Everyone agrees that printing white text can be appealing, especially as it often stands out from the traditional designs. However, while it looks cool, not many people have the correct answer to an important question. That is, “can printers print white.”
While printers can printers can print white, there are various minute details that you have to consider. The first factor to consider is that a traditional printer can necessarily produce a white color. A conventional printer in this context is the type you are likely to find in modern office settings.
Fortunately, this guide looks at practical reasons why printers can print on white.
Can Printers Print in White? – First Things First!
Without getting too technical, white is not a popular printing color due to various reasons. The main reason would be it requires a significant amount of time, maintenance, and cost factors to succeed.
Usually, printers feature the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) ink types. These are the primary inks a printer uses to create other colors. Since white is achromatic, creating or mixing it with different inks is not possible. So, printing on white will require a specialized type of ink.
When a design features white as one of the primary colors, the section that features, white will remain empty. The color of the paper you want to print upon will give you the color you need for this section. If you want to print in white, you may have to consider other suitable methods or hacks for this process.
Where Do I Get White Ink?
White ink is not readily available as all other traditional printer inks on the market. Most brands don’t make white ink, which means that it can be challenging to locate. Brands such as Epson have several white ink types, but these will only work with large-sized printers. However, the same inks won’t work for the small printer types.
If you want to print in white, ensure you find a printer brand to help you with this process. You might require specialty print platforms such as Papermake in Australia.
What is Suitable White Ink Alternative
Instead of struggling to find white ink, you can reverse engineer the process using a unique technique. You will have to consider printing on white paper and then get a color to set for the background. A good example would be when your design features a colored background.
You will have to print all the colored aspects and then leave out the white elements. The white color in the paper will then come off as white color. However, be careful as this technique is not suitable for colored paper.
As you have seen, white ink is indeed available but can be challenging to find. However, there is a neat trick that involves a unique reverse engineering approach. Remember that you can print in white, but locating the product itself can be significantly challenging.