Design Atlas
한국어
✎ Graphic, brand & print

Overprint

오버프린트

A setting that stacks the top ink directly on top of the colour beneath it, instead of clearing a gap first — so slight misregistration never shows white.

Also known as: 중복 인쇄Print over
···
html
<div class="stage" id="stage">
  <div class="paper"></div>
  <div class="cyan"></div>
  <div class="hole" id="hole"></div>
  <div class="ink" id="ink"></div>
  <div class="tag" id="tag"></div>
</div>
css
.stage{position:relative;width:min(220px,58%);aspect-ratio:1;border-radius:14px;overflow:hidden;box-shadow:0 0 0 1px var(--line)}
.paper{position:absolute;inset:0;background:#f4f3ee}
.cyan{position:absolute;inset:8%;border-radius:50%;background:#00b6d8}
.hole{position:absolute;width:32%;height:32%;left:34%;top:34%;border-radius:50%;background:#f4f3ee}
.ink{position:absolute;width:32%;height:32%;top:34%;border-radius:50%;background:#101014;animation:shift 3s ease-in-out infinite}
@keyframes shift{0%,100%{left:34%}50%{left:46%}}
.stage.overprint .hole{display:none}
.stage.overprint .ink{mix-blend-mode:multiply}
.tag{position:absolute;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;padding:7px 4px;text-align:center;font:700 10px/1.3 system-ui,sans-serif;color:#fff;background:rgba(0,0,0,.6)}
js
const stage = document.getElementById('stage');
const tag = document.getElementById('tag');
let over = false;
function apply(){
  stage.classList.toggle('overprint', over);
  tag.textContent = over ? '오버프린트 — 흰 틈 없음' : '녹아웃 — 판이 밀리면 흰 틈';
}
apply();
setInterval(() => { over = !over; apply(); }, 2400);

The default isn't overprint — it's knockout: whatever colour sits on top gets its shape "cut out" of the colours beneath it first, and only then prints into that cleared hole. The problem is registration — if the printing plates aren't perfectly aligned, the cut hole and the actual ink land slightly apart, and a sliver of white paper shows through the gap.

Turning on overprint skips the cutout — the top ink prints straight on top of whatever's underneath. Where the two inks overlap they blend slightly, but no misregistration can ever expose white paper. It's most common for black text sitting on a coloured background.

It's not something to flip on everywhere, though — overprinting a light colour on a dark one just muddies or disappears into what's beneath. It's mainly safe for something dense like rich black, where the overlap doesn't visibly change the result.

When to use

Commonly used for black text or logos on a dark background. Keep knockout for a light spot colour on a dark background — overprinting it there just distorts the colour.