Comics & Print Glossary

New to making graphic novels or self-publishing? Here are the terms you'll run into most, in plain English.

Comics terms

Panel — one framed picture on a comic page.

Gutter — the space between panels. (In printing, "gutter" also means the inside margin near the spine.)

Tier — a row of panels across the page.

Splash page — a page that is one big panel, often used for a dramatic moment.

Spread — two facing pages designed as one image or layout.

Speech balloon — the shape that holds a character's dialogue; its tail points to the speaker.

Caption — a box of text for narration, time, or place.

SFX — sound effects drawn as part of the art ("BOOM").

Thumbnails — tiny rough sketches used to plan page layouts.

Pencils, inks, colors, letters — the classic stages of making a comic page: sketch, final line art, color, and lettering.

Character sheet / turnaround — reference drawings showing a character from several angles, used to keep them consistent.

Print terms

Trim size — the final size of the printed page.

Bleed — art that extends past the trim line so there's no white edge after cutting. KDP asks for 0.125 in on the top, bottom, and outside edge.

Safe zone — the area inside the trim where text and important art won't be cut off.

Gutter / inside margin — the space at the binding edge, which needs extra room so nothing disappears into the spine.

DPI — dots per inch; print art should be at least 300 DPI at final size.

CMYK / RGB — color systems for print (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) and screens (red, green, blue).

Proof — a test print you order to check the book before publishing.

Spine width — depends on page count and paper; KDP's cover calculator gives the exact size.

Publishing terms

KDP — Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon's self-publishing service.

ISBN — the unique number that identifies a book edition.

ASIN — Amazon's own product number for each item.

Print-on-demand — books printed one at a time when ordered.

Royalty — what the author or publisher earns per sale.

List price — the price you set for the book.

Expanded Distribution — KDP's option to make paperbacks available to other retailers and libraries.

KDP Select / Kindle Unlimited — an optional ebook program with Amazon exclusivity and a reading subscription. See our guide.

Public domain — works no longer under copyright, free to adapt. See adapting public domain classics.

ARC — advance reader copy, given to readers or reviewers before launch.