What is overprint and how can it affect my print job

Question

Catdi Printing · Accepted Answer

Overprint is a setting that tells the printer to layer one ink on top of another instead of knocking out the background color. While sometimes used intentionally, accidental overprint can cause unexpected results — colors mixing together, elements disappearing, or logos blending into backgrounds. The most common overprint mistake is white text set to overprint. Since white is the absence of ink, overprinting white text causes it to completely vanish from the printed piece. Before submitting your files, turn off all overprint settings on your objects and text. In Illustrator, go to Window > Attributes and uncheck Overprint Fill and Overprint Stroke. Flattening all layers and converting Pantone colors to CMYK will also help prevent these issues.