Saturation extremes

Regardless of the printing technique you opt for, using extremely high or low ink saturations of a single colour typically won't yield satisfactory results. Colours below 10% may not print at all, and saturations above 90% can appear indistinguishable from a solid colour. This issue is especially common in black and white printing, where only the single 'K' colour from CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK) is utilised.

While the 'K' in CMYK stands for 'Key', we refer to it as blacK for ease of understanding. The Key plate is a metal plate that captures the details in an image during the printing process, typically using black ink in CMYK printing.

Too light

This grey line is clearly visible on your computer screen, but with only 8% saturation—2% under the recommended minimum—it will hardly show up in print. However, boosting the saturation to at least 10% will make it more noticeable on the printed page.

Too heavy

On your screen, you can clearly distinguish between the small dark circle and the lighter circle that encircles it, both printed using only black ink.

However, when these are printed, the 91% saturation of the lighter circle and the 100% saturation of the darker circle render them nearly identical. As a result, what appears in print is essentially a single dark circle.

This happens because your computer screen creates colours using light (RGB), whereas YouLovePrint uses ink (CMYK) to produce colours.

Moreover, since the ink saturation for both circles is above the recommended 90% threshold, the printed result on paper appears darker than it does on your computer screen.

Ink saturation scale

We've already discussed the saturation levels for a single colour. For instance, when printing in black and white, your only CMYK colour is K (black). Considering ink saturation is vital when using all four CMYK colours as well.

When selecting CMYK colours for your design, they range from 0% to 100% saturation. This measures the amount of each C, M, Y, or K ink used to create the final colour. Adding more ink results in a darker colour.

For example, if every pixel in your print file can range between 0% and 100% in ink saturation for the four CMYK colours, then the maximum possible saturation for each pixel would be 400%.

Take the blue colour used in our YouLovePrint logo, for example: C:100, M:14, Y:0, K:21. This means Cyan is at 100%, Magenta at 14%, Yellow at 0%, and Black at 21%, totalling 135% of the possible 400%.

Below, you can see on your monitor four different shades of brown, each representing saturation levels from 100% to 400%. These shades illustrate how increasing each CMYK colour percentage creates different intensities.

Once the saturation exceeds 250%, the paper becomes overly saturated with ink, occasionally causing marking to occur as finishing processes have to be carried out with still slightly wet ink.

Best saturation level

Just as 91% black looks different from 100% black on a screen but prints equally dark, a 300% CMYK saturation will appear as dark as 400% CMYK saturation in print.

That's why we advise keeping your darkest colours within a total CMYK saturation of 150% to 250%. This range helps ensure that colours remain bright and vibrant, without turning muddy due to excessive ink.

Using saturation judiciously is key. Even a deep, rich black can look strikingly vivid with less than 200% saturation. It's all about finding the right balance in your overall CMYK values.

Paper types

It’s also important to remember that different types of paper absorb ink to varying degrees. Silk and gloss papers are the industry standard for sharp, vivid printing. Uncoated and recycled papers, which absorb ink faster, can become significantly darker and may lead to a bleed effect. Choosing the right type of paper is crucial when determining ink saturation levels.

Learn more about our range of paper types