Glossary A-M

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	ABRASION RESISTANCE: This is a measure of the degree that a surface is able to resist degradation from rubbing upon it.
	ACCELERATED AGING: Test procedures subjecting materials to environmental conditions in order to predict aging.
	ACETATE: A plastic synthesized from cellulose dissolved in acetic acid which exhibits rigidity, dimensional stability, and ink receptivity. Transparent or matte finish available.
	ACRYLIC ADHESIVE: Adhesive based on high-strength, acrylic polymers. Can be either a solvent or emulsion system.
	ACRYLIC EMULSION: A water-based latex made with acrylic polymers, used in coatings and adhesives.
	ACRYLIC: A family of thermoplastic resins based on acrylic acid and its derivatives. A basis for many adhesives used with pressure sensitive labels.
	ADC: Abbreviation for "Automatic Data Capture" Go to Main Warehousing Page
	ADHESION: A measurement of the force required to remove a label from a surface.
	ADHESIVE BLEED: See ooze.
	ADHESIVE RESIDUE: This is a term for the adhesive remaining behind on a substrate when a label is removed.
	ADHESIVE SPLITTING: Condition when part of an adhesive layer remains on the face stock and part on the substrate when a label is put under stress or removed.
	ADHESIVE, COLD TEMPERATURE: This is an adhesive that will adhere a label to a substrate when applied at temperatures near freezing.
	ADHESIVE, FREEZER GRADE: See Freezer Adhesives.
	ADHESIVE, HIGH TEMPERATURE: An adhesive that will adhere at a sustained elevated temperature (+200 F or higher).
	ADHESIVE, PATTERN: See Pattern Coated.
	ADHESIVE, PERMANENT: See Permanent Adhesive.
	ADHESIVE, PRESSURE SENSITIVE: An adhesive that, in a dry form, is aggressively tacky at room temperature. It has the capability of promoting a bond to dissimilar surfaces on contact, with pressure.
	ADHESIVE, REMOVABLE: See Removeable Adhesive
	ADHESIVE: A substance capable of holding materials together by surface attachment.
	AIAG (The Automotive Industry Action Group): Automotive Industry Action Group is responsible for automotive industry standards pertaining to bar code symbology and common label formats. This industry coordinates automatic identification activities for the automobile industry. It is a not-for-profit trade association of North American vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. The members meet under the auspices of AIAG to develop new technologies and standards that govern their usage. Address: 17117 West Nine Mile Road, Suite 830, Southfield, MI 48075 http://www.aiag.org/
	AIM (Automatic Identification Manufacturers): This is the global trade association for the Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) industry. The AIDC industry represents manufacturers, consultants, system integrators, and users involved in technologies that include bar code, radio frequency identification, and their associated industries. AIM is the global source for technically accurate, unbiased, commercial-free and up-to-date information on all AIDC. Address: 1326 Freeport Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238 Phone: 412-963-8588 Fax: 412-963-8753 http://www.aimglobal.org/
	ALIGNMENT: This is the relative position and orientation of a scanner to the symbol.
	ALPHANUMERIC: The character set that contains letters, numbers and usually other characters such as special symbols.
	AMBIENT TEMPERATURE: A measure of the temperature of the surrounding air.
	ANSI: The American National Standards Institute (formerly United States of America Standards Institute (USASI) is a non-governmental organization responsible for the development of voluntary manufacturing standards. Address: 1430 Broadway, New York NY; phone: 212-642-4900. http://www.ansi.org
	ANVIL: A hardened steel roll upon which the bearers of a rotary die cutter ride providing the hardened surface to support the die cutting.
	APPLICATION TEMPERATURE: The temperature at the time that a substrate or label material is applied.
	APPLICATOR: A device that automatically feeds and applies pressure sensitive labels to a product.
	ASCII: The character set and code described in American National Standard Code for Information Interchange, ANSI X3.4-1977. Each ASCII character is encoded with 7-bits (8-bits including parity check). The ASCII character set is used for information interchange between data processing systems, communication systems and associated equipment. The ASCII set consists of both control and printing characters.
	ASP: Abbreviation for "Application Service Provider" Go to Main Warehousing Page
	ASPECT RATIO: This is the ratio of bar height to symbol length.
	AUTODISCRIMINATION: See Autodistinguish.
	AUTODISTINGUISH: The ability of a scanner to recognize a selectable number of different symbologies and process the data without operator intervention; this is a prerequisite feature of linear bar code scanners employed in open systems.
	AUTOMATIC DATA COLLECTION (ADC): Term used to describe direct entry of data into a computer system, programmable logic controller (PLC) or other microprocessor controlled device without using a keyboard. ADC provides a quick, accurate, and cost-effective way to collect and enter data. Various methods of ADC include OMR (Optical Mark), OCR (Optical Character Recognition), MICR (Magnetic Ink Characters), magnetic stripe, voice and bar codes.
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	BACKCOATING: Commonly referred to as the thermal transfer ribbon coating, which comes in contact with the print head. The back coating provides heat protection and lubrication while aiding with static resistance designed to prolong print head life.
	BACKING: Refers to the carrier sheet (liner) of material in a pressure sensitive lamination as opposed to the face material. Typically having a release coating applied enabling the adhesive to be removed easily.
	BAGGINESS: A slack area within a roll of material caused by thickness variation.
	BAR CODE CHARACTER: A single group of bars and spaces which represent an individual number, letter, punctuation mark or other special character.
	BAR CODE DENSITY: The number of data characters that can be represented in a linear unit of measure. Bar code density is often expressed in characters per inch. The density is normally specified only for the data characters. Start/stop characters, clear area, and check characters are not included.
	BAR CODE READER: A device used to identify and read bar code symbols.
	BAR CODE: An array of rectangular bars and spaces which are arranged in a predetermined pattern following unambiguous rules in a specific way to represent elements of data which are referred to as characters which represent letters, numerals, and other human-readable symbols. Coding variables include the number of dark bars, the relative positions of dark bars within a code structure, the variable widths of the dark bars, the variable widths of the light bars, and their relative positions. See Bar Codes
	BAR LENGTH: This is the bar dimension perpendicular to the bar width, also called height.
	BAR WIDTH: The thickness of a bar measured from the edge closest to the symbol start character to the trailing edge of the same bar.
	BAR: This is the dark, most non-reflecting element of a printed bar code symbol.
	BASIS WEIGHT: The weight in pounds of a ream of paper cut to a given size.
	BEARER: Supports mounted or molded around each end of plate cylinders to help carry part of the impression load and to help prevent bounce. Also the load bearing surface(s) of a rotary die, positioned at each end of the die.
	BEARING BLOCK: A device that holds the die in place in the die station.
	BI-DIRECTIONAL BAR CODE: A type of bar code that can be read from either left to right or right to left.
	BLEED: The printed area that extends beyond the trimmed edge of the design.
	BLEEDTHROUGH: Migration of materials from an adhesive or substrate into a face material, resulting in a mottled appearance of the face stock and possible detrimental effects to the adhesive.
	BLOCKING: Condition where roll labels stick to the backside of the liner above them. This is typically caused by adhesive cold flow, incomplete die cutting of the adhesive, improper drying of inks or improper drying of coatings.
	BURSTING STRENGTH: The pressure required to rupture a material specimen when tested in a specified instrument under specified conditions. It is largely determined by the tensile strength and extensibility of the material.
	BUTT CUT LABELS: Rectangular labels in continuous form separated by a single knife cut to the liner across the web.
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	CALENDER FINISHED: A term applied to any paper with a surface glazed by means of a calendar stack.
	CALIPER: Thickness, usually measured in mils or thousandths of an inch. A mil is sometimes called a "point." A 10-mil tag might also be called a 10-point tag.
	CAST FILM: Plastic sheeting manufactured by the casting process, as opposed to the extruding process.
	CAST-COATED PAPER: This is a paper, the coating of which is allowed to harden or set while in contact with a finished casting surface.
	CAVITY: One of a series of shapes within the engraving on a die.
	CENTRAL IMPRESSION: A press with a number of printing units around a large cylinder that serves as the impression cylinder against which the substrate rides.
	CHARACTER LENGTH: Each character is "built" by a combination of elements. The length of a character is the total length of all the element widths, plus the inter character gap, if applicable.
