UCR is directly linked to the physical constraints of printing; by reducing colored inks in dark areas, it helps control the Total Ink Coverage to values like 300% or 330%. This limit is essential to prevent key issues such as extended drying times and the possibility of a thick ink layer cracking during post-press processes.

Mechanistically, UCR is applied as an unchangeable and fixed feature within the ICC Profile during the Color Separation process when converting colors to CMYK. In other words, the settings are defined once in the profile and automatically applied to the color data when the file is converted to the print space. Therefore, to maintain print stability, it is not possible to alter UCR settings after the plates have been produced.