Final answer:
The cis face of the Golgi complex, which is near the ER, receives vesicles with cell products, while the trans face, facing away from the ER towards the cell membrane, releases these processed products.
Step-by-step explanation:
The side of the Golgi complex that faces the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) receives vesicles containing newly synthesized cell products, whereas the other side of the Golgi complex, known as the trans face, faces the cell membrane. The cis face of the Golgi apparatus is adjacent to the ER and is where the transport vesicles fuse with the Golgi to release their contents. The Golgi apparatus is often likened to a cellular post office, where these proteins and lipids are modified, sorted, and tagged, before being dispatched to their destinations. Common modifications include the addition of sugar molecule chains, and the packaging and tagging of these molecules allow them to be routed either within the cell, or to be secreted outside the cell.