	CHARACTER SET: The character set consists of all the characters that the symbology can encode. Some symbologies, such as Code 128, also include character subsets, where a few characters are used as subset flag characters, and the remaining characters can then be interpreted in a variety of ways, depending upon the subset currently indicated by the flag characters.
	CHARACTER: 1. A single group of bars and spaces which represent an individual number, letter, punctuation mark or other symbol. 2. A graphic shape representing a letter, numeral or symbol. 3. A letter, digit, or other symbol that is used as part of the organization, control or representation of data.
	CHARACTERS PER INCH (CPI): This measurement describes the number of characters that can be encoded in an inch, which can vary depending upon the one-unit element width.
	CHECK CHARACTER: The check character, if used, is the way the symbol ensures that its data has been correctly encoded and read. Since many codes are self-checking, the check character is not required by many symbologies, although it is an option in most of them.
	CHECK DIGIT: A character, usually but not always a number, included within a symbol whose value is based mathematically on other characters included in the symbol. It is used to ensure the accuracy of the read. See Mod numbering
	CHILL ROLL: Metal roll or drum cooled internally with water, etc. Often used after the press dryer to cool the printed web prior to die cutting, rewinding, etc.
	CLAY COATED: A term used to describe a paper with a clay coating on either one or both sides.
	CLEAR AREA: A required clear space, containing no data marks, which precedes the start character of a symbol and follows the stop character. Also known as the "quiet area" or "quiet zone".
	COATED PAPER: General term applying to papers that have been surface coated with pigments.
	COATING WEIGHT: The amount of weight of coating per unit area. This is expressed in various units including grams per square meter or pounds per ream.
	COATING: In printing, an emulsion, varnish or lacquer applied in-line or off-line, often over a printed surface to give it added protection.
	CODE READER: This is a device that examines a printed spatial pattern and decodes the encoded data.
	COHESION: The internal strength of an adhesive, its resistance to flow, and the resistance to failure or splitting when labels are removed or under stress.
	COLD FLOW (Ooze): The flow of adhesive under pressure or stress.
	CONDITIONING: Process of subjecting material to specific temperature and humidity conditions for stipulated time.
	CONFORMABILITY: This is the ability of a material to yield to the contours of a curved or rough surface.
	CONTINUOUS BAR CODE: This is a bar code symbology in which all spaces within the symbol are parts of characters. There is no inter-character gap in a continuous code. Each character begins with a bar and ends with a space. The end of one character is indicated by the start of the next. Example: Interleaved 2 of 5.
	CONTRAST: This is the difference in reflectance between the black and white (or bar and space) areas of a symbol.
	CORNER RADIUS: The arc or curvature of the die blades where they meet so that they can impart a rounded corner within a die.
	CORONA TREATMENT: Altering the surface characteristics by exposing the surface to a high voltage discharge (corona) resulting in an increase in surface energy (dyne level).
	COUPON: Removable label either supplying information or having redeemable value. They may be either pressure sensitive or non-pressure sensitive.
	CPFR: Abbreviation for "Collaborative Planning, Forcasting and Replenishment" Go to Main Warehousing Page
	CRM: Abbreviation for "Customer Relationship Management" Go to Main Warehousing Page
	CROP MARKS: Marks made on the outer edges of artwork to designate the area to be printed.
	CROSS DIRECTION: The direction across the web. Papers are weaker and are affected more by changes in relative humidity in the cross direction than the grain direction.
	CRUSH CUT: A cut made by a rotary blade in contact with an anvil or base roll.
	CSA: This is an abbreviation for the Canadian Standards Association, a Canadian association similar to Underwriters Lab in the US.
	CURL: The tendency of material by itself or in a laminate to bend or partly wrap around the axis of its directions. Curl is often caused by humidity or improper tension.
	CUT RULE: Steel rule blades designed to cut material being produced on flatbed die cutting equipment.
	CYLINDER: In flexography, most rollers in the printing press are called rolls with the exception of ones on which the rubber plates are mounted, and the one which receives the impression. These are usually referred to as cylinders, i.e., plate cylinder, impression cylinder.
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	DATA IDENTIFIER: Message prefixes or suffixes, conforming to standards that are incorporated in a bar code that define the general category or intended use of the data that follows.
