A general term describing the thickness, consistency, viscosity, and stiffness of a printing ink. Inks run the gamut from very soft and fluid (such as inks used for the printing of newsprint) to very thick and stiff (such as inks used in collotype). Some inks can possess a "false body," called thixotropy or dilatancy, or a consistency that changes, sometimes drastically, when under stress. The term body when applied to inks can also refer to the increased viscosity of an ink following the polymerization of the ink vehicle with the application of heat.
In typography, the term body is a shortened version of the term body text. See Body Text. Also in typography, the term body is a shortened version of the term body height, an alternate term for x-height. See x-Height.
In binding and finishing, the term body refers to the pages comprising the main text of a book, exclusive of end papers or covers.