1x1 Rib
The width of each rib is the same as the width between each rib. This helps the garment retain its elasticity.

2-Way Zipper
A zipper with two zipper pulls so that it can be unzipped from either direction.

4-Needle Stitched
Double-Needle stitched but with four stitches.

Abrade
To roughen a mesh surface, yielding what is termed "tooth."

Absorption
Property which causes paper to take up liquids or vapors in contact with it. In optics, the partial suppression of light through a transparent or translucent material.

Acetate
Silk like in appearance and feel. Resistant to stretch and shrinkage. Fiber-forming substance is cellulose acetate.

Acknowledgement
Written notice to a customer that an order has been placed.

Acrylic
Soft and woolly. Appearance varies from smooth and thin to a thick woven texture. Springs back when crushed.

Ad Copy
Lettering imprinted on any item. Usually an advertiser's name, sales message, trademark or slogan.

Advance Premium
Merchandise given to a new customer in advance on the condition that he or she earns it via a later purchase.

Advertiser
Purchaser of promotional items or advertising specialties. Also know as an end-user or buyer.

Advertising Specialty
A useful, interesting, or practical item of merchandise usually carrying a logo or imprint, advertising or promotional message and given with no obligation. Another term for promotional items.

Aetz
Imitation lace made on a Schiffli loom. The end result of the aetzing process.

Aetzing
The process of eliminating the base fabric leaving only the threads remaining, which ends up as lace.

Age Grading
Determining an age range for which a product is appropriate. This is done to clearly communicate to a distributor/consumer which audience segment can safely handle the item.

AI (or) .ai
Adobe Illustrator

Airbrush
Graphic technique in which ink is applied with compressed air, similar to spray painting, to render a soft, airy effect.

Allover
Continuous design on a product with over all imprint or embroidery which covers all of the fabric from selvage to selvage.

All-Weather Microfiber
100% Polyester Microfiber with waterproof coating and fully taped seams. 100% waterproof.

Analog Color Proof
Off-press color proof made from separation films. Anniversary Plan Goodwill-building promotion in which employees or customers receive a promotional item or business gift on their hiring anniversaries.

Anti-Pill
A treatment applied to garments primarily to resist the formation of little balls on the fabric’s surface due to abrasion during wear.

Anti-Static
Prevents the accumulation of static electricity and helps keep the fabric from clinging to the the person wearing the garment or to other garments.

Application
a.k.a. "app" "program" "software" Used interchangeably with program and software, this is a general term for a program that performs specific tasks, such as word processing, database management, e-mail sending or retrieval, or Web browsing. Unlike system software, which maintains and organizes the computer system (such as the operating system), an app is an end-user program.

Appliqué
An embroidered motif, aetzed or cut, which can be used as a separate embroidered figure (Schiffli embroidery). Fabric, which may or may not be previously embroidered or decorated and sewn to another piece of fabric or to a garment.

Argyle
Multicolored diamond pattern used in knitwear, such as in sweaters. Typically a diamond pattern woven into a garment.

Artwork
Any non-typeset drawing, photo, illustration or lettering to be used for imprinting on a promotional item.

Art Proof
Artwork submitted for client approval, usually a black and white stat of the camera-ready art.

ASCII
Acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The general specification of bits in a computer to input, store, process, and output text characters.

Author's Alterations (AAs)
Changes in type at the proof stages. These changes are being made by client and chargeable to the client.

Award
Recognition merchandise, often personalized, used to acknowledge performance or milestones.

Baby Herringbone
Herringbone knit using fine yarns resulting in a lighter and smoother fabrication.

Baby Pique
Pique knit using fine yarns - same as baby herringbone. Very small pique knit.

Back Pleats
Tiny folds in the material on the back of a garment that allow for more room and comfort.

Back Yoke
A piece of fabric that connects the back of a garment to the shoulders. This allows the garment to lay flat and drape nicely.

Backing
Woven or nonwoven material used underneath the item or fabric being embroidered to provide support and stability. Backing is usually white in color.

Badge
An insignia of identification.

Basket Weave
Variation of the plain weave in which two or more warp and weft threads are woven side by side to resemble a "basket" look. Fabrics have a loose construction and a flat appearance. Process of weaving yarns back and forth resulting in a two-tone appearance.

Beaded Placket
Design detail at the opening of the placket that is formed by rolling the underside of the top placket to the face creating a piped or ridge detail at the edge. The beading can be in a contrasting color or the same color. Sometimes the beading is in a contrast color.

Bean Stitch
Three stitches applied back and forth between two points, in the same space as one regular stitch. This stitch is used to provide secure registration in place of a repeated, single stitch outline that may not align properly.

Bengaline
Lustrous durable fabric with heavy crosswise ribs, used to make coats and suits.

Biowashed
Caps are dyed normally and then very gently washed with stones in a chemical solvent to create a very subtle worn look.

Bird's Eye
Small diamond pattern accentuated by a dot in the middle, resembling the eye of a bird. Commonly used in suitings. A small geometric pattern with a center dot knit into the fabric.

Bisphenol A (BPA)
A key substance in the production of polycarbonate plastic, it has been known to leach from the lining of the plastic bottles and cans into food and water.

Bit
Basic unit of digital information.

Blanket Cloth
Thick heavily fully woolen fabric with a softly brushed finish similar to an actual blanket, used for outerwear.

Blanket Stitch
A decorative stitch used to finish an unhemmed blanket. The stitch can be seen on both sides of the blanket.

Blatt Stitch
A term used in Schiffli embroidery, referring to zig zag stitches laid close together. In Multihead embroidery, the term is Satin Stitch.

Blazer Cloth
General term for a variety of flannels and meltons used to make blazers. Blends Two or more types of staple fibers in one yarn to achieve color mixtures, unusual dyeing variations, or better performance characteristics. The most common blend is cotton and polyester.

Bleed
When an illustration runs all the way to the edges of the page or sheet after it's trimmed.

Blind Embossing
A design which is stamped in a promotional product without metallic leaf or ink giving a bas-relief effect.

Blind Stamping
Hot-stamping without fail. The approach, used often with leather, gives a more subtle imprint than hotstamping and a shallower imprint than debossing.

BMP
Bitmap Any picture you see on a Web page is a bitmap. Bitmaps come in many file formats, such as GIF, JPG, TIF, BMP, PCT, PCX, and DIB (Device Independent Bitmap). They can be read and edited by paint programs and image editors such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. As its name suggests, a bitmap is a map of dots or pixels. If you zoom in or try to scale up a bitmap, it will look blocky.

Bobbin
A pre-wound reel or spool of thread, usually plain white. The contents of the bobbin, the bobbin thread, are stitched to the back of the fabric.

Boiled Wool
Thick dense fabric that is heavily fulled to completely obscure its knitted construction. It has the suppleness of a knit, with the ability and shape retention of a woven fabric.

Boldface
A heavy typeface used for titles or emphasis.

Bonding
The joining together of two fabrics permanently with a bonding agent (also known as heat sealing).

Bore
A sharp pointed instrument used to puncture goods, part of the Schiffli embroidery machine.

Boring
Open-work incorporated into embroidered designs; a sharp-pointed instrument punctures or bores the fabric, and stitches are made around the opening to enclose the raw edges.

Boucle
French for buckled, curled or ringed. It describes a knitted or woven fabric characterized by loops, knots, or curls on one or both sides, made with a variety of looped, curled, or slubbed yarns in one or both directions.

Boucle
A yarn with loops producing a rough, nubby appearance on woven or knitted fabric.

Bounce
When an e-mail message cannot get to its recipient for some reason, it is returned or bounced to the sender, with an error message informing the user that it was not sent. This is also known as “bouncing back.” You may hear someone say, “I tried to send you an e-mail message but it got bounced back.” If this happens to you, check the e-mail address and contact tech support at your ISP.

Bounce-Back
Bonus direct-mail offer sent along with a premium won or earned by the consumer.

Branding
A hot die imprint usually burned into leather or wood.

Break for Color
To separate, by color, elements to be printed in different colors.

Box Pleat
A single, uniform fold in the center back of a garment to allow for more room and comfort.

Brights (Color Families)
Grouping made up of vibrant, primary colors such as blue, green, red, and yellow.

Broadcloth
Close plain weave fabric made of cotton, rayon, or a blend of cotton or rayon with polyester. The term broadcloth is also used in reference to a plain or twill weave wool or wool-blend fabric that is highly napped (brushed) and then pressed flat.

Brushed Cotton
Cotton fabric that is brushed to remove all the excess lint and fibers from the fabric, leaving an ultra soft, smooth finish.

Brushing
Finishing process for knit or woven fabrics where brushes or other devices are used to raise a nap in fabrics to create a novelty surface texture. Used mainly in fall or winter seasons because of its warm feel.

Buckram
Liner which adds support to the front of a cap.

Bug
Manufacturer's identification mark printed on a form or product, usually in an inconspicuous area.

Bullion
A hand made emblem, made with brass or silver hollow thread. These finished emblems are a product of India or Pakistan.

Business Gift
Merchandise given by a business in goodwill, without obligation to its customers, employees, friends and the like. Unlike promotional products, the business gift often is not imprinted with the advertiser's identification. Also known as an executive gift.

Buy-In Opportunity
For travel incentive participants to purchase part of a trip if they do not fully qualify by sales performance.

Button-Through Sleeve Placket
A small placket located on the sleeve, by the cuff, which contains a single button closure.

CAD/CAM
Computer Assisted Design/Computer Assisted Makeup or Manufacturing.

Calvary Twill
Strong rugged fabric with a pronounced twill line on the back. Made with a steep 63-degree twill weave, worsted yarns and a very tight weave. Used for sportswear, uniforms, coats, and suits

Camera-ready Art:
Any drawing, photo, illustration or lettering suitable for photographic reproduction.

Cami-Strap
Very narrow shoulder straps.

Canvas
Heavy, firm, strong plain weave or basket weave fabric often made of cotton. It is produced in many grades and qualities and may have a soft or firm hand. Comes in various oz weights for thickness of the canvas.

Carbon Offsetting
The process by which an individual or business purchases units of carbon to counteract the amount expended for industrial use or everyday life.

Cartoon
Prior to the modern method of digitizing on-screen, an enlarged picture or cartoon of a design was drawn, using the industry-standard six to one ratio (the cartoon being six times larger than the resulting design).

CAS (Certified Advertising Specialist)
Designated industry title signifying that the holder has attained seven certified education units by attending 70 hours of educational offerings.

Casting
Method in which molten metal is forced into a mold of rubber or plaster, then cooled into the desired shape.

Casual Microfiber
100% Polyester Microfiber fabric that is water repellent and wind resistant.

Catalog Price
Price of a product shown in a supplier's catalog. There can be no requirement, implied or expressed, by the supplier that the price be adhered to by any person selling that product. Also known as Suggest List Price.

Cavalry Twill
A type of Twill Weave (Pattern of the Twill).

CDR (or) .cdr
CorelDRAW!

CGM
Computer Graphics Metafile

Chain Stitch
Named for its resemblance to a chain link, this stitch is usually applied using a single head embroidery machine.

Chalk Stripes
White or light-colored stripes woven against a dark background, like a chalk mark on a blackboard. They are usually more widely spaced than pin stripes.

