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| Cache |
| A particularly fast memory architecture (RAM) and administration for rapid access to data on mass storage units (hard disks); data is temporarily stored in case of accidental loss and thus a cache is something like a “hidden memory” or a folder for temporary files. |
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| CAD |
| Acronym for 1) "computer aided design"; 2) "computer aided drafting". |
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| Calendering |
| Process of smoothing the surface of the paper between the rollers (or calendars). |
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| Calibration |
| The task of coordinating devices to ensure correct operation. At the prepress stage, input and output devices. Monitors, scanners, imagesetters, etc. are generally calibrated to test how colors are depicted. |
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| Calligraphy |
| From the Greek kalos (beautiful) and grafein (writing): the art of handwriting.
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| Cameron Book Production System |
| A system designed by Prosystem Inc. (Somerset, New Jersey) for complete book production in a single run from the paper reel to the bound book. The system (now no longer in production) uses letterpress printing. |
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| Capstan imagesetter |
| Imagesetters that operate using a capstan roller, which moves the film material for imaging. The film material is stored on a roll. A laser beam is used for imaging, and its movement is set in line with the film transport so that the imaging process takes place line by line. The use of roll material means that the length of the output film format is theoretically unlimited. This is an important feature of this type of imagesetter. |
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| Carbon paper |
| Paper with a coat of carbonic ink one side, allowing print or ink applied to the original to be transferred to the paper underneath. |
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| Cartography |
| The science of producing maps. The special problems of cartography include the correct determination of ground elevations (topography) and the most realistic possible rendering of the curved surface of the earth on plane map material. |
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| Cartridge |
| Storage unit for materials (ink ribbon cartridges) or for software (font cartridges for laser printers); a storage module that can be removed and transported. |
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| Cast-coated |
| Paper or board with a particularly high gloss. This is obtained not by calendering, but by rolling the moist or specially moistened printing material with a chrome-plated drying cylinder polished to high gloss. Cast-coated papers have a shiny mirrored surface. |
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| CCD elements |
| The three rows that typically comprise the CCD line of a scanner with different color filters (red, green and blue). There are three CCD elements for every pixel, each with a red, green and blue color filter in front. The optical resolution of the scanner is determined by the number of juxtaposed CCD elements in the sensor row, though the width of the original also plays an important role. |
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| CeBIT (Centrum für Büro und Informations-Technik) |
| The Center for Office and Information Technology, which hosts the largest trade fair for the information and telecommunications industry in the world every spring in Hannover.
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| Cellophane |
| Hygroscopic film once commonly used and since replaced by plastic films. |
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| Cellophane coating |
| Refers to film lamination of all kinds, not just those performed with cellophane-based films. |
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| Cellulose |
| In chemical terms, a chain molecule consisting of glucose elements (polysaccharides). As the most important constituent of paper, cellulose provides strength, either in the form of wood or plant fibers, or in the form of chemical pulp, which consists of pure cellulose fibers. Cellulose is used not only in paper production, but also as a base material for plastics and fibers. |
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| Cellulose wrapping paper |
| A stock consisting of at least 65 percent primary pulp (sulfite and groundwood pulp) and a maximum of 30 percent wastepaper. |
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| Character set |
| Refers to the range of letters, numbers and other characters that a font contains or that an input or output device can process.
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| Characteristic curve |
| See "printing characteristics". |
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| China grass |
| A fibrous material obtained from the subtropic nettle plant called ramie. Its high purity and strength make it ideal in the production of banknote paper.
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| Choking |
| See "trapping". |
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| Chromo board |
| Board coated on one side with approximately 18 grams per square meter, basic product is chromo imitation board. |
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| Chromo duplex board |
| Board coated on one side with approximately 12 grams per square meter; basic product is duplex board. |
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| Chromo imitation board |
| Folding box carton with a smooth coating on one side and with a light intermediate ply of wood pulp and a wood-free ply on one or both sides. |
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| Chromo paper |
| Includes woodpulp or woodfree stocks coated on one side. The coating is always waterproof and is designed for maximum embossing, varnishing, and bronzing performance in offset environments. Chromo paper is used mainly to make labels, wrappings, and cover paper. |
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| Chromolux board |
| A brand name for a high-gloss, cast-coated board that is white on one side.
