Crop Marks

Reference marks used by print machines to cut paper at the correct position and align printing plates.

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Mark Types

1. Crop / Trim Marks

Corner lines indicating where the paper should be cut:

    │              │
────┼──────────────┼────
    │              │
    │  [PRINT AREA]│
    │              │
────┼──────────────┼────
    │              │

• Line length: 5 mm
• Offset: 3 mm from the trim line
• Colour: Registration (visible on all plates)

2. Registration Marks

Circle and crosshair marks used to align printing plates with each other:

       │
    ───●───
       │

• Perfect registration is required across all plates (C, M, Y, K)
• Misregistration = colour shift

3. Colour Bars

CMYK reference strips used to verify print quality:

┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
│ C  │ M  │ Y  │ K  │ C+M│M+Y │
├────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┤
│100%│100%│100%│100%│ %50│ %50│
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘

• Density verification
• Dot gain measurement
• Colour balance control

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Configuring Marks in NowToPrint

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What is Registration Colour?

Registration Colour is a special colour printed at 100% density on all four CMYK plates:

• C: 100%
• M: 100%
• Y: 100%
• K: 100%

This makes it visible on every plate, enabling alignment verification.

Warning: Never use Registration Colour within design content — it is reserved exclusively for marks. Using it in artwork will cause excessive ink and drying problems.

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Common Errors

Error	Consequence	Solution
Missing marks	No cutting reference	Enable marks
Mark extends into bleed area	Mark enters print area	Increase offset value
Marks in black only	Alignment cannot be verified	Use Registration colour

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Professional Tips

1. Digital print typically does not require marks (the cutting machine uses a camera for alignment)
2. Offset print requires all marks without exception
3. Web-to-print orders: customer files should not include marks — the print shop adds them

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