Challis
High-quality, lightweight, especially soft fabric made with tightly spun worsted yarns and a plain weave, although sometimes a twill weave is used. Originally printed with small floral designs, now also made in plain colors and dark all-over prints. Used for scarves, blouses, and dresses.

Chambray
Plain weave fabric usually of cotton, rayon, or a blend of these. Chambray usually has yarn dyed yarns in the warp direction, and white yarns in the filling direction. It is often made in striped patterns. It is also frequently made with indigo or pigment dye to face with multiple washings. A dressier fabric woven with white threads across colored threads.

Chenille
A form of embroidery, widely used in the college apparel markets, in which a large loop stitch is left on the top of the fabric. This embroidery utilizes the chain stitch described above. Uses heavy yarns of wool, cotton, or acrylic. Also known as loop piling.

Cheviot
Broad term for rough surfaced, heavily fulled woolen or worsted fabrics used to make suits and overcoats.

Chino
Twill weave fabric with a slight sheen, often made in a bottom weight fabric of cotton or cotton/polyester. Frequently, it is made of combed, two-ply yarns in both warp and filling and vat-dyed in khaki.

Clean-Up Charge
Factory charge added for the labor costs involved in cleaning the printing press after using a nonstandard ink. Also known as a wash-up charge.

Clients
Individuals who buy promotional items or products from distributors.

Cloisart
Hot-stamp procedure where the desired logo/copy is foil hot-stamped on a solid brass or metal base, then covered with epoxy dome.

Cloisonne
Metal emblems that are stamped from a die. A colored paste made from ground glass is applied into the recessed areas of the emblem. The emblem is then fired at 1400 degrees and polished by stone and pumice to achieve brilliant color. Gullies and ridges separate each individual color, so fine lines between colors are difficult to achieve. This is considered a very high-quality product, and is slightly more costly than other alternatives. Used in emblematic jewelry and pins.

CMYK
Cyan, magenta, yellow, black subtractive colors for process color reproduction.

Collateral Materials
Advertising materials that are not transmitted to consumers via traditional ad media, such as catalogs, shelf cards, posters, specification sheets and trade information materials.

Collarette
The trim around the neck of a t-shirt or sweatshirt.

Collectibles
Premiums designed to have inherent value based upon their perceived collectibility.

Color Correction
Any method, such as masking, dot-etching, re-etching and scanning, used to improve color rendition.

Color Families
Traditional tones are classic and timeless shades often deep and saturated. These colors include navy blue, forest green, burgundy, olive, along with khaki and cream.

Color Proof
First or early printing of a finished color ad, combining impressions from each of the separate progressive color plates.

Color Separation
Separation of multicolored original art by camera or laser-scan techniques to produce individual separated colors. There are four common separations: yellow, magenta, cyan and black.

Colorfast
Prevents the dyed color of a garment from fading due to sunlight, body moisture, laundry bleaches, or stained removal.

Column Stitching
Tightly placed zig zag stitching. Straight or curved, it is commonly used in lettering and in borders. Also known as Satin Stitching or Steil stitching.

Combed Cotton
Cotton yarn that has been combed to remove short fibers and straighten or arrange longer fibers in parallel order resulting in a smooth yarn used in finer garments.

Combination Sale
Tie-in of a premium with a purchase at a combination price; sometimes self-liquidating; could be used with or part of an on-pack.

Compacting Mechanical
Process in which knit fabrics are compressed in the lengthwise direction to tighten the construction and control shrinkage.

Complex Fill
A digitizing term used to describe a pre-defined section of a design that includes areas of knock out (fabric show through).

Comprehensive Layout
Final stage of a layout, finished to very closely resemble how the printed piece will look.

Compression
The process of making computer data smaller so less is needed to represent the same information and, consequently, the information takes up less disk or file space and may be transmitted in less time.

Condensed Format
Type of embroidery machine output format. The recording of only the points digitized which are later expanded to include all the stitches the machine will stitch in the format required.

Consumer Promotion
Program which uses premiums or other incentives to get buyers to sample, purchase or remain loyal to a product or service.

Container Premium
Product packed inside a special reusable container that is different from the product's standard packaging.

Content
Textual information, images, art, diagrams, videos that appear on the Web site.

Content Management
Process by which information is modified on a Web site.

Contest
Competition based on skill, in which prizes are offered. Proof-of-purchase is usually required with entry.

Continuity Program
Promotion in which a set of related specialties or premiums are offered over a period of time.

Continuity Promotion
Supermarket or other retail plan. (See Piece-a-Week and/or Tape Plan) Term may also apply to Coupon Plan.

Continuous Tone Art
Photography, painting or other piece of art in which black-and-white tones gradually merge into one another.

Contrasting
Using an embroidery thread color different from the color of the garment. For example, yellow and white thread used to embroider a navy blue shirt.

Controlled-Markdown Plan
Retail stamp or tape-redemption program that apples all markdowns to a limited group of grocery items and restricts them to loyal customers.

Cool Mesh
Similar to a pique knit but with a more open texture for increased breathability. Features a soft hand for better comfort.

Cool Weave
Similar to a pique knit, but with a more open texture for increased breathability. Slightly larger knit than Cool Mesh, it has a denser feel.

Cooperative (Co-op) Program
Arrangement whereby the marketing elements (usually dealers) of a company order promotional items from a specific distributor who has been awarded the exclusive right to imprint the corporate logo, and the customer is given special discount pricing based upon minimum quantities set by the manufacturer for each dealer or location using the same logo but different copy. The dealers are given the combined pricing or “Co-op” pricing which is less than if they ordered independently the same quantity of promotional items on their own.

Coordinating
Thread colors are chosen that coordinate with the garment. For example, a navy blue shirt with a dark green collar and cuffs would have a dark green embroidery.

Copy
Written content of advertising or editorial matter in the media.

Copy Testing
Tests to determine consumer response to advertising copy and more broadly, to the total content - written and visual - of advertisements.

Cord Locks
A stopper or toggle on a drawcord that keeps the cord from retracting into the garment.

Cost Per Inquiry
Cost to generate an inquiry in direct-response advertising. Calculated by the total cost of the direct response advertising divided by the number of inquires it generates.

Cost Per Thousand (CPM)
The cost of reaching one thousand units of a media vehicle's circulation or audience with a particular advertising unit. Thus, the cost of an advertising unit divided by the circulation or audience (however it is defined) of the media vehicle in which it appears. Since promotional products are advertising media, one can calculate their CPM just as one would in traditional advertising. It is traditionally called CPM because the "M" represents the Roman numeral for thousand.

Cotton (Carded)
Coarse, uneven yarns are made from lower grade short staple cotton fibers into less expensive fabrics.

Cotton (Combed)
Smooth, even yarns are made of long staple cotton fibers into fine weave or fine gauge knit fabrics.

Cotton (Natural)
Unbleached cotton processed AZO-free; using no hazardous chemicals.

Cotton (Organic)
Organic cotton is grown without pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers or any other chemicals that harm the environment.

Cotton (Ring Spun)
Spinning process that further refines a yarn to achieve the desired yarn size. This results in a smoother and more uniform yarn and produces fabrics that take dyes evenly and have superior hand feel.

Cotton (Sueded)
Fabric that goes through a brushing process to raise the nap and give the garment a soft hand.

Coupon Plan
Program in which premiums can be earned by accumulating proof-of-purchase coupons, labels or other tokens.

Cover Stitch
Multi-needle decorative topstitch traditionally used on underwear, T-shirts, henleys, and long johns, but more recently used as a fashion/design detail on a variety of knits.

Cover Stitching
Using two needles to overlap threads underneath, covering the over-edged seams with a smooth-seamed layer of threads.

Coverage
The geographic area reached with specified intensity by an advertising medium. Also that reaction of an audience that is reached one or more times by a particular advertising schedule.

Coverseamed
A finish in which two needles are used to create parallel rows of visible stitching.It is used around the neck, armholes, waistband, and wrists of garments to create a cleaner, more durable finish.

Covert
Rugged, water-repellent fabric made with a compact twill weave and tightly twisted worsted yarns. Usually, two shades of a color are twisted together, creating a two-ply yarn with a flecked or specked appearance. Used for top coats, suits, and sportswear.

Crepe
Textured surface fabric found in both wovens and knits. It can be used in knits as the reverse side of a special jacquard. A crinkly surface is achieved via use of high twist yarns, chemical treatments, weave, construction, or some form of embossing or surface treatment. Crepes are available in an unlimited variety of fibers and blends and in many different constructions.

Cromalin Proof
Chemically created facsimile of a full-color reproduction.

Crop
To eliminate a portion of a picture, illustration or photography that contains unnecessary material, or to highlight a certain area of the image.

Crop Marks
Indicators on artwork to show where an illustration is to be cut or sized.

Cross Grain
Grain or fibers stitched diagonally or irregularly.

Cross Platform Independence
Feature on the Web enabling people from different computer systems to easily access information on the Web.

Customer
Person who receives the advertising specialty from the buyer, often a client or prospective client of the buyer. Also known as the recipient.

Cut
Broad term encompassing all plates associated with letterpress and hot-stamp printing.

Cut Charge
Factory charge for producing a cut.

Cyberstore
Virtual shop on the Web enabling transactions.

Dealer Incentive
Premium or other reward given by manufacturer to retailers or distributors in return for a specified bulk purchase. Also called a dealer loader or dealer premium.

Deboss and Color-Fill
Combining hot-stamping with debossing, so foil fills an image that is pushed down into the product.

Debossing
The image is depressed into a material such as paper, leather or suede, so the image sits below the product surface. Ink may or may not accompany the stamp (color stamping).

Decal
Artwork is produced on a transparent decal, then applied to product.

Decal Transfer
A water-soluble decal, printed on an offset or letterset press, is submerged in water and slid onto the product to be imprinted. The decal is rubbed with a cloth or squeegee to remove any excess water and air from between the product and the decal. The product is then kiln-fired. Once fired, the decal becomes fused with the glaze. Hairline registration and superior reproduction of detail make it an excellent choice. This imprint withstands washing very well. This method is labor intensive, since each decal must be aligned and applied by hand. Used in when many colors and tight registration are desired on less than perfect porcelain, ceramic and glass products.

Denim
Twill weave, yarn dyed fabric, usually made of cotton/polyester blend. The warp yarns are colored and the filling yarns are white.

Denim Weights
Weight is determined by weighing one yard of fabric. Some popular denim weights are: 5 oz., 7 oz., 9.5 oz., 10 oz., 11.5 oz., 12 oz., and 14.5 oz.

Denier
A density of the weave in a nylon or polyester product.

Density
Amount of stitches in a given area.

Diagonal
Another name for any fabric with a visible twill line.

Die
A mold into which molten metal, plastic or other material is forced to make a special shape, such as pen barrels or rings. Also a tool made of very hard material used to press a special shape into or onto a softer material such as coins and emblems.

Die Charge
Charge by the supplier for creating a die from artwork supplied by the supplier.

Die-Casting
Molten metal is injected into the cavity of a carved die (a mold).

Die-Cutting
The use of sharp steel blades to cut special shapes from printed sheets.

Die-Stamp
Steel plate engraved with the desired image, generally used to apply a gold or silver imprint.

Die Striking
Method used to produce emblems and other flat specialties. A blank, cut from a metal sheet, is struck with a hammer that holds the die. Die struck pieces are predominantly metal (lapel pins, etc.) and may be color filled.

Die Struck
A die is used to press an image into a softer metal such as brass or gold. The die is put into a press, and the press is released and actually squeezes the metal into the recess of the die making the imprint on the metal. The height of detail is not as deep as casting; the letters and images are shorter. Fine detail and deep /images cannot be achieved because the lines and gullies in the die may break during the striking process. Used in metals such as medals, coins and belt buckles.

Digital Artwork
Artwork created using computer-assisted design software.

Digital Color Proof
Off-press color proof produced from digital data without the need for separation films.

Digitize
To transform graphical input data into digital form for computer processing; to transform graphical input data into digital form for computer processing. To assign a discrete numeric value to an analog variable by analog-to-digital conversion; to assign a discrete numeric value to an analog variable by analog-to-digital conversion

Digitized Typesetting
Creation of typographic characters and symbols by the arrangement of black-and-white spots called pixels or pels.

Digitizer
Computer peripheral device that converts an analog signal (images or sound) into a digital sound.

Dipping
Resin is applied to finished garment. The garment is then creased and dipped in a vat of chemicals to set in the resin.

Direct House
Company that manufactures advertising specialties and sells them through its own sales force. Also know as direct selling house.

Direct Response Advertising
Advertising that seeks an immediate response from consumers by mail or telephone usually outside established channels of distribution. Direct response advertising may be carried by mail, by the broadcast media or by the printed media.

Direct Seller
Item that serves as a door-opener, sales-closer, or party incentive.

Direct-Mail
Ad medium that employs the postal system to deliver advertisements to prospects.

Display Premium
An item given free with a purchase at the time of the purchase. Includes on-packs, in-packs and container premiums as well as those given separately.

Dobby
A decorative weave, usually geometric, that is woven into the fabric.

DOC (or) .doc
Microsoft Word

Donegal Tweed
Woolen tweed fabric that originated in Donegal, Ireland, characterized by thick, random, multicolored slubs.

Door-Opener
Specialty offered by a salesperson to persuade potential buyers to listen to a sales presentation, or to initiate interest in a product or service for a follow-up sales call.

Dots Per Inch (DPI)
Sometimes expressed as pixels per inch. For bitmap images, the number of individual elements of color information per inch.

Double-Needle Stitched
A finish used on a sleeve and/or bottom hem that uses two needles to create parallel rows of visible stitching. It gives the garment a cleaner, more finished look and adds durability.

Double Knit
Fabric knitted on a machine by interlocking loops with a double stitch (two sets of needles). Contrasts with single needle construction. Double knit fabrics are heavier than single knit fabrics.

Double-Faced Fabric
Thick, heavy, reversible fabric made by weaving two separate cloths together with an extra binder in the warp or filling. Also called double cloth.

Drop Needle
Knitting technique that disengages a knitting needle so as to prevent knitting a stitch. This results in a vertical rib-like appearance. Typically this technique is done on interlock (double knit) constructions. A knit fabric characterized by vertical lines within the cloth. Manufactured by “dropping” a needle from the knitting cylinder.

Drop Shadow
Graphic device in which type is reproduced with an offset second image on one edge, giving a shadow effect that visually lifts the primary type and makes the image appear three-dimensional.

Drop-Shipping
Individual packaging, address and delivery of a product to a specific address, usually the recipient's or client's.

Dry-Fiber
A high activity sportswear fabric that absorbs, wicks and dries faster than average golf wear.

Duck Cloth
Tightly woven fabric that provides wind and snag resistance.

Dummy
Simulation of a finished printed piece.

DXF
AutoCad

Dye Transfer
In photography, a process of producing color prints by tanning photographic emulsions and using them to transfer dye solutions to film or paper coated with gelatin.

Dyed Garment
Fabric that has been dyed after the shirt is assembled. Many different types of dyeing process can be used. i.e., pigment, direct, or reactive.

Dyed-To-Match
Buttons or trims that are the same color as the garment onto which they are sewn.

Dyeing
Method used to impart color to textiles. It involves the use of complex organic or chemical dyestuffs, which under proper conditions will actually combine with the textile fibers. There are many ways fabric can be dyed.

Dyeing (Indigo)
Indigo dye is a substance taken from the indigo plant. There are many chemical imitation indigo dyes. Indigo dye color can only be achieved through a process of dyeing, where yarn is dipped into a dye bath and is then allowed to oxidize. The number of dips determines the depth of the indigo color, the more dips, the darker the color.

Dyeing (Piece)
Fabrics are dyed solid colors after they have been woven or knit, but before they are sewn into a garment. Piece dyed goods can be used in making solid and color-blocked shirts.

Dyeing (Pigment)
Textile color by the use of pigments differs from reactive dyes in that pigments do not combine with the fiber molecules as reactive dyes do. Pigments hold onto the textile materials with resin binders in much the same way that paint holds to a wall. It is intentionally expected that pigments will wash out through repeated washings.

Dyeing (Reactive/Wet Prints)
Reactive print dyeing process produces rich colors that are very colorfast because the dye absorbs or is bonded into the fibers. Reactive dyes produce bright colors on cottons and can dye acrylics, nylon, silk, wool, and blends of these fibers. These prints produce a nice, soft hand. This process is used on print shirts.

Dyeing (Top)
Yarns are dyed before the yarn is spun when the yarns are in the top state, which gives an uneven dyed or heather appearance to the yarn. Top dyeing results in a natural look of the two colors blended. This process is used on heathered and natural color shirts.

Dyeing (Vat)
Vat dye is obtained through oxidation. It is usually very bright and will hold up better when bleached than most other dyes. The process is very colorfast in all respects. This is an expensive procedure and is used mainly on high-end products.

Dyeing (Yarn)
Yarn is dyed prior to the weaving or knitting of the goods and after the spinning of the yarn. Done in either total immersion or partial immersion of the yarn. This process is especially used in patterns such as jacquards and stripes that require knitting.

Earthtones (Color Families)
Neutral shades reminiscent of colors found in nature, such as deserts, mountains, and valleys. Many of these shades serve as a base of apparel, particularly in clothing (suits, etc.). Colors include tan brown, sage, and charcoal.

Eco Friendly
Refers to products deemed less harmful to the environment or produced in a manner that has limited impact on the climate. There are no standards or regulations regarding the use of these items.

Eco Spun
Fleece outerwear fabric made from at least 50% materials reclaimed from recycled plastic pop bottles. Electronic (Engraving) Any artwork from child's signature to newspaper is reproduced as long as it can be wrapped around a cylindrical drum. A fleece outerwear fabric made from at least 50% materials reclaimed from recycled plastic soda pop bottles.

Embedments
Materials such as a product replica, for example, are suspended in a clear substrate, usually poured acrylic or Lucite(r).

Emboss and Color-Fill
Combining hot-stamping with embossing (opposite of debossing). A raised image is stamped with foil. True embossing cannot be performed on vinyl.

Embossing
Stamping an image on a material, such as paper, leather or suede, so the image rises above the surface of the object. As in debossing, ink may or may not accompany the stamp.

Embroidery
Design stitched onto fabric through the use of highspeed, computer-controlled sewing machines.

Embroidery
Art of creating and producing ornamental needlework consisting of designs worked on fabric with high luster threads either by hand or machine. Logo is digitized into a "tape". Machine reads tape to stitch logo onto surface of product. Usually includes up to 5 colors of threads in one logo. Pricing is based on stitch count. Embroidery is most commonly used on logo patches and directly on some wearables. Embroidery cannot be PMS Matched, and fine detail is difficult to achieve.

Employee Award
Incentive to a nonsales employee for safety, quality control, suggestions, attendance, or productivity achievement.

Employee Incentive
Program designed to motivate a company's own employees with premiums given for specific actions taken or goals met. Also called recognition program.

End on End
Knit process using two yarns of alternating colors to create a microstripe pattern. In a woven, a pattern in which the warp alternates between two colors. A 2-ply weave of different color yarns that run parallel against each other so that both colors are visible.

End-User
Purchaser of a promotional product. The recipient is one it's given to.

Engineered Stripes
Usually yarn dyed knitwear made on modern knitting equipment with wide bands of multiple colors. The effect is not possible to achieve on less sophisticated repeat machines. This is a jersey or pique fabric with different, more complicated needle selections.

Engraving
The cutting or etching of designs or letters on metal, wood, glass or other materials. There are three engraving techniques. hand-engraving, hand-tracing, and computerized laser engraving. Engraving is performed with a diamond point or rotary blade that cuts into the surface of the product. Engraving offers a permanent imprint that will not wear off because it is cut into the metal base. Used in metals such as trophies, pens and nameplates.

Envelope Stuffer
Direct-mail ad circular or product included with some other mailed message.

Enzyme Washed
Washing process that uses a cellulose-based solution to obtain garments that appear to have been stonewashed or acid washed. A laundering process in which a catalytic substance is added to create a chemical change in the fabric resulting in a very soft finish, smoother appearing surface and reduced shrinkage.

EPS (or) .eps
EPS stands for "Encapsulated Postscript", which is a sophisticated file format for capturing precise image and text information. Because of the mathematical basis for building the format, EPS files are the most reliable method for communicating artwork.

Etching
The product to be imaged is coated with a resist (a protective coating that resists the acid). An image is exposed on the resist, usually photographically, leaving bare metal and protected metal. The acid attacks the exposed metal thus leaving the image etched into the surface of the metal. Very fine lines can be reproduced by this process and the only tooling is a piece of film, so spec samples are easily-made.

Etched Tone Buttons
A more upscale horn tone button with an etched pattern.

Extended Tail
When the back portion of the garment is longer than the front. Assists in keeping the garment tucked in during normal activity.

Eyelets
Small holes or perforations made in a series to allow for breathability. Finished with either stitching or brass grommets.

Facing
Material hooped or placed on top of fabrics that have a definable nap or surface texture, such as corduroy and terry cloth, prior to embroidery. The facing compacts the wale or nap and holds the stitches above it.

Factory Pack
Premium offered within or on a package or as a container premium.

Fair Isle
Traditional knitted patterns or horizontal bands of geometric and floral designs against a contrasting background. Named after Fair Isle, the most southern of the Shetland Isles off the northern coast of Scotland, where authentic Fair Isle sweaters are made by hand from Shetland wool.

Fair Trade
A label that means an item or its components come from a developing country where farmers are paid above-average prices, are educated in sustainable agriculture and are often shown how to raise organic crops.

Felt
Nonwoven fabric made by layering thin sheets of carded wool fibers, then applying heat, moisture, and pressure to shrink and compress the fibers into a thick matted cloth that will not ravel or fray.

FH
Freehand

Fired Decals
Decal that actually becomes part of the piece to which it is applied.

Fisherman Knits
Distinctive knitted patterns that originated on the Aran Islands off the coast of Ireland. Each family had its own highly recognized patterns, which were used to identify the remains of fishermen lost at sea.

Flannel
Light to heavyweight plain or twill weave fabric with a napped surface. Can be made of cotton or wool. The brushing process creates insulating air cells that provide more warmth than plain cotton.

Flax/Linen
Flax is the plant, linen yarns are made from flax. Linen is stronger that cotton. It is one of the oldest textile fibers known.

Fleece
Luxurious fabric with a thick deep nap that provides warmth without weight. May be twill or plain weave. The term correctly applies only to wool fabrics, although there are so-called fleeces of other fabrics.

