Black isn't always just black ink. 100% black ink with nothing added is "plain black" but when you add varying amounts of cyan, magenta, or yellow you get shades of rich black such as cool black and Designer black. There's even a black known as Photoshop black (why? because it's the default black in Photoshop).
The default black in Photoshop CS4 is only 90% black with more than 50% each of cyan, magenta, and yellow. The percentages in Photoshop Black can vary by program version.
The following pages offer up definitions, charts, and explanations about the pros and cons of rich black, plain black, and all blacks in between. Some discussions focus on specific uses of black inks. Both The Professional Designe'rs Guide and The Ultimate Guide offer detailed advice on choosing and using black which other articles include advice from printers and many different designers.
- Rich black versus plain black (printernational)
- The Professional Designer's Guide to Using Black (Andrew Kelsall)
- The Ultimate Guide to Designing With Black (Spoon Graphics)
- Rich black vs. plain black (Marvin's Corner)
- Rich Black - CMYK (Typophile)
- Rich black (prepressure.com)