	DATA INTEGRITY (2D Symbols): Is provided in conventional, linear, bar codes, by encoding schemes that include unique start and stop codes, self-checking parity within each character, and check digits that apply to the total message. In these symbols, the height of the bars may be expanded to provide for redundant scan paths and allowance for diagonal scanning. Symbols damaged in a small area may retain their integrity because of this redundancy. Among the prominent 2-D symbologies, the data characters are composed of square or near-square elements that do not provide for redundant or diagonal scan paths. This fundamental difference provides for the enormous gain in data density but dictates that error detection and an error correction system have been instituted in addition to the character and message orientation and parity checking schemes.
	DECODABILITY: The measure of how clearly distinguishable the different element sizes are in a symbol. The degree that a code can be decoded is dependent upon the symbology utilized. The decoding method for each symbology is referred to as the reference decode algorithm. In the ANSI "Guideline for bar code print quality" the ability to decode refers to the portion of the safety margin that is left when examining the element that has the largest deviation from its intended value.
	DECODER: This is the electronic unit that receives the signals from the scanning function, performs the algorithm to interpret the signals into meaningful data and provides the interface to other devices.
	DELAMINATION: The separation of a material into layers in a direction approximately parallel to the surface. This is the partial or complete separation of the layers of a laminate.
	DEPTH OF FIELD: This is the distance between the maximum and minimum plane in which a code reader is capable of reading symbols.
	DESTATICIZATION: Treating plastic materials to minimize their accumulation of static electricity.
	DIE ADAPTER: A device used to modify a die station of one type of press so that it will accommodate dies originally designed to be used on a different type press.
	DIE BLADES: Sharpened, thin steel blades used in flat or rotary dies.
	DIE LIFE: The useful footage expected from a new die and/or a re-sharpened die.
	DIE LINES: A hand drawn or computer generated layout of the die cut shape or shapes on a clear or matte finish acetate or Mylar.
	DIE STAIN: Used to check die cutting accuracy. Usually done with diluted ink applied to the die cut surface of the backing or liner material. The ink wicks into any fractures of the silicone coated surface, thereby exhibiting the problem areas.
	DIE: Any of various tools or devices used for imparting or cutting a desired shape, form or finish to or from a material. A device in converting machinery used for cutting only the face material of a pressure sensitive laminate or for punching out shapes from the entire laminate or any other material.
	DIE-CUTTING: The process of using dies or sharp steel rules to cut shapes in materials.
	DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: This is the property of a material that relates to the degree of its growth or shrinkage from temperature or tension.
	DISCRETE CODE: This is a bar code symbology in which the spaces between the characters (inter character gap) are not part of the code. Example: Code 39.
	DOT SIZE: 1. (Ink Jet, Dot Matrix, and Thermal) - The size of the printed dot laid down on a substrate in a matrix or line to form characters. 2. (Scanner) - The diameter of the beam of light used to scan a bar code symbol; ideally the beam width should be 20% smaller than the width of the narrow bar.
	DRIVING SIDE: That side of a web press on which the main gear trains are located. Also known as gear side; opposite of the operator side.
	DWELL (Residence Time): The time during which a material remains in a certain state. This may be the amount of time under a UV lamp in a printing press, the time a piece of paper is processed under a fuser roller in a laser printer, or the amount of time a thermal print head pin is in contact with a piece of paper. 2) The time during which a hot-stamp, embossing, head, or thermal die remains in contact with the surface of a material.
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	EAI: Abbreviation for "Enterprise Application Integration" Go to Main Warehousing Page
	EAN: European Article Numbering System, the international standard bar code for retail food packages. EAN-13 is a superset of UPC, containing the same number of bars as UPC Version A, but encoding an additional digit, which, along with the 12th digit, identifies a country code. Telephone 32-20218-7674.
	EDGE LIFT: The tendency of the edge of a label to rise off the surface of the substrate. This condition occurs most frequently on small diameter curved surfaces. Resistance to edge lift is dependent on the bond strength of the adhesive and the flexibility of the face stock (Butter flying, Wing Up).
	EDGE ROUGHNESS: Irregularities in the printing of bar code elements, resulting in a non-uniform edge, and resulting in edge errors.
