>> Why do you need a 6 color printer to create a rich dense black?

Quite simply, because the black used in the CMYK process isnt a true black: it's a very, very dark brown. If you want a deep, rich black, you have to do more than just toss a little cyan in the mix: you have to do a double pass. And no, I'm not talking about low-end printers -- I've seen the results coming off six- and eight-colour Heidelbergs, where I have sometimes spent hours trying to reconcile the image on the screen with the piece coming off the press. And this isnt with some back alley commercial printer -- we're talking about people who have printed work for folks like Levi Strauss, which has some of the most demanding print requirements of any company on the planet. For myself, I come from a graphics background that's included annual reports for major companies, folks who are slightly more finicky about the end result than what I get off some little HP printer from Circuit City.

So no, Colddrake, I do indeed know what I'm talking about. After 20+ years in the graphics industry, I think I might have learned a few things along the way. And I'd hope that the misinformation isnt coming from me. Frankly, anyone who says they've never encountered the Photoshop yellow triangle certainly hasnt gone very deep into the program: even working in CMYK mode, you will find it if you venture beyond the gamma, as the link from EnglishBob demonstrates. Working in CMYK doesnt allow you to look at the effects of fifth colour work, no matter how well your monitor is calibrated. It can give you an approximation of a PMS colour, but even the Pantone folks freely admit that the differences between the colour chip and its CMYK composite are sometimes pretty drastic.

Yes, a lot of it depends on paper stock: a gloss will allow the ink to sit on top far better than a matte stock, which means it's far easier to crank off those deeper, richer tones on C1S stock than photocopy paper. But that doesnt alter the fact that you will have issues reconciling the image on the screen with the printed piece. I'm not saying it's impossible to get from monitor to paper, but it's very, very difficult to achieve 100% parity from one to another.

As I wrote earlier, for most people, the differences are minor. You probably wouldnt even see them. But even if you hold the printed piece next to the monitor, it's going to be difficult to know if you've actually captured it. Sorry, but that's how it is.

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