{"id":4511,"date":"2019-10-19T17:00:12","date_gmt":"2019-10-19T21:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sinalite.com\/printersuccess\/?p=4511"},"modified":"2025-05-28T19:01:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T23:01:14","slug":"guide-to-designing-with-white-ink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sinalite.com\/printersuccess\/guide-to-designing-with-white-ink\/","title":{"rendered":"The 4-Minute Guide to Designing with White Ink"},"content":{"rendered":"

Designing with white ink is like vectorizing\u2014it takes a little extra work but the end result is worth it. You may have seen white ink used in designs for food labels, business cards printed on a special stock, or clear vinyl decals. This article is dedicated to helping you see why and how you can use white ink to enhance your designs and produce beautiful results.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Design with White Ink<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are many reasons why graphic designers create print artwork with white ink. The two main reasons are:<\/span>
\n1. To produce white areas on non-white stocks<\/strong>
\nSometimes printing with white ink is essential because white is part of a company\u2019s logo or campaign colors. Therefore, to produce white areas on stocks such as a silver or transparent label<\/a>, the design requires white ink.<\/span>
\n2. To help other colors pop on non-white stocks (as a support color)<\/strong>
\nWhen CMYK colors print on non-white stocks such as brown kraft paper<\/a>, the end result is that you may be able to see the stock show a little bit underneath the colors. If this is not what you\u2019re looking for and you want your CMYK colors to appear more opaque, you can add white ink underneath the CMYK to stop the stock from showing through.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why the White Ink Printing Process is Special<\/span><\/h2>\n

Printing white ink requires a different process than printing CMYK colors. This is because white does not get printed in a standard CMYK-only workflow. When you design a CMYK file to print on regular white cardstock, the areas without any color values (C0% M0% Y0% K0%) don\u2019t get any ink, so the cardstock shows through as simply white.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThis means that the white needs to be its own ink (in addition to any CMYK colors you use in the artwork).<\/span>
\nAs this is a printing process that is more out-of-the-norm, you would need to first find a print provider that can print white ink. We recommend SinaLite<\/a>, a trade printer that offers special prices to graphic designers.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Create a File with White Ink<\/span><\/h2>\n

Ready to start designing a file for white ink printing? Different printers have different requirements such as:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Using spot color for white ink areas<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Using a different layer that contains all your white ink areas<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Using a separate file containing only the white ink areas<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Note: Some print workflows require specific naming of your file in order to work, so you may need to name your white spot color, layer or file a certain way. Always check their requirements before submitting your file.<\/span>
    \nSinaLite, for example, requires the white ink areas to be a spot color with a particular name. Download their free white ink setup guide here:<\/span>
    \n    \"white<\/a><\/p>\n

    Tips for Designing with White Ink<\/span><\/h2>\n