Trapping

Trapping is a method of compensating for the misregistration between printed separations that occurs on press. Misregistration occurs because of the physical printing process that involves printing each separation (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Foil, Spot UV etc…) one after the other onto a printed sheet. It’s a bit like laying down a jigsaw, but unlike a jigsaw, the process of laying the pieces down causes the shape of each piece to change slightly.

The causing factors range from paper stretching under the amount of ink absorption to foil tools expanding under the heat being used. Misregistration normally presents itself as white outlines or edges were the separations don’t quite fit together. Overprinting or trapping can be applied to prevent these unwanted issues becoming noticeable on the finished copy. Trapping involves creating a small amount of overlap between elements that contain no common separations.

• Trapping is normally handled by the print vendor but under certain circumstances they may ask you to apply it yourself. If so, please contact a member of the CTS team for advice.
• Opaque foils present the greatest challenges in terms of registration and as a result it is recommended that you consider your design choices carefully when using them. Click here to see some videos on solutions to the registration issues.

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