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Oblong - A booklet or catalog bound along the shorter dimension.

Off-press Proof - A color proof that is similar in appearance to the finished printed product but is made without the aid of a printing press.

Offset Printing - Usually refers to offset lithography. The image prints by transferring ink from a flat plate or cylinder to a rubber blanket that deposits the ink onto the substrate instead of directly from plate to paper.

One-up - Having only one image of each item (see two-up).

Opacity - Characteristic of paper or other substrate that prevents print on one side from showing through to the other side. Also, the characteristic of ink that prevents the substrate from showing through.

Opaque - To paint out the portions of a negative that are not wanted on the plate.

Optical Centering - Positioning material a little above center when it is desired to make it appear centered with respect to top and bottom.

Optical Gain - An effect caused by printing on a rough-surfaced paper in which halftone dots appear larger than actual size, resulting in image degradation.

Orthochromatic - A term applied to photographic materials that are sensitive to green, blue and ultraviolet light.

Outline Halftone - A photo reproduction in which the background around the primary subject has been removed.

Overlay - A tissue over the base keyline for writing corrections and instructions such as indicating color breaks.

Overlay Proof - Color proof which simulates the appearance of the printed piece. It consists of sheets of film dyed or pigmented with the color and image of each plate to be used in the print run. The film is stacked so it is in register and in the order the inks will be printed.

Overprint - To print over an area that has previously been printed.

Overrun - Copies printed and/or bound in excess of the specified quantity.