Flexography
A flexible rubber plate is wrapped around a cylinder for speed and control. As the paper moves under the printing plate, it is pressed against the printing plate by another roller, and the ink is transferred onto the paper. A separate plate is needed for each individual color. Typically done on less expensive materials than screen printing. The inks are very thin and not as durable as those used in screen printing. Also called hot-stamping.

Font
The collection of a typeface including the lower case, caps, numbers and special characters having unified design. This can be an important consideration when copy includes foreign terms or names with special characters. The different kinds and quantity of characters in a font will vary according to the manufacturer of the typesetting system.

Four-Color Process
The reproduction of full-color artwork through the combination of four process ink colors - magenta (red), cyan (blue), yellow and black - in specified intensities. Colors are separated into individual color plates so that when printed in register, they produce a full-color illustration. Four-color separations refer specifically to the process colors: magenta, cyan, yellow and black.

Frames
Number of separate HTML documents that interact with each other on a single Web page.

Franchise Line
Arrangement where a supplier specifies restrictions, such as minimum, volume, number of distributors in a geographical area and credit, in order for a distributor to carry its line.

Free
Word whose use is not as severely restricted as it once was - but it's still wise to be sure it really is free if the advertising says it is. Conditions on which the free offer is made should be clearly stated.

Free Mail-In
Consumer offer of premium by mail for proof-of purchase - plus, usually a sum for postage and handling.

French Terry or Fleece
Pile knit fabric with uncut loops on one side. It is called fleece if the loops are sheared and brushed. A pile, woven fabric with uncut loops is called terrycloth.

Frequency of Exposure
Number of times an individual or household is exposed to a particular ad message in a specific period of time.

Frequency Program
Promotion that provides those participating with points, redeemable for merchandise or services.

Frequent-Buyer Incentive
Continuing offers designed to build customer loyalty; akin to coupon plan or trading stamps.

Fulfillment
The process of packaging and shipping an order for a distributor. Fulfillment may be performed by a supplier, a distributor or an independent fulfillment house.

Fulfillment House
Service firm that processes premium and specialty orders, often packaging and mailing the items. Other services offered include warehousing, accounting, and coupon-redemption management.

Full Cut
Refers to a garment's fit as being generous and roomy.

Full-Fashioned
Knitting process whereby the pattern shape of an individual garment piece is formed on the knitting machine as opposed to being cut from a piece of cloth. Full-fashioned garments are typically expensive sweater knits where the sleeve is knit together with the body of the machine. Full fashioned collar trims allow for one to control the shape/angle of the collar points.

Gabardine
Popular fabric with a smooth face and a dull sheen, made with a tight twill weave and worsted yarns. Fabric has a distinct, closely set diagonal rib on the face and a plain back. Made in various weights for men's and women's outerwear, sportswear, suits, dresses, and uniforms.

Game
Includes a variety of chance promotions such as contests, sweepstakes, etc.

Garment Dyed
A dyeing process that occurs after the garment is assembled.

Garment Washed
Process of industrially washing garments after they have been manufactured that softens and pre-shrinks. A wash process where softeners are added to finished garments to help the cotton fibers relax or bloom. The result is a fabric with a thicker appearance, reduced shrinkage and a softer hand.

Garment-Washed
This means a cap has been sewn and made and then washed in a washing facility. This creates the popular faded, worn look around the edges and looks more natural than the material pre-washed caps.

Gauge
Measure of the fineness or coarseness of knit fabrics. Refers to the number of loops (knit stitches) in an inch. The higher the gauge, the finer the fabric.

GIF (or) .gif
Graphics Interchange Format Developed by Compuserve using compression technology from Unisys. On the World Wide Web pictures and graphics you see on Web pages are usually in GIF format because the files are small and download quickly. Another type of graphics format used commonly are JPEG these files download even faster and contain a better resolution but cannot be interlaced so many Web page authors tend to opt for using GIF's instead to get that "melting" onto the screen effect that happens with interlaced images.

GIF89a, GIF Animation, or Multi Block GIF
A type of GIF format which allows a series of images to be displayed one after another or on top of each other.

Giveaway
A low-cost item handed out fairly freely-akin to an advertising specialty or a traffic builder. Now also sometimes used as a term for any direct premium.

Glass Etching
A process in which a piece of glass is covered with a template that has a design cut out of it. The glass is then sandblasted while the portion of the item not covered by the template is protected. The template image is thus etched into the glass.

Green Seal
A Non-profit independent organization that guides companies and governments in developing products and business practices that have limited environmental impact. Also, it’s a label that implies an entity has undergone and passed rigorous standards of evaluation to ensure nothing in it’s lifecycle is harmful to the environment in any way.

Grommet-Sewn Slot
Caps that have a back strap made of cotton or leather and buckle, and have a slot where the end of the strap tucks into the hat. This slot can either be trimmed with stitching creating a sewn slot, or with a metal creating a grommet.

Group Travel
Incentive program in which qualifiers (and spouses usually) travel together to a single destination; business meetings are often included.

Gun Club Check
Double-check design that uses three colors to form a larger check over a smaller check.

Gusset
Inlaid piece of fabric, usually triangular, between arm and body of shirt. Allows ease of movement.

Half-moon Label Mount
Fabric sewn inside the back of the garment just below the neck to add hanger appeal and to allow for placement of the label without visible stitches.

Halftone
The reproduction of a continuous tone artwork (such as a photograph) done by filtering light through a screen that converts the image into a pattern of dots of varying size.

Hand
Quality of characteristic of fabrics perceived by sense of touch, e.g., softness, firmness, drapability, fineness of the feel.

Hand or Manual (Engraving)
Used for detailed work on materials ranging from metal to eggshells. Not practical for volume orders.

Heat-Transfer Printing (Direct Transfer Process)
Image is screened on a transfer substrate which is then laid directly on the material to be imprinted. The image is then “transferred” from the substrate to the material through the use of heat and pressure. Works best on cotton and cotton blends.

Heat-Transfer Printing (Sublimation)
A process in which a design is transferred to a synthetic fabric by heat and pressure. The heat causes the inks to turn into a gas so that they penetrate the fabric and combine with it to form a permanent imprint. Also called a plastocal transfer.

Heather Yarn
Tow (or more) toned yarn which is knit or woven to create a soft tonal effect.

Hemp
Fibers from the stalk of a hemp plant which contain low amounts of lignin, the organic glue that binds plant cells, which allows for environmentally friendly bleaching without the use of chlorine. Hemp is an extremely durable, breathable and comfortable fabric similar to linen but softer and machine washable.

Henley
Knit shirt with buttoned placket at the neckline with no collar. Copied from a shirt originally worn by a rower in Henley, England.

Herringbone
Broken twill weave fabric created by changing the direction of twill from right to left and back again. This creates a chevron pattern. Herringbone fabrics are made in a variety of weights, patterns, and fiber types. Herringbone patterns can also be knitted as a jacquard. A chevron or zig-zag pattern, knit into fabric.

High Profile
A cap style with a high slope structured with buckram–a stiff fabric lining. Less fitted to the head.

Hologram
Combination of several layers of refractive material that causes the image to have a three-dimensional effect.

Homespun
Rough, coarse, tweed-like fabric made with thick, uneven yarns and a plain weave. Once made by hand, now produced on power looms.

Horn Tone Buttons
Buttons that appear to be manufactured from horn.

Hot Stamping
Method is which type or designs in the form of a relief die are impressed with heat and pressure through metallic or pigmented foil onto the printed surface. It is used to decorate fabric, leather, paper, wood, hard rubber, coated metal and all types of plastic. Hot stamping is a “dry” imprinting process meaning the object can be handled immediately after the stamping without fear of smearing the imprint. Available in a variety of colors but can only be implemented in a single color for the entire design.

Hot Type
Type composed by machine and made from molten metal.

Houndstooth
Popular wool pattern made with a variation of the twill weave to form jagged broken checks. It is not widely used to make many types of fabrics, especially suitings. A medium sized broken check effect that is knit into the fabric.

Hypoallergenic
A term used to mean an item will not aggravate or cause an allergic reaction in users. There are no federal guidelines that regulate the use of this item.

Image Advertising
Advertising designed to make its recipients feel more favorable toward the advertiser by portraying the advertiser in a favorable light.

Imagesetter
Device that outputs type, line art, and photos in position.

Imprinted Product
Merchandise featuring a company's logo, slogan, or other corporate identification.

In Lieu of Interest
Premium offered by a financial institution instead of all or part of normal interest payments.

In-Pack
Premium offered inside a products being sold. Also called package enclosure.

Incentive
Reward for performance. Merchandise or travel offered to consumers, salespeople, dealers, or employees as a tangible reward for purchase or performance.

Incentive Catalog Company
Company that puts together a catalog premium and incentive program for an end-buyer.

Incentive Representative
Specialized manufacturer's representative servicing premium users; a commission salesperson representing several different manufacturers.

Industrial Advertising
Advertising directed at businesses or enterprises that produce goods/services that are ultimately sold to other businesses or commercial consumers.

Industrial Waste
The byproduct of manufacturing facilities such as factories or mines. Some is considered toxic, and thus, a health and environmental hazard.

Injection Molding
Process in which molten metal or plastic is injected into the cavity of a carved die.

Ink Jet
Printer that reproduces by projecting ink onto paper without the mechanical impact of plates.

Institutional Advertising
Advertising on behalf of a corporation or institution rather than for a product.

Intaglio
Design that is impressed into its base material.

Interactive Kiosks
Usually a kiosk of computers connected to the Internet located strategically in offices for easy access to the Internet.

Interlaced GIF
Interlaced GIFs appear first with poor resolution and then improve in resolution until the entire image has arrived, as opposed to arriving linearly from the top row to the bottom row. This is great to get a quick idea of what the entire image will look like while waiting for the rest. This doesn't do much for you if your Web browser doesn't support progressive display as the image is downloaded, but non-progressive-display Web browsers will still display interlaced GIFs once they have arrived in their entirety. You can make transparent and interlaced GIFs through the Web without running any utility software on your own system through the Visioneering image manipulation page, which will access your image through the Web and produce an enhanced version for you to save.

Interlock
Firm double knit fabric. Both sides of the fabric look the same (similar to the face of jersey). Used in short sleeve knit shirts.

Interlock Knit
A fabric that has two plys knit simultaneously to form one thicker and heavier ply. It has more natural stretch than a jersey knit, a soft hand, and the same appearance and feel on both sides.

Iridescent Buttons
Buttons with a lustrous, rainbow-like hue.

Jacquard
Type of woven or knitted fabric, which is constructed on a special machine that uses needle selection which results in intricate, complex all-over designs. Single knit jacquards are commonly knit with two separate colored yarns that are knit together in a row. Double knit jacquards are knit with up to five separate colored yarns across a row. Double knits are generally much more intricate, more colorful and yet heavier (mostly used in long sleeve product). Woven jacquard fabrics include brocade, damask and tapestry. A pattern knit directly into the fabric during the manufacturing process. Typically, 2 or more colors are used.

Jersey
Single knit construction which has rows of vertical loops (knit stitches) on the face and rows of horizontal half-loops (purl stitches) on the back. Jersey can be any fiber content and can be knit flat or circular. Often used in short sleeve knit shirts.

