computer-supported color separation process that replaces with black ink a colored ink that was initially used to create gray tones; also called achromatic color; integrated color removal. In conventional four-color process separations, two primary colors of ink make up the image and a third color is overlaid to create shadows, gray areas, and muted tones. With GCR, the use of black ink instead of a third color creates a sharper, less washed-out image. It is also easier to reach, through trial-and-error, the right amount of black ink needed, because a bit too little or too much of black ink won't change the color of an image the way that a third primary color will. Black only changes the lightness or darkness of the image.
GCR has been credited with more consistent print quality through a print run, less paper wasted getting the press ready to print, less ink usage and lower ink cost since black ink is cheaper than color ink, and better reproduction of the original image colors.