	EDI: This is an abbreviation for Electronic Data Interchange. It refers to a method by which data is electronically transmitted from one point to another. Go to Main Warehousing Page
	EDP: An uncoated smudge proof face stock named after electronic data processing
	EIA: This is an abbreviation for the "Electronic Industries Association". This is the U.S. electronics manufacturing industry's trade association. Since it's beginning in 1924 as the Radio Manufacturers Association, EIA has consistently played a vital role in enhancing the competitiveness of U.S. electronics manufacturers. Representing the entire spectrum of U.S. electronics manufacturing, EIA's members range from companies that produce the smallest electronic components to global corporations designing and manufacturing complex systems. http://www.eia.org
	ELEMENT WIDTHS: An element is either a single bar or a single space. The width of each element helps to define the character. Widths are always relative to each other. The smallest width of a given symbology is said to be one unit (or narrow, in the case of wide/narrow widths). This term should not be confused with symbol length.
	ELEMENT: This is a single bar or space in a bar code symbol.
	ELONGATION: The distance a material will stretch lengthwise before breaking, expresses as a percentage of original length. Elongation is not necessarily an indication of conformability.
	EMBOSSED: Condition in which the image is raised above the surface.
	EMULSION ADHESIVE (Aqueous, Water Based): A dispersion of fine particles or globules in another liquid. Many preasure sensitive adhesives are emulsion systems.
	ENGRAVING: A term normally applied to any pattern that has been cut into or incised into a surface by hand, mechanical or etching process.
	ERP: Abbreviation for "Enterprise Resource Planning System" Go to Main Warehousing Page
	EYEMARK: A small rectangular printing area usually located near the edge of a web or design, to activate an automatic electronic position regulator for controlling register or the printed design with subsequent equipment or operations.
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	FACE MATERIAL/FACE STOCK: Any paper, film, fabric, laminate or foil material suitable for converting into pressure sensitive label stock. In the finished construction, this web is bonded to the adhesive layer and becomes the functional part of the construction.
	FACE SLIT: A slit in the face material of a pressure sensitive product to facilitate removal from the backing.
	FACE-CUT LABEL: Any pressure sensitive label where the face material is cut to the liner.
	FACT: Federation of Automated Coding Technology - A bureau of AIM consisting of organizations that use and promote automatic identification among their members.
	FAN FOLD: See continuous labels.
	FEATHERING: A printing defect characterized by uneven and/or ragged print edges.
	FEED SLOTS: Round or rectangular holes or slits put in pressure sensitive label stock to maintain the register of pressure sensitive labels while they are being printed or imprinted.
	FILM: Acetate, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl, and other polymeric materials used as face stocks.
	FINISH: The surface property of a paper or film determined by its texture and gloss. A gloss finish can be shiny and highly reflective, while a matte finish is generally dull and reflects little light.
	FIRST READ RATE: When scanning a bar code, the ratio of the number of successful reads to the number of attempts, expressed as a percentage of 100.
	FISH EYES: These are the round or oval deformations in an adhesive, coating or ink.
	FIXED BEAM BAR CODE READER: This is a scanning device in which the scanning motion is achieved by moving the object relative to the reader (as opposed to Moving Beam Reader).
	FLAT FILE: A file structure such as a list or table, that is composed of a one or two-dimensional array of data items.
	FLEXIBILITY: The property of a material that indicates how readily it conforms to curved surfaces.
	FLEXIBLE DIE: See magnetic die.
	FLEXING: Condition that can occur when the die circumference is less than the width of the cross-blades resulting in the center of the die to fail to cut properly and consistently.
	FLEXOGRAPHIC PRINTING: Method of rotary printing that employs flexible plates, rotary die cutting, rapid-drying inks, in-line laminating and other converting operations.
	FLOOD COAT: The coating of an entire surface with ink, adhesive, coating, etc.
	FLUORESCENT PAPER: A paper that is coated with fluorescent pigment, which not only reflects a visible wavelength, but also is activated, by most of the remaining absorbed light to re-emit it as color of a longer wavelength which results in reinforcement of the reflected color.
	FOIL PAPER LAMINATE: A foil laminate to a sheet of paper used as a face stock. The foil is usually top coated to improve ink receptivity.
	FOIL: A very thin metal sheet that can be used as a face stock material in label production.
	FOOD CONTACT ADHESIVES: Adhesives meeting specified sections of the Food & Drug Administration Code of Federal Regulations. These regulations cover direct food labeling as well as incidental contact. Special product recommendations are necessary for specific applications.
