The master plate in a multi-color printing process that prints the darkest color, usually black, and provides the structural details, outlines, and contrast of the final image. All other color plates are registered to align precisely with this plate to ensure a sharp final print.
Heard on the job
If the keyplate is out of register by even a hair, the whole illustration will look blurry.
Also heard as
- key plate
Related terms
CMYK
The standard four-color printing process that combines cyan, magenta, yellow, and a key plate of black ink.
Register
The precise alignment of multiple printed layers or colors on a single sheet.
Color separation
The prepress process of dividing a full-color image into individual primary color channels for printing.