paganism
a denomination formed by Christians that considers other religions to be heathenism
page assembly
computer-aided assembly of the individual elements of a page
page description language
formalised language for the precise description and output of the digitally created pages of a document
paging
consecutive numbering of each individual page in a codex or book
pagoda
a tower-like building with several floors in Buddhist Asia
paintbrush
tool for the application of ink or paint (also used in digital image editing)
palaeography
the study of ancient writing, of auxiliary importance in history and philology
Palatina
name of the important Renaissance library in Heidelberg, large parts of which were transported to Rome in 1623
paleotypography
the study of printed matter from the period of early printings
palimpsest
lettering that was written on antique or medieval parchment, where the original writing was removed
pallet
bookbinding tool for the gilding of book covers
pamphlet
publication of small scale, with maximum 48 pages
pantheon
ancient name for a temple dedicated to all gods
paper
a flat substance made of plant fibres, used as a medium for writing and images. It can be processed well either by hand or using machines
paper test
checking the properties of paper, card and cardboard using a standardised procedure
paper weight
finely designed or repurposed objects for weighting down lightweight papers
paperback
term for publications with a paper-bound cover
paperback
a light book in a small format held together with glue and with a paperboard cover
papyrology
area of classical studies that focuses on written sources from Egypt
papyrus
writing material made from the pith of the papyrus plant, by placing two layers on top of each other crossways
paragraph
a short, numbered section of a legal text, a textbook or a contract
paratexts
the texts that supplement the main text of a book, e.g. prologue, epilogue, dedications, etc.
parchment
a writing material obtained from animal skins, with hair on one side and flesh on the other
parliament
constitutional assembly resulting from elections; instrumental in the legislative process, formation of governments, etc.
parlour
a room for receiving guests and socialising or a place for literary or philosophical discussions
paste paper
a type of paper decoration which involves the application of coloured paste onto the page and shaping it into ornate forms
paste print
a graphic relief printing process of the 15th and 16th centuries
patent
official document regarding a legal act, e.g. appointment as an officer, ennoblement, or the awarding of inventor's rights
Patristics
a science that covers the teachings of the fathers of the church in the 1st to 8th century from a theological and/or philosophical point of view
patron
person assisting other persons or entities by money or financial funds
Paupers’ Bible
late-medieval instructional and devotional book which combined important episodes from the Old and New Testaments in pictures
penny dreadful
trivial literature in a cheap, A5 magazine format
Pentateuch
the Five Books of Moses, the content of the Hebrew Torah and the Old Testament in the Bible
perfect binding
a cost-effective bookbinding process whereby raw paper pages are bound using a suitable glue
pericope
a part of the Bible intended for reading during worship
perimeter calculation
to determine the expected page scope, the range of a text for a given layout
period
a long historical period of time
periodical
a regularly published printed work such as a newspaper, magazine, journal or a series of booklets
periodisation
division of history into time periods distinguished by particular common features
petition
a request, generally for political action to be taken
pharaoh
designation for the ancient Egyptian rulers
phototypesetting
process of typesetting by exposing characters by the use of optical and optoelectronic processes
pictogram
image that conveys information using a simplified graphical representation
pictorial title page
a title page bearing not only the author and title, but is also illustrated, e.g. with an engraving
picture writing
script consisting of simplified symbols, whose meaning can be deduced directly from its depiction
piecework
a contract for work paid piece-rate (as opposed to by the hour)
Pietism
reform movement of continental European Protestantism since the second half of the 18th century
pigment
colourant, which unlike the dyes in application media (e.g. paint or synthetic), is not soluble
pilgrimage
a visit to a holy place in order to fulfil a commandment
pinacotheca
room for a collection of pictures
piracy
act of violence against a ship on the high seas in order to steal the cargo or to unlawfully take charge of the ship
pirate edition
unauthorised reprint of a publication
pixel
picture element of a bit-mapped graphic, derived from the term "picture element"
pixels per inch
measure to specify the density of pixels in a visual bit-mapped picture
place of publication
location where a work first appears, normally the location of the publishers
place of publishing
address of the publisher, as recorded in the commercial register
planographic printing
printing processes in which printed and non-printed areas lie on the same level, e.g. lithography, offset printing, collotype
pogrom
planned, mass plundering and persecution of Jewish population groups or other minority nationalities or religions
point
a typographical unit of measurement for defining the size of fonts and other items on the printed page
point size
type sizes which are assigned special names in the typography industry
police
in modern times, the authorities responsible for matters of public safety and order
polyglot
a work which conveys the same content in multiple languages
polygraphy
term which incorporates the reproduction and duplication of text and images as well as bookbinding
pontifical vestments
an insignia of dignity in the Catholic Church (mitre, crosier, pectoral cross) as well as special robes for popes, bishops and abbots
Pope
the official title for the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, also the head of state of the Vatican City
popular prints
irregularly disseminated printed booklets consisting of several pages; some of the earliest examples of mass media
portable document format (pdf)
platform-independent document format that is widely used both in the printing industry and in digital publications
