Trapping is the process of creating a thin, overlapping stroke around a colored element in a design. Think of it as building a fence around an object. This technique helps prevent gaps or misalignments between colors, especially when printing on materials like packaging.
Flexographic printing, in particular, benefits greatly from trapping. Since flexographic presses can have slight variations in alignment, trapping ensures that any misregistration is hidden beneath the overlapping stroke. This is especially useful when you can't stop the press to make adjustments.
The color and thickness of the trap can vary depending on the specific print job. Even a very thin trap, like 0.2 points, can effectively hide small misalignments. The key is to ensure that the trap is always printed over the underlying color and defined as an overprint.
