Black Isn't Always Black

When working with blacks we frequently take it for granted that black will print a nice rich deep darkness as is the default on-screen appearance in Adobe Illustrator. That’s not the case if you consider 100% printed Process Black ink. In reality 100% black ink prints as a dark gray. This is most apparent if the print is uncoated. A varnish printed over 100% black ink will help to deepen the black.

This why it is important to check your black color mix in your Color palette in Illustrator and to set your ‘Appearance of Black’ in Preferences as ‘Display All Blacks Accurately’.

With the blacks displaying accurately you will get a better idea of how your print may look. It will also give you a clue about whether or not you should use a Rich Black mix.

Rick Black (frequently referred to as CMYK Black) is essentially 100% Black ink with an even mix of Cyan, Magenta and Yellow inks. Each printer has their tried-and-true method of printing Rick Blacks. You should check with your printer what that mix is. It’s usually 100% K and 60%-70% of CMY. Also, clearly define in your color break, on your final release file, what needs to print 100% Process Back and what needs to print Rich Black.

You’ll always want to print your black type as 100% Black, otherwise the the type will print fuzzy. But if you have large areas of black in photographic or illustrative images which employ strong areas of black, you’ll want to ensure that those areas print a CMYK Black.

If you are limited to the amount of color stations you can print and you must include some spot colors in your job...requiring you to eliminate all or some of your CMY, you may be able to use some of those spot colors mixed with Black to simulate a Rich Black. Work with your printer on what that mix should be.

You should also pay attention to your Black mix in any Photoshop files placed within your Illustrator file. You’ll want a mix of colors (whether CMY or Spot) with your Black to give your images a richer look. But if you have fine lines or type in your Photoshop file that are printing Black, you’ll want to make sure it is printing only Black. But, on the other hand, any fine line work or type should be created directly in Illustrator.