- Acetate overlay
- A clear film printed with a carton's dieline and key print positions, laid over a received carton to check it against the specification.
- Batch record
- The production record for a run, including lot number, materials, and process data, used for traceability.
- Bleed
- Artwork extended past the cut line so no unprinted edge shows after cutting. Standard bleed is 1/8 inch.
- Caliper
- The thickness of paperboard, measured in points (thousandths of an inch). An 18 pt board is 0.018 inch thick.
- CCNB
- Clay-coated news back: a recycled paperboard with a coated white printing surface.
- Certificate of Conformance (CoC)
- A signed statement that an order meets all specified requirements.
- Crease (score)
- A pressed line that lets paperboard fold cleanly without cracking.
- Dieline
- The flat drawing of a carton showing cut and crease lines, used to lay out artwork and drive cutting.
- Digital flatbed cutting
- Cutting and creasing directed by a digital file instead of a steel-rule die, which removes die cost on short runs.
- DSCSA
- The Drug Supply Chain Security Act, a federal law requiring a product identifier, including a serial number, on prescription drug packages for tracing.
- Dust flap
- A small side flap that closes the end of a carton under the tuck flap.
- GS1 DataMatrix
- A square 2D barcode that holds encoded data such as GTIN, serial, lot, and expiry. It is the standard code for DSCSA product identifiers.
- GTIN
- Global Trade Item Number: the GS1 product identification number encoded in barcodes.
- IFU
- Instructions for Use: the regulated document packaged with a medical device or drug.
- Incoming receiving inspection (IRI)
- The check a manufacturer performs on purchased components when they arrive, before releasing them for use.
- Lot traceability
- The ability to link each finished item to its production run, materials, and records.
- Make-ready
- Press and die setup before the first good sheet. Digital production needs very little of it.
- Miniature folding
- Folding an insert or outsert into a very small, tight package that fits inside or on a carton.
- NDC
- National Drug Code: the FDA identifier for a drug product, carried inside the GTIN on U.S. prescription drug packages.
- Outsert
- A tightly folded insert attached to the outside of a container or carton.
- Packaging Parts Specification (PPS)
- A controlled document defining a packaging component: dimensions, structure, material, print, and acceptance criteria.
- Reverse tuck end (RTE)
- A carton whose top and bottom tuck flaps close from opposite sides.
- SBS
- Solid bleached sulfate: a premium, all-virgin-fiber white paperboard common in pharmaceutical cartons.
- Serialization
- Printing a unique identifier on each unit so it can be tracked individually.
- Straight tuck end (STE)
- A carton whose top and bottom tuck flaps close from the same side.
- UDI
- Unique Device Identification: the FDA system requiring medical device labels to carry a unique identifier in machine- and human-readable form.
- Variable data printing
- Printing different information on each piece, such as serial numbers or codes, within one run.
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