White printing - everything about the printing process

White printing is not a novelty these days, but it can be used quite effectively. While white is a prerequisite for some multicolour printing on the one hand, it can also be used to create outstanding effects on the other. Conventional printers once could not print white because they used yellow, magenta, cyan and black as standard. Furthermore, there were neither white colour cartridges nor was it possible to create white from these colours. In the meantime, however, there are special toners for laser printers, for example, which can be used on dark or black as well as coloured papers and foils.

White printing: properties of printing inks

Printing inks are characterised by so-called "glazing" properties. This means that one colour, which lies under another, shines through it. This is not only the case on white paper but also on coloured paper. The principle behind glazing colours is based on subtractive colour mixing. This is needed in CMYK printing to realise four-colour printing. The basic colours cyan, magenta, yellow, key/black are printed on top of each other using halftone dots in such a way that the desired colour mixtures are created. If, for example, a green image is to be printed, then in CMYK printing this colour is composed of yellow and blue, which are printed on top of each other. However, the green or the colour impression changes when printing on coloured paper. If red paper is used, for example, the green would appear almost black.

With white printing, the "problem" is the same - printing the colour white on coloured paper, regardless of whether it is black or purple paper, is not successful because of the printing technology. The printing technology is not able to mix the CMYK colours in to white. Superimposing the colours results in black, whereas the RGB colour model, which is used for displays, monitors or projectors, results in white. So what is the solution? White is often applied as a solid colour. An alternative is to use opaque white as a primer.

Your advantages with a quality white print

When printing on coloured or transparent media, opaque white should always be used as a primer so that the colour effect is not distorted. Especially printing inks in the CMYK spectrum are translucent, which is why black cardboard as a printing medium, for example, can cause a change in the colour impression. The radiance of the colours diminishes. By using an opaque white as a primer, a white background can be simulated and the colours given strength.

Opaque white as well as mixed colours, such as metallic or neon colours, belong to the so-called solid colours. Solid colours cannot be printed with the four-colour process and are characterised by a high colour fastness. This means that mixed colours can be easily reproduced again and again. This is particularly important when printing company logos. Companies use certain colours in their logo as part of their corporate design. However, these can be subject to slight colour variations depending on the printing process and the press, even though the ink has always been composed of the same colour components. Only by using pre-mixed solid colours can such colour differences be avoided.

Another reason to use spot colours is the reduced number of printing processes, which in some cases is even easy on the wallet. For example, a flyer that is to be coloured green and black using the four-colour printing process requires a total of three printing processes for the colour layers cyan, yellow and black. A print with solid colour, on the other hand, prints green in the first print process and black in the second.

Printing processes for the implementation of white prints

Both the print run and the substrate are decisive in the choice of the right printing process. A typical printing process in the field of white printing is flexographic printing, which is particularly suitable for printing packaging. With the help of flexible printing forms made of photopolymers, the food-safe water-based inks are pressed onto the printing area.

Screen and pad printing are often used for printing promotional items with printing white. In the screen printing process, the printing ink is applied directly to the target medium, while in pad printing the printing ink is transferred from the printing form to the material to be printed using an elastic pad made of silicone rubber. The white ink can also be effectively printed on uneven surfaces using the pad printing process.

With offset printing, white prints on paper can be realised with ease. The process is based on the principle that grease and water repel each other. With the aid of an inking and dampening unit, the printed image is first transferred to a cylinder covered with a rubber blanket and from there deposited on the substrate. During the printing process, the printing plate is moistened, whereby water-friendly surfaces repel the ink and grease-friendly surfaces accept the ink.

Printing white with solid ink or opaque white as a primer

With white printing, both selected contours and flat motifs can be printed with white. If you decide to use white as a primer, for example, the colours of the motif will have excellent saturation. Colourful colour variations with white printing are particularly effective on dark stationery. We print your desired motif on 80 to 170 gsm paper in portrait and landscape format using high-quality solid colours from Pantone. Especially in the field of print mailing, it is important to stand out from the crowd. For this reason, you receive white printing not only on textured paper but also on offset, grass and recycled paper. These convince with a delicately soft and velvety feel and elegantly underline the message of your advertising campaign. In addition to our stationery, you also have the option of designing business cards, folding flyers and calendars with a white print and thus impress your customers with high-quality promotional items.

White printing is just as effective on transparent media such as stickers. With the help of the white primer, a concentrated and consistent colour tone of the motif can be guaranteed, regardless of the colouring of the substrate. At the same time, the white tone ensures a strong glow of the colours.

An opaque white can also be used as an excellent design element. For example, door hangers and short letters can be easily enhanced with white lettering or outlines. Of course, motifs with splashes of white are also possible to set light accents. If you decide on a white print of the noble kind, we will produce advertising products that perfectly match your advertising message. Please feel free to send us your design wishes!