|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|

B

Bitmap

An image file format that uses a finite amount of tiny colored squares (pixels) that blend together to form an image. Photographs are examples of bitmap images. Bitmap files are indicated by .bmp, jpg, .gif, .png, or .tif file extensions. A bitmap image can only be enlarged so much before it starts to become pixelated—meaning you can start to see each individual pixel—which makes the image distorted and fuzzy.  (See also: vector)

Bleed

An extension to the dimensions of a printed piece added in the design phase, which allows for full coverage of ink to the edge of the paper once printed and trimmed. The bleed amount on each side is usually an extension of .125" beyond the intended finished size of the piece.

Browser

The software application that you use to "connect" to the internet—i.e. view and interact with the World Wide Web. The most popular browser in use today for Windows systems is Internet Explorer. On a Macintosh, the default browser is Safari. Other modern browsers such as Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome are available for free download.

C

CMYK

A color model used for print design. The letters represent Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black), the four inks used for printing. Every other process color is a combination of these four. CMYK is considered a subtractive color model because the ink "subtracts" brightness from the white of the paper. (See also: RGB)

CSS

Short for "Cascading Style Sheets", CSS is a web language used to create the presentation (formatting, or styling) of web pages. It is used in conjunction with a markup language, like HTML.

D

DPI

Stands for "dots per inch" and refers to the number of dots of ink that are printed in a one inch space. Each square pixel that makes up a bitmap image is depicted by multiple dots of ink during printing. The more dots per inch, the clearer the image can be. Images should be printed at a minimum 150 dpi (or approximately 300 ppi image resolution) for accurate color and maximum clarity. (See also PPI)

F

Flash

Adobe Flash is a software program that is mostly used for creating animation and adding interactivity to web pages. (The term however, is often used to describe not the software, but rather the animation that is created by it—e.g. "I'd like some Flash on the homepage").

P

PPI

Stands for "pixels per inch" and refers to the number of pixels that are in a one inch space of the image. (The ppi is also what refers to the resolution of an image, though this is often confused with dpi.) The more pixels per inch, the larger the image can be. For print design, images should be a minimum of 300 ppi at the final size it will be used. For images on the web, 72 ppi is sufficient. (See also DPI)

R

RGB

A color model used for web design (and other electronic systems, such as televisions). The letters represent Red, Green, and Blue, the three wavelengths of light used to create every other color. RGB is considered an additive color model because the wavelengths of these three primaries add together to form white. (See also: CMYK)

S

Sans-serif

Describes a font that does not have "serifs", or the small horizontal protrusions that ornament letters at the ends of their strokes. "Sans" is the French word for "without".

SEO

Search Engine Optimization, the process for improving the ranking factors of your website for higher visibility in search engine results. SEO can involve organic (free) methods (such as optimizing the meta tags on your website), as well as more costly investments (paying for advertisements and link building).

Serif

Describes a font that has small horizontal protrusions that ornament letters at the ends of their strokes.

Spider

A term for a software program that "crawls" your website in order to determine links, keywords, and relevance for ranking in search engines. Spiders are used by search engines like Google in order to index and process your webpages.

T

Template

A web template is a shell that surrounds the different pages of your website. This allows each page to be consistent in look, while allowing the content of each page to be unique. A change can be made to a template that will be reflected across all pages of your website, without having to edit each page individually.

Typeface

A font family, including all variants such as roman, italic, bold, condensed, etc. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with "font", but this is incorrect usage. A font is the actual variant, or a member, of a typeface (e.g. Adobe Garamond is the typeface; Adobe Garamond Semibold Italic is a font within the typeface).

V

Vector

An image file format that uses mathematical equations to create images. Vector files may have file extensions of .ai, .esp, or .svg. Vector images, unlike bitmaps, can be scaled indefinitely without distortion. (See also: bitmap)

W

WYSIWYG

Pronounced "Whiz-E-Wig", this is an acronym for "What You See Is What You Get." It describes the user-interface of a text editor that allows a user to easily see and manipulate the output without having to know any of the underlying code.