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Registration (colour register)
Also known as: colour register, print register, misregistration, register mark
Registration is the accurate alignment of each printed colour with the others, and of the print with the cut and seal positions of the pouch.
Registration is the precise alignment of every printed colour with the others. In flexible packaging it also covers aligning the print with the pouch's cut, seal and zipper positions.
Why it matters
A pack design may be printed in 4 to 10 colours plus varnish, each at its own station, while the film runs at high speed. Even a tiny shift causes blurred images, coloured halos around small text, clear lines next to the white underprint and an untidy logo.
Print-to-pouch register
Pouch-making and form-fill-seal machines read printed eye marks to cut and seal the film in the right place. If they misread, logos drift towards the edge, text ends up in the seal or the tear notch lands in the wrong spot.
Causes and control
Film stretch under heat and tension, plate or cylinder mounting, press speed and reel winding can all cause misregistration. Modern presses use camera systems to correct it during the run, but every process has a tolerance.
Design tips
- Keep small text in a single colour, ideally black.
- Avoid fine reversed text out of multicolour backgrounds.
- Respect the safe zones on the dieline.
Frequently asked
What does misregistration look like?
Blurry images, coloured fringes around text or thin unprinted lines where colours should meet.
How can artwork reduce register problems?
Use single-colour small text, avoid fine multicolour reversals and keep key elements inside the safe zone.
Related terms
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