| johnny collar | (fashion) | A pointed open collar resembling a V-shape. |
| jacquard | (fashion) | Special looms that create raised designs or patterns that are directly woven into the fabric. |
| jobber | (fashion) | Wholesaler who mass purchases surplus fabric material directly from the manufacturer at an extremely discounted rate. |
| jump ring | (fashion) | A small unsoldered wire ring that links jewelry elements together. |
| JPEG | (digital) | Acronym for the Joint Photographic Expert Group, a JPEG is a compressed image file format. |
| jaggies | (digital) | Distortion found on the edges of computer-generated objects and titles due to aliasing. |
| juxtapose | (photography) | Two or more objects that are placed side by side each other in order to produce contrast. |
| JCII | (photography) | Acronym for the Japanese Camera Inspection & Testing Institute that independently verified the quality of Japanese camera and optical equipment before they were certified for export. |
| jacket | (printing) | A paper cover that envelopes and protects the contents of a hardbound book. |
| justified text | (digital) | Text that is orientated in a manner so that it spans across both left and right margins. |
| jog | (printing) | When a stack of papers is vibrated in a manner to produce highly straightened alignment for a final trim. |
| JDF | (printing) | Acronym for the Job definition Format, used to streamline print production by describing the intent of print document in addition to the steps required to achieve that intent by automating workflow from concept to final print production. |
| j-cut | (digital) | When the audio portion of a subsequent clip overlaps in a preceding clip before the video lead-in is seen on screen. |
| joule | (photography) | The energy content of a each storage capacitator found in an electronic flash device. One joule of light output is equivalent to a watt of light emitted from a light bulb. |
| jump cut | (digital) | An editing technique that produces abrupt discontinuity between scenes. |
| kelvin | (photography) | A scale to measure color temperature. Daylight is considered to be 5000 Kelvin. |
| keystoning | (photography) | Visible distortion when a projected image is emitted by a projector that is not placed perpendicular to the screen. |
| kicker | (photography) | A light placed at lens height to help accent a figure or subject by providing an additional highlight that is focused on a particular area. |
| key light | (photography) | The principal light used to illuminate a scene and one that is often the brightest. |
| kerning | (digital) | The process of modifying the horizontal space between pairs of font characters. |
| knock out | (digital) | This term refers to masking out an object or image while editing. |
| kilobyte | (digital) | Shortened to KB, 1024 bytes. |
| keyline | (digital) | An unobtrusive boundary that accurately separates both monochromatic and colored portions of an object. |
| khaki | (fashion) | Fabric and linen that usually share brownish or tan colored characteristics. |
| kitchener stitch | (fashion) | A specialty stitch that involves joining together two independent rows of knits. |
| kimono | (fashion) | Traditional robe like Japanese garment that is worn by men, women, and children. |
| kodak proofing | (photography) | A digital proofing system pioneered by the Kodak corporation. |
| knots | (fashion) | The result of threads twisting together forming a tensioned bond. |
| kiss impression | (print) | Transferring ink to a substrate by utilizing the lightest achievable impression. |
| knitting | (fashion) | The intricate process of weaving interlocking loops of one or more yarns together. |
| keratin | (fashion) | A resilient soluble protein that is integral to the structure of both hair and wool. |
| kiss die cut | (print) | To die cut the top layer of self-adhesive paper while preserving the backing layer. |
| led | (digital) | Acronym for light emitting diode. Used in a variety of display devices and modern lighting applications. |
| lapel | (fashion) | A cloth that is folded over and placed in the front pocket of suits, format coats or jackets. |
| lab color | (digital) | Color system that incorporates the color spectrums of both the RGB and the CMYK formats. |
| light box | (printing) | A graphic that is backlit with light encased in a unit. |
| lithograph | (printing) | Relates to the process involving offset printing. Extremely fine dot prints on acid free paper and fade resistant inks are synonymous with lithographs. |
| lab dip | (fashion) | Solid colored fabric dyed to precisely match an established color standard. |
| letterbox | (digital) | A widescreen format characterized by black bars on the top and bottom edges of the 16:9 ratio screen. |
| lens | (photography) | An optical device that can manipulate focus and light. |
| lossless | (digital) | A compression format that precisely preserves the original quality of data content related to image, audio or video quality. |
| linen | (fashion) | A durable, lint free and breathable fabric that is derived from the flax plant. |
| lcd | (digital) | Acronym for liquid crystal display. This external display is used for information display purposes on cameras and other electronic devices. |
| lycra | (fashion) | Synthetic fabric invented by Joseph Shivers in 1959. This fabric is characterized by its extremely elastic and body conforming properties. |
| luminance | (digital) | The intensity of light visible in a video signal. Represented by the Y value within the YUV format. |
| lei | (fashion) | A wreath or necklace characterized by either leaves or flowers. |
| lightface | (digital) | A typeface characterized by light strokes. |
| loose leaf | (printing) | Versatile binding format that allows for continuous updating of content due to easily accessible pages that can be inserted or removed. |
| lining | (fashion) | The inner layer found in garments that provides a soft cushion. |
| laminate | (printing) | A thin transparent covering that protects materials such as papers or boards with a glossy finish. |
| lwc | (printing) | Acronym for light weight coated. This bulk paper format is primarily utilized for telephone directories, sales catalogues and airmail collateral prints. |
| low-rise | (fashion) | Clothing style that usually rests three inches below the belly button. |
