100% black exporting as CMYK

I wonder if anyone can help at all.
We have been using our 'press quality' pdf export preset for the last 4 years and never had a problem until yesterday. A colleague of mine exported press quality pdfs of the magazine he was working on in Indesign CS3 and sent them to the printers. He then received a call stating that all body text was CMYK instead of 100%.
He checked his Indesign file and all this text was 100% black so somewhere during the exporting of the pdfs it converted this text to CMYK. We have checked all the obvious areas and all this was all fine ie:
Edit • Color Settings • Preserve Numbers
Export • Output • No Color Conversion
He then outputted the pdfs again using the same 'press quality pdf export and this time all the text remained 100% black.
Does anyone know whether there is another place in Indesign that would convert all 100% black to CMYK when a pdf is exported?
Thanks.

hope that makes sence. but it seems to be a glitch with CS6 indesign
There was a change to the way Acrobat's Output Preview works starting with Acrobat X and it can be wickedly confusing.
If I export a PDF and include the document profile the Output Preview's Object inspector will show the profile when I select the black object. Here I included the US SWOP profile and object inspector shows it as ICC profiled CMYK at 0|0|0|100. If I set the Simulation Profile to US SWOP I get 100% black anything else shows a conversion to 4-colors, which is what would happen at output:
If I export without a profile the black is consider Device CMYK and it should always show as 0|0|0|100 in the simulation, and that's the way it worked prior to AcrobatX:
But now the Simulation Profile has to match your AcrobatPro's Color Management's CMYK Working space preference or you will get a 4-color black simulation. In this case my Acrobat working space is FOGRA so SWOP shows as 4-color even though there's no source profile included with the PDF

Similar Messages

How do I export a PDF in 100% black

I am currently trying to send an ad to a local newspaper, and apparently when I export my document it's not 100% black, instead it has mixed CMYK values. How can I export a PDF in InDesign so it preserves 100% black for the printers? All of the black text in my document has the color Black which is equal to C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:100 , what is the issue? Do I need to have specific export settings for a PDF?

Use the default PDF/X-1a preset.

Adobe PDF Export Converting 100% Black Body Copy to 4-color Black

Hi,
I've been trying to figure out the best way to make use of an RGB workflow for our news publication and magazines. In the process, I've noticed that in my PDF export, by selecting the option under "Profile Inclusion Policy: Include Destination Profile" it causes all of my 100% black text to become 4-color. Why is it doing that?

But the text is not RGB, it is 100% black in CMYK.

Open Photoshop image from PDF into Photoshop and change cmyk text to 100% black

when I have a supplied PDF file that has cmyk text, I open the image in Photoshop but I don't know how to change the cmyk text (some very small and some large) to 100% Black. I used to know the short cut key to do this but I can't remember. I used to use the marque tool then use a short cut key that would knock the cmy out of the k. Can some one please tell me how I can achieve this in a flattened photoshop file opened from PDF into Photoshop. Thanks

One way to do this:
Use a hue/saturation adjustment layer, click the Colorize box and drag the Lightness slider to -100. The black will go to C:0, M:0 Y:0, K:100. I'm not aware of a shortcut for this, perhaps someone more informed could help there. You would only want to apply it to the text, clipped to a separate text layer ideally, but if your file is already flattened you could apply it via a selection/masking.
Mike

How do I get 100% black text on exported PDF?

trying to get 100% black on PDF exported through InDesign...

What version of ID are you using? What PDF settings? Is there color in the file, and if not, what are you settings in the prefs for Appearance of Black?

Photoshop Save As PDF Settings Text loses 100% Black or Color Density is too High

I am taking a CMYK Photoshop file and saving it as a PDF for a magazine.
By request, the company has asked that the color density does not exceed 260%. In the output setings of the Save Adobe PDF dialog box, under color, I have:
Color Conversion: Convert to Destination
Destination: U.S. Web Uncoated v2 (told to me by the magazine to use)
Profile Inclusion Policy: Include Destination Profile
When I create the PDF, SUCCESS!!! it works where the color density is under 260%.
I verified in Acrobat Pro X by going to View / Tools / Print Production / Output Preview with the following settings:
Simulation Profile: U.S. Web Uncoated v2
Sample Size: 3x3
Total Area Coverage checked and set to 260%
HOWEVER, when I do this, the text goes from CMYK 0 0 0 100 to using all four colors. I have been recommended by the company to keep pure back on the text due to possible registration errors.
If I export out to PDF using the "PDF/X-1a" (inside photoshop pdf export), then I can get the text to keep 0 0 0 100 but the color density goes way over 260%.
Has anyone had this problem? I cannot get the color density to stay under 260% AND keep the text to 100% black.
Any help is always greatly appreciated.

