W

Watermark: A translucent logo that is embossed during the papermaking process while the paper slurry is on the dandy roll. See also dandy roll.

Weight: The relative darkness of the characters in the various typefaces within a type family. Weight is indicated by relative terms such as thin, light, bold, extra-bold, and black.

White space: The space around the elements in an layout allowing the viewer to rest before reading more text and allowing the designer to arrange elements to maximize impact. Designers LOVE white space.

Widow: A single word or two left at the end of a paragraph, or a part of a sentence ending a paragraph, which loops over to the next page and stands alone. Also, the last sentence of a paragraph, which contains only one or two short words.

Width: One of the possible variations of a typeface within a type family, such as condensed or extended.

Word spacing: Adjusting the average distance between words to improve legibility or to fit a block of text into a given amount of space.

Wove: A smooth paper made on finely textured wire that gives the paper a gentle patterned finish.

Wrinkles: The unevenly dried surface of printed inks.

Writing paper: Another name for bond paper.