Look up terms used in the product identification industry.


A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Tactile

As in a tactile sign. A sign, or area within a sign, that conveys its message through raised or engraved art, making it accessible to the visually impaired. Raised art is most commonly in the form of Braille and/or raised text and pictograms.
VIEW SAMPLE TACTILE SIGNS.

Tag

(1.) A small nameplate.
(2.) A printed rectangular piece of cardstock with a hole in one end. A tag is most commonly attached to items using a wire. Tags are commonly used for labeling items such as inventory, luggage, and equipment.
(3.) Tag is commonly used as a generic term for Labels, Decals, Nameplates, Overlays, Legend Plates, and Signs, as well as Tags.

Tamper Evident

Also known as Tamper Proof. A tamper-evident label / decal features an adhesive system that leaves the word "VOID" on both the label and the surface it was applied to when it is removed. The removed decal cannot be reapplied or transferred to another product or surface.
See Tamper Evident Polyester Film on our Materials Reference Chart and Destructible.

Teflon

Trade name for DuPont's TFE sheet grade of fluorocarbon resins.
See Teflon on our Materials Reference Chart.

Textured 2-Plex

See Textures, Front Engravable on our Materials Reference Chart.

Textures

See Textures, Front Engravable on our Materials Reference Chart.

Thermal Printer

Also called barcode printer. A computer controlled printing device that uses heat to change the color of a heat sensitive material to black. Labels for this type of printer are referred to as direct thermal labels. Many thermal printers can also be used for thermal transfer printing. See Thermal Transfer Printer.
VIEW A THERMAL PRINTER.

Thermal Transfer Printer

Also called barcode printer. A computer controlled printing device that uses heat and pressure to transfer dyes or resins from a carrier/donor sheet (often called a ribbon or foil) on to a receiver material such as a paper label. Labels for this type of printer are referred to as thermal transfer labels. Many thermal transfer printers can also be used for thermal printing. The advantage of thermal transfer printing that is different colored ribbons may be used to print one or multiple colors on a label.
See Thermal Printer above.
VIEW A THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTER.

Thermoplastic

A term used to describe a wide range of plastics that are capable of melting and solidifying repeatedly.
See also Thermoset below.

Thermoset

A term used to describe a wide range of materials that cure through chemical reaction by heat to a point of NOT being capable of melting or softening by subsequent heating. Thermoset plastics are typically harder and more brittle than thermoplastics.

Tint

(1.) To make a color lighter than its original color by adding white to it; a color diluted with white.
(2.) A delicate or pale color.

Tone

The effect on a color brought about by blending it with another color.

Trademark

Used by a business to distinguish itself and its products from the competition. A trademark may include a name, symbol, word or combination of those. Protected by the federal government and considered to have financial value, trademarks should only be reproduced with the company's (owner’s) permission.

Traffolyte (also traffolite )

A brand name of engravable sheet stock no longer being produced.  Traffolyte has become a generic term commonly used for specifying 2- or 3-ply, laminated engraving stocks and/or the nameplates, tags, or legend plates produced from the stock.
 

Trapping

Used to describe the practice of slightly overlapping adjacent printed colors. This overlap prevents an undesirable blank space from appearing between the two colors when registration between colors shifts due to equipment registration tolerances.

Transfer Tape

Medium-tack adhesive coated on translucent paper. Transfer tape is placed on weeded vinyl images still on their original carrier liner. The tack of the tape is stronger than the adhesion of the vinyl to the coated liner, so the image is pulled off the liner and the decal is transferred to another surface. The transfer tape holds all of the pieces together in their pre-spaced locations until they are applied to a substrate and then the transfer tape can be peeled off.
See Pre-Spaced Decal and
Weed.

Translucent

The property of a substrate, ink or paint to allow the passage of some light through it without being transparent.

Transparent

A clear material that you can see through.

Trim Cut

A waste margin on a printed sheet or roll which is intended to be trimmed to a finished dimension.

Typeface

The design of a given set of letters, numbers and symbols, without reference to size or width.
See Font.

Ultra-Mattes, Front Engravable

See Ultra-Mattes, Front Engravable on our Materials Reference Chart.
See Front Engravable on our Processes Page.

Ultra-Mattes, Reverse Engravable

See Ultra-Mattes, Reverse Engravable on our Materials Reference Chart.
See Reverse Engravable on our Processes Page.

Under-Run

When large quantities of items are produced, very often, more pieces are made than an order calls for. These extra pieces (or over-runs) are made as replacement pieces for any rejected pieces found during final inspection. When more pieces are rejected than there are over-runs, the finished product quantity falls short of the quantity ordered. This deficit, or the quantity that the order is short, is called an under-run.

Unwind Direction

When labels or decals are manufactured in roll form, the unwind direction is specifying which edge or side of the label will be unrolled first. The unwind direction can be important if the labels will be used with an automatic label applicator or will be computer imprinted.

Ultraviolet Light (UV)

An invisible part of the spectrum ranging from 185 to 450 nanometers. Ultraviolet light is the prime cause of pigment failure (or fading) in some inks, paints, and substrates, especially red.

UV Resistance

The ability of a material to withstand extended exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet) without degradation, hardening, or excessive discoloration.

UV Stabilizer

An additive that is blended in small proportions in plastics. This additive absorbs UV radiation to which the plastic is exposed, thus delaying the deterioration / aging of the plastic and improving its active service life.

 

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