Glossary

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FACE-CUT LABEL

Any pressure sensitive label where the face material is cut to the liner. A die-cut label product from which the matrix has not been removed.

FACE MATERIAL

Any paper, filmic, fabric, laminate or foil material suitable for converting into pressure sensitive labelstock. In the finished construction this web is bonded to the adhesive layer and becomes the functional part of the construction. Refer NS.

FACE SLIT

A slit in the face material of a pressure sensitive product to facilitate removal from the backing.

FACE SPLIT - See FACE SLIT

FACE STOCK - See FACE MATERIAL

FADEOMETER

Instrument used to measure the fade resistant properties of inks and other pigmented coatings. Refer NS for test procedure.

FADING

A gradual decrease in the brilliance of colour. The term is often applied to the change in colour produced by exposure to light and the elements.

FAHRENHEIT

The imperial scale of temperature where ‘32’ represents the freezing point of water and ‘212’ represents the boiling point of water.

Formula for conversion to Centigrade - Celsius = C = 5 (F-32)

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FANFOLD - See CONTINUOUS LABELS

FASTNESS

That property of a paper or dye-stuff which renders its resistant to change in colour. Depending upon its use, a paper should be fast to light, alkali and acid.

FATIGUE

A condition of stress created by repeated flexing or impact force upon the adhesive-adhered interface.

FEATHERING

A defect which is characterised by ragged, coarse edges, or undesirable irregular edges around a print.

FEED SLOTS - Also see SPROCKET PUNCHED

Round or rectangular holes or slits put in pressure sensitive labelstock to maintain register of pressure sensitive labels while they are being printed or imprinted. Usually refers to the feeding mechanism of sprocket punching for dot matrix printers, pin wheel machines, car park machines, automatic computer stencil cutting machines and the like. Other names are: Index Holes, Index Punch, Pin Feed, Line Hole Punch and Marginal Punching.

FESTOON

Material take-up system usually used with a butt splicer in order to continue feeding a press while the splice is being made on Stationery material.

FILL-IN

Generally used to refer to the open portions of small type and half tones filled in by ink to cause blotches.

FILLING IN

Refers to the filling in of small reverse areas or copy of a printed design.

FILM

A dark material (usually acetate) coated one side with an emulsion that is light sensitive. When exposed to light, an image is transferred to the film and then it is developed in chemicals to produce a negative.

A transparent material used for face stock for pressure sensitive labels. Often used in applications requiring maximum durability as it seals the printed surface. Applied during the run on a label press.

FILM MASTER

A photographic film representation of a specific symbol from which a printing plate is produced.

FILM POSITIVE

A positive contact print on a film base material.

FILMS

Face and liner material manufactured from synthetic high molecular weight polymers.

FINAT

European organisation of Label Printers similar to LATMA.

Secretariat: Laan Copes van Cattenburch 79

2585 EW The Hague

Netherlands

Fax +31 70 363 6348

FINENESS OF GRIND

The degree of grinding or dispersion of a pigment in a printing ink or vehicle. Extent to which particle size has been reduced to its ultimate by grinding technique.

FINENESS OF GRIND GAUGE

Instrument consisting of a flat block with two (2) calibrated gradient slots from 0 to 0.001 inch on which ink is drawn down with a steel blade. Undispersed pigment or other particles in ink show streaks starting at their particle size. Refer NS for test procedure.

FINISH

To finalise (bring) the clients request to its proper conclusion. The surface property of a material determined by its texture and gloss. Also an important physical property of paper. It describes surface contour and characteristics measurable by smoothness, gloss, absorbability and print quality. Finish of paper can be aesthetic or functional. Refer relevant National Standard and Labelstock manufacturers’ data sheet.

FINISHING

Usually refers to the last work done to a clients request prior to shipping, ie. rewinding, inspection and packing, etc.

FISH EYES

Round or eye-shaped deformations in a coating (adhesive, release, protective, etc.); craters.

FLAG

A marker, usually strips of coloured paper or board, inserted into rolls of pressure sensitive materials and extending from an edge to designate a deviation from the standard (normal), such as a splice, defect or specification change. A warning to the slitter or press operator handling the material during the next operation in the converting process, usually indicating an area that is to be inspected closely. On the run, a flag can be inserted into a fan-fold, stack of sheeted labels or rolls.

FLAGGING

Usually refers to the ‘lifting’ of a pressure sensitive label from the surface to which it has been applied. This condition most often occurs when the label has been applied around a curved (tight) surface or where the adhesive has been nullified by mishandling.

FLAME RESISTANT PAPER

A paper which has been treated with chemicals which enable it to resist flame. While not actually fireproof, it will not support combustion, will char but not carry a flame.

FLAMMABLE

Capable of being ignited.

FLASH POINT

The temperature at which a flammable liquid will flash when ignited by a small flame passed over the surface.