	FOUR-COLOR PROCESS: Printing with yellow, magenta and cyan inks plus black, using screens to create full color images.
	FREEZER ADHESIVES: Adhesives that can be applied and will function at temperatures below the freezing point. They are usually removable at room temperature.
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	GEAR CHART: A handy reference compilation of the various printing lengths, or repeats obtainable within the different gearing systems.
	GEAR SIDE: See driving side.
	GLASSINE: Super calendared, smooth, dense, transparent or translucent paper manufactured primarily from chemical wood pulps, which have been beaten to secure a high degree of hydration of the stock. Sometimes used as a backing paper.
	GLOSS: Characteristics of the surface that causes it to reflect light at a given angle.
	GRAIN DIRECTION: The direction taken by the majority of the fibers in a sheet of paper. This is synonymous with machine direction; the opposite of cross direction.
	GRAM: Unit of weight in the metric system; the weight of one cubic centimeter of water at standard conditions. 28.35 grams equal one ounce.
	GRAVURE PRINTING: Intaglio printing process employing minute engraved "cells" which carry the ink to the printing surface. Rotogravure employs etched cylinders and web fed stock. Sheet fed gravure, as the name implies, involves individual sheet feeding.
	GUARD BARS: These are the bars that are at both ends and center of a UPC and EAN symbol. The provide reference points for scanning.
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	HANG TAG: A term used to describe fold-over labels generally used for product identification.
	HEAT RESISTANCE: Property of a material that inhibits the occurrence of physical or chemical changes caused by exposure to high temperatures.
	HEAT SEAL: Label paper that has a plastic coating that melts under heat to form the bonding agent.
	HEAVY COAT WEIGHT: A higher-than-standard weight of coating per unit area.
	HELIUM NEON LASER: A type of laser commonly used in bar code scanners. It emits coherent red light at a wavelength of 633 nm.
	HIBCC: This is an abbreviation for Health Industry Bar Code Council. The symbology and label format for use by the health care industry. Address: 5110 North 40th Street, Suite 120, Phoenix, AZ 85018.
	HORIZONTAL BAR CODE: This is a bar code symbol in which the lines are imaged in the same direction as the machine direction. Also known as a picket fence style.
	HOT MELT ADHESIVES: Thermoplastic materials with 100% solids that liquefy when heated and solidify on cooling to form a bond with the face sheet the adhesive was applied to and a pressure sensitive lamination which includes a release coated backing sheet.
	HOT STAMPING: A printing process in which the image is transferred to a label material by a combination of heat and pressure.
	HUMAN READABLE: The interpretation of bar code data, most often printed immediately below the bar code, which is readable by humans.
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	ICCBBA: This is an abbreviation for the "International Council for Commonality in Blood Banking Automation". This is a non-profit organization focused on implementing a new international bar code standard. When complete, the new standard will replace American Blood Commission (ABC) Codabar, used successfully for almost twenty years in labeling whole blood and blood components. Their mission is to support the development, updating, maintenance and promotion of international standards for labeling, data structures and associated code tables, and electronic data interchange protocols as well as provide a central focus for information transfer, code assignments and distribution, and technical expertise for the blood banking automation arena. http://www.iccbba.com/
	ID: This is an abbreviation for inside diameter. This is frequently referred to when describing the inside dimension of a core.
	IDLER ROLLS: Roller mechanisms on converting machines used to support, smooth or direct the web in its course of travel through a machine. Not driven.
	IMPACT PRINTING: This refers to any printing system where microprocessor-controlled hammers impact against a ribbon and a substrate.
	IMPRESSION CYLINDER: The cylinder on a printing press over which the material feeds to pick up the impression from the inked plate.
	IMPRESSION: The image transferred from the printing plate to the substrate or the adjustment required to affect the same.
	IMPRINTING: Technique that applies variable copy to blank or pre-printed labels with a secondary device.
	INFEED NIP: A mechanism designed to control the forward travel of the web into the press.
	INFRARED: The band of light wavelengths too long to be seen by the human eye. Represented by waves that are between 750 and 4 million nanometers.
	INK JET: A method of printing using liquid ink projected a drop at a time against a substrate.
