B Series:

An International Standards Organization range of paper sizes.

Back up:

Printing the second side of a signature, often through another press pass.

Backbone:

Alternate term for spine.

Bale:

Compressed stack of pulp or paper sheets.

Banding:

1. Visible parallel fluctuations in ink color on a printed sheet. 2. Method of packaging printed pieces using paper or plastic bands. 3. In digital photography, the unnatural vertical or horizontal stripes associated with image processors.

Bar code:

Any of a large number of patterns (often vertical bars and spaces) representing characters that can be read by a scanner.

Barrel fold:

Process in which the panels are folded in the same direction, layering them from inside to outside. Also Roll Fold.

Base color:

A first color used as a background on which other colors are overprinted.

Base negative:

Negative made from camera ready copy pasted to mounting board.

Basic size:

The one standard size of each grade of paper used to calculate basis weight. Cover stock is measured at 20" x 26"; Text stock is measured at 25" x 38".