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.NET

A Microsoft operating system platform that incorporates applications, tools, and services and a change in the infrastructure of the company’s Web strategy. The architecture is dependent on four industry standards: HTTP, XML, SOAP, and UDDI (a Web-based business directory).

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A

AD HOC STOREFRONT

Simple “send and print” storefronts that allow any user to upload files and order printed products. These storefronts do not support templated or variable data.

API (APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE)

An interface (language) used by an application program to communicate with an operating system or database management system.

APPLET

A small Java program embedded in a website. Applets are normally used for creating virtual objects that may move or interact with the website. An applet is like a small piece of executable code that needs a full application to run it. This is important in deployment of features like online editing tools within Web-to-print solutions.

ASP (APPLICATION SERVICE PROVIDER)

A company that hosts and maintains software applications on its own servers within its own facilities. Customers rent the use of the application and gain access to it over the Internet.

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B

B2B (BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS)

The exchange of products or services between businesses rather than between businesses and consumers.

B2C (BUSINESS-TO-CONSUMER)

The exchange of products between businesses and consumers.

BANDWIDTH

Measured in bits-per-second, it is the amount of information that can be sent through an Internet connection. BROWSER. An application program that interprets HTML into words and graphics, displayed on a Web page.

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C

CGI

1. (Computer Graphics Interface). A device-independent graphics language for display and printing. 2. (Computer Generated Image). An image created on the computer. 3. (Common Gateway Interface). A specification for transferring information between a Web server and a CGI program.

CLICK-THROUGH

The ratio of clicks to impressions on an advertisement, often a banner ad, i.e., if an ad is shown 100 times and 5 people click on it, it will have a 5% click-through ratio.

CLIENT/SERVER

An architecture between two software applications in which the client makes a specific request to the server.

COMPOSITION ENGINE

The software that merges data in the building of composite pages. The final page created when variable data is put together with a boilerplate or template is put together with a composition engine.

CRM (CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT)

The entire process of a pre-sales, sales, and service relationship with a customer. CRM software is much more efficient than fragmented data records, because it saves time in tracking communications and transactions with a particular client.

CSS (CASCADING STYLE SHEETS)

A stylesheet language that acts as an HTML enhancement by adding style (fonts, colors, etc.) to Web documents.

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D

DAM (DATA ASSET MANAGEMENT)

A virtual warehouse for archiving digital content in a centralized location.

DATA AGGREGATION

When data is gathered, summarized, and refined. After it is gathered, the refined statistical data is often reported directly back to the requestor.

DMZ (DEMILITARIZED ZONE)

A computer or subnetwork that resides between a trusted internal network, like a LAN, and an external network, such as the Internet.

DYNAMIC WEB EFFECT

The ability of a Web page to change appearance as a result of a visitor’s action.

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E

E-COMMERCE

Web-based retail operations.

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F

FEED

A format used for sending updated information to a server, often subscribed to by the user. FLASH. A client application available on most Web browsers that supports vector and raster graphics and bi-directional streaming of audio and video.

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G

GIF (GRAPHICS INTERCHANGE FORMAT)

An 8-bit-per-pixel bitmap image format, it is one of the most widely used image formats on the Web. GIF files are recognizable by their .gif file extension. GIF is suitable for images with sharp edges and relatively few gradations of color, such as line art, cartoons, and text. You can also create background transparencies and animations using GIF images.

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H

HTML (HYPERTEXT MARKUP LANGUAGE)

A language to specify the structure and style of mostly text-based documents for retrieval over the Internet via a Web browser. Each individual markup code is referred to as a tag.

HTTP (HYPERTEXT TRANSFER PROTOCOL)

A protocol for transferring hypertext documents over the Web. HTTP is the prefix for URLs, indicating the protocol. HYPERLINK. An image or a line of text on a web page that opens another web page or moves to another area of the screen or document.

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I

ISP (INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER)

An organization that provides access to the Internet via dial-up, ISDN, cable, DSL, and T1/T3 lines. An initial setup fee and a fixed monthly fee are often charged.

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J

JAVA

A multiplatform, high-level, object-oriented programming language.

JDF (JOB DEFINITION FORMAT)

An XML-based file format for an electronic job ticket that acts as an information carrier, linking files to multiple production devices.

JPEG (JOINT PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERTS GROUP)

Coined after the original name of the committee that wrote the standard, it is a standardized image compression mechanism. JPEG compresses either full-color or grayscale images and works best with photographs and artwork. It uses a lossy compression method and is saved on a sliding resolution scale based on the quality desired.

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O

OPEN SPECIFICATION

A standard that is available to the public with limited restrictions.

