Large areas of solid black are not advisable. Think it over. Ink flows
irregularly on newspaper presses. One copy may show up exactly as in
the original; the next may develop a white halo, a gray tendency, a
smeary, half-baked look. No two impressions will be quite the same.
And it is logical to see that this is apt to be so. Any imperfection
or irregularity in the ink roller will cause it, or the collection of
foreign matter on cut or roller. Any black area larger than two inches
square is a hazard.
Advertisers often think that masses of solid black will make an
advertisement "stand out." They would if they printed a smooth, even
black--which they seldom do. But liberal white margins are far more
potent in attracting attention and in segregating an advertisement
from mixed company than solid blacks.
The _appearance_ of large areas of black may be secured via
subterfuge. One method is to form the background of heavy black lines,
quite close together. The white spaces between save the printing. Look
at straight type through a magnifying glass. Not even type is printed
clear black. Then what chance would an even surface of large
proportion have?
Newspaper cuts should be "routed deep." Routing is merely the
deepening or entire cutting away of extraneous matter on the
engraving--that is, where there is no printing surface. The smudges of
hideous design often seen are really an impression of a metal surface
that has not been routed out properly. Every engraving should be
examined critically for such defects.
Avoid placing a shaded area against a black area. As we have
intimated, the heart and soul of the successful newspaper drawing is
_contrast_.
The beginning of every advertisement or series of advertisements is
represented in terms of a first visualization. It is in pencil. These
should be made same size--that is, the actual size they are to
eventually appear. Then no one, the artist least of all, is fooled by
disparity of proportions.