Excessive total ink coverage (TAC)
Medium severitySymptoms
Dark areas that won't dry, set-off in the pile
Probable causes
- CMYK sum > 300-320% on coated stock (or the paper's limit)
- separation with wrong profile
The Print Guy · 2026-10-05
Other problems in this category
Prepress · TPG-002
Black text built in 4 colors
Small text looks blurry or shows color halos
Prepress · TPG-003
Missing bleed
White slivers along the edges after trimming
Prepress · TPG-006
Fonts not embedded
Substituted text or reflow at the RIP
Prepress · TPG-007
Low-resolution images
Pixelated or blurry photos in print
Prepress · TPG-008
Poorly defined spot colors (Pantone)
They print in CMYK or generate unexpected extra plates
Prepress · TPG-001
Printed colors don't match the screen
Client complains the print doesn't match what was approved on screen