Laid
Term describes the finish imparted by a dandy roll, which features wires parallel to its axis that impress the paper during manufacture to produce a permanent watermark. The wires that produce the laid effect are situated parallel on the dandy roll and are not interwoven with the traverse chain wires that encircle the dandy roll's circumference, meaning the cross direction.

Laid dandy roll
A dandy roll made for the purpose of imparting a laid finish to paper. It is composed of wires running parallel to the roll's axis and attached to the frame by evenly spaced chain wires that encircle the circumference of the roll. The laid wires are affixed on top of the transverse chain wires, rather than being woven over and under them.

Laid finish
Laid finish papers feature a subtle, closely lined pattern called "laid lines." These lines are created by a dandy roll with wires running parallel to its axis.

Laid lines
Lines seen in a laid sheet that are the result of the design on the dandy roll.

Laid paper
The closely "lined" appearance in the finish of writing and printing papers created during manufacture by a dandy roll.

Laid wires
Parallel wires in a dandy roll that produce the laid watermark and run in the cross grain direction.

Laid writing
Paper used for writing and correspondence purposes that has a laid mark.

Laminated
Paper that is developed by fusing one or more layers of paper together to the desired thickness and quality. Often other substances like thin sheets of metal, plastic, etc. are fused to the paper.

Lap
The slightly extended areas of printing surfaces in color plates, which make for easier registration of color.

Lap register
A register achieved by overlaying a narrow strip of the second color over the first color, at the points of joining.

Laser compatible
Papers engineered with special properties that assure smooth and consistent performance on laser printing equipment.

Laser die-cutting
Technically not a die-cut, laser die-cutting is an extension of the photographic process. A metal template made from black-and-white artwork performs the role of a film negative. Wherever there is a hole in the template, a laser beam passes through and vaporizes the exposed area of the paper. Extremely precise, lasers enable the creation of amazingly intricate patterns with ease.

Laser printing
Uses a laser beam that is focused on a rotating mirror that deflects the light through a focusing lens. The printer uses a high-powered, single, concentrated light source that is directed onto a photosensitive material located on a drum. Dots are created and placed in succession as the light beam scans the rotating drum on a horizontal path.

Last color down
The last color printed.

Latex (envelopes)
See adhesive or latex.

Layout
The drawing or sketch of a proposed printed piece. In platemaking, a sheet indicating the settings for a step-and-repeat machine.

Layout sheet
The imposition form. It indicates the sequence and positioning of negatives on the flat, which corresponds to printed pages on the press sheet. Once the sheet is folded, pages will be in consecutive order.

Letterpress
Also known as relief typographic printing, letterpress printing employs the use of type or designs cast or engraved in relief (raised) on a variety of surfaces that can include metal, rubber and wood. The opposite of intaglio printing, in letterpress printing the ink is applied to the raised printing surface. Non-printing areas or spaces are recessed. Impressions are made in various ways. On a platen press, the impressions are made by pressure against a flat area of type or plate. Flat-bed cylinder press printing uses the pressure of a cylinder rolling across a flat area of type or plate to create the impression. A rotary web press uses a plate that has been stereotyped (molded into a curved form) that presses against another cylinder carrying the paper.

Lift
The maximum number of sheets handled by the operator of a guillotine cutting machine or by paper handler loading paper for printing.

Lightfastness
The degree to which a paper or printed piece will resist a change in color when exposed to light.

Lignin
The natural, glue-like substance that holds together the cellulose fibers of a plant. Approximately one third of a tree is lignin. This product is removed in the kraft process. Any lignin left in the pulp can cause paper to age and yellow over time.

Like-sided
Paper that has noticeably similar side-to-side color and finish on both sides.

Line screen or dpi
How many lines of dots appear per linear inch on a printed piece or negative.

Line drawing
A drawing containing no grays or middle tones. In general, any drawing that can be reproduced without the use of halftone techniques.

Linear paper
A watermarked sheet with lines to guide the user.

Linen finish
A finished paper that has an overall embossed pattern on the surface resembling the look and feel of linen cloth. Manufactured with engraved embossing rolls.

Lines per inch (lpi)
The fineness of a halftone screen is measured by the number of lines per inch. The more lines per inch, the more detailed the printed image will be.

Lint
Small fuzzy particles in paper.

Lip
The allowance for overlap of one half of the open-side edge of a folded section, needed for sewn and saddlestitch binding, for feeding the sections. Also called lap.

Lithographic image
An ink-receptive image on the lithographic press plate; the design or drawing on stone or a metal plate.

Lithographic paper
See offset paper.

Litho
Industry jargon for lithography or offset lithography.

Lithography
A generic term for any printing process in which the image area and the nonimage area exist on the same plane (plate) and are separated by chemical repulsion. The most common printed method in use today, lithography is based on the principle that oil and water do not mix. The image to be reproduced is created on a printing plate with greasy material that repels water. The plates are run wet so that oil-based inks adhere to the greasy parts of the plate, which are transferred to a blanket and pressed onto paper.

Localized watermark
Achieved by arranging the design on the dandy roll to leave a watermark at a predetermined place on the sheet.

Logo
A mark or symbol created for an individual, company or product that translates the impression of the body it is representing into a graphic image.

Long grain
Paper made with the machine direction in the longest sheet dimension.

Long ink
An ink that has good flow on ink rollers of a press. If the ink is too long, it breaks up into filaments on the press and causes flying, as on a newspaper press.

Loose register
Color that fits "loosely." Positioning (register) is not critical.

Low bulk
Refers to paper somewhat thinner than the usual papers of the same weight, having a smooth surface and which is a "thin" sheet.