background of a character
The area from which material has been removed around the raised character of a die.

bar code
The bar code contains reference number data that is associated with computer stored descriptive data and other information

base of a character
Bottom of the character that intersects the background of the die.

bevel
The slant or angle from the face of an engraved character to the background is termed the first bevel or character bevel. The clearance taper, or slighting angle, on the sides of hand stamps is called the second bevel.

blank
A piece of steel, brass or other metal machined or sintered to accommodate the character or design to be engraved.

bottoming
Stamping or impressing a stamp or die to the background of the characters so that the metal upset or displaced by the die is smooth and flat.

branding die
A metal die that can be heated to a temperature sufficient to burn or scorch characters or designs on a product.

character
The single term for letters or numbers.

character face
The stamping edge of engraved characters. A character face may be sharp, flat, round, dotted, or open (outline).

character height
The top-to-bottom measurement of a character.

character style
Refers to the look, or “font”, of the character, such as Gothic, Roman, Script and other variations in the appearance of characters.

character width
The left-to-right measurement of a character. Refers to the degree to which characters are condensed or extended.

concave stamp
Characters are engraved on a depressed contour fitted to mark a convex surface.

condensed character
Letters or numbers narrower than standard width. Regular condensed characters have a width of 50% of the character height. Extra condensed characters have a width of 40% of the character height.

convex stamp
Characters are engraved on a raised contour fitted to mark a concave surface.

counter
A single character typing die (can be a letter, number, or symbol) used as a first operation in bench engraving for displacing the metal from the inside of a raised character. After countering it is filed, graved, or chiseled to a finished character.

Data Matrix™
T the public domain code from RVSI Acuity CiMatrix, is a 2D matrix symbology designed to pack a lot of information into a very small space. The Data Matrix symbology employs Reed-Solomon error correction with data redundancy to guarantee a fast and accurate read.

debossing dies
A pair of dies, consisting of one male and one female, used to produce sunk characters or designs in sheet material with a thickness of 1/8th of the character size or less.

die
Any engraved blank used for marking by means of stamping, rolling, branding, embossing, debossing, coining, semi-coining, or printing characters or designs on a product.

direct part marking
A method of directly marking the part surface with marking information instead of attaching a label or tag. Direct part marking offers: permanent part identification, machine-readable codes, aftermarket traceability, and improved “cradle-to-grave” part tracking accuracy.

dot matrix
A character or pattern created by equally shaped and spaced dots.

durometer
The hardness of rubber, plastic, and other soft elastic materials.

embossing dies
A pair of dies, consisting of one male and one female, used to produce raised characters or designs in sheet material with a thickness of 1/8th of the character size or less.

engrave
The art of cutting designs and characters into hard materials suited for stamping..

extended character
Letters and numbers cut wider than standard width. Regular extended characters have a width of 70% of the character height. Extra extended at 85% of character height, double extended at 100% of character height.

flat die holder
A fixture for retaining a flat stamp for marking round pieces in a standard marking machine.

flat roll die
A flat die used in a marking machine to roll impressions on round, tapered or tubular products.

graduating die, steel
A marking die manufactured for the purpose of stamping graduations on a part.

hand stamp
Any hand-held stamp that makes an impression by means of a hammer blow.

heat treating
The process of heating metals to increase hardness, durability, and usefulness properties. The steel used must have a certain proportion of alloying elements and are heated and cooled under controlled conditions.

high speed stamp or die
Any stamp made from high speed steel. High speed steel is often specified for stamping hot metals.

hob
A steel die, engraved with regular characters or designs, used for sinking die cast dies and mold cavities by means of compression force and metal removal.

holder
A marking tool to hold type, logotypes or stamps in alignment for marking.

insert
A logotype, stamp or piece of type designed to be inserted into a die, fixture or a marking tool; usually interchangeable with other inserts.

inspection stamp
Stamp engraved with a symbol incorporating letters or numbers inside or around the symbol for the purpose of designating the date, person, shift, etc.

intaglio
Letters, numbers, or designs engraved sunk in a surface.

knurl die
(see roller die)

letters and numbers, steel
Single character hand stamps for marking one character at a time with a hammer blow.

log hammer or log stamps
Letters, numbers, or designs cut on the end of an eye forging with handle inserted in the eye enabling the stamp to be used as a hammer for indenting data into logs or stacked lumber with a single hammer blow.

logotype
A die or stamp with more than one character.

machine stamp
Any marking tool other than a press stamp or roll die that will be used in a machine or die holder. Such a stamp may contain tapped or counter sunk holes, dovetail shank, tapered sides or ends, etc.

micro-percussion marking
A non-stressing technique for cold marking on materials produced by computer controlled synchronization of a high frequency vibrating stylus and X-Y movement system. Permanent information is marked one indentation at a time by the stylus. Also known as dot peening, pin stamping, programmable stamping .

mold stamp
A flat, round, or sharp face stamp engraved to produce reverse impressions in plastic, rubber, glass, and die sinking molds or forming and forging dies.

mortise
A recess machined into a holder or die to accommodate interchangeable inserts.

numbering head
A hand, press, or marking machine device make up of one or more rotating wheels, each engraved with numbers or letters. Supplied with non-automatic manual change or automatic indexing for serial numbering.

press stamp
Stamp for use in a punch, kick, spring, hydraulic, pneumatic, or arbor press. Usually has a round shank of designated length and diameter. Body may be round, square, or rectangular, as required to suit lettering.

printing
The reproduction of words and images by applying a marking solution (ink, dye, water, toner, etc.) directly to a substrate.

regular characters
Characters engraved reading right to left on marking tools. Produces a “normal” impression.

reverse characters
Characters engraved reading left to right on marking tools. Produces a reverse impression, as in a mold or forging die.

Rockwell
Term for a material hardness, normally Rockwell C.

roll carriage
A holding fixture for a roller die used in a marking machine.

roll die holder carriage
Holding fixture for retaining the roll die in a marking machine.

roll leaf die
A die engraved with flat face regular characters or designs heated to transfer colored foil into the surface of plastics, leather, paper, etc. (usually deep engraved with approximately 10° bevels).

roller die
A circular die with raised or sunk characters engraved on the periphery of the blank. Sometimes referred to as a knurl or roll die.

segment (wedge) type
Single characters engraved on the large end of blanks tapered to fit a mortised roller die.

shoulder
The surface or land from the base of characters or engraving to the sides of the blank.

spring return holder
Fixture for retaining roller dies when marking round parts in turret lathes, engine lathes, and screw machines.

stamping
To force or indent a character, brand or design in to a solid material, like steel, plastic, fiber, wood, etc.

symbol stamps
Metal stamps engraved with a design along or in combination with letters or numbers. Used for confidential coding of date, inspector, department, material, etc.

tier style
Characters engraved one above the other in a vertical arrangement instead of horizontally as normally read.

tool steel
Six groups of steels: water hardening, shock steel, cold work, hot work, high speed and special purpose tool steels. Each tool steel has various chemical characteristics for specific applications.

truncated type
Type tapered outward on the sides from the face of the blank to the base (opposite of segment type) for use in concave holders.

type
A single character for use in holders, chases, roller dies, print wheels, etc.