Help with making a nice Grey for CMYK output

...cmyk grey does have it's risks because your using more than one ink to make grey, tint of black only is in some ways easier to print, your grey values of 40 40 40 90 are quite dark, I would be surprised if it doesn't end up looking black. To get a good cmyk grey you need to use a neutral cmy build...a good starting point is to use a Lab value, say L=50 A=0 B=0 and then convert that to a destination profile (ISO coated or uncoated profile or a US coated or uncoated profile, depending on where you are in the world. This will give you a color managed grey value, a theoretical neutral cmyk grey. I say theoretical because the output is still dependent on how well your print provider is set up with regards color management...until you see a proof there is no telling...there are many variables to consider such as paper used and whether a print provider is accurately color managed...

...never the less even with color managed workflows it's advised to always see printed proofs on color critical work or better yet do a press pass at the printers if possible...

...but I would at least start with a lab value converted to a color managed profile to give you a cmyk grey...or refer to a Pantone book and use the equivalent cmyk values.

...black nearly always prints darker than you think...90% black is as goog as solid black sometimes, so don't trust the monitor.


andrew

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Many thanks will look into LAB colour!!