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| CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) |
| An international organization that has developed and defined a number of generally used color definitions. The best known of these is the CIE Lab color space, which was defined in 1976. |
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| CIELab color space |
| The CEILab color space was defined by the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) in 1976 and represents a three-dimensional, rectangular coordinate system. The vertical coordinate L specifies the lightness of a color, the 2 horizontal coordinates a and b represent the hue and the saturation on red/green and blue/yellow axes respectively. The CIELab color space is also ideal for representing color differences, since geometric distances in the color space more or less approximate the intuitive color differences. |
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| CIP3 |
| International Cooperation for Integration in Prepress, Press and Postpress is a manufacturers' association established in 1995 to promote the non-proprietary digital integration of the printing process, from prepress to postpress. Its most important achievement has been the definition of the Print Production Format, a data format for recording all information relevant for the print process. In 1999, CIP3 was incorporated into CIP4, which deals with a broader range of subjects. |
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| CIP4 |
| Created in 2000 from the manufacturers' association CIP3 and with headquarters in Zurich, the International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress seeks to provide the basis for the computer-based integration of the entire process involved in the production of print products, from preliminary costing and quotations to delivery and billing. One of the first results has been the establishment of the Job Definition Format (JDF) as a common standard. This was achieved in conjunction with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Adobe Systems, MAN Roland, Agfa and the Fraunhofer Institut für grafische Datenverarbeitung (IGD). |
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| Clean proof |
| A proof page without any misprints.
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| Cleartype |
| A further development of the principles used to create font software TrueType and Adobe Type 1 with the goal of generating the clearest possible typeface on computer screens. This is primarily achieved by "anti-aliasing" to smoothed lines and edges that have a staircase-like appearance due to pixels. Developed by Microsoft, Cleartype is specifically intended to improve the legibility of smaller fonts on color LCDs, such as those used or envisaged for laptop computers and electronic books. |
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| Client/server |
| A network relationship in which one computer program (the client) requests information from another computer program (the server), and the server fulfills the request. Client/server architecture is the design model for applications that run on a network, and can be used for data banks as well as the sending and receiving of e-mails. Requirements include the proper hardware and a common protocol. |
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| Clipping path |
| Silhouette in the image file which serves as a mask. In layout programs it allows cut-outs to be placed over a background. |
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| CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) |
| The color model usually employed in printing technology which uses the basic colors cyan, magenta and yellow. Black is used to ensure a visually satisfying black tone. |
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| Coated paper |
| Paper grades coated with at least five grams per square meter of a substance containing a pigment on one or both sides. |
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| Coating |
| A layer added to paper to improve surface smoothness, shine, whiteness or printability, which consists of pigments, a binding agent and/or other substances. |
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| Cockling |
| The phenomenon by which, when the relative humidity of the air is lower than that of the paper, the edges of stacked sheets dry out and contract (tight edges), causing the paper to buckle in the middle. |
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| Collaborative filters |
| Term used to refer to a personalized internet marketing approach based on information obtained from the customer. Information regarding a customer's interests and preferences are used to customize and present offerings presumed to be of most interest. |
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| Collating mark |
| Name given in book printing to a short line printed in a staggered fashion in the gutter between the first and last page of each sheet. Once the sheets have been folded and collated, the lines appear on the spine of the book block, enabling the sequence of the individual sheets to be checked based on the position of the lines. |
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| Color density |
| Describes the optical density of areas printed in color. This value is important when monitoring quality in printing processes and can be measured using reflected light densitometers. It is only possible to compare the color densities of the same individual hue. |
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| Color depth (bit depth) |
| Number of bits available for each pixel of a color for the classification of color values in red, green and blue. Eight bit, for example, allows for the differentiation of 256 hues for each of the three primarily colors and thus for the specification of millions of color tones. |
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| Color management |
| The control of color reproduction in a digital graphic production process. The various input and output devices from the scanner to the printing press support different color spaces, depending on the device. In order to standardize the way colors appear throughout the production process, color profiles are generated for all devices and processes. The combination of these color profiles makes it possible to calculate the coefficients necessary for data conversion. Those colors in a given color space that cannot be displayed in another color space are approximated as closely as possible. |
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| Color profile |
| The color profile of an image input or output device (scanner, monitor, printer, printing press, etc.) is an element of color management which indicates how the color information supplied by the device behaves with respect to a superordinate, device-neutral color system (e.g. the CIELAB color space). Manufacturers supply color profiles with professional devices. To ensure high-quality results, profiles need to be created individually using special instruments. |
