A keyline, in

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdiscipli ...

, is a boundary line that separates color and

monochromatic A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or color scheme, palette is composed of one color (or lightness, values of one color). Images using only Tint, shade and tone, shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or Black and wh ...

areas or differently colored areas of printing on a given page or other printed piece. The line itself, usually consisting of a black (or other dark colored) border, provides an area in which lighter colors can be printed with slight variation in registration. In traditional paste-up graphics workflows, keylines for cropping were often merely indicated on original artwork, and then images were stripped into the area manually with the keylines themselves being added as part of the process. Keylines are often included when printing something that will be cut out using a die form, requires folding, or uses perforation lines. Per the

International Paper The International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 56,000 employees, and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. History The company was incorporated January 31 ...

's Pocket Pal (18th ed., printed in 2000), keyline is defined as being "in artwork, an outline drawing of finished art to indicate the exact shape, position, and size for elements such as

halftones Halftone is the reprographic technique that simulates continuous-tone imagery through the use of dots, varying either in size or in spacing, thus generating a gradient-like effect.Campbell, Alastair. The Designer's Lexicon. ©2000 Chronicle, S ...

, line sketches, etc."

References

Printing terminology Print production Printmaking {{printmaking-stub