Rich black in CMYK: how to get a deep black in print

Rich black is a CMYK black that adds cyan, magenta and yellow under 100 percent black ink to make large dark areas look deeper. Black ink on its own, written as 0C 0M 0Y 100K, prints as a dark charcoal gray on large areas. A common rich black mix is 60C 40M 40Y 100K.

To price printing with large black areas, see our business cards and flyers and posters pages.

100K black vs rich black

Process black ink is not fully opaque, so the paper shows through it slightly. On small text the difference is hard to see, but on a large background or a big headline, plain 100K looks flat and gray next to a rich black.

• 100K black (0C 0M 0Y 100K): best for body text, small type, thin lines, barcodes and fine detail.
• Rich black (such as 60C 40M 40Y 100K): best for large solid areas, backgrounds, large headlines and bold shapes.
• Cool black (such as 60C 0M 0Y 100K): adds only cyan, which gives a slightly blue tone.
• Warm black (such as 0C 60M 30Y 100K): adds magenta and yellow for a slightly warmer tone.

Keep small text and thin lines in 100K

A CMYK press prints each ink from a separate plate, and the plates can shift very slightly in relation to each other. On large areas this is not visible, but on small text and hairlines, a rich black can show colored edges or look blurry. Keep these elements in 100K only:

• Body text and any type smaller than about 12 pt.
• Thin rules, outlines and hairlines.
• Barcodes and QR codes.
• Small logos with fine detail.

Programs such as InDesign set the default black swatch to overprint, which prints black text over the colors underneath and avoids white gaps around the letters.

Avoid registration black and 400 percent black

Registration black, or 100C 100M 100Y 100K, is meant only for crop marks and registration targets. Used in artwork, it puts 400 percent ink on the paper, which dries slowly, can transfer to the sheet above it and can cause the paper to curl. A similar problem can happen when an RGB file with pure black (0, 0, 0) is converted to CMYK, because the conversion produces a heavy four-color mix, about 75C 68M 67Y 90K with a common US press profile. Our guide to CMYK vs RGB explains how to convert files before you send them.

Total ink limits and recycled paper

Total ink coverage is the sum of the four CMYK values in the darkest part of a design. A rich black of 60C 40M 40Y 100K has a total of 240 percent. Every paper has a limit for how much ink it can hold before drying and smudging become a problem. Coated papers can usually take more ink than uncoated papers. Uncoated and recycled papers absorb more ink, so their limits are lower, and a black on these sheets looks slightly softer than on a coated sheet. Keeping coverage within the limit also helps sheets dry evenly and reduces spoiled prints.

The right ink limit depends on the paper and the press, so ask your printer before you build a rich black. We will confirm the details with your quote. Our guide to types of paper for printing compares coated and uncoated stocks.

How to set up rich black in your file

• Create a swatch named Rich Black with your printer's recommended mix, such as 60C 40M 40Y 100K.
• Apply it to large backgrounds, solid shapes and large headlines only.
• Keep body text and fine lines in 100K.
• Use a bold typeface at a comfortable size for white text on a rich black background, because colored edges can appear around thin reversed letters.
• Check the separations in the exported PDF with the Output Preview tool in Acrobat.

Our print-ready files guide covers PDF export settings in more detail.

Common questions

What is rich black in CMYK?

Rich black is 100 percent black ink with cyan, magenta and yellow added underneath. A common mix is 60C 40M 40Y 100K.

What is true black in CMYK?

The term is used in two ways. Some people mean plain 100K black, and others mean a deep rich black such as 60C 40M 40Y 100K.

Should text be rich black?

Small text should be 100K only, because a rich black can show colored edges if the printing plates shift slightly.

Why does my black print as gray?

Black ink on its own is not fully opaque, so large areas of 100K look like a dark gray. A rich black mix makes those areas look deeper.