Thought my Rich Black was fine until a client held the box next to their letterhead

Logan Sullivan · 2026-09-28T04:00:04.246493+00:00

For years I built every dark background in my files as 100% K only, because that is what an old prepress guy in Cleveland taught me back in 2011. Last month a client in Denver put my printed box next to their own letterhead and the black looked washed out and gray right beside it, which is when I finally got why everyone kept telling me to build a real rich black. So what mix do you all use for large black areas, or do you just avoid it on anything that gets heavy ink coverage?

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Thought my Rich Black was fine until a client held the box next to their letterhead | CMYK Mistakes - The Design Community Hub