Jersey Knit
This fabric has a definite smooth side, the outside, and a textured side, the inside.

Jewel Tones (Color Families)
Are still deeper, saturated, more vibrant colors that include brights, such as emerald green, ruby red, and sapphire blue that cross seasons.

JPG/JPEG (.jpg/.jpeg)
Joint Photographic Experts Group is a standard compression format for high-resolution color images.

Jute
A vegetable fiber that can be spun into long, coarse threads and woven into such items as accessories, rugs, and even apparel. It is 100% biodegradable and can even be recycled.

Keeper
Premium offered via direct mail as an incentive for the consumer to try a new product/service or to complete a questionnaire.

Kern
To add or delete space between pairs of adjacent characters. Also known as letterspacing.

Keyline Drawing
Outline drawing on finished art to indicate the exact shape, position and size for such elements as halftones, line sketches, etc.

Khaki
Light brown cotton used for Indian army uniforms.

Knit
Fabrics constructed by interlocking a series of loops of one or more yarns by hand or by machine. Can be any fiber content. (See double knit, interlock, and jersey).

Lamborder
A flat rib knit, with specified dimensions, that is used to function as a placket and placket facing.

Lambswool
Fine soft wool from the first shearing of a lamb, usually when it is about seven months old.

Laminated
Coated with a clear plastic or two separate sheets of paper joined together as a single sheet to provide a special thickness or varying colors from side to side.

Laser Engraving
A process in which an optically-read or stenciled art/copy is engraved (burned) into a material by a laser beam. Wood is the most common lasered material, but acrylic, some plastics, marble, leather and paper are also used. Metal requires specialized lasers.

Lead
A cumulative toxin that becomes increasingly more poisonous with each exposure. It has been found in many items such as lunchbox linings, children’s toys and paint in older houses.

Leather
Has subcategories, including genuine (top-grain or full grain leather from the outermost layer of hide); splits (underlayers split off from the top grain, usually having a surface treatment to simulate color and grain of genuine leather), and processed leather (one type of skin or hide made to resemble another type usually called "bonded leather" or "laminated leather").

Leave-Behind
Product usually given by a salesperson that serves to act as a reminder of his or her visit, company, or product/service.

Lenticular Printing
A process of creating multi-dimensional, animated or bi-view effects by photographing with an extremely fine screen and placing plastic made up of tiny lenses over the top. Sometimes called xography.

Lettering
Embroidery using letters or words. Lettering, commonly called "keyboard lettering," may be created from circuit boards that allow variance of letter style, size, height, density, and other characteristics.

Letterpress Printing
The original method of mechanical printing, still used though to a lesser extent, based on relief printing. In other words, the ink is transferred from raised metal or rubber to the receiving surface. Also called rubber-plate printing.

Line Art
Black-and-white illustration of reproduction quality.

Line Conversion
Photograph reproduction as a line illustration, accomplished by shooting the photo without a screen and omitting the middle tones.

Line Name
Name used by a supplier to identify its line of products, generally to protect the confidentiality of the distributor's sources.

Liquid Crystals
Technology used to produce temperature reactive products which change colors, going through a range of reddish browns, greens, and blues.

List Broker
Person or firm specializing in selling or leasing lists names for direct mail use.

Litho Laminating (Lithography)
Process of mounting a printed lithography sheet to single-faced corrugated to produce a display-quality piece that is structural corrugated.

Loader
Obsolete term (also "dealer loader) for a dealer premium given with specified product purchase. In disfavor because of obvious negative connotation. "Dealer premium" or dealer incentive" has replaced it.

Locker Loop
Looped piece of fabric in the neck of a garment for the convenience of hanging the garment of a hook. Can also be located at the center of the back yoke on the inside or outside of the garment. A looped piece of fabric in the neck of a garment for the convenience of hanging the garment on a hook. Can also be located at the center of the back yoke on the inside or outside of a garment.

Locker Patch
Semi-oval panel sewn into the back of the garment just under the collar seam to reinforce the garment to minimize stretching when hung on a hook. A semi-oval panel sewn into the inside back portion of a garment, just under the collar seam, to reinforce the garment and minimize stretching when hung on a hook. The patch also allows for the garment tag or label to be sewn below the neckline to help prevent irritation.

Logo or Trademark
A firm's registered symbol, outline, drawing, picture, brand, abbreviation or unusual type style of letter, word or brand name. Used in identifying and advertising and becomes recognized as synonymous with that particular company, brand or service.

Lottery
Plan that awards a prize on the basis of chance and requires consideration to enter. It becomes a legal sweepstakes or game when consideration is removed, or a contest when chance is eliminated.

Low Profile
A cap style with a low slope that is more closely fitted to the head. Can be either structured or unstructured.

Lycra
Dupont's trademark from spandex fiber. Spandex has excellent stretch and is always blended with other fibers, imparting stretch to the resulting fabric.

MAC
Mac Paint

Madras
Hand loomed Indian cotton fabric in plaids, checks, or stripes all colorfully intermingled. Because the yarn is dyed with natural vegetable dyes, colors run together (bleeding), producing a muted effect. The weave itself has many slubs and imperfections.

Mail-In
Premium consumers can order through the mail, usually with proof-of-purchase, on a free or selfliquidating basis.

Mainframe System
A high-end computer system capable of performing billions of transactions per second.

Make-Good
Rerun of an advertisement designed to compensate for a mistake made.

Maret Profile
Description in demographic or psychographic terms of those people who use a particular product and thus constitute its market.

Market Segmentation
Breakdown of a market into subsections, each with distinct demographic, psychographic and/or consumption characteristics.

Market Share
Proportion of sales in a product market that is held by an individual brand of that product.

Marketing Mix
Blending of a variety of marketing elements (price, packaging, distribution, promotion, public relations, etc.) into a marketing program.

MAS (Master Advertising Specialist)
Designated industry title signifying that the holder has attained 17 certified education units by attending 170 hours of educational offerings.

Matte Finish
Dull paper finish without gloss or luster.

Mechanical Final
Make-up of printed advertisement before transformation onto a printing plate.

Matte Taslan
See Taslan but with a dull finish.

Media Planning
Process that develops media goals and strategies and specific plans to implement these goals and strategies.

Media Strategy
Strategy concerned with how ad messages will be delivered to consumers. It involves: identifying the characteristics of the target audience, who should receive ad messages and defining the haracteristics of the media that will be used for the delivery of the ad messages.

Medium (plural, media)
Established vehicle for transmitting promotional/ad messages to the target audience.

Melange
A mix of different colors of yarns knit together to create a heathered effect.

Melton
Dense, thick coating fabric with a smooth face, made with a tight plain or twill weave and two sets of softly twisted filling yarns. It is heavily fulled napped to hide all traces of the weave. Named for Melton Mowbray, a town in Leicestershire, England, where the original cloth was used to make hunting outfits.

Mercerization
Improves the quality of cotton fibers and fabrics. Provides added strength, luster, and ability to accept and hold dyes. Mercerization is a chemical process that swells the yarn, resulting in a smoother and more dye receptive yarn/fabric. A product that has gone through a process to produce a smooth, lustrous hand.

Merino
Very fine wool from the Merino breed of sheep, used to make the finest of woolen and worsted cloths.

Mesh
Similar to a pique knit, but with a more open texture for increased breathability. Larger knit than Cool Weave.

Metal Casting
Production method in which jewelry or other material is shaped by covering a mold with molten metal.

Microfiber
Super fine polyester filament yarn recently developed. Microfiber has superior hand feel and draping characteristics to ordinary polyester yarn. Because the fabric is high-count polyester or nylon yarns, it is durable, water-repellent, and windproof, and retains its color, resilience, and soft touch. This fabric is tightly woven from a very fine poly thread and has a sueded finish for a luxurious, soft feel. Microfiber fabric is naturally water repellent due to its construction process and when specially treated, can also be waterproof.

Micro Cord
A very fine wale cord.

Micro Fleece
A high density, anti-pilling fleece made of knit micro-fibers that are brushed less than a regular fleece garment. It has a high capacity for warmth without the weight.

Micro-Stripe
An ultra-fine stripe that is knit into the fabric.

Mid Profile
A cap with a slope height in between that of a High Profile and Low Profile. It is most often structured with buckram.

Midtones (Color Families)
Transitional colors such as dusty blue, rose pink, sunflower yellow, and salmon that cross seasons and climates, and are less intense than jewel tones.

Moiré
Screen pattern caused by the clash of dot patterns when two or more screens are used.

Molded Materials
Made by pouring molten plastic (usually polypropylene) into a cavity to make a hard, seamless shell.

Monogram
Embroidered design composed of one or more letters, usually the initials in a name.

Mother of Pearl Logo Buttons
Buttons made from Mother of Pearl, with a logo inscribed on them.

Motivation
Stimulation of a salesperson's, dealer's, or employee's innate desires and personal objectives by a program of recognition or achievement through merchandise or travel incentive techniques. Popular motivational giveaways are imprinted stress balls.

Mounting and Finishing
Manufacturing of a display, applying litho, die-cutting and assembly.

Multi-Line Rep
Independent contractor representing several different supplier lines.

Multifilament
Screenprinting fabric made of two or more strands of material twisted around one another.

Nail Head
General term for a variety of small woven patterns, including bird's eye, dots and small houndstooth. It is usually associated with clear finished worsted suitings, such as sharkskin. A jacquard knitting pattern in which the jacquard forms a design similar to small nail heads.

Nap
Raised surface or pile of a fabric, such as fleece, formed by distressing it.

Near-Pack
Premium separate from, but adjacent to, the merchandise being promoted.

Nonrepro Blue
Color that does not reproduce in final production, used to mark instructions and corrections on camera ready art.

Non Woven Fabrics
Sheet or web structures bonded together by entangling fiber mechanically. They are flat and porous sheets that are made directly from separate (often recycled) fibers. They are not made by weaving or knitting and do not require converting the fibers to yarn. Non Woven products in this catalog are made from 25% recycled material and are biodegradable.

NPSE (National Premium Sales Executives)
Former name of Association of Incentive Marketing.

Nublend™
The combination of a knitting and spinning process developed by JERZEES® for their blended fleece that helps prevent pilling.

Nylon
High strength, high abrasion resistance, low absorbency, good elasticity. Texture varies from smooth and crisp to soft and bulky.

Offset Lithography
A printing method in which an inked image on a flat plate is transferred to a rubber surface before being pressed on the printing surface. The plate surface is treated to accept greasy ink in image areas that resist water and to accept water in non-image areas while resisting ink. In this method of printing, the ink is less likely to rub off after an object is handled as often happens with letterpress printing.

Offset Printing
Printing process in which a positive image is transferred to a rubber blanket in reverse, which in turn applies it to the surface to be printed, right reading.

Ombre
Design that has graduations in color, usually it is shades of one family of color or can change colors, such as from green to blue.

On-Pack
Direct premium attached to the outside of the product's container.

Opacity
Heaviness of ink coverage. Open line Product line a supplier will sell to all distributors. Also known as a general line.

Organic
In terms of agriculture, it means growing crops in such a way that ecological harmony and balance is achieved, ie using crop rotation, cover cropping and other practices that promote soil fertility. It also means crops are produced without the use of pesticides and commercial fertilizer. Food items marked ‘Organic’ yield to standards set forth by the Organic Foods Production Act and the production of fabrics such as wool must adhere to organic livestock production guidelines.

