Sintra
Substrate: Very durable plastic sheets in a variety of thicknesses and colors. Maximum sheet size is 4' x 8' with thickness from 1mm to 30mm.

Stand Off
Mounting a photo or graphic with space between the graphic and surface it is mounted to, visually floating the graphic.

Styrene
Substrate: Soft, bendable opaque white plastic. Maximum sheet size is 4' x 8' with thickness from .15" to .25".
Substrate Base material to which something is mounted or the material onto which it is printed.

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T

33mm
Type of film used to produce slides or prints with a resulting film image being 35mm across. Inexpensive, moderate quality for reproduction.

Touche
Glue-based material used to paint around the image to be printed on a silk screen and for filling in unwanted holes or blemishes in the silk screen film..

Translucent
Permits passage of light.

Transparency
Positive image on film viewed or projected by transmitted light.

Type Spec
Directions used to inform the typesetter as to type style, spacing, and font as well as its weight, line widths, and breaks.

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U

UV Laminate
Protective coating that protects a graphic image from ultraviolet light. A "must" for color retention over long periods of time or for use outdoors.

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V

VPF
Vericolor Print Film: A specially coated Kodak film used to make positive transparencies and slides from color negatives and internegatives.

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W

Wet Mounting
Method of mounting a print to a substrate by hand that allows for exact positioning while the adhesive is still wet.

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X

Nope!

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Y

Nope!

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Z

Nope!

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