Thank you Mylenium for your reply. What you have said makes sense but I am not sure how to implement it. I did a google search on Photoshop Multichannel mode and I did really find anything helpful or relevant.
I tried playing with the multichannel just the same. I made a copy of my photoshop document first (just in case I screwed up my file) and I converted it to multichannel mode from the current CMYK. (Image / Mode / Multichannel) Under "Channels" I looked at each layer (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) individually and the text and other black areas in question were only on the black channel as it should be. Now that I am in multichannel mode, I cannot "Save As" a Photoshop PDF file so I had to do a Print to PDF option. I used the same export setting (or as close that I could tell) that I was using before and I still ended up with the same problem. My color density is under 260% but my black text is using 4 channels.
I also noticed that when I converted to Multichannel mode, the color of the image did change / shift a bit which also has me a bit worried.
Can you describe how I am to implement Multichannel mode to get my desired output? Also, can you elaborate on "custom channel for text blacks"?
I appreciate the help, thank you!

When printing to Adobe PDF from Microsoft Publisher, the text on page 2 is not 100% black

Hi there
I'm using Microsoft Publisher 2013 to print to an Adobe PDF file (I have a trial version of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.)
I sent the PDF to my printing house but they can't print it because the text on page 2 is not 100% black. In Publisher, the text colour on both pages is CMYK 0/0/0/100.
I created a test file in which I copied the text from page 1 onto page 2 so both pages are identical. However, the PDF created from that file, when I click Print Production, Output Preview and de-select Process Black, all the text on page 1 disappears (as expected) but none of the text on page 2 disappears! It seems that Publisher and/or Acrobat is printing the text on page 1 correctly but not page 2. Does anyone know why? Am I doing something wrong?
Here's a link to the two files: Dropbox - ShareAdobeComm
Would much appreciate some help if anybody can please point me in the right direction. Thank you.
(I'm seriously evaluating upgrading from my current 3rd party PDF writer to Adobe.)

Do not use the PDF Maker, but print to the Adobe PDF printer and see if that meets you need. If you need some of the tools of PDF Maker, then turn on only those you need, not them all. Check to be sure that the graphics are indeed being downsampled and possibly go back and reduce the graphics you have in the WORD file so that you are at least not using millions of colors, 256 max. Also consider using straight B&W if color is not needed, or at least gray-scale.

100k black exporting to PDF as rich black

Hey guys,
I've rattled my brain for long enough over this issue, it's time to ask the wider community.
When I export a pdf with any of my export profiles, all overprint 100k (black swatch) blacks are exported as CMYK. It doesn't matter if it's text or a graphic, the whole document is CMYK.
My export profiles have been bulletproof for the past 2 years, I use numerous printers so I always export using a very generic profile. Within the last two days, something has happened with my settings and eveything I export has this issue. I've poured over my settings and none of it has led me to an answer.
My only solution is converting to my generic profile with numbers preserved.
This makes the problem go away but it doesn't answer the question of why it has changed after all this time.
Help.
Screenshot of doc open in InDesign with text selected with black swatch selected:
Screenshot of doc in Acrobat pro seps with black unchecked:

