Rich Black

In printing, two types of black ink are commonly used: standard black and rich black. Standard black may not achieve a deep black color and can appear somewhat grayish when applied to larger surfaces. Professional designers opt to blend additional printing inks with black to create what is known as rich or deep black.

We recommend a blend with a composition of C=60 M=40 Y=40 K=100 (resulting in 240% ink coverage) for optimal results.

We steer clear of utilizing Photoshop's black value (C=75 M=68 Y=67 K=90) because it surpasses the maximum ink coverage of 240%, leading to a black that appears muddy when printed.

Standard black is suitable for text and small areas to prevent color overlap. For larger areas requiring a darker black shade, it's advisable to employ rich black.

If your design includes a heavy, solid black bleed on three or four sides, we recommend placing this design on the front side of the card and adjusting the mix to 20/10/10/100 to reduce the ink coverage on the card. Cards with high ink values, particularly in dark colors, may occasionally exhibit slight cracking along the cut edges.