Print, display and design jargon buster
Bungee pole: A support pole in sections, usually made of aluminium tube, with elastic bungee joining them together so that the sections are easily and instantly fitted together in the right order. Many banner stands have these.
Digital printing: This is where we print straight from electronic artwork so there are no plates used as there would be in litho printing. Digital is ideal for runs up to around the 1,000 mark. Digital printing also refers to wide-format digital print such as that used on our displays. The process involves small drops or grains of ink or toner being applied by a computer “rip”.
E.P.S: Encapsulated Postscript File. This is a file format, which can be read across different programs on Mac or PC computers.
Embossing: This is the process of raising letters or designs on card or paper.
End-caps: Most often this refers to plastic or metal plates that fit onto each end of a banner stand. These are often held on by clips or magnets and can be removed.
Eyeleted banner: A banner, usually printed on heavy grade PVC or PVC mesh (wind-permeable), which has metal eyelets along the edges allowing it to be fitted with bungee, rope or cable ties.
Flood lighting: Spot lights on displays often give a narrow pool of light which looks poor, especially on photographs. Flood lights give a better, more powerful spread of illumination.
Gantry: Lattice beams and stanchions (uprights), usually welded together in aluminium, that form a carrier structure for lights, graphics etc. Modular straight and curved sections can be bolted together. See components here
Hybrid pole: A banner stand graphic-support pole that combines bungee sections with telescopic sections allowing height adjustment and easy setup and take-down.
Laminating: A thin, self-adhesive, usually clear, plastic film to give your print protection. It can be gloss, matt or crystal (bright but textured) finish and is also used on the front covers of literature.
Litho printing: Traditional printing with print plates.
Mag bars: Magnetic strips, usually about 600mm long, that fit to a pop-up display frame to hold graphics that have magnetic tape stuck to their vertical edges.
Mag tape: Self-adhesive magnetic tape which is used to secure graphics to a pop-up frame. Stuck to the reverse of a pop-up graphic drop down each vertical side.
Moulded plastic hollow base: A blow-moulding that allow a display to be weighted with sand or water for outdoor use.
Pop-up display: Graphic panels magnetically mounted on a collapsible framework. The panels roll up for transport and storage and the frame packs with them into a wheeled drum. Typically about 2m tall x 2 – 3.5m wide, usually with curved.
Rip: Raster Image Processor. A computer programme that tells a digital printer what colours to print on any part of an image.
Ratchet tensioner: A way of winding up a spring, usually inside a roller banner, so that it will pull the graphic back into the casing.
Regraphics: The process of replacing existing display graphics/media with new graphics/media but keeping the same hardware
Roller banner stand: Rather like an upside-down window blind. The spring-tensioned graphic pulls up out of a tubular cassette and is held up by a pole which is usually made in sections connected by bungee.
Snap-frame: Spring-loaded poster frames that trap a print at the edges holding it neatly in place. Usually hinging aluminium extrusions mounted on a backplate slightly larger than the poster. Available in a range of sizes and finishes.
Spot lighting: More tightly focussed lamps giving a smaller, brighter pool of light
Substrate: A general term to describe the base material onto which images will be printed.
Telescopic poles: Support poles usually made of aluminium tubes that, as the name implies, slide in and out of each other and can be locked at the desired length.