What Do Knockout Means in Printing
In this article, we will be discussing what knockout means in printing.
What Do Knockout Means in Printing
In graphic design and printing, a knockout removes one color of ink from below another to create a clearer image or text.
Two overlapped colors do not normally print on top of each other. The bottom color is knocked out and not printed in the area where the top color overlaps. If the overlapping colors were printed, you could potentially see the effect of the base color on the top element.
Knockout Example
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A yellow circle that partially overlaps a black circle is a perfect example. However, if the yellow circle overprints the dark circle, the light color is contaminated by the dark ink under it. Instead, the portion of the yellow circle that overlaps the dark circle knocks out the dark area underneath to maintain consistent color. Even if the black circle overprints the yellow circle, the black with the yellow underneath it appears to be a different color than the black of the rest of the circle unless it is knocked out.
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