Overdyed
A process in which yarn dyed fabrics or piece dyed garments are put through an additional dye color to create unique colors.

Overlay Proof
Off-press color proof produced with four dyed or pigmented overlay films.

Overrun
An additional number of products in excess of what was originally ordered. Five to ten percent is generally considered customary and acceptable.

Oxford
Soft, somewhat porous and rather stout cotton shirting weave gives a silk like finish, also made from spun rayon, acetate, and other man-made fibers. Oxford also means a woolen or worsted fabric with a grayish cast. A type of fabric where the fibers are either cotton or blended man-made fibers.

PABA (Para-Amino Benzoic Acid)
An organic compound that is sometimes used as a UV-B absorber in certain types of sunscreen.

Pad Printing
A recessed surface is covered with ink. The plate is wiped clean, yet the ink remains in the recessed area of the plate. A silicone pad presses against the plate and pulls the ink out of the recesses. The pad then moves and presses directly against the product. Pad printing is excellent for imprinting small, unusually-shaped objects for which screenprinting is not practical. Small watch dials and cylinder shapes are some examples. This is not the most highly-recommended process for imprinting large areas; screen printing is better for large areas of ink coverage. Used in plastics, paper, ceramics, glassware, wearables, leather and vinyl.

Page Description Language
Method for communicating page, font, and graphic information from the workstation to the print-out device.

Pagination
Process of performing page makeup automatically.

Paisley
Abstract scroll pattern that originated in Paisley, Scotland.

Panels
Five and six-panel caps. Six panels sewn together from the crown of the cap creating a seam down the front of the cap. Good for embroidery, but not a good choice for printing. A five-panel cap has five panels sewn together to form the crown of the cap. Since there is not seam down the front of the cap, five panels are an ideal choice for printing and embroidery.

Pantograph (Engraving)
Master letters or designs are traced with a stylus that is connected to and followed by a cutting tool that pushes the lettering or image into metal. Used in many jewelry shops to engrave silver-plated bowls and cups.

Pantone Matching System (PMS)
Color scale used to precisely match colors for printing. Each hue has a coded number indicating instructions for mixing inks to achieve that hue.

Paper Proof
Impression of type or artwork on paper so the correctness and quality of the material to be printed can be checked. The least expensive is a regular black and white faxed paper proof. The most expensive is an actual physical preproduction sample of the product itself.

Part-Cash Redemption
Option, often included with coupon programs, allowing the customer to get a premium more quickly by sending fewer coupons plus a specified cash amount.

Paste-Up
Act of producing mechanical art.

Pastels (Color Families)
Soft unwashed colors such as sky blue, seafoam green, coral, baby pink, and butter yellow that are used predominantly in spring and summer deliveries and in warmer climates.

Patch Pocket
A pocket attached to the outside of a garment.

PBM
Portable Bitmap

PCD
Photo CD

PCT
Mac PICT

PCX
ZSoft Paintbrush

PDF (or) .pdf
Adobe Acrobat

Peach Finish
Soft hand usually obtained by brushing the fabric lightly. It can also be achieved with chemical or laundry abrasion.

Pearlized Buttons
Buttons that have a pearl-colored hue.

Pencil Rub
Low-cost way of producing a "sample" of an embroidery design. Consists literally of a piece of tracing paper placed over a sew-out and rubbed lightly with a pencil to produce an impression for the embroidery.

Per Inquiry
Means of media payment used in direct-response programs.

Perceived Value
What someone believes promotional merchandise is worth.

Permanent Press
Improves the wrinkle recovery and shape retention qualities of fabrics.

Personalize
To imprint the recipient's name on a particular product.

PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)
Used as raw material for making materials such as bottles and containers for packaging a wide range of food products and other consumer goods. PET is one of the most common consumer plastics used.

Pewter Buttons
Buttons that have a dull, metallic hue.

Pewter and Horn Tone Buttons
Buttons that incorporate pewter and horn tone, usually one encompasses the other.

PFD
Products that are specially manufactured for dyeing; 100% cotton thread, oversized cut to allow for shrinkage; no optical brighteners for even dye coverage.

Phantom
Transparent image or ghost superimposed over a subject.

Photo Etching (Metal)
Process in which an illustration and/or copy is imprinted into metal, usually aluminum, by acid and then sealed by an anodizing process. This is popular for awards and plaques.

Photographic imaging (Engraving)
Photometal processes actually develop metal by using photosensitive, anodized aluminum in either metal stock or metal sheet stock. Chemical etching uses negative or camera-ready artwork, exposes it and coats the metal using acid or other more toxic chemicals to eat away impressions on the metal not covered by film.

Photomechanical Transfer (PMT)
Diffusion-transfer process used to resize or copy images.

Photostate
Black-and-white reproduction of original art, generally not acceptable as "camera-ready" art.

Piece-A-Week Offer
Self-liquidating or profit-making retail offer of related premiums, once a week for 12 to 15 weeks, with specified purchases.

Pigment Dyed
Caps are colored with a particular pigment that reacts with the washing to create a faded look. A type of dye used to create a distressed or washed look.

Pill Free®
A process developed by Lee® to help prevent pilling on fleece garments.

Pincheck
Very small check pattern that is popular for suits, sportswear and outerwear.

Pique
Single knit construction also known as honeycomb or mesh. An open knit surface with a coarser hand than jersey or interlock.

Pique Knit
A knitting method that creates a fine textured surface that appears similar to a birdsnest or waffle weave.

Plackets
The part of a shirt or jacket where the garment fastens together.

Plain Weave
Simplest, most common of three basic weaves (over one/under one interlacement). Provides a smooth surface for printing. The other basic weaves are satin and twill. (See Broadcloth, Chambray, and Poplin).

Plate
Rubber or metal image carrier that transfers ink to the printing surface.

PMG
Pagemaker

PNG
Portable Network Graphics

Point-Based System
Program in which recipients earn premiums based on an acquired number of points.

Point-Of-Purchase (POP) Advertising
Advertising materials - displays, cards, etc. - which are placed within retail stores at the place where purchases are actually made.

Polyester
Versatile in weights and textures for weaves and knits. Resists wrinkling. Excellent shape retention.

Poly-filled
A warm polyester lining found in the body or sleeves of outerwear garments. It has more loft than a regular nylon lining.

Polynosic
Features similar characteristics to cotton and silk, has excellent luster and very little shrinkage.

Popcorn Pique
Alternating rows of 2 different pique knits; one knit is a baby pique, while the other is a larger pique that resembles small circles knit closely together.

Poplin
Medium to heavyweight unbalanced plain weave. It is a spun yarn fabric that is usually piece dyed. Usually poplin is constructed with fine yarn, densely woven, resulting in a crisp, dressy appearance.

Position Proof
Color proofs for checking position, layout and/or color breakout of image elements.

Positive Image
Reproduction with the same density values as the original. A tightly woven, durable, medium weight cotton or cotton blend fabric made using a rib variation of the plain weave which creates a slight ridge effect.

Post-consumer PET
Plastic bottles made from PET are collected, sorted and processed in order to reuse the material. Common extrusion methods include production of melt-blown and spun bond fibers to form long rolls for future conversion into a wide range of useful products such as tote bags, ID wallets, valises and backpacks.

Post-Cure
Resin treated fabric is cut and sewn. The finished garment is then cured in a high temperature curing oven.

Pre Production Proof
A product imprinted with the specified design and copy of an issued purchase order. Its purpose is to clarify the appearance of the product and the imprint prior to manufacturing.

Premium
A product or service offered free or at a reduced price if the recipient performs some task, such as purchasing an item, meeting a sales quota, etc. Usually consumer-related.

Premium Rep
Incentive representative.

Premium Show
Exhibition featuring displays of incentive suppliers.

Press Proof
Proof of a color subject made on printing press in advance of the production run.

Print Pro™
A knitting process developed by Hanes® for their fleece garments that creates a tighter knit for a better printing surface.

Prize
Reward given to the winner in a contest, sweepstakes, or lottery; also sometimes refers to a sales incentive award.

Pro Forma Invoice
Invoice issued as a matter of record and sent to the distributor prior to the shipment of products to confirm the specifications.

Profile
Height of a cap's crown. Low-profile is approximately 3.5". Regular profile is approximately 3.75". Pro-style is somewhere in-between the two.

Progressive Proofs
Color proofs that show the reproduction of each color plate separately and in combination with each other. Also called color keys

Progressive Proofs or 'Progs'
Proofs made from separate plates in color work showing sequence of printing and result after each color has been applied.

Promotional Buyer
Advertiser or other purchaser of promotional products from distributors. Also known as end-user.

Promotional Items
Useful items that can be imprinted with the name of a company or individual and given free to the end user without obligation.

Proof
Impression of type or artwork on paper to allow the correctness and quality of the material to be checked.

Proof-Of-Purchase
Box-top, label, trademark, coupon, UPC symbol or other token from a product, which qualifies a consumer to receive a premium.

Proportion
Design concept expressing an element's relationship of length to width.

PSD (or) .psd
Photoshop

Psychographics
Measurement of the psychological and lifestyle characteristics of individuals or households.

Puff Prints
A screening process, using “puff inks.” After screening, the product is exposed to heat. A chemical additive in the ink will cause the ink to rise as it is heated to dry. This process must be used on a cotton weave material where the ink has something to latch on to. Therefore, it cannot be used on nylon. Used on wearables, such as caps and hats, T-shirts.

Purchase Privilege Offer
Term little used. Once commonly applied to selfliquidating food-store promotions akin to the taperedemption or continuity programs, often using punched trade cards.

Purchase-With-Purchase
Self-liquidating direct premium offer.

PVC
A polyurethane coating that is added to make garments water resistant.

QA (Quality Assurance)
Following the predetermined set of quality checkpoints and tests that are put in place to ensure a product works according to a customer’s expectations.

QXD (or) .qxd
QuarkXpress File

R-Tek™ Fleece
100% polyester fleece with an anti-pill finish which prevents the formation of little balls on the surface of the fabric.

Rack Stitch
Knit pattern produced by a shift in the needle bed that creates a herringbone effect.

Raglan
Raglan sleeve is stitched under the arm and in two parallel lines leading from the armpit to the neck. It makes for ease of movement.

Raglan Sleeves
Sleeves set with a diagonal seam from the neck to the armpit.

Ramie
Strong staple fiber of cellulose yielded by the inner bark of the ramie plant. Often used as a less expensive substitute for linen or cotton.

Random Sample
Single copy of a product with a random imprint.

Rapid Dry
A fabric designed with a unique weave to wick away moisture from the body.

Raster Graphics
Raster-based graphics have become a standard technology and are popularly known by their GIF and JPEG formats. Raster graphics use pixel-by-pixel definitions as opposed to vector graphics which use computer algorithms to describe shapes, lines, animation, etc.

Rayon
High absorbency, bright or dull luster, pleasant hand. Does well in brilliant colors.

RE 22 Stitch Material
Made from 85% post-consumer material. It is produced mainly from recycled bottles. Its use drastically reduces the amount of plastic in our landfills.

RE Unifi Repreve®
A man-made yarn made from 51% recycled material consisting of a mixture of pre-consumer (unused fabric generated during the production) and post-consumer (plastic bottles) recycled materials. FTC approved – First Quality. The production process conserves energy which reduces the greenhouse gas (CO2 emissions) by 92%.