	IN-LINE PRESS: A press coupled to another operation such as sheeting, die-cutting, creasing, etc. This also refers to a multi-color press in which the color stations are mounted horizontally in a line.
	IN-MOLD LABELS (IML): Special type of labels which are pre-applied to plastic bottles during the blow-molding operation.
	INTER CHARACTER GAP: This is the space between two adjacent bar code characters in a discrete code.
	INTERLEAVED BAR CODE: A bar code in which characters are paired using bars to represent the first character and spaces to represent the second.
	IPS: This is an abbreviation for "inches per second", a rate of speed measurement of printers.
	ISP: Abbreviation for "Independent Software Provider" Go to Main Warehousing Page
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	JOURNALS: The end shafts on which a roll rotates, usually within the needle bearing or busing of a die block.
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	KISS CUT: A die-cutting operation that cuts through the face sheet to a liner but not through the liner.
	KNIFE CUT LABELS: See butt cut labels.
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	LABEL STOCK: Pressure-sensitive laminate from which labels are produced, usually refers to roll stock.
	LABEL: The functional portion of a pressure-sensitive construction compromising the face material and adhesive, die cut into various shapes.
	LABELING MACHINE: Dispensing apparatus that, by means of driving or pulling the backing, delivers a pressure-sensitive label and applies it to a product.
	LADDER CODE: See Vertical Bar Code.
	LAMINATE: A web material formed by bonding two or more materials together as in pressure-sensitive construction. This also refers to the applying of one layer of material over another.
	LAMINATION: A plastic film bonded by heat, adhesive, and/or pressure to a printed web for protection or appearance. Two or more materials bonded together functioning as one.
	LASER PAPER: Paper suitable to accept laser printing.
	LASER SCANNER: An optical bar code reading device that uses a low energy laser light beam to illuminate the code.
	LATEX PAPER: Paper manufactured by two major processes; one of which is where latex is incorporated with the fibers in the beater prior to formation of the sheet, and the second of which is where a preformed web of absorbent fiber is saturated with properly compounded latex. The papers are characterized by strength, folding endurance, resistance to penetration by water, flexibility, and durability and resistance to abrasion.
	LATEX: An emulsion of rubber or resin particles dispersed in an aqueous medium.
	LAY FLAT: This refers to a label material with good non-curling and non-distortion characteristics making it suitable for laser printing.
	LEADER: The first few feet of ribbon before ink coverage begins; used to thread thermal transfer ribbons in printers.
	LED (LIGHT EMITTING DIODE): This is a semiconductor that produces light at a frequency determined by its chemical composition. The light source commonly used in wand-type readers.
	LEGGING: The stringing out of a pressure sensitive adhesive. This can occur when the label is being removed from a substrate or release liner or when the matrix is being removed during die cutting and stripping.
	LETTERPRESS PRINTING: Printing process in which ink is applied to a surface from raised portions of rigid printing plates or type.
	LEXAN: General Electric Company's trademark for polycarbonate film.
	LICENSE PLATE CODE: This refers to a bar code in which the encoded information refers to a record in a database. The information in the database record is then used to process the transaction.
	LIFT TAB: An un-gummed edge of a label designed to make removal from the release liner easier. Sometimes used with order picking labels.
	LIGHT PEN: This is a hand-held pen-like contact reader that a user must sweep across the bar code symbol in order to read the code.
	LINER : The component of the pressure sensitive label stock which functions as a carrier for the pressure sensitive label. Prior to application, it protects the adhesive and readily separates from the label immediately before the label is applied to the substrate.
	LITHOGRAPHIC PAPER: A paper coated on at least one side, suitably prepared for lithographic printing.
	LOGMARS: This is an abbreviation for "Logistics Applications of Automated Marking and Reading Symbols". This is a U.S. Department of Defense program to place a Code 39 symbol on all federal items. For specifications, see Mil-Std 1189. Phone: 717-894-7146; Fax: 717-894-7894.
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	MACHINE DIRECTION: The direction of any material parallel to its forward movement on the press. This is also known as the "web direction".
	MACHINE READABLE: This is a term for printed material that can be directly transferred to a data processing system.
	MAGNETIC CYLINDER: A cylinder used in die cutting that is magnetized to accept and hold in place flexible steel dies. Also used for metal-backed printing plates.
