key plate

American  

noun

Printing.

1. (in color printing) the plate providing the greatest definition of detail, usually the black plate, on which the other plates are registered.

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Etymology

Origin of key plate

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Before us was a wide, arch-shaped wooden door, painted glossy gray, with a brass key plate.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 15, 2017

He hit .375 in 32 at-bats and had key plate appearances as a pinch-hitter.

From New York Times • Aug. 2, 2016

All the stamps were printed at two impressions, the general design being printed from the key plate, and the name Gambia and the value tablet by a "duty" plate printed separately.

From Gambia by Melville, Frederick John

Nearly all three-color process houses are now prepared to add a fourth, or key, plate, to be printed in black, in case the subject seems to need it.

From The Building of a Book A Series of Practical Articles Written by Experts in the Various Departments of Book Making and Distributing by Hitchcock, Frederick H.

The essays consist of such impressions with the name Gambia and the proposed values painted in by hand, to shew the approximate effect of the stamps which would be produced from this key plate.

From Gambia by Melville, Frederick John