Your guide to using white ink

There are plenty of reasons why you should be using white ink-it broadens the range of services you can offer to your clients by allowing you to print on coloured media and transparent film-but there’s also an additional cost to running an extra colour. However, don’t let that put you off, because using it will certainly contribute to your bottom line by allowing you to supply premium products.

Should you be using white ink?

This is the first question to ask yourself. If you only ever print on white substrates, then you might not have a use for white ink. Or if you just use it very occasionally, you could outsource your white ink printing. But why limit yourself? By offering a range of products that need white ink, you’ll not only make extra profit, but by broadening your services, you’ll attract and retain new clients-so it’s a win-win situation.

Your guide to using white ink

• White ink has reputation for being tricky based upon its constituents-it’s made using sliver nitrate, a colourless or white-based compound, and this makes it different from other eco solvent inks.

• Silver nitrate is a heavy compound, which means the white ink needs regular agitating while installed in the printer or in printhead circulation on a printer. If it’s not regularly mixed, the silver nitrate can sink to the bottom and affect the quality of the ink.

• Using white ink will allow you additional media options such as clear self-adhesive vinyl, clear cling, optically clear film for windows and coloured vinyl.

• There are a number of different options for using white-reverse printing with white flood (colour, white), white as a backer (white, colour), or both-ways printing (colour, white, colour).

• White UV ink is available at a higher density than white eco solvent. Furthermore, layers and texture can be built up using UV ink systems, as it cures quickly and another layer can be put down at each pass. This can be achieved on the LED UV systems.

• White ink is now available for eco solvent printers, and the our uv printers make an excellent choice for this as it circulates the white ink to reduce wastage. Additionally, it can print all the options in one pass, making overprinting unnecessary.

Giving yourself the ability to print items that require white ink absolutely makes commercial sense. Not only will you be differentiating your business with a wider offering, you’ll also get a better price for a greater range of premium products.

If you want to learn more about using white ink and how it could benefit your business, get in touch with our print experts by emailing us at michelle@ailygroup.com or via the website.