OUT OF THE BOX

Refers to an application’s suitability to be rapidly integrated into an existing system.

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P

PACKAGED SOLUTIONS

An out-of-the-box solution that requires a minimal amount of user involvement and is usually ready to deploy with few adjustments. These solutions have limited customization.

PDF (PORTABLE DOCUMENT FORMAT)

Created by Adobe, a PDF is a portable file format intended to facilitate document exchange. PDFs are often the print industry standard for proofing, and they are intended to deliver the same results in the digital document as in the printed document. These documents are difficult to edit, as it reflects the intent and execution of its creator.

PLUG-IN

A computer program that interacts with a host application to provide a specified function, adding a feature to an existing system.

PRODUCTION PORTALS

Portals that consist of workflow enhancement tools that facilitate the exchange between print buyers and print sellers over the Internet. These portals focus primarily on the back end of a printer’s workflow.

PURL (PERSONALIZED URL)

A personalized Web page used to draw prospects in a marketing campaign. Considered print to-Web, the printed piece contains the actual PURL that drives the prospect to the site. All clicks and actions are tracked and reported to the purveyor.

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S

SCRIPT

A set of commands that are dedicated to one task and used to automate complex features within a system. Scripts can also be used to generate Web pages. Primarily text documents, most scripts can be opened and edited using a basic text editor.

SEO (SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION)

The process of increasing hits on a website by ranking high on the search results of a search engine. The further a page is optimized and contains the right keywords and tags/metatags, the higher it will rank on the list, leading to more hits.

SERVER

A network device that provides service to the network users by managing shared resources on the same computer or between computers on the network.

SHARED HOSTING

An instance of Web hosting where more than one server is hosted on a single physical server. The cost of maintenance is shared in this model and includes system administration.

SLA (SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT)

Used in many merchant/institution and merchant/consumer transactions to define the boundaries of what the service is committed to deliver and under what circumstances.

SOAP (SIMPLE OBJECT ACCESS PROTOCOL)

An XML-based messaging protocol used to encode the information in Web service messages (request and response) before delivering them over a network. These messages are transport-independent but are most commonly carried over HTTP.

SOA (SERVICE ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE)

A system for linking resources on demand. In SOA, resources are made available to other participants in the network as independent services that are accessed in a standardized way. This provides for more unrestricted coupling of resources than in traditional architectures.

SSL (SECURITY SOCKETS LAYER)

A security protocol for Internet communications that verifies the identity of an Internet client and/or server, and encrypts the messages sent between them. It can be used to deploy authentication and confidentiality for Web services that run directly between a client and a server, relying on a public key infrastructure (PKI) system based on digital certificates.

SKINS

Custom graphical appearances (GUIs) that allows users to customize images in certain software or websites without changing their function.

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T

TIFF (TAGGED IMAGE FILE FORMAT)

A variable-resolution bitmapped image format developed by Aldus (now part of Adobe) in 1986. TIFF is very common for transporting color or grayscale images into page layout applications but is less suited than GIF for delivering Web content.

TURNKEY SOLUTION

A packaged solution that requires a minimal amount of user involvement and is usually ready to deploy with few adjustments.

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U

URL (UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATOR

An Internet address (for eexample, http://www.youtube.com/categories) that contains the access protocol (http://), the domain name (www.youtube.com), and an optional file path (/categories).

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V

VDP (VARIABLE-DATA PRINT)

Customizable, on-demand printing often outputted by a digital press. Information is pulled from a database and text, graphics, and images are the standard variables. Names and addresses are the most common fields altered, particularly for 1:1 marketing campaigns.

WEBDAV (WORLD WIDE WEB DISTRIBUTED AUTHORING AND VERSIONING)

A standard for collaborative authoring on the Web, WebDAV is an HTTP protocol enhancement that facilitates collaborative editing and file management between users remotely from each other on the Internet.

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W

WEB-TO-PRINT

An interaction between those who buy print products and those who sell them, using the Internet as the medium for the exchange. Also called “W2P” and “web2print.”

WORKFLOW

A network of activity that employs a number of tools and processes to complete a project. We can further define two basic kinds of workflow: Approval and task. An approval-centric workflow tracks the chain of command on content in any form. A task-centric workflow is built around the tasks that must be completed by various resources, or people, to complete a task. In print production we think of workflow as the chain of events from content creation to job fulfillment and everything in between.

WYSIWYG (WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET)

Software that generates HTML code from content entered, much like a word processor. Examples are Microsoft’s FrontPage or Macromedia’s Dreamweaver.

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X

XML (EXTENSIBLE MARKUP LANGUAGE)

A markup language that describes the underlying information and structure of Web con•tent. It is considered extensible because it allows users to define their own tags.