Revolution Print and Packaging opaque white ink on transparent label Image

What is white ink?

It is exactly as it states, ink that is white. Sounds easy enough, right?

Nope.

There is so much more to white ink than meets the eye. First of all, not all flexo digital printing presses can print white ink. Some are just limited to CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black – more on that in another blog). But, the digital presses that can print white ink aren’t created equal either.

Many conventional and digital presses have to use multiple hits of white. This increases your cost because additional colors were added (even though they are the same white color). If you don’t do multiple hits of white, it will not be opaque enough and will look gray, dull, or you will still be able to see through a transparent substrate in the areas of your design that wasn’t intended for that.

The white ink on our flexo digital presses is double the opacity of toner-based digital presses. So you don’t need to do multiple hits of white ink.

What are the benefits of white ink in the design?

If you need a transparent label but want the look of a white label in only part of your design, that is a great reason to use white ink.

Revolution Print and Packaging opaque white ink on transparent label Image

White ink on clear or
transparent substrate

A metallic substrate offers a unique look for your label and product. However, you may only want a portion of your label to have a metallic look, so white ink acts as a support to knock out that particular part. It can be left white, or any image or design can be printed to create a non-metallic look.

Revolution Print and Packaging opaque white ink on metallic label Image

White ink on metallic substrate

If you have any questions about how to set up your files for white ink, let us know. We would love to help.