Artwork

Rich black for solid black backgrounds

Plain 100% black (K only) prints as a dark grey on large areas. For solid black backgrounds, use our rich black. There are two formulas: one for paper and card, one for disc faces.

Rich black

Paper and card

Booklets, inlays, wallets, gatefolds, sleeves, vinyl jackets, inserts, inner sleeves, AB labels, J-cards and download cards

  • C30%
  • M20%
  • Y0%
  • K100%

Total ink 150%

Rich black

CD and DVD disc face

Offset printed CD, DVD and CD-R faces

  • C40%
  • M20%
  • Y20%
  • K100%

Total ink 180%

Good to know

  • Large areas only. Small areas of black in images, and black text, are fine as they are.
  • Keep the total under 300%. Heavier CMYK mixes slow ink drying and may be changed automatically at the print rip, which can shift the colour.
  • Small and reversed text. Use at least 6pt for standard text and 7pt for reversed (light on dark) text, in a heavier weight. Very thin text can fill in on rich black.
  • Solid Pantone black on discs. Disc faces can also be screen printed in a solid Pantone black ($75+gst per colour). Ask your Replicat rep.
  • Set it as a swatch. In InDesign, Illustrator or Affinity, make a CMYK swatch with the values above and apply it to the background. In Photoshop, set the foreground colour in CMYK mode. Step-by-step help for each app is in the artwork guide.

More on preparing artwork: How to prepare artwork · Templates · Uploads