Until last year, any request to Print white ink on a darker hue would have been met with discouragement from printers around the world from Berlin to Bellevue. There were some ways to put white on a darker substrate- silkscreen, foil stamping or vinyl transfers- but these limited options would add costs that would more than likely blow out your budget.
The problem with traditional offset printing inks is that they are made with a translucent base which prevents the possibility of a true white ink. A version of white ink could be created by laying down multiple layers of the opaque ink but it produced an imprecise and less than impressive result.
Nick Carranza, writer for Printmag reports that:
“In the last year Epson, Roland and Hewlett Packard have all shown their commitment to bridging the gap between form and function.”
Carranza was impressed by the HP Indigo 5500. Eric Zirbe, Solutions Architect at Hewlett-Packard showed him the new printer and explained how the printer gets an accurate white:
“Multiple impressions can be made during the same pass to achieve the accurate colour and avoid any shifting of paper. Our white ink will allow designer and printers to expand into a one stop shop by going after new verticals including Packaging. It will also provide an easier solution for foil jobs.”
This technological breakthrough means that designers now have a much broader palette to work with, which opens up many more creative possibilities.
Of course with new technology, new obstacles are created. Some points Carranza advises that you bear in mind with white ink technology:
1. In some cases you will need to lay down 5-7 passes to produce an actual white.
2. The smoother the paper, the better the Print- digital presses love smooth paper
3. Watch the weight of the paper- designers like thick paper, digital presses don’t.
Now the new technology is there, it’s up to your imagination to use it.
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