HLPS prints white ink with our Indigo digital press

now you can print with white ink!

High quality, digital white-ink printing has arrived in Western Michigan! HLPS' new Indigo digital press features the ability to print with white ink on color or black stock. You can achieve tremendous white ink results, even on shorter and variable data printing projects.

no expensive set-up costs

When you print with white ink using our HP Indigo digital presses, there is no need for printing plates or equipment wash-ups. We can influence the opacity of the white ink, though sometimes two or more passes are required to achