Artwork Checklist
Create Your Artwork
Set and Check Format
Set Bleed and Margins
Use High Resolution Images
Select CMYK Color Mode
Convert Fonts to Outlines
Save as PDF-X1a
Configure Grey Colors
Configure Black Colors
Configure Fine Lines
Online Designer Tutorials

Configure Black Colors

How to properly configure black elements and areas

Black is widely used in graphic design because of it easy to configure. Its characteristics can be useful in terms of contrast, weight, and strength. However, black can also cause a lot of trouble during printing, due mainly to errors in the settings of editing programs.

For text, thin lines, and small elements, always make sure you use pure black, i.e. Black (K) set to 100%, while the three other colors (C, M, and Y) are set to 0%.

configure black colors

For larger areas and elements, use a composite form of black, i.e. Cyan ( C )= 30%, Black (K) = 100%, and Magenta (M) and Yellow (Y) = 0%.

For larger black elements, set B=100, C=30, M=0, Y=0

These instructions apply to any image editing program (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Indesign, etc.), although they were originally made in Adobe Illustrator. This is because color palettes work the same way in any program.