ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - A page in the front matter of the book. Acknowledging those who in some way contributed to the creation of the book. 

AFTERWORD - The same as the Preface, but in the back matter of the book.

BACK MATTER - The section at the end of the book after the main body of the text.

BIBLIOGRAPHY - Cites other works used when writing the book.

BOOK BLOCK - The bound pages of a book. Usually referring to hardcover books before the cover is applied.

CASE - The cover of a hardcover book.

CMYK - Refers to the four inks mixed to create different color variations (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black).

COLOPHON - Technical information printed on the copyright page. Contains edition dates, publisher’s name and address, printer’s name and address, typefaces, publisher’s logo. Can also be placed on the last page of the book.

CONTENTS - One or more pages in the front matter of the book. It is a listing of chapters along with their respective page numbers. Should show the Foreword, Preface, Acknowledgments, Introduction, and Prologue (if included), along with the body of the text and back matter.

COVER BOARD - The cover board used in the production of hardcover books. The thickness of the cover board is ⅛” (or 100pt.).

DEDICATION - A page in the front matter of the book. The page which lists the name or names of the people the book is dedicated to.

.DOC - Microsoft Word file extension.

DPI - Dots per inch. Used to determine the resolution of an image.

DUST JACKET - A protective sheet which wraps around a hardcover book. The dust jacket is normally printed in full color with a one-side laminate coating for durability. Dust jackets are not fastened to the book and are easily removed.

ENDPAPERS / ENDSHEETS - These are the very first and last pages in a hardcover book. The endpapers are fastened to the inside front and back covers, concealing the turn-ins and reinforcing material. The free half of the endpaper is referred to as the flyleaf. While most books contain unprinted endpapers, children’s books and art books often include full color printed endpapers. In books such as family histories, the endpapers provide a large area to print maps, large images, or genealogical charts.

FOOTER - A section at the bottom of the page which can contain text (but not footnotes). Page numbers are usually found in the footer section of the page.

FOREWORD - A page in the front matter of the book. The Foreword is written by someone other than the author and will tell of the interactions between the writer of the Foreword and the author, or the story itself.

FRONT MATTER - The section at the beginning of the book before the main body of the text.

FRONTISPIECE - A decorative illustration or portrait of the author. Usually placed on the page facing the title page (the verso of the half title page).

FULL BLEED - The printing of images or background colors to the very edge of the page. 

GLOSSARY - Provides the definition of words used in the book. The glossary is found in the back matter of the book.

GUTTER - An area along the binding edge of a page. A recommended gutter area is usually 0.2”. The addition of a gutter helps prevent the page from looking as though it is shifted towards the binding edge in a bound book.

HALF TITLE - A page in the front matter of the book. The page preceding the title page. This page contains only the title of the book.

HEADER - A section separated from the body of the text found at the top of the page. Information usually found in the header is the title of the book (on the verso, or left hand pages), and the title of the chapter (on the recto, or right hand pages).

INDEX - A list of terms used in the book along with corresponding page numbers. Read more on our Index page.

INTRODUCTION - A page in the front matter of the book. States the overall purpose for the book.

ISBN NUMBER - An identification number containing publisher information. For more information, click here.

JPEG - Is the most common digital image format used mainly due to its smaller file size. The reduction in the file size is due to the type of compression which discards information, thus making the file smaller (lossy file format).

MARKING - A line of text showing in which country the book is printed. The marking information is usually found on the copyright page of the book. This information should be the same size as the largest text on the page.

MILLING - The act of roughing the pages on the binding edge of the book to allow for a more durable binding.

MULL - Is the material used to reinforce the binding in a hardcover book. The mull accounts for most of the strength in attaching the cover to the book block (bound pages). Also referred to as reinforcing material.

NOTCHING - Used in perfect binding to increase the surface area of a page for a more durable binding.

OVERLAY - An image fastened to a foil-stamped hardcover book. Usually placed within a foil-stamped border.

PAGE - One side of a printed sheet of paper. A 100-page book would contain 50 sheets of paper printed on both sides.

PAGE NUMBER - A number printed on a page which corresponds to the Table of Contents, and Index. The positioning of the page number is either in the header or footer area of the page.

PAGE SPREAD - Two pages containing an image which flows from one page to another.

PAPER GRAIN - Paper has a grain direction which dictates the flexibility of the pages in a book. Books bound with paper which is against the grain (or cross grain) are difficult to open.

PNG - A digital image format, which is designed for use online, but not in print. It does not support the CMYK color space (only RGB).

PPI - Pages per inch. This is a measurement which helps book designers determine cover spine measurements.

PREFACE - A page in the front matter of the book. Tells of how the book came to be, or how the idea of the book took shape.

PROLOGUE - Part of the front matter of the book. Establishes the story by providing background details.

PHYSICAL PROOF - An unbound page and cover proof which is trimmed to actual size. The proofs are printed on the same press as the finished books resulting in accurate color reproduction. These are also known as “press proofs”.

PPT - Microsoft PowerPoint file extension.

PSD - Adobe PhotoShop file extension.

RECTO / VERSO - Recto is the right-hand page in a bound book, while Verso is the left hand page.

RGB - Refers to the way in which red, green and blue light are combined to create various colors. RGB are display colors and may not always be reproduced in print.

SECTION BREAK - A section is a subdivision of a book, normally a chapter. The term often refers to a break in a digital file to allow for header information to be altered from one section to another. Also it is used to allow pagination to change from Roman Numerals to Arabic numbers.

SIDE SCORE - A crease pressed into the front cover of a perfect bound book (near the spine) to allow the cover to open on the crease.

TIFF - A digital image format, which is compressed, but does not discard information in the file. This results in a larger file (lossless file format).

TITLE PAGE - A page in the front matter of the book. Contains the title of the book as well as the author’s name but can also include a publisher’s logo and the country in which the book was printed.