Local Agenda 21. The global action plan agreed at the 1992 Earth Summit, which commits nations to sustainable development strategies. In the UK, local authorities have been tasked with co-ordinating LA21.
Label Papers
A large variety of various types of plain or coloured body papers which have been gummed or to which a self-adhesive material has been applied, and subsequently cut into a vast number of shapes and sizes depending on end use and surface application.
Laid Finish
The paper surface made by a roll covered with evenly spaced parallel lines. (The ribbed impressions are actually watermarks).
Lamination
The adhering of two or more vectors/substrates together. Usually a clear material applied to a printed surface. A range of hot and cold laminates are commercially available.
Laser Papers
Papers with special coatings or hard finishes that are optimised for laser printers and copiers.
Laser Printer
A print engine in which a laser is used to expose an image on a photoconductive drum or belt by discharging blank areas. The belt is then toned with a charged toner which is then transferred to the paper and fused there by heat and pressure.
Laser Printing
Printing using a device in which a light source, typically a laser, is used to expose an image on a photoconductive drum or belt by discharging selected areas. The drum then attracts charged toner particles to these areas, which is then transferred to the paper to which it is 'fused' by heat and pressure.
Life Cycle Assessment/Analysis (LCA)
A method of evaluating the environmental impact of a product "from cradle to grave", including how it's made, how it's used and how it's disposed of.
Light Fast
The ability of a print to withstand prolonged exposure to light with minimal or acceptable change.
Lignin
Non-cellulose material found in wood and other cellulose plants; lignin in paper makes it weaker and more inclined to discolour when exposed to light; in the chemical pulp-making process most of the lignin is removed. Lignin is present in mechanical pulp.
Linen Finish
A paper surface design made by embossing the paper with a linen cloth pattern.
LIP
Lines Per Inch. A measure of screen frequency.
Lithography
The process of printing that utilises flat inked surfaces to create the printed images.
