Ink Coverage is Too High (Above 390%)

Our system detected that a specific area of your design has a Total Ink Coverage exceeding 390%.

Why This Matters for Printing Colors in CMYK printing are built by layering Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black inks on top of each other. Each ink can be up to 100%. If you use "Registration Black" (100% C, 100% M, 100% Y, 100% K = 400% total), you are telling the printer to dump maximum ink into one spot. This oversaturates the paper, causing the ink to smear, take days to dry, or cause the pages to stick together and tear.

How to Fix This Issue Please adjust your dark colors and shadows:

• Fixing Black Text/Shapes: Never use Registration Black. If you want a deep, rich black for backgrounds, use our recommended Rich Black formula: 60% Cyan, 40% Magenta, 40% Yellow, and 100% Black (which totals a safe 240%). For small text, use standard black (100% K only).
• Fixing Photos: If a photograph has an area above 390%, open it in Photoshop. You can use the "Info" panel to check total ink. Lighten the darkest shadows slightly, or assign a standard CMYK color profile (like U.S. Web Coated SWOP v2) which automatically limits maximum ink coverage.

Need more help? High ink coverage is the #1 cause of smudged prints. If you aren't sure how to check your ink limits, reach out to our prepress support team!