Actually, a better question might be how you avoided the rich black using what you believe are the exact same settings over the past two years!!
Simply stated, if you do a PDF export and the CMYK content in your document is in a different CMYK color space than that specified for your output and your export setting call for converting colors to the output color space without the preserve CMYK values specified, there will definitely be a CMYK to C'M'Y'K' conversion occurring. This has been true since at least the first CS version of InDesign (InDesign 3).
The problem with CMYK to C'M'Y'K conversions is that they are a 4-3-4 conversion. The CMYK values are not directly converted to C'M'Y'K' but rather, converted first to the color management connection color space by use of the input profile and then from that color space back to the CMYK color space specified in your export settings. Such 4-3-4 conversions do not preserve pure colorant values. Thus you have the possibility of ending up with rich black if your content's color space and the output color space differ. The preserve numbers option was put in to effectively ignore CMYK to C'M'Y'K' conversion entirely and only deal with the conversion of RGB color spaces to the output color space. (Another technology, known a “device link profiles” can be used for CMYK to C'M'Y'K color conversions, preserving pure colorants, especially black. Unfortunately, InDesign doesn't support device link technologies!)
Then we must come back to why things supposed worked the last two years without specifying the “preserve values” option?!?!? One possibility is that previously your default CMYK color space exactly matched the output color space, thus bypassing any color conversion at all!
- Dov

How do I convert black txt to 100% black

I am using Illustrator CS3. I have a document that's set up as CMYK because I have photos and art. I want my text to be 100% black. When I highlight the text and check my color pallet it indicates 100% black. But when I open the document in PhotoShop, cmyk, and check the channels the text is showing up on all channels. What am I doing wrong?

There are many bugs in Illustrator. One is that the Color panel sometimes sticks in grayscale mode. If you click on an object that’s process black (0,0,0,100) and change the mode to Grayscale, the item will still be 100% process black, but the data defining the colour only uses grayscale values. If you then click on another process black (0,0,0,100) item, the colour will show as 100% grayscale black, even though that’s not how it is defined. Perhaps this bug is misleading you about the fill colour of your type.
A quick way to fix this is to click on an object and press X trice. This will force the Color panel to display the stroke colour instead, then switch back to the fill colour, but without improperly remembering the grayscale/CMYK toggle.
You can click on any object and then go to Select > Same > Fill Color and change the fill colour of all selected items. Just make sure you have the Color panel displaying CMYK values.

Converting 4-Color Blacks to 100% Black

Is there a way to convert 4-Color Blacks(Rich Blacks) to 100% Black? For example today I got a file that was CMYK 4 Color however the blacks in the PDF file were not 100% Black is there a way to convert the 4 Color Blacks to 100% black in Acrobat? I don't want the whole PDF to be Greyscale. I still want the color but I want to specifically target the 4 color blacks and turn them to 100% black. Can this be done? I am using Acrobat 8.

It's possible but not easy.
You first need to identify exactly what the "rich black" in the document is - 4-plate CMYK, RGB, etc. then create a Preflight Check that finds only that color combination, with a second item in the check to filter only by text objects.
You can then use it as the trigger item for a Convert Colors preflight fixup, applying something like a dot gain 30, which will blow the rich black out to 100K.

Newbie question: Can't get 100% black

I have created text. When it prints, I am getting 4 color plates. I filled with foreground color that is 100% black. What am I missing? Thanks for any help.
Photoshop 9.0.2; Mac OS 10.4.8; System: PowerPC G5

In CMYK, you can render black 2 ways: as "rich black" (made up of all four plates), or "black-only" (made up of black ink only.)
When you say you created the text with "foreground color... 100% black", that probably means you used Photoshop's default colors - black and white. If you open the color picker and look at how the default black is made, you'll see that it's a combination of C, M, Y and K.
If you are creating the file in CMYK mode, you can open the color picker, enter 0/0/0/100 in the CMYK fields, and fill your type or shape. You'll have 100% black and no other colors.
If you're creating your file in RGB, you're SOL. When you convert to CMYK, all black will be converted to rich black using the CMYK build as defined by the CMYK profile to which you're converting. In that case, you would have to go back into the CMYK file and manually fix all the elements that are supposed to be black-only.
It's a rather nasty can of worms. This is one of the things that keeps an RGB workflow from being accepted universally by the prepress community. There are tools available (Alwan, etc.) that will preserve black-only elements as the file gets converted from RGB to CMYK, but they are not widely used yet.
(ed. - Peter, It looks like we cross-posted...)