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| Color proof |
| A test of the colors of a printed product, it is simpler than a press proof on the press itself and can be performed away from the printing site. The prerequisite for an accurate color proof is reliable control of the (electronic) preprint process with a color management system that takes into account the press and paper to be used. |
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| Color saturation |
| The intensity of a color. Saturation is highest when no complementary color has been added. A highly saturated color is brilliant while a color with low saturation appears dull. |
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| Color separation |
| The color component of a digital print original which corresponds to a color in multicolor printing. The most popular four-color printing process is the CMYK color model which requires four separations in the colors cyan, magenta, yellow and black to produce the corresponding printing plates. The color separations that together form a complete color original are known as a color set. |
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| Color space |
| Model for the description of colors by means of measurable values. Some of these models are device-specific, for example the RGB color space for monitors (light colors) or the CMYK color space for printers (process colors), while others are based on mathematical models and thus device-independent, for example the CIE. A color space is a three or four-dimensional theoretical model. Colors can be shown by their red, green and blue content (RGB), by hue, saturation and brightness (HSB color space), or by their cyan, magenta, yellow and black content (CMYK). |
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| Color temperature |
| A simplified way of defining the spectral properties of a light source. Low color temperature imparts the impression of a warmer light color (yellow/red), while high color temperature lend the feeling of a cooler color (blue). The standard unit for color temperature is the Kelvin (k). In technical terms, color temperature relates to the temperature to which a theoretical black body would need to be heated in order to emit light of exactly the same color. |
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| Color wedge |
| Measuring strip used as a control instrument in four-color printing. |
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| Colored paper |
| Refers to paper grades that are colored, coated, flock-coated, patterned, bronze-dusted or marbled. |
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| Column |
| Refers to the vertical sections in a newspaper or magazine or to a brief, regularly published opinion article in this format. In technical printing terminology, a column is the text designed for a page of a printed product. The uppermost text in a column is known as a “head”. |
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| Compatability |
| Degree to which elements, files or formats can be processed interchangeably. |
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| Complementary color contrast |
| See "complementary colors". The phenomenon by which, when two colors on opposite sides of the color wheel are placed next to each other, the brilliance of each color is increased. |
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| Complementary colors |
| Colors on opposite sides on the color wheel. When mixed in an additive system, the complementary light colors RGB combine to make white. When mixed in a subtractive system, the pigment dyes and colors CMY produce a dark gray to black tone. |
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| Compression |
| A method of reducing the amount of data contained in a file in order to reduce file size and/or up and downloading time. With images and sound files there are so-called “lossy” and “non-lossy” compression methods. The latter allow for more compression, but some details are lost in the process. |
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| Computer-to-film |
| The process of creating films for printing plate production which uses electronic sheet assembly. To this end data are gathered from various sources and transferred to a filmsetter. A more recent version of this, suitable for linework or contone originals, is desktop computer-to-film. Here the film used for producing the printing plate is not processed photographically but printed. This requires the printer to be capable of true-to-size printing on the foil. |
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| Computer-to-plate |
| A process by which data from the computer is imaged directly onto the printing plate without using film as a transference medium, thus reducing costs, though the printing foils used in this process wear out faster than conventional printing plates. Depending on the process, in addition the foils cannot always be stored once they have been printed. New materials that use thermal energy instead of visible light for imaging have made it possible to process film in daylight conditions and to develop film without using chemicals. |
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| Computer-to-print |
| Refers to all printing processes that do not require physical printing plates. Using processes derived from computer technology (for example laser printing) specially equipped presses can print directly from correctly processed data. Computer-to-print is ideal for short runs, and in particular for personalized printing. |
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| Concertina fold |
| The continuous parallel folding of brochures and similar printed material in an accordion-like fashion, that is with folds alternatively made to the front and back. |
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| Content |
| The text and graphics contained in a Web site. Individuals and companies who create this information are known as content providers. Web sites are often judged and rated on the quality, quantity and navigational flow of their content. |
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| Continuous tone positive |
| In offset printing, an original copy, in general a wrong-reading line-positive or contone positive; depending on the image definition, partly translucent negative or positive originals of images or texts used to duplicate by contact or to transfer information to the printing forme. |
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| Contone original |
| Print originals with colors of more than one lightness level. Because printing technology can only recognize full colors, contone originals must be screened before reproduction, that is broken down into dot systems. By varying the size or frequency of the screen dots, an impression is created of different shades. |
