Favorite Combinations for Overprinting 2 Colors

One of the favorites around Christmas time is red and green, which when overprinted give a brown of sorts. This found use in Christmas borders. The green to produce holly leaves, the red for berries, and the overprint (both pieces of the typecast border had the branch on them) made brown branches. Very nice and tidy use of overprint colors.

Of course the colors must be suited to the piece being printed, so I can’t say that red and green are “the best” combo, but it works for the season.

Experiment a bit by doing drawdowns of ink with an ink knife on paper, and you will get some ideas of what combinations might suit your particular piece.

John Henry

Complementary colors work well because they make a third color. I usually mix a minimal amount of transparent white into the colors for better overprinting. Choose complementary colors you personally like, identify what the third color result will be when overprinted and you’re on your way.

my favorite is a turquoise and yellow - the resulting green is very pretty. I also like red and blue - if not too dark you obviously get a nice violet. Compliments will produce brown colors like the brown from red and green. Anything thats an analogous primary and secondary will produce an tertiary color color (like red and orange making red-orange). Then of course there is are the primaries which will make secondaries (like blue and yellow making green, or red and yellow making orange). Basic color theory, essentially. I always like putting a tertiary color with a primary - like my turquoise (blue-green) with yellow example.