How to change all used colors to 100% black

It's probably a dead simple answer, but I can't find it.
Here's the thing:
In a product brochure I had to change all product drawings to 100% black.
What I did was select all unused colors from the palette, deleted them. Then changed all the used colors into 100% black (drag Global black swatch onto the other swatches while holding Alt).
In the printing office it appeared that there were still elements in the drawings that weren't in 100% black. Those elements had colors that weren't in a swatch in the color palette.
How can I change ALL the used colors, including the ones that haven't been turned into a swatch in color palette, into 100% black?
Thanks for any help!
(Illustrator CS3 is what I'm working with)

James,
I am using CS3.
It's a bit of a complicated story.
I get the drawings supplied from my customer. The drawings are made in an Autocad-like program (I forgot its name), then imported into Autocad (because that first piece of software doesn't have the right export-extensions) and then from Autocad it's exported to Illustrator.
The customer wanted to do the conversion to black themselves, because it would ease my work-load, since I wouldn't have to open and adjust all those drawings again when they have it open already.
Only they are using CS2.
I guess they'll just have to upgrade...

Which filter i can use to identify text CYM at work 100% black ?

Which filter i can use to identify text CYM at work 100% black ?
That's may problem:
I have one work 100% black (book), end fill texts may include CYM, how to identify them using a filter (Shift+ctrl+x)
Thak's

I'd use the settings you'll use to convert the data (or Absolute). If you do any conversions in Photoshop, make sure Dither is off.

Illustrator changes 100% black image to 4 color seperation

I have designed an image in Photoshop using 100% black. When I place the file into Illustrator and sample my blacks, they have been changed to a 4 color separation. When I look at the pdf in Acrobat's output preview, it is a separation. It is not a display issue. I can place that file into Indesign & it's like it was designed in Photoshop, 100% black. Can someone tell me how to get it to stay as it is suppose to be? I have tried the output black accurately in preferences among numerous other things. I have been using Indesign and Photoshop for about 3 years, but just recently began to design and edit with illustrator. I really like it but I need this problem resolved. I have many files now that I will have to go back and fix as I only noticed the problem today. Sure, it will print, but we prefer to only print our blacks on the black plate. Help!!!

In InDesign,the ink samples as a 4 color black, but separation preview in both InDesign and acrobat show it as 100k. I know the file from Illustrator is definitely 100K now. I am a little confused as to why InDesign samples this image as 4 color, but previews it as 100K. I think I am good to go for print but would like to understand this a bit better. I am self taught at this with the basics taught to me by a friend/co-worker, Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Converting all Black to 100% black only

Is there a way when rasterizing a document in photoshop that you can choose all blacks and make them 100% black only, not process black?

A.L. your not crazy, don't give up. The problem normally doesn't happen if you in swop, but always happens when you go into a gcr4 color space like used at some newspapers. Also, if the image has been saved as an eps, and the default button is clicked "Postscript color management" it will cause "Under-printing". The problem with going with a maximum black is that while this works great sometimes, especially if your just targeting black plus one other color. For instance, we use separation type GCR/maximum black generation when dealing with two color ads that Under-print (4-c black), to fix them not to under-print. It does not work well with photos. The Black gets very heavy and fills in. There are a few ways however to fix the under printing problem once it happens.
The first works when you have a white background.
1) select black image at the composite level, and copy.
2) then flick through the channels and hit dealt.
3) when you get to the black channel hit paste.
If there is color in the background, you can do this. Setting up and action key makes small work of this.
1) select the area that needs to be fixed.
then go to select color and choose black at the bottom of the list
2) change the amount to 100 percent and say okay.
3) do this a total of 4 times. this will make the amount of black on your page 100 percent.
4) then on the 5th time instead of adding 100 percent black, remove 100 percent of the CMY. This removes all the color at once.
the last and a very effective way to remove under-printing. (but again do not have photos selected when doing this) is to
1) select the area to be fixed
2) go to select color click on the text or what ever black you are fixing, and slide fuzz to get most all of it.
3) then go to selection modify and choose expand by 1 pixel
4) Copy at the composite level.
5) then flick through the channels and hit delete.
6) when you get to the black channel hit paste.
I have found this last way a very good way to get small under-printing black fixed so printers can register their image.
Also if someone is dealing with large amounts of pdfs that have photos to be fixed and nothing else. then use a program like "Iqeue" that won't cause the vector images/type to under-print, since it only targets the rasterised images.
Zombilly

100% black exporting as CMYK

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for