Buzzword Buster - An A-Z guide to what professional print jargon really means

Today the print industry is facing radical changes as technology drives the need for accurate print jobs, faster turnarounds and shorter approval processes. However, with advanced print technologies comes increased competition. Printers have to differentiate and market themselves much more effectively in order to survive.

Recently, we carried out a study on Web-to-Print and found most printers don’t understand what the term means. This got us thinking that if printers sometimes struggle with industry ‘jargon’, then what hope do print buyers have?

Our survey into the language of print revealed that a staggering 86% of print buyers do not understand the technical language used by their print department or supplier. This led to 43% of buyers experiencing unsatisfactory print jobs due to misunderstanding terminology.

The Buzzword Buster, a dictionary of print terms, explains and de-mystifies key words and, we hope, is a useful book not just for print buyers but also for printers – including new entrants – needing a quick refresher into the language of print.

Also, to celebrate our sponsorship of UEFA EURO 2008™ we have included a guide to football jargon. Every industry has its own language, especially football, so we thought we’d provide explanations to key words used in the sport.

By publishing the Buzzword Buster, we hope we can help you communicate even more successfully with your customers and put you firmly on the path to profit.

Look up print terms on our online Buzzword Buster

David Preskett, European Marketing Director,
Professional Solutions, Canon Europe