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| Control strips |
| The basis of efficient quality control in reproduction and printing and part of a comprehensive quality assurance system. There are a variety of control strips for the printing process, such as the media step wedge for proof and printing, the digital plate wedge for the control of printing plates, the digital print control strip for the control of the print production run, among others. |
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| Conversion |
| The transfer of a file or data from one format to another. |
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| Cookie |
| A small file automatically sent by a Web server to a computer browsing a web site. Cookies are stored as text files on the hard drive so that servers can access them every time the computer browses the site. Cookies contain information relevant to the user: user names, passwords, preferences, etc. |
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| Copper gravure (halftone gravure) |
| A rotogravure process today that employs copper-coated impression cylinders onto which the motif (text and image) is transferred directly using a screening process performed with chemicals (etching) or by engraving recesses using a stylus or other instrument. The most popular rotogravure process today, its high setup costs are offset by long print runs that can be increased to several million copies by chrome-plating the prepared press roller. The use of low viscosity, fast drying inks allows for high printing speeds, and high print quality can be achieved even with low grade papers, though fine type is rendered less clear by the screening process. Copper gravure presses offer greater flexibility in print formats than rotary offset presses, since impression cylinders of different circumferences can be used in a single press. Gravure printing was invented by the Czech painter and graphic artist Karel Klic (1841 [Arnau/Ostböhmen] – 1926 [Vienna]). In 1904, the Elsässische Maschinengesellschaft in Mülhausen built the first rotogravure press. |
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| Copying paper (typing paper) |
| Thin (30-40 grams per square meter), machine-finished, mostly wood-free, well-sized paper primarily intended for typing. |
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| Corporate design |
| The look or style that a company implements in order to communicate a distinct image in communications media like web sites, brochures, catalogues, packaging, etc. This style extends to graphic elements, such as the company logo, the company’s colors or a particular typeface. In many cases corporate design also encompasses product design and can even include the architecture of company buildings. |
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| Correction marks |
| The system of notation used by the print industry to indicate corrections in texts. This system has been made a binding standard and defined in DIN 16 511. |
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| Corrugated board |
| A packaging material that, in its simplest form, consists of a corrugated sheet of paper produced using two intermeshing, grooved rollers and by applying pressure and heat, with flat paper sheets glued to either one or both sides. Corrugated board was invented in the U.S. in 1871 and, thanks to its high strength and low weight, quickly became a favored packaging material. |
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| Couching |
| Refers to the dehydration of paper by means of pressing, whereby the fibers combine to form the paper structure. This process forms the basis of an old printer's ritual, in which colleagues who have just completed their apprenticeship are welcomed to the profession in a humorous ceremony: the candidates are dunked in a vat filled with water or deposited on an enormous, wet sponge. |
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| Cover paper |
| See "paperboard". |
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| Cromalin (sometimes spelled "chromalin") |
| Process developed by DuPont for simulating print results, used as a proofing tool in color reproduction. |
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| Crossfold |
| Folds made by knife or buckle folders, in which the printed sheet is folded several times at a right angle to the previous fold. The result is a product with several pages. |
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| Crossmedia |
| Describes the common processing of content for different media. Texts and images, for example, are saved in a database that can be used to produce printed catalogs, data media (CD-ROM), as well as electronic catalogs which can be accessed online. One important benefit of this procedure is the fact that changes to the content only need to be performed once for all media.
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| CRT (cathode ray tube) |
| An electron tube for the generation of electron beams, which can be used to show, among other things, rapidly changing voltage differences and electron streams on a fluorescent monitor. Improved types of cathode ray tubes are used in the TV monitors and computer displays. In these applications, however, the cathode ray tube is increasingly being replaced with plasma, TFT or LCD technology. |
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| Cut and paste |
| Process of removing (or cutting) a text or an image and inserting (or pasting) it elsewhere; a function in graphic software programs for making the layout or layout changes in parts of pages or graphic elements. |
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| Cut size paper |
| Paper cut, in contrast to roll paper and as the name would suggest, to a certain format. |
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| Cutting die |
| Form used to slice articles from or pierce sheets of paper, board, film, foil, etc. |
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| Cutting height |
| See "stack height". |
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| Cutting marks |
| Marks on the printed sheet that indicate the net size of a page. |
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| Cyan |
| Specific shade of blue used in four-color printing; one of the four process colors. |
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| Cyan overhang |
| The additional quantity of cyan required to create a neutral gray. In theory equal measures of cyan, magenta and yellow are needed to produce neutral gray, but in practice this additional cyan is necessary. |
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| Cyrillic alphabet |
| Script created by the brothers Saint Cyril and Methodius in the ninth century using letters from the Byzantine, Greek and Glagolitic alphabets. Variations of the alphabet are used today for several Slavic languages, including Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian. |
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