Recall
The large-scale collection of a product that has been found to be defective or in any way harmful to a consumer post-purchase/distribution.

Recyclable
Having properties that allow processing (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for reuse.

Recycled
A new product made from products that were used previously.

Redemption Center
Store maintained by a trading-stamp company, where customers can redeem filled stamp books for premiums.

Redemption Reserve
Funds put aside by a stamp firm or the user of a coupon plan to pay the cost of merchandise for future redemptions - which may come in several years after original issue of stamps or coupons. Also used by food stores in tape programs.

Referral Premium
Item offered to customers for helping sell a product or service to a friend or associate.

Register Marks
Cross-hair marks applied to negatives, artwork, photographs or mechanicals to ensure preciseregister on the final product.

Registration (Hot-Stamping)
Positioning of elements in printing so their /images will be located precisely as desired on the printed sheet especially with reference to applying additional colors.

Representative (or Rep)
Salesperson for an advertising or promotional medium.

Reprocessed Wool
Wool that has been reclaimed from manufactured products that have not been used by a consumer, including dyed or undyed yarn, and fabric scraps from mills and clothing manufacturers. The wool is returned to fiber form and spun into new yarns, which are used to make fabrics of low to medium quality.

Reserve Account
Arrangement whereby a portion of the salesperson's commission is set aside to compensate for order cancellations and invoicing adjustments.

Resolution
Density of dots for any given output device. The unit of measurement is dots per inch (dpi).

Restricted Line
Product line where a supplier specifies the minimum volume, credit or geographic location of distributors permitted to sell it.

Retouching
Process of improving/highlighting necessary details in a picture, photograph, print or drawing.

Reused Wool
Wool that has been reclaimed from manufactured products after they have been used by consumers. The wool is returned to fiber form, cleansed or overdyed, and spun again into new yarns, which are used to make inexpensive low-quality fabrics.

Reverse
Mirror like inversion of elements on a printing plate in relation to their order on the surface printed from it.

Reverse Jersey
Knit that uses the back side of jersey fabric for the face of the garment.

Reverse Placket
See Placket, but reversed for women’s garments.

Rib Knit
Knitted fabric produced with two sets of needles (double knit) in which the vertical rows of loops (wales) can be seen alternately on the face and back. Stretch in the width is excellent. A textured knit that has the appearance of vertical lines. It is highly elastic and retains "memory".

Ring Spun Yarn
Yarn made by continuously twisting and thinning a rope of cotton fibers. The twisting makes the short hairs of cotton stand out, resulting in a stronger yarn with a significantly softer hand.

Romance Card
Usually a card or small folder containing information relating to the origin or history of the specialty that it accompanies.

Rotary
Relies on a computer and controller to send messages concerning the desired design to a flat-bed engraving table.

Rotogravure
Type of printing, utilizing an etched copper cylinder.

Rubylith
Clear orange coating on an acetate base, used in preparing camera-ready artwork when one or more colors will be used. Also know as amberlith.

Safety Program
Promotional program designed to raise safety awareness and recognize those who follow safe onthe- job practices.

Sales Contest
Sales-incentive program. The word "contest" is used less today than previously, since direct competition among salespeople is not longer the rule.

Sales Incentive
Premium or monetary reward offered to salespeople for attaining a specified performance level.

Sales Promotion
Program designed to stimulate immediate action on the part of the consumer, generally by adding value to a purchase or action taken.

Sample Rebate
Compensation by a supplier, issued to distributors when they sell a specific minimum amount of specialties of which the distributor has purchased samples.

Sand Washed
Sand is added to the piece of garment washing process to create a subtle weathered look. Results in a soft, lightly brushed feel. Used mainly in woven fabrics. A washing process in which the fabric is washed with very fine lava rocks or rubber/silicon balls resulting in a softer fabric with a relaxed look and reduced shrinkage.

Sanforized
Controls the shrinkage of fabrics to less than 1%.

Sans-Serif Type
Typestyle without cross strokes at the end of the main strokes.

Saxony
General term for especially high-quality fabrics of merino wool, usually used for coats and suits. The term originally described fabrics made only from the wool of Saxony sheep, a superior strain of merino developed in Germany.

Score
To impress a mark in a sheet of paper to facilitate folding and help it lie flat.

Screen
Series of dots used to reproduce halftones or blended colors. As the percentage of screen increases, the color prints darken.

Screen Charge
Charge by suppliers for creating a silkscreen of the artwork used for imprinting products.

Screen Tints
Process in which shading and tinting are added to a line reproduction.

Screenprinting
A method in which image is transferred to the surface to be printed by means of ink squeezed by a squeegee through a stenciled screen stretched over a frame. Screens are treated with a light-sensitive emulsion, and then the film positives are put in contact with the screens and exposed to a strong light. The light hardens the emulsion not covered by the film leaving a soft area on the screen for the squeegee to force ink through. Screen printing is capable of printing on irregular shaped objects. Glass, plastic, fabric and wood are popular materials on which to screenprint. Also called “silk screening.”

Sculpted Hem
A hem that is softly rounded for fashion detail.

SCT
Scitex

Seersucker
Lightweight cotton type, color striped fabric with permanent lengthwise alternating puckered striped and felt stripe sections.

Selective Media
Advertising media such as specialty advertising and direct mail that can be targeted to specific limited audiences. Also called targeted media.

Self-Fabric Collar
A collar that is constructed from the same material as the body of the garment.

Self-Fabric Sweatband
Refers to headwear where the sweatband is constructed with the same fabric as the crown.

Self-Liquidator
Proof-of-purchase premium offered to consumers for a sum of money to cover the cost of premium plus postage and handling.

Semi-Liquidator
Premium with a cost only partially covered by the purchase price at which it is offered.

Serge Stitch
An overcasting technique done on the cut edge of the fabric to prevent unraveling.

Serif Type
Any typeface with letters having a cross stroke at the end of the main stroke.

Set-Up Charge / Run Charge
Special charges added to certain products that are priced in the catalog without printing included in the price. The set-up charge covers the cost of preparing type for the copy on the press; the running charge covers the actual printing.

Sharkskin
High-quality worsted suiting fabric with a smooth sleek face and a slightly iridescent sheen, resembling the skin of a shark. Made with a twill weave, and yarns of alternating colors, usually a lighter color with a darker one. It may be plain or woven with fancy patterns.

Sheepskin
General term for a tanned hide with the wool still intact. Used to make exceptionally durable outerwear.

Sheeting
Simplest, most common of the three basic weaves (over one/under one interlacement). It provides a smooth surface for printing. The other basic weaves are satin and twill.

Sherpa Fleece
Fleece fabric where the brushed/napped side is used as the face of the garment.

Shetland
Very fine, lustrous wool from the downy soft undercoat of Shetland sheep, raised on the Shetland Islands off the northern coast of Scotland. Available in limited quantities of natural colors and used to make software, knitwear, sportswear, and coats. The term has been used rather loosely by the apparel industry to describe similar fabrics and clothing, especially sweaters, made from coarser types of wool.

Shipping Date
Date an order should be shipped from the factory to the purchasing client.

Side Vents
Slits found at the bottom of side seams. They are fashion details that allow for comfort and ease of movement.

Silk
Lightweight fabrics with natural, deep luster. Shiny surface. Versatile in weight and texture. Long wearing.

Silkscreen
Ink is pressed thru a fine screen leaving a flat, painted imprint on the surface of the material.

Singles
Term used to indicate the diameter of a yarn. The smaller the number, the thicker the yarn.

Sketch
Initial rough drawing in pencil, ink or color to determine the arrangement of an artwork.

Slash Pockets
A pocket that has to be entered through a slash on the outside of the garment. The pocket pouch is suspended from and attached to the slash.

Solid
Printed area without type or other illustrations.

Spec Sample
A product sample carrying a prospective buyers' imprint, produced with the expectation that the prospect will order it.

Specialty Advertising
Medium of advertising, sales promotion and motivational communication employing imprinted, useful or decorative products called advertising specialties; a subset of promotional products.

Speculative (Spec) Sample
Product sample carrying a prospective buyer's imprint, produced with the expectation that the prospect will order it.

Spot Color
Color used usually for accent.

Sprint Brief
Promotion within a longer campaign, designed to maintain interest by awarding interim incentives.

Stain-Resistant
Controls the penetration of spots and stains.

Stat Paper
Photo print of an art made by a camera. Use stat paper only on final proofs before going to production.

Step-And-Repeat
The same image is printed continuously in a pattern.

Stock Designs
Digitized generic embroidery designs that are readily available at a cost below that of custom-digitized designs.

Stone Washed
Pumice stones (lava rock) are added to the piece or garment washing process resulting in a soft and abraded worn appearance particularly where there are seams. A washing process in which the fabric or garment is heavily washed with lava rocks or rubber/silicon balls. The result is a softer fabric with a distressed or weathered look and reduced shrinkage.

Storm Flap
Strip of fabric sewn under or over the front zip or snap closure of outerwear garments to form a barrier against wind and moisture.

Storyboarding
Creating a rough outline of what the Web site will look like.

Stratified Selection
Separation of a target audience into various levels or strata.

Stripping
Attaching, putting together or assembling in negative film from the separate elements of an ad, brochure, flyer or other printed materials into one cohesive unit.

Structured
A cap style with a lined front consisting of buckram, a stiff fabric, that controls the slope of the cap.

Sublimation
Dye transfer process where the image consists of heat-activated dyes that permanently embed into the material surface of pores, or ‘sublimate.’

Sueded Cotton
A fabric that goes through a brushing process to raise the nap and give the garment a soft hand.

Sueded Nylon
See Sueded Cotton.

Swatch Proof
Sample of the material of the product to be purchased, imprinted with the advertising artwork in the colors specified for the imprint.

Sweepstakes
Chance-based promotion or game for prizes, for which no purchase is required; usually based on randomly drawn numbers.

Swiss
Satin stitch embroidery. Embroidery remains a government-supported industry in Switzerland today.

Tackle Twill
Letters or numbers cut from polyester or rayon twill fabric that are commonly used for athletic teams and organizations. Tackle twill appliqués attached to a garment have an adhesive backing that tacks them in place; the edges of the appliqués are then zipzap stitched.

Tape Plan (Saver Plan)
More formally, "cash-register-tape redemption plan.” A continuity promotion by supermarkets, offering one or more premiums in return for register tapes, coupons, or stamps representing specified purchases and most often, cash amounts sufficient to make the promotion self-liquidating or profitable.

Taped Seams
A strip of fabric sewn to the seam of a garment to prevent distortion. In outerwear, taped seams aid in waterproofing.

Tartan
Woolen fabric made with a plain or twill weave in a variety of different plaid patterns, each belonging to a specific Scottish clan.

Taslon
Durable nylon fabric that is generally used for rugged outerwear. Refers to how the fibers are woven and the resulting texture. Used mainly in outerwear garments, Taslan is a durable and water repellent nylon fabric with a slightly shiny surface.

Tattersall Check
Simple check pattern with a loud appearance, made with two colors against a white or contrasting background. Gaudy combinations of bold colors are common. Checks are usually about a half-inch square.

Teklon
A rugged, stronger Taslan nylon that is water repellent.