FLAT PACK - See FANFOLD

A continuous web folded at a cross perforation at regular intervals.

FLEX

Another term for deflection of rollers or cylinders in a press. Also, bending qualities of characteristics of any material, including printing substrates.

FLEXIBILITY

A property of face materials, measured under specified conditions, that indicates how readily they will conform to curved surfaces. Refer relevant National Standard.

FLEXIBLE PRINTED CIRCUIT

A printed circuit or conductive pattern, on or between insulating layers, which remains flexible after processing.

FLEXIBLE DIE - See MAGNETIC DIE

FLEXING

Condition that can occur on a die when the circumference is less than the width of the cross-blades. Causes the centre of the cross-blades to fail to cut properly and consistently.

FLEXLIGHT

Union Carbide’s trademark for photopolymer plate material.

FLEXOGRAPHIC PRINTING

Formerly called ANILINE printing. A method of rotary printing that employs flexible, raised relief image plates and rapid drying inks or coatings. Flexography uses either; Ultra Violet, water based, or alcohol based inks, or a combination of all three.

FLEXOGRAPHY

Relief printing process using a simple inking system and fluid inks.

FLOCK

A commercial fuzz or lint consisting of fine strands or filaments from textile fibres, animal hair, synthetic resins, etc. It is applied to an adhesive coated surface to produce a decorative effect with a felt-like feel and appearance.

FLOOD COAT

The method of coating of an entire surface with an ink, adhesive, coating, etc.

FLOW OUT

The capacity of an ink or adhesive to spread, filling in the hills and valleys on the surface of the printed or non-printed substrate.

FLUORESCENT PAPER - Also known as RADIANTs or FLUROs

A paper that is coated with a fluorescent pigment which not only reflects a visible wave length, but is activated by most of the remaining absorbed light to re-emit it as colour of a longer wave length which results in reinforcement of the reflected colour. Refer LM.

FLORESCENT PIGMENTS

By absorbing unwanted wave lengths of light and converting them into light of desired wave lengths, these colours seem to possess an actual glow of their own. Refer LM.

FLUOROCARBON FILMS

A film with very high and low temperature limits, excellent electrical characteristics, and a very slippery, non-sticking surface.

FLYING SPLICE

A splice or joining of two (2) webs accomplished while the web is in motion.

FOAMING - FROTHING

A property of a liquid related to a surface tension.

FOB

Free on Board. Shipping term used to indicate that a price quoted includes loading on a railroad car, truck, aircraft or ship at a designated point, but no further transportation costs are included. Also, does not usually include insurance.

FOCAL DISTANCE - See ULTRA VIOLET INKS.

Ultra violet light energy, like visible light, can be collected and focused by an elliptical reflector. The focal distance is the distance from the lamp centre to the substrate, whereas maximum energy is concentrated at that distance which gives the narrowest band of focused light. When focused correctly, UV inks will be cured in 1/40th of a second at approximately 30 meters per minute with a 200 watt per inch medium pressure mercury vapour lamp. Speed of cure can be either chemically enhanced or by adding more lamps, or lamps of higher intensity, ie. 300 watts per inch. Refer IM

FOIL

A polyester film that carries a ‘dry’ pigment that is transferred to paper by heat and pressure. Commonly used in hot stamping processes, gold and silver foils were actually finely beaten and drawn gold or silver strips for stamping onto leather.

FOIL PAPER LAMINATE

A foil (usually coloured aluminium), laminated to a sheet of paper used as a face stock. The foil is usually top coated (tie coated), to improve ink receptivity. A very thin metal sheet that can be used as face stock material in label production.

FOIL STAMPING

The application of heat and pressure to a stamping foil to activate the foil and transfer it to the substrate.

FONT

In typesetting (composition), the complete assortment of type of one size and face, including numerals, capitals, lower-case, diphthongs, edit marks and punctuation.

FORMAT

The size, style, layout, margins, etc., of a label. To format a computer floppy disk - prepares a disk to receive computer generated information.

FOUNTAIN

A pan or trough on a flexographic press which contains the ink and in which the fountain roller revolves.

FOUR COLOUR PROCESS

Printing with three of the primary colours plus black. Yellow, magenta and cyan colour inks are printed with black, using screens to create all the other colours of the spectrum.

FREEZER ADHESIVE

Adhesives that will function at temperatures below the freezing point. They are usually removable (repositional) at room (ambient) temperatures. Refer LM Specification Sheets.

FTA - and AFTA

American and International Flexographic Technical Association.

Australian Flexographic Technical Association.

FUGITIVE COLOURS

Those colours which are not fast to light.

FUGITIVE INKS

Inks specially manufactured to be used as a substitute for carbon paper between paper layers.

FUSE

To join two surfaces by heating them to their melting or softening point.