Part 16 (1/2)

serif; sans serif A 'serif' typeface has 'handles' on the letters, like the typeface used in this book; sans serif is the opposite.

showthrough How much ink on one side of a printed sheet of paper can be seen through on the other side. The type of clothing that may be worn by a 'character' (see character).

spam unsolicited or unwanted electronic advertising messages sent in bulk and received as e-mails.

specs 1. Short for type specifications. Designers may refer to 'doing the spec' by which they mean laying down the parameters of text design choosing a typeface and size. 2. The specifications for printing a job are all the production details (format, extent, ill.u.s.trations, print run etc) sent to printers for a quote.

spine What a book has that your boss doesn't.

subscribe 1. In magazine terminology, to buy a series of magazines in advance. Publishers love it because it means a guaranteed sale (you only print one copy to sell one copy), with cash up front. Newsagents are not so keen, since it takes them out of the loop. 2. In book publis.h.i.+ng terminology, to secure orders from bookshops and wholesalers before publication date, either by phone or through a rep visiting. The results are recorded by the publis.h.i.+ng house as dues.

tag line (or strap line) A line of copy that sums up the product or the general philosophy of the company. Often displayed on the front cover of magazines or books.

telemarketing (or teleselling) Using the telephone to sell. Often thought of as referring to the making of calls to promote products, effective telemarketing also means considering the way incoming calls are handled as well as the way outgoing calls are made.

terms The discount and credit conditions on which a publisher supplies stock to a bookseller or wholesaler. Terms will vary according to the amount of stock taken, the status under which it is accepted, what the compet.i.tion are doing and how much the customers want the book. (See see safe, firm sale and sale or return.) they, them In this book we use 'them' as a non-gender-specific singular. If someone tells you that's wrong, ask them [ahem] what you should say instead. Saying 'he stroke she' is ridiculous, not to mention potentially suggestive.

tint A pattern of dots that when printed reproduces as a tone. Using tints is a good way to get value from your printing inks. For example, even if you have only one printing colour, try putting the text in solid, and using a 10% tint of the same colour to fill in and highlight certain boxes around copy. Further variations can be achieved if you are using more printed colours.

trade discount The discount given by publishers to booksellers and wholesalers on the price at which they will subsequently sell. The amount of discount given usually varies according to the amount of stock taken or the amount of promotion promised. 'Short discounts' are low-scale discounts on products that are either very expensive (often those that are extensively promoted by the publisher directly to the end-user) or those that are sold in sets (eg school textbooks).

trim Short for 'trimmed size' of a printed piece of paper, ie its final or guillotined size.

turnover The total of invoice value over a specified period for a particular company's sales.