Temperature Reactive or Thermocromatic Inks
Process of applying a special ink that disappears to reveal a hidden message when heat is applied. For instance, used on a mug so that when hot liquid is poured into, the message appears or on a glass, so that when cold liquid is poured into it, the message appears.

Tencel
Produced by Courtaulds from the cellulose in harvested wood pulp. Fabrics with Tencel have superior shrinkage control characteristics. The unique properties produce deep vibrant colors. A fabric made from the cellulose found in wood pulp which is processed into a silk-like, delicate fabric.

Terra-Tek™
A durable and water repellent Taslan with a matte finish.

Terrain Cloth
High-density air-textured nylon.

Terry Velour
A type of material with uncut loops on both sides. It has a soft, plush feel and is water absorbent.

Test
Any of a half a dozen methods of measuring appeal of a premium in advance of a promotion. Frequently done by personal interviews, sometimes by a mail ballot of split-run newspaper advertising.

TGA
TARGA

Thermal (Engraving)
Melts an image into the metal, based on a die. Often used for small items such as name badges and small signs.

Thermal Dye Sublimation
Like thermal printers, except pigments are vaporized and float to desired proofing stock. Similar to Thermal Dye Diffusion Transfer, or D2T2.

Thermography
A process for imitating copperplate engraving, such as on calling cards, by dusting the freshly printed ink surface with resin powder which, when heated, fuses with the ink to form a slightly raised surface. The finished product is very similar to embossed printing in feel and appearance but is much less expensive.

TIFF (or) .tif
Tagged Image File Format A file format for exchanging bitmapped images (usually scans) between applications.

Tint Block
A photoengraving used to print tints of any percentage of color.

Tip-In
Preprinted card bound or partially bound into a periodical.

Tip-On
To attach endsheets or other material to the outside of folded sections by machine applications of thin strip of adhesive.

Tonal
Using a matching color thread to embroider a garment. For example, a navy shirt tonal embroidery would use a matching navy thread to create an embossed look.

Tone on Tone
Different shades of the same color as the garment are used for embroidery thread. For example, a navy blue shirt with a light blue and royal blue embroidery.

Tone on Tone Jacquard Collar
See Jacquard Knit. The two colors being used are the same.

Torqued
Natural twisting that occurs when a circular knit fabric is in a relaxed state. A circular knit is knit in a spiral motion and therefore "straight" stripes want to twist. This phenomenon usually occurs in poor quality jacquard knits and is minimized by compacting and the use of stabilizing resins.

Toxic Release Inventory
A publicly accessible database maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency meant to inform communities of the presence of hazardous chemicals in a particular geographic area.

Trade Advertising
Advertising directed at members of the wholesale or retail trade.

Trade Character
Visual identification or personification of a particular brand, merchandise, or advertiser.

Trade Stamp
Gummed stamp given by a retailer, usually for each 10 cents of purchase, to be pasted in a save-book or card, redeemable for premiums presented in the stamp-company catalog.

Traffic Builder
Specialty or premium designed to get consumers to enter a store or a tradeshow exhibit.

Transparency
Full-color, translucent, photographic film positive.

Transparent GIF
Transparent GIFs are useful because they appear to blend in smoothly with the user's display, even if the user has set a background color that differs from that the developer expected. They do this by assigning one color to be transparent -- if the Web browser supports transparency, that color will be replaced by the browser's background color, whatever it may be.

Transparent Ink
Printing ink that does not completely conceal the color of the carrying material beneath.

Trapping
Process of adjusting adjacent colors to account for misregistration, which occurs due to the complex machinery of the press and because materials stretch and shift during printing.

Travel Incentive
Trip offered to salespeople or dealers, often tied into sales meetings at resort areas.

Tricotine
High-quality worsted fabric with a 63-degree, double twill on the face of the cloth. Belongs to the same family as gabardine, whipcord, covert and cavalry twill. Various weights are used for men's and women's clothing.

Trim Size
Finished size of a printed piece after waste is trimmed away.

Triple-Needle Stitched
See Double-Needle Stitched but with 3 stitches.

Tubular Collar
Collar which is knit in a tube form so it has no seams.

Tuck-In Tails
A shirt constructed so the back hem is longer than the front. This aids in keeping the shirt tucked-in during strenuous activities.

Tuck Stitch
Refers to the look of the knit where some stitches are actually under the other stitches. Gives the shirt a waffle-weave type texture and look.

Tweed
Rough durable woolen cloth with irregular slubs or knots on the surface, made with a twill or herringbone weave. Multicolored yarns are produced by adding colored nubs prior to spinning. Early tweeds were characterized by a very hairy face and scratchy hand. Today, many tweeds are flattened and shaven to soften them. Made in various weights and patterns and used for suits, sportswear and coats.

Twill
One of the three basic weaves (the others are plain and satin). It is characterized by a diagonal rib (twill) generally running upward from left to right (right hand twill). Left hand twill (traditional denim weave) has the diagonal rib running upward from right to left. Twill weaves are used to produce a strong, durable firm fabric. A fabric characterized by micro diagonal ribs producing a soft, smooth finish.

Twill Tape
Narrow herringbone twill weave tape used as reinforcement at the stress areas - neck, shoulders, pockets - of a garment. It is also used as a design element, often inside plackets.

Twill Tape Placket Lining
Twill tape is attached to the inside of the placket for a fashion effect.

Twill-Broken
Broken twill is a variation on traditional twill resulting in a very soft and flexible fabric.

Twisted Yarn
The use of two or more yarns of different colors twisted together to form a single multicolor yarn.

Type Transfer
Sheet of type created through a photographic and chemical process which can be transferred onto almost any surface by burnishing the back of the sheet.

Typeface
General term used to describe the styles of lettering available in typesetting.

Typeset
To create type of a quality usable for reproduction, whether electronically or mechanically.

Underarm Grommets
Small holes in the armpit area to allow breathability and air circulation.

Underrun
Number of products less than what was originally ordered.

Unstructured
A low profile cap style with a natural low sloping crown. No buckram has been added to the crown.

Unstructured Slouch
Caps with no buckram are unstructured. Many of the latest caps have the "floppy" look. Can be scrunched up and stuffed in a back pocket.

UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor)
A relatively new term, UPF is a standard of measuring the effectiveness of fabric in protecting wearers from the harmful rays of the sun.

Urethane Coatings
Water and stain repellents are applied to the nylon fabric surface to add to the appearance of luggage.

Use-The-User Plan
Premium given to customers for helping sell a product or service to a friend or associate.

V Patch
A section of material in a V shape that is sewn onto a garment directly under the collarette. Can provide support against stretching the neck opening and is also a style component.

Varnish
Thin, protective coating applied to a printed sheet for protection, appearance or to prevent fingerprinting.

Vector Graphics
Vector graphics use computer algorithms to describe shapes, lines, animation, etc. The technology of vector graphics is growing in popularity because the images are scalable and smaller in file size, a plus for online viewing and downloading. Vector graphics were developed in response to the limitations of raster-based graphics (popularly known as GIF and JPEG) because raster graphics use pixel-by-pixel definitions.

Vegetable (Color Families)
Rich, saturated colors that are used primarily in fall and winter deliveries. They include the colors eggplant, pumpkin and gold that are inspired by the hues of vegetables and fall foliage.

Velour
Medium weight, cotton type, dense, cut pile fabric that resembles velvet.

Velox
Photoprint with halftone dot pattern in place of continuous tone, ready for line reproduction. (See PMI)

Vents, Front & Back
Allow for breathability and may aid in ease of decoration, allowing the garment to be hooped and embroidered with no show-through on the inside of the garment. Some vents are tacked down and are for fashion purposes only.

Vignette
Illustration in which the background fades gradually away until it blends into the unprinted paper.

Vinyl
Stain resistant plastic material used for coverings and trims in luggage. Available in a wide range of colors.

Virgin Wool
Wool shorn from live sheep that has not been used in any form prior to its being processed into any sort of textile product.

Warp
Lengthwise grain in woven fabric.

Wash Drawings
Line drawings in which the middle tones have been retained.

Washer Nylon
A nylon garment treated with a special finish to produce a crinkled effect.

Wasted Circulation
Media circulation that reaches non-advertiser prospects.

Water Repellency
Ability to resist penetration by water. Not as rigorous a standard as waterproofness. Water repellent fabrics cause water to bead up on their surfaces while allowing insensible perspiration to pass through. Water beads up and rolls off a water-repellent fabric.

Waterproof/Breathable
Ability to keep water from penetrating, but permits water vapor to pass through. There are more than 200 fabrics of this type available today, offering a varied combination of waterproof and water vapor permeability.

Weather Resistant
Loose term referring primarily to a fabric's windresistant and water-repellent properties Waterresistant fabrics are those that resist the penetration of water. The greater the force of impact as the water hits the fabric surface, the greater the likelihood that it will penetrate the fabric.

Weathered Twill
A special dye process resulting in a softer fabric with a weathered appearance that will continue to enhance with each wash.

Web-Fed Press
Press that prints from a continuous roll of paper.

Weft
Crosswise grain in a woven fabric. Weft is also known as "fill."

Weight
Visual effect of the thickness or thinness of text, rules or logos.

Welt
Strip between a shoe sole and upper through which they are stitched or stapled together. A double edge, strip, insert, or seam for ornament or reinforcement.

Welt Collar/Cuff
A single ply fabric with a finished edge that is used for collars and cuffs on sport shirts and short leeved garments.

Whipcord
Compact worsted twill fabric with prominent diagonal cords that run from the lower left to the upper right. Long-wearing utility cloth is used for suits, sportswear, and uniforms. It resembles, but is much coarser than, tricotine and gabardine.

White Space
Space on a page not occupied by type, pictures or other elements.

Windowpane
Simple, boxy check or plaid pattern using a minimum of colors and thin lines to form large squares or rectangles with clear centers, like windowpanes.

Wipe Test
A form of lead testing which involves the wiping of a product in the same spot a certain number of times to determine how much lead transferred with each consumer contact.

WMF
Windows Metafile

Wood Tone Buttons
Buttons that simulate a wood appearance.

Wool
Natural deep luster. Long wearing. Sheds water naturally. Springs back if creased or crushed.

Wool Satin
Luxurious worsted fabric with a lustrous face, made with tightly twisted yarns and a satin weave.

Woven
Fabric constructed by the interlacing of two or more sets of yarns at right angles to each other.

Wrinkle Free
Basic process of imparting the wrinkle free finish into the fabric involves applying a resin into the fabric, drying and curing at extremely high temperatures to the desired dimension. Pre-cured wrinkle free means that the finish has been applied to the fabric before the garment has been produced. Post-cure wrinkle free means that the finish has been applied after the garment has been manufactured. Because the postcure wrinkle free process is set into the final pressed garment, it is more popular.

Wrinkle Resistant
Controls the wrinkling of fabric.

Wysiwyg
An acronym for What You See Is What You Get, which means that the composite page viewed on the screen of a workstation essentially represents what the printer will output.

Xenobiotics
Chemical substances found in living things that do not produce them naturally.

Xerography
Formation of pictures or copies of graphic materials by the action of light on an electrically charged surface in which the image is usually developed with powders.

Yarn
Grouping of fibers or filament which is twisted together to make a continuous strand.

Yoke
Contoured portion of a garment, usually at the shoulder or hip.