Glossary - M

Macro

A series of instructions which would normally be issued one at a time on the keyboard to control a program. A macro facility allows them to be stored and issued automatically by a single keystroke.

Mailing service

Business specializing in addressing and mailing large quantities of printed pieces. Also called lettershop.

Magnetic ink

A magnetized ink that can be read both by humans and by electronic machines. Used in cheque printing.

Making ready

The time spent in making ready the level of the printing surface by packing out under the forme or around the impression cylinder.

Manilla

A tough brown paper used to produce stationery and wrapping paper.

Margins

The non printing areas of page.

Masthead

Details of publisher and editorial staff usually printed on the contents page.

Mask

Traditionally, opaque material or masking tape used to block-off an area of the artwork; the inactive area of a bitmapped image which will not respond to changes.

Match print

Match prints are composite photographs of colour separations made by exposing film through the four negatives of the separation.

Matt art

A coated printing paper with a dull surface.

Measure

Denotes the width of a setting expressed in pica ems.

Mechanical binding

A method of binding which secures pre-trimmed leaves by the insertion of wire or plastic spirals through holes drilled in the binding edge.

Megabyte (M, MB)

One million bytes

Memory

The part of the computer which stores information for immediate access. Nowadays this consists exclusively of RAM, random access memory, which holds the applications software and data or ROM, read only memory, which holds permanent information such as the DOS bootstrap routines. Memory size is expressed in K or M.

Metallic ink

Printing inks which produce an effect gold, silver, bronze or metallic colours.

Mock-up

The rough visual of a publication or design.

Modem (MOdulator-DEModulator)

A device for converting digital data into audio signals and back again. Primarily used for transmitting data between computers over telephone lines.

Moiré pattern

The result of superimposing half-tone screens at the wrong angle thereby giving a chequered effect on the printed half-tone. Normally detected during the stage of progressive proofs.

Monospace

A font in which all characters occupy the same amount of horizontal width regardless of the character.

Montage

A single image formed from the assembling of several images.

Mounting board

A heavy board used for mounting artwork.