Rich Black

Just like the name suggests, for large areas, a Rich Black is better, more refined and easier to deal with.

A true Rich Black is 100% black with small amounts of cyan, magenta and/or yellow, to make it hold up better on press. Traditionally, 100% black and 40% or 60% cyan are used to make Rich Black, but one could use 100% black, 20% cyan, 20% magenta and 20% yellow. The secret is to have 100% black and a little of the other colors to support it. Be aware, the hexadecimal color #000000 does not convert to Rich Black.

Rich Black is best used when you have a large area of black, such as a background. The extra color helps the black to be darker.

Rich Black should not be used for small text or body copy. In the case of body copy, it is preferred if only black is used. If you want a grey, use a percentage of pure black, not a mixture of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Read more about black text here.

When using reversed (white or light) text on a Rich Black background, most modern print workflows will create a Kick Back to help register the inks. Read more about Kick Back here.

If you have any questions about how to handle blacks, call us at 727-572-9999 and we will help you get that black just right.