Industry Terminology
Welcome to Promotional Designs, Inc., where creativity meets promotion.
Promotional Designs, Inc. is a forward-thinking promotional design company dedica
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To roughen a mesh surface, yielding what is termed "tooth."
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.
Direct premium offered by a bank or savings institution to a depositor opening a new account.
Silklike in appearance and feel. Resistant to stretch and shrinkage. Fiber-forming substance is cellulose acetate.
Written notice to a distributor from a supplier that an order has been received.
Soft and woolly. Appearance varies from smooth and thin to a thick woven texture. Springs back when crushed.
A set of technologies created by Microsoft to enable interactive content on Web sites. With ActiveX, websites can be animated using multimedia effects, interactive objects, and sophisticated applications that create a user experience comparable to that of a highquality CD-ROM. The same effects can be experienced with Java, Shockwave and Flash — the difference is that ActiveX is an exclusive Microsoft product making use of ActiveX Controls. ActiveX programs or “controls” are among the many types of components that use COM (Component Object Model) technologies to provide interoperability with other types of COM components and services. ActiveX controls are the third version of OLE controls (OCX), providing a number of enhancements specifically designed to facilitate distribution of components over high-latency networks and to provide integration of controls into Web browsers. These enhancements include features such as incremental rendering and code signing, to allow users to identify the authors of controls before allowing them to execute. Put more simply, an ActiveX Control is an applet based on Microsoft technologies that enables interactive content on web pages.
Lettering imprinted on any item. Usually an advertiser's name, sales message, trademark or slogan.
Merchandise given to a new customer on the condition that he or she earns it via a later purchase.
Purchaser of specialties. Also know as an end-user or buyer.
Useful or interesting article or merchandise, usually carrying an imprinted advertising or promotional message, given with no obligation. Also known as a giveaway, adcentive or promotional product.
Imitation lace made on a Schiffli loom. The end result of the aetzing process.
Graphic technique in which ink is applied with compressed air, similar to spray painting, to render a soft, airy effect.
Continuous embroidery which covers all of the fabric from selvage to selvage.
Off-press color proof made from separation films.
Goodwill-building promotion in which employees or customers receive a specialty or business gift on their hiring anniversaries.
Prevents the accumulation of static electricity and helps keep the fabric from clinging to the wearer or to other garments.
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.
Multicolored diamond pattern used in knitwear, especially socks and sweaters.
All illustration copy used in preparing a job for printing.
Artwork submitted for client approval, usually a blackand-white stat of the camera-ready art.
Acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The general specification of bits in a computer to input, store, process, and output text characters.
a.k.a. "enclosure" A file (or group of files) that is included (or “attached”) with an e-mail message. You can attach files through almost any popular e-mail program, such as Eudora or Outlook Express. Usually, this is accomplished by simply clicking the “attach file” button and then browsing through your computer system to find and select the desired file or image. Be careful with attachments, however, as they stay on your computer unless you go into your attachments folder and delete them. The best thing to do if you want to save an attachment is to open it, do a “save as,” and put it in a folder on your computer. That way, you can routinely go into your attachments folder and delete them all without worrying about losing one you want. Never open any attachment you receive from someone you do not know; it may contain a virus.
Changes in type at the proof stages, made by and chargeable to the client.
Recognition merchandise, often personalized, used to acknolwedge performance or milestones.
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Herringbone knit using fine yarns resulting in a lighter and smoother fabrication.
Pique knit using fine yarns - same as baby herringbone.
Woven or nonwoven material used underneath the item or fabric being embroidered to provide support and stability.
An insignia of identification.
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.
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. Sometimes the beading is in a contrast color.
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.
Lustrous durable fabric with heavy crosswise ribs, used to make coats and suits.
Caps are dyed normally and then very gently washed with stones in a chemical solvent to create a very subtle worn look.
Small diamond pattern accentuated by a dot in the middle, resembling the eye of a bird. Commonly used in suitings.
Sale whereby employees or customers receive a specialty or business gift on their birthdays.
Basic unit of digital information.
Thick heavily fulled woolen fabric with a softly brushed finish similar to an actual blanket, used for outerwear.
A term used in Schiffli embroidery, referring to zig zag stitches laid close together. In Multihead embroidery, the term is Satin Stitch.
General term for a variety of flannels and meltons used to make blazers.
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.
Design stamped without metallic leaf or ink, giving a bas-relief effect.
Hot-stamping without fail. The approach, used often with leather, gives a more subtle imprint than hotstamping and a shallower imprint than debossing.
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.
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.
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
The joining together of two fabrics permanently with a bonding agent. Also known as heat sealing.
A sharp pointed instrument used to puncture goods, part of the Schiffli embroidery machine.
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.
Technique in which a marketer associates a promotion or product with a better-known property for the purpose of attracting attention or implied endorsement.
- 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.
- A yarn with loops producing a rough, nubby appearance on woven or knitted fabric.
Bonus direct-mail offer sent along with a premium won or earned by the consumer.
To separate, by color, elements to be printed in different colors.
Grouping made up of vibrant, primary colors such as blue, green, red, and yellow.
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.
A link that no longer works or a graphic that does not appear when a Web page loads are said to be "broken." In other words, when a link or image is "clicked on" and it does not take you to the correct destination, but instead an error message appears, the link is broken. When an image doesn’t load, and instead you see the alt text or some generic icon shapes, it’s a broken graphic. Broken links and broken graphics occur for several reasons: the server hosting the Web site has shut down temporarily or has been restarted; the Web site has moved to an entirely new server; the file or files have been moved or deleted; or the HTML code is incorrect.
Used to view and navigate Web pages and other information on the World Wide Web. Examples include: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari (MAC), etc.
A term used to compare the way a Web page looks on one WWW browser as opposed to another. For example, if you view NetLingo.com on Netscape, it will look pretty much the same as it does on Internet Explorer (illustrating browser compatibility). Some time ago, though, if you viewed NetLingo.com on the AOL browser, it would’ve looked jumbled (a case of browser incompatibility). The reason these incompatibilities exist relates to the way a browser interprets the code that creates a Web page (HTML). Browser compatibility can also refer to cross-platform compatibility, which is, for example, the way a page renders or displays on a Windows system as opposed to on a Mac. The differences are usually very slight, however, just enough to annoy some Web designers and their clients into spending great time and energy on beta-testing a Web site with every browser on every type of system. Browser compatibility is often mentioned in conjunction with the term browser support, but the two should not be confused.
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.
Liner which adds support to the front of a cap.
Manufacturer's identification mark printed on a form or product, usually in an inconspicuous area.
A hand made emblem, made with brass or silver hollow thread. These finished emblems are a product of India or Pakistan.
Merchandise given by a business for goodwill, without obligation to its customers and employees. Also known as an executive gift.
Opportunity for travel incentive participants to purchase part of a trip if they do not fully qualify by sales performance.
Unit of digital information, equivalent to one character or 8 or 32 bits.