	MAGNETIC DIE: A thin, flexible, steel cutting plate that is held on to a base cylinder magnetically. Quite common in EDP label production where identical repeats are frequently used.
	MAKEREADY: On printing presses, all operation prior to running; such as mounting plates, adjusting the in-feed, edge guide, putting ink on the fountain, adjusting the impression, setting up the die cutting, color machine, etc. All prep operations preceding production.
	MANDREL: A shaft upon which cylinders, or other devices, are mounted or affixed. Also unwind or rewind shaft on to which rolls of materials (or labels) are mounted.
	MANUFACTURER'S ID: In the U.P.C. code, the 5 digit number applied by the UCC to uniquely identify a manufacturer or company selling products under its own name; 2 through 6 digits of the 12-digit U.P.C. number.
	MASTER ROLL: A full width roll that has finished the primary manufacturing process and is usually untrimmed.
	MATERIAL SPLICE: This is the area where tape has been used to attach the ends of two rolls of material together to form one continuous web.
	MATRIX SYMBOL SCANNERS: Matrix symbol scanners are designed to evaluate data from a two dimensional area, locating each printed element in both x and y coordinates simultaneously. Because of this, CCD camera technology is currently employed in some of the available scanners.
	MATRIX SYMBOLS: Matrix symbols appear as a checkerboard; they are most likely square in shape, and contain some form of unique "focus finder pattern" which distinguishes them from others and provides a decoding reference for scanners.
	MATRIX: The face material and adhesive surrounding a self-adhesive label, usually removed after die cutting.
	MATTE FINISH: This refers to a material with a low-gloss or no-gloss finish. A UV-curable clear coat may also be used to produce a matte or textured finish.
	MEMORY: The property of a material that causes it to attempt to return to its original dimensions after being distorted.
	METAL FOIL: Thin, flexible layer of metal, such as aluminum, sued as face materials. Thinner gauges are often laminated to paper for strength.
	METALIZED FILM: A plastic or resinous film that has been coated on one side with a very thin layer of metal.
	METALIZED PAPER: A label substrate consisting of a lacquered CIS paper on which a very thin film of aluminum has been deposited.
	METALIZING: This is a process in which a thin coating of metal is applied to a non-metallic surface. May be done by chemical deposition or by exposing the surface to vaporized metal in a vacuum chamber.
	MHI: The Material Handling Institute, Inc.
	MICROMETER: This is a mechanical device for measuring thickness (usually in thousands of an inch).
	MICRON: This is a unit of measure equal to one millionth of a meter or about .00004".
	MIGRATION: The movement of one or more components of the P.S. adhesive into either a substrate or face material.
	MIL: One thousandth of an inch, the unit of measure often used to quantify bar code printing and scanning dimensions.
	MISREAD: This is a condition that occurs when the data output of a reader does not agree with the data encoded in the bar code symbol.
	MODULE: This is the narrowest nominal width unit of measure in a bar code. Wider bars and spaces are often specified as multiples of one module.
	MODULUS CHECK DIGIT OR CHARACTER: A character within the symbol data field calculated using modular arithmetic, which is used for error detection. The calculated character is determined by applying a code algorithm to the data field contents.
	MOISTURE CONTENT: The moisture present in a material as determined by specified methods.
	MOISTURE VAPOR TRANSMISSION: A measure of the rate of water vapor transmission through a P.S. label.
	MOLD RELEASE AGENTS: Materials used in the manufacture of molded objects to facilitate their removal from the mold. Mold release agents can, in some instances, cause serious adhesion problems.
	MOTTLE: Non-uniform coloring or coating of a face material or of the printing on the label.
	MOVING BEAM BAR CODE READER: A device which searches for a bar code pattern by sweeping a moving optical beam through a field of view.
	MOVING BEAM BAR CODE READER: This is a scanning device in which the scanning motion is achieved by mechanically moving the optical element.
	MRD: This is an abbreviation for "Minimum Reflectance Differential". A method that is used to determine if there is an adequate difference between absorbed and reflected light.
	MSDS: This is an abbreviation for "Material Safety Data Sheets".
	MSI: This is an abbreviation for "thousand square inches".
	MYLAR: Dupont's trademark for clear, tough polymeric polyester film.


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