F…

 

FACE-CUT LABEL  Any pressure sensitive label where the face material is cut to the liner.

 

FACE MATERIAL  Any paper, film, fabric, laminate or foil the material suitable for converting into pressure sensitive label stock. In the finished construction this web is bonded to the adhesive layer and becomes the functional part of the construction.

 

FACE SLIT  A slit in the face material of a pressure sensitive product to facilitate removal from the backing.

 

FACE SPLIT  See face slit.

 

FACE STOCK  See face material.

 

FADEOMETER  Instrument used to measure the fade resistant properties of inks and other pigmented coatings.

 

FADING  A gradual decrease in brilliance of color. The term is often applied to the change in color produced by exposure to light.

 

FAN FOLD  See continuous labels.

 

FATIGUE  A condition of stress created by repeated flexing or impact force upon the adhesive-adhered interface.

 

FEATHERING  A defect which is characterized by ragged, course edges, or undesirable irregular edges without a print.

 

FEED SLOTS  Round or rectangular holes force let's put in pressure sensitive label stock to maintain the register of pressure sensitive labels while they are being printed or imprinted.

 

FESTOON  Material take-up system usually used with a but splicer in order to continue feeding a press while the splice is being made on stationery material.

 

FILL-IN  Generally used to refer to the open portions of small type and halftones filled by Ink.

 

FILLING IN  Refers to the filling-in of small reverse areas or copy of a printed design.

 

FILM  A transparent material used for face stock for pressure sensitive labels. Often used in applications requiring a maximum durability.

 

FILM MASTER  A photographic film representation of a specific symbol from which a printing plate is produced.

 

FILM POSITIVE  A positive contact print on a filmbase material.

 

FILMS  Face and liner material manufactured from synthetic high molecular weight polymers.

 

FINAT European organization of label printers similar to TLMI.

 

FINENESS OF GRIND  The degree of grinding or dispersion of a pigment in a printing ink or vehicle. Extent to which particle size has been reduced to its ultimate by grinding technique.

 

FINESS OF GRIND GUAGE  Instrument consisting of a flat block with two calibrated gradient slots from 0 to 0.001 in. on which ink is drawn down with a steel blade. Undispersed pigment or other particles in ink show streaks starting at their particle size.

 

FINISH  The surface property of a material determined by its texture and gloss. Also an important physical property of paper. It describes surface contour and characteristics measurable by smoothness, gloss, absorbability and print quality. Finish of paper can be aesthetic or functional.

 

FINISHING  Usually refers to the last thing done prior to shipping, i.e. rewinding, backing, etc.

 

FISH EYES  Round or eye-shaped deformations in a coating (adhesive, release, protective, etc.); craters.

 

FLAG  A marker, usually strips of colored paper or board, inserted in rolls of pressure sensitive materials and extending from an edge to designate a deviation from standard, such as a splice, defect or specification change. A warning to the operator handling the material during the next operation in the converting process, usually indicating an area that is to be inspected closely.

 

FLAGGING  Usually refers to the "lifting" of a pressure sensitive label from the surface to which it has been applied. This condition most often occurs when the label has been applied around a curved surface.

 

FLAME-RESISTANT PAPER  A paper which has been treated with chemicals which enable it to resist flame . While not actually fireproof , it will not support combustion , will charge but not carry a flame .

 

FLAMMABLE  Capable of being ignited.

 

FLASH POINT  The temperature at which a flammable liquid will flash when ignited by a small flame passed over the surface.

 

FLAT PACK  A continuous web folded at cross perforation at regular intervals. See fan fold.

 

FLEX Another term for a deflection of rolls or cylinders in press. Also, bending qualities or characteristics, of any material, including printing substrates.

 

FLEXIBILITY  A property of face materials, measured under specific conditions, that indicate how readily they will conform to curved surfaces.

 

FLEXIBLE PRINTED CURCUIT  A printed circuit or conductive pattern, on or between insulating layer is, which remains flexible after processing.

 

FLEXIBLE DIE  See magnetic die.

 

FLEXING  Condition that can occur on a die when the die circumference is less than the width of the cross blades. Causes the center of the cross blades to fail to cut properly and consistently.

 

FLEXLIGHT  Union Carbide's trademark for photopolymer plate material.

 

FLEXOGRAPHIC PRINTING  Formerly called aniline printing. A method of rotary printing that to employees flexible, raced relief image plates and rapid drying inks.

 

FLEXOGRAPHY  Relief printing process using a simple inking system and fluid inks.

 

FLOCK  A commercial fuzz or linked consisting of fine strands or filament from textile fibers, animal hair, synthetic resins, etc. It is applied to an adhesive coated surface to produce a decorative felt-like appearance.

 

FLOOD COAT  The Coating of an entire surface with an ink, adhesive, coating, etc.

 

FLOW OUT  The capacity of an ink or adhesive to spread, filling in the hills and valleys on the surface of the printed or non-printed substrate.

 

FLUORESCENT PAPER  A paper that is coated with a florescent pigment which not only reflects a visible wavelengths, but is activated by most of the remaining absorbed light to re- emit it as color of a longer wavelengths which results in reinforcement of the reflected color.

 

FLUORESCENT PIGMENTS  By absorbing unwanted wavelengths of light and converting them into light of desired wavelengths, these colors seem to possess an actual glow of their own.

 

FLUOROCARBON FILMS  A film with a very high and low temperature limits, excellent electrical characteristics, and a very slippery, non-sticking surface.

 

FLYING SPLICE  A splicing or joining of two webs accomplished while the web is in motion.

 

FOAMING  A property of a liquid related to a surface tension. Frothing.

 

FOB  Free on board. Indicates that the quoted price includes loading on a railroad car or truck at the designated point, but no further transportation costs are included.

 

FOCAL DISTANCE  Ultraviolet light energy, like visible light, can be collected and focused by an elliptical reflector. The focal distance is the distance from the lamp to the substrate, whereas the maximum energy is concentrated at that distance which gives the narrowest band of focused light.

 

FOIL  A very thin metal sheet that can be used as face stock material in label production.

 

FOIL PAPER LAMINATE  A foil laminated to a sheet of paper used as a face stock. The foil is usually top coated to improve ink receptivity.

 

FONT  In composition, the complete assortment of type of one size and face. It

 

FORMAT  The size, style, layout, margins, etc., of a label.

 

FOUNTAIN  A pan or troth on a flexographic press which contains the ink and in which the fountain roller revolves.

 

FOUR-COLOR-PROCESS  Printing with yellow, magenta and cyan color inks plus black, using screens to create all other colors.

 

FREEZER ADHESIVES  Adhesives that will function at temperatures below the freezing point. They are usually removable at room temperatures.

 

FTA  Flexographic Technical Association.

 

FUSE  To joining of two surfaces by heating them to their melting or softening point.