Known Participant

Question

Illustrator Keeps Changing My 100k Black Values To 4 Colors

Forum|Forum|10 years ago
June 24, 2015
8 replies
43620 views

Hello,

I have my company's logos in RGB and I want to make a version of them in CMYK for print. When I try to change the black in the logo to 100k only, Illustrator changes that 100k black to C=70, M=67, Y=64, K=74. I just want 100k black for a print job and not 4 colors in the black. What is going on?

I have noticed that the hex number 231f20 is used for both the 100k black as well as the C=70, M=67, Y=64, K=74 black.

My document color mode is changed to CMYK from RGB and my color setting for CMYK is U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2.

Can anyone tell me what is going on?

Thanks,

-Dani

T

Tribore

Participant

Ok, after much trying the solution came to me this way: File > Document Color Mode > CMYK... Apparently after the conversion to CMYK somehow this option still was RGB. After changing this, K 100 was possible.

S

Samersy4

Participant

Hi

Please try this.. it worked for me:

Edit>Color settings

and choose this one:

Monika Gause

Community Expert

Turning off color management doesn't solve anything. Instead you lose control.

T

tracip80459241

Participant

I'm still having this problems. I have to use 60-60-60-100 black. Here's my process,

- I select all

- open swatches pallet

- click on "select all unused" from the "hamburger" menu

- click on the trash can to delete all unused colors

- click on "add used colors" from "hamburger" menu

- create a shape with the desired black

- then make sure all the other black swatches are switched to "global"

- merge all colors with the desired black

at this point everything looks good

- select all

- click on "add used colors" again

a new black swatch is added with 0-0-0-100

So I merge the newly added swatch with the correct black swatch, then repeat the add used color process again and that black swatch shows up again.

I have tried selecting the new black swatch and going to the SELECT>SAME and gone through all the relevant options in that menu. It usually says some text is in the new color but, when I direct select that text, illustrator says I'm already using the swatch that i want. So I merge again. I have spent over an hour merging the same swatch and it keeps popping up.

John Mensinger

Community Expert

All that is confusing, and apparently borne of some confusion too. Likewise, my non-answer:

I have to use 60-60-60-100 black.

Why is that?

then make sure all the other black swatches are switched to "global"

"All the other..."? How many are "blacks" there?

With no sense of the complexity of the artwork we're discussing here, it reads as though the workflow is a bit erratic. The presence of multiple black swatches and this sequence of delete swatches/add swatches/merge swatches/chase swatches seems like it just could go on forever in a loop.

It usually says some text is in the new color but, when I direct select that text, illustrator says I'm already using the swatch that i want.

If I read that correctly, "the new color" refers to 0-0-0-100, and the "swatch I want" is 60-60-60-100. If that's the case I'm inclined to ask what is the output intent? If it's offset print you're risking even the slightest mis-registration rendering your text unreadable. Unless it's relatively large display text, black text should always be 0-0-0-100.

mleonardgy

Participant

FIX!
This happened to me

Click Edit - Color Settings...

Change working space FROM sRGB to Adobe RGB.

martinbushfu

Participating Frequently

I experienced this bug in 2017. Here is how I fixed the issue on my machine. I'm using the most up to date addition of Illustrator CC on macOS.

First make sure BOTH your document and your object are set to CMYK color modes.

For me. The bug only exists in the color chooser on my right side tool bar. Every time i set the CMYK values to 0,0,0,100 respectively they would automatically reset to something like 70,64,64,64 once I closed the color picker.

I opened the the color picker on my left side tool bar and set the values with the sliders. this seemed to fix the problem. If anyone tries this, please confirm.

anita12412

Participant

I just had the reverse problem. I wanted some big blocky text to be rich black (50,50,50,100) but when I reopened the file Illustrator had changed it to (0,0,0,100). The file was in CMYK mode so I couldn't figure out why Illustrator wasn't retaining my rich black mix. I selected the relevant letters and opened the color palette. It was set to greyscale. I clicked on the hamburger icon on the top right of the color palette panel, selected CMYK, changed my letters to 50,50,50,100 once again, and resaved/reopened the file. This seemed to work and my letters are now rich black.

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

There really isn't anything universal. That might be not worth having (just enough for annoying registration errors). But in the real world, communicating with printers can be tough. BUT you probably have some background info on the job. Is it a super-glossy flyer? A coffee table book? A paperback cover? A glossy magazine? A colour comic book? A daily newpaper? A free advertising paper? A tee shirt? A printed soda can? A billboard? A bus rear window? The more you know about the intended application the more you can make an educated guess about colour.

Doug A Roberts

Community Expert

danielleh57214752 wrote:

When I try to change the black in the logo to 100k only, Illustrator changes that 100k black to C=70, M=67, Y=64, K=74.

at what point does this happen?

danielleh57214752Author

Known Participant

This happens immediately after I hit ok on the color picker box. When I select the object again and reopen the color picker, it displays the 4 color black instead of the 100k black that I had entered.

John Mensinger

Community Expert

Did you even read the question?

Now that this thread is bumped back into the present, reasons notwithstanding, I'm inclined to add a point of clarification for future search-hitters...

About "Rich Black":

It's become common to misuse the term "rich black" when referring to black that was intended to be 100%K, but somehow inadvertently entered the realm of RGB at some point, and is now reconverted to CMYK with values something like 69.5%C, 67.2%M, 63.7%Y, 73.8%K. This is not rich black. In fact, the muddy brown/gray this unwanted mix produces is anything but "rich."

Rich Black is an intentional mix of 100%K and some other amounts of added C, M, and/or Y. Proven recipes vary according to taste and equipment profiles. It is used to strengthen or deepen blacks printed on suitable substrates, in select applications.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded