White ink printing/setup

We offer white ink printing on a variety of substrates, including kraft/compostable, metallic/holographic and clear. In these applications, the purpose of the white ink base layer is to block out the material creating a white background for the Process colored inks to print on top of, just like putting primer on the wall before you paint.

White ink can also be printed as a solitary color in the design but since our white ink is semi-opaque, results vary depending on the substrate.


Clear Material

On clear substrates, white is printed under the entire design except where the window is indicated, thus providing a way to showcase the product inside of the package.

In order for us to print a white ink underlay, it is best to place the window shape onto its own layer separate from the design. That indicates to us what part of your design you want to appear as clear or transparent and everything else will be produced with a white ink underlay to appear opaque.

Click here to view our instructional video for Clear Window setup


Kraft/Compostable Materials

On Brown Kraft/Compostable substrates, white is printed under any elements that you do not want to blend with the brown material. The examples below show the CMYK color blocks setup with and without a white ink base layer to show the difference.

WITHOUT white ink base layer - Color will blend with the brown kraft material.

kraft image without white ink underlay

WITH white ink base layer - White ink prints first to block out the brown kraft material, followed by the process inks on top.

kraft image with white ink underlay

To indicate the white ink layer in the file, simply duplicate the objects of your design, that you want white ink to print under, onto the White Ink Base Layer indicated in the template. Then fill those elements with a solid color, such as 100% magenta or a color that stands apart from the rest of the design, to represent the white ink. It is also helpful to name the color swatch SpotColor_White.

Click here to view our instructional video for White Ink setup


Metallic/Holographic Materials

On metallic substrates, white ink is used to block out the metallic sheen of the material providing a white background or base thus creating a non-metallic effect. Printing inks directly onto the silver substrate without the white ink base layer creates a metallic effect. The examples below show the CMYK color blocks setup with and without a white ink base layer to show the difference.

WITHOUT white ink base layer - Color will print directly onto the silver substrate, without a white ink base layer, producing a metallic appearance.

metallic image without white ink underlay

WITH white ink base layer - White ink will print first to block out the metallic sheen of the substrate, followed by the process inks, producing a non-metallic appearance.

metallic image with white ink underlay

In order for us to print a white ink underlay, it is best to place the metallic effects onto a separate layer from the design. That indicates to us what part of your design you want to appear as metallic and everything else will be produced with a white ink underlay to block out the metallic sheen of the material.

Click here to view our instructional video for Metallic Effects setup


If you are unable to setup your file for white ink printing, we do have a prepress team that can set it up for you but if your design requires an extensive white layer setup, additional charges may apply.

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