Portable Network Graphics (PNG)
graphic format for bit-mapped graphics with loss-free image compression
portrait
representation of a person in pictorial form: in a print, a painting, a photograph or a sculpture
PostScript (PS)
page description language which is used as a vector graphics format for digital documents and printers
Postzeitung
a newspaper run by the postmasters from the Thurn and Taxis princely house
praenumeration
transaction type in the book trade in the 18th century, whereby a book was paid for upon advance ordering, before it was published
pre-censorship
form of censorship, where freedom of expression is interfered with prior to publication
pre-literate society
a society that still relies on oral communication
pre-press
the sum of all sub-processes that bring together the text, images and graphics onto a printable plate or image-carrier
preceptor
designation for the teacher, especially for tutors in the Middle Ages and early modern times
presbyter
a person who holds a leading position in a church
presenter
in the modern media a person who is engaged in directing a conversation or other forms of communication
press freedom
the right of printed media, radio, television and internet presence to carry out their purpose freely and without censorship
press proof
print, made with the paper and inks of the later production print, for checking the tonal and colour values
primary source
first-hand report or relic that reports or attests to a historical event directly
primer (ABC book)
a book for first and beginner readers, often furnished with pictures
print
a printed sheet from a woodblock, copperplate, lithography stone, screenprint, etc.
print characteristics
characteristics of a piece of printed matter enabling the printing process to be recognised
print run
the number of copies of a book or other medium that are produced at the same time
print sheet
sheet of paper that is to be printed, or already has been and still requires folding and cutting
print space
the format and position of the area on the paper that is to be printed
printer-publishers
printers from early book printing who also took on the publishing risk for sales
printer’s mark
trademark of print shops from which publishers marks and modern logos have developed
printers’ registration
a quality factor in printing concerning the alignment precision between front and back of a page
printing
originally synonymous with letterpress relief printing, today books are mostly produced using offset printing, a form of planographic printing
printing machine
machine that carries out the inking up of the plates or other image-carriers, the printing of the sheets, and also the transfer of the image in offset lithography
printing on demand (POD)
method whereby printing is done to order
printing paper
term for types of paper that are suitable for printing
printing plate
image-carrier consisting of a single plate of wood, metal or stone, etc.
printing press
a mechanical machine with which text and images can be transferred onto printing material by the use of inked printing plates
printing registration
precise, exact overlapping print of the four colours cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black)
printing substrate
raw materials suitable to be printed on, such as paper, card, cardboard or transparencies
private
everything that is neither public nor state-owned
private press
printing workshop which produces printed material that is not for the book-selling trade on a small scale
privilege
priority given to a person, corporation or a commercial enterprise, e.g. a printer or publisher
privy seal
a seal of authentication first used in the Middle Ages
processor
computer component which controls processes or software which can process input to produce output
proclamation
public appeal or public declaration
product group
part of a range that is broken down according to organisational and formal aspects as well as content considerations
professional fee
a charge for the freelance services of an author, illustrator, editor, translator, etc.
proof
for checking the composition, layout and image reproduction of a sample print-out produced
proofreading
inspection of a textual composition for the purposes of conformity with the original text, as performed by an author, editor, etc. with indication of any necessary corrections
propaganda
systematic and intentional attempt to gain followers, particularly by using the media for specific opinions
prophet
enunciator of a religious message
prosopography
in history, the systematic investigation of a group of people
prospectus
a means of advertisement reproduced by printing, of significant importance when selling books and magazines
Protestantism
Christian religious orientation which arose from the Reformation and which distinguishes itself from the Roman Catholic Church
provenance
in the book trade, the previous owner; in archives and museums, the origin of pieces of writing, pictures and collector's items
province
an administrative unit in church and state sector
Psalter
the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament of the Bible
pseudonym
fictitious name that a person uses instead of their civil name
public access
general and free access to data which acts as a basis for the free expression of opinions
public library
a publicly accessible library which provides both a range of services and media for the general public
public library movement
movement for reform of German public libraries in the late 19th century
public relations
the organisation of publicity for people, organisations, companies or authorities
publisher
person who runs a media company
publisher's brochure
brochure commissioned by the publisher
publishing house
media companies involved in the acquisition of author's rights and the creation, reproduction and distribution of works
publishing studies
the academic study of publication, and publication itself as a sector of mass communication and mass media
pulp
raw material chemically extracted from plant fibres from wood and annuals for paper production
pulping
crushing the unsold remnants of books into a wet mass
pulpit
raised platform in a church, synagogue or mosque from which a preacher presents the word of God
punch card
specially manufactured paper disk where the data content has been coded using an arrangement of holes
