How Fix Maximum Ink Density / Reduce Black

Recently a printer asked me to reduce the percentage of black (maximum ink density) on a Photoshop Tiff, to 
between 280% and 300% percent. This figure is usually for imagery that will end up on coated stock. 
For newspaper print the maximum ink density is 240%. Newspaper print - what with it being so thin - absorbs 
ink the colours tend to bleed together and blur, ending up looking out of focus, dark and dull. 
Next time you look flick through a newspaper notice how the poorly designed ads are darker and not as sharply 
focused.

There are several ways to do this but this is the way I learnt learnt from a talented studio boss (Bret) in a movie 
poster design company in Great Britain. Okay, here goes...

1. First up, make sure the Tiff file you are reducing the ink density of is set to CMYK.

2. Next, in Photoshop, open your 'Info' panel and, click top right, selecting 'Panel Options' from the drop down.

3. 'Info Panel Options' will open and you need to select 'Total Ink' from 'First Colour Readout'

Notice the top left section of the 'Info Panel' indicates a percentage, and that percentage changes when you run 
the 'Eyedropper Tool' over various areas of black. Basically we need to get this number down to between 280% 
and 300% percent if printing on coated stock and down to 240% if printing on newspaper print.

4. Next, select your 'Layers Panel' and click on the Yin-Yang looking icon called 'Fill / Adjustments. 
Scroll down to the bottom and click 'Selective Color'.

5. When the 'Adjustment' layer opens select 'Black' from the 'Colours' dropdown. When it open it will most 
likely be set to 'Red'. Change it to Black, we are only dealing with black in this instance.

6. Finally, mess with the four percentages. The Cyan, Magenta and Yellow need to go into to the left / into 
the negative by equal amounts. So, if you change the Cyan to -40 do the same to Magenta and Yellow. 
Very important that bit.

Next move the black into the positive, but not as much as you did with the three colours. A god starting 
breakdown for a CMYK newspaper print Tiff is C-40, M-40, Y-40, K(Black)+10.

For Tiffs that will end up on coated stock like flyers, posters and in magazines mess with the numbers a bit 
but always keeping the three colour amounts the same and in the negative. And the black into the positive.

The way to guage if you are getting your percentages correct is by running your 'Eyedropper Tool' over all the 
darkest/blackest ares of the image, all the while referring to the top left section of your 'Info Panel' and 
making sure the number is less than 240% (newsprint) or 280-300% (coated). Be aware the percentage of 
black can still be high in an area that appears to have no black, so have a quick check in other dark areas 
that may be blue, red, purple or whatever.

7. Make sure the percentage really is below 240% (or 280-300% for coated) as the printer's computer will 
still throw up a warning / error despite your Tiff only being over by 1%.

Once you are happy you have the correct percentage, flatten your image (Selective Colour Adjustment and 
original Background layers) and re-link/import it into InDesign or (sh*tty old) Quark Express.

When I get a second I'll add a post about how to sharpen the images properly as well as just fix the the 
ink density / reduce the black.

I found it useful and I hope you do to. If I have messed up anywhere or explained poorly, shoot me an email 
and I'll update it. Cheers