Printing registration

In color printing, print registration is the layering of printed patterns to form a multicolor pattern. Registration error is the "position misalignment in the overlapped patterns."^[1] Machine components such as the print cylinder, doctor blade assembly, printing plates, stress/friction and more, affect the registration of the machine.^[2] Inconsistencies among these components can cause the printing press to fall out of registration; that is when press operators will begin to see defects in their print. There are many different ways to achieve proper registration, many of which employ the alignment of registration marks (pictured right). Many press manufacturers have installed automatic register systems to assist the operator in getting the print back into proper alignment.^{[citation needed]}