Glossary
Print, design, video and AI terms, in plain words
41 terms people meet when they make print files, designs, videos, emails and websites, each explained in a few sentences with a real example, and linked to the aiKit tool that does the job.
Print & production
Bleed
Bleed is extra artwork that runs past the edge of a printed piece, so nothing white shows after the paper is cut to its finished size.
CMYK (and RGB)
CMYK is the four-ink color mode used for printing (cyan, magenta, yellow, black); RGB is the light-based mode used by screens.
Die line
A die line is the outline that shows where a custom-shaped piece will be cut, folded or scored, kept on its own layer in the print file.
DPI / PPI (resolution)
DPI and PPI measure how many dots or pixels fit in one inch of an image; print usually needs about 300 at the final size to look sharp.
Gobo
A gobo is a small disc placed inside a light or projector that projects a logo, pattern or message onto a floor, wall or building.
Preflight (print file check)
Preflight is the check a print file gets before it goes to press: size, bleed, resolution, fonts and colors, so problems are caught early.
Print-ready PDF
A print-ready PDF is a final file set up so a printer can run it as is: exact size, bleed, embedded fonts, high-resolution images and print boxes.
Proof approval
Proof approval is the customer's written sign-off on a final design before it is printed or published, so everyone agrees on what will be made.
Raster image
A raster image is a picture made of a fixed grid of pixels, like a JPG, PNG or phone photo, so it blurs when enlarged past its size.
Safe area
The safe area is the zone inside the trim line where text and logos stay clear of the cut, so nothing important gets trimmed off.
Spot color (Pantone / PMS)
A spot color is one premixed ink, usually named by a Pantone (PMS) number, printed on its own instead of being built from four CMYK inks.
Trim line (cut line)
The trim line marks where a printed piece is cut to its finished size; anything outside it is bleed and gets cut away.
Vector file
A vector file stores artwork as math-defined shapes and lines, so it stays perfectly sharp at any size, from a business card to a billboard.
Design & images
AI image generation (text to image)
Text to image is AI that makes a new picture from a written description, such as a product scene, a photo-style shot or an illustration.
Background removal
Background removal cuts the subject out of a photo and makes everything behind it transparent, ready to place on any color or scene.
Color look (photo and video filter)
A color look is a preset color treatment, like warm film or cool and moody, applied to a photo or video to give it a consistent style.
Layers
Layers are stacked, separate pieces of a design, like a photo, text and a logo, that you can move, hide or edit without touching the rest.
Mockup
A mockup is a realistic preview of a design on a real product, like a logo on a shirt, mug or sign, made before anything is produced.
Vectorize (image to vector)
To vectorize an image is to trace a pixel-based picture, like a JPG logo, into clean vector shapes that stay sharp at any size.
Video, voice & music
AI music and jingles
AI music tools write original songs, jingles and background tracks from a description of the style, mood and length you want.
AI video generation (text to video and image to video)
AI video generation makes short video clips from a written description (text to video) or brings a still photo to life (image to video).
Auto captions (subtitles)
Auto captions are on-screen words made automatically from a video's speech, so viewers can follow along with the sound off.
Transcription and meeting summaries
Transcription turns spoken audio or video into written text; a meeting summary then pulls out the key points, decisions and to-dos.
Voice cloning (your own AI voice)
Voice cloning makes an AI voice that sounds like a specific person from recordings of them, so new scripts can be read in their voice.
Voice-over (text to speech)
Text to speech turns a written script into spoken audio read by an AI voice, used for voice-overs on videos, ads and phone messages.
Writing & marketing
Abandoned cart email
An abandoned cart email reminds a shopper about items they left in an online cart, usually with a photo of the items and a link back to check out.
Brand kit
A brand kit is one saved set of a business's logos, colors, fonts and voice that every design and piece of writing follows.
Brand voice
Brand voice is the consistent personality in how a business writes and speaks, such as friendly, expert or playful, across every channel.
Email template
An email template is a reusable, designed layout for marketing emails, so each new newsletter or promo starts from a finished, on-brand design.
Landing page
A landing page is a single web page built for one goal, such as booking a call or claiming an offer, usually where an ad or email sends people.
Sales & customers
Client portal
A client portal is a private online space where a customer sees their project's updates, files and approvals, and only what is meant for them.
Google review link
A Google review link is a direct web address that opens the review form for a business on Google, so customers can leave a review in one tap.
Kanban board
A kanban board shows work as cards moving across columns, like To do, Doing and Done, so everyone sees where each job stands at a glance.
Live chat widget
A live chat widget is a small chat window on a website where visitors can message the business and get answers in real time.
Online booking
Online booking lets customers pick a service and an open time on your website and reserve it themselves, without a phone call.
Quote (estimate)
A quote or estimate is a written price for a specific job, listing what is included so the customer can review it and say yes.
Review gating
Review gating is screening customers first and only sending happy ones to leave public reviews; Google's policies prohibit it.
Websites
Custom domain
A custom domain is a business's own web address, like yourbusiness.com, used instead of a temporary address supplied by a website platform.
Website hosting
Website hosting is the service that stores a website's files on internet-connected servers so anyone can visit it at its web address.
AI basics
Put the words to work.
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