File Check Up: Rich blacks are set too high
What is rich black?
Rich black is created when creating objects that are using than just black ink. This is no problem for black objects besides text but don't add any more than our recommendation below.
What is the maximum CMYK percentage recommended?
Black Text
We only recommend the below values. If you add any other color, the text may look fuzzy or have a halo of color around the text:
Cyan: 0%
Magenta: 0%
Yellow: 0%
Black: 100%
For perfectly sharp text, only use 100% black.
Example of black vs rich black text:
Black backgrounds and black objects besides text
For black backgrounds or objects besides text, if you want a nice dark black, we recommend these CMYK values:
Cyan: 40
Magenta: 40
Yellow: 40
Black: 100
Yellow: 40
Black: 100
If you put too much ink on the rich black you can get defects called "picking" where the ink does not stick to the paper.