Day 26: Three Inks

Before digital printing, every colour was a separate ink — and every ink cost money. Designers learned to get the most from a few colours by overprinting them to create new ones. Risograph and screen printing still work this way. A limited palette is not a limitation; it is a system.

Objective. Create a rich image from three colours using overlaps and overprints.

Design a poster for a zine fair using three “inks” that overlap to create additional colours.

• Exactly three colours (paper colour does not count)
• Use multiply or overprint to create new colours where they overlap
• No gradients

• Three base colours only
• Meaningful use of overlaps
• A cohesive, print-like result

Add a simulated misregistration — shift one colour layer slightly — and decide whether it improves the poster.