A Study on the impact of overprint-overlap on printing production and its application to cardboard packaging

Abstract
Print registration quality is one of the key factors affecting the appearance and market value of carton packaging. The printing industry continues to face recurring challenges, most notably color misregistration, which results in visual defects that reduce the quality of the final product and increase production waste. This study investigates the technical role of Overprint and Overlap as prepress solutions aimed at improving registration accuracy and minimizing color shifting issues.
The research aims to assess the effectiveness of these two techniques in enhancing print output and reducing waste, while also raising awareness among designers and press operators about their proper use. The study was applied practically at "First for Industrial Development" printing press and involved three integrated phases: inspecting defective printed samples, conducting a field survey with printing professionals using Jamovi software, and analyzing the weighted relevance of the study's hypotheses.
Results revealed that inadequate application of Overprint and Overlap settings during the prepress stage is a key contributor to print defects. Additionally, there is a noticeable knowledge gap among some practitioners regarding these techniques.
The study recommends integrating Overprint and Overlap settings within prepress workflows, offering specialized training programs, enhancing communication between design and production departments, and adopting quality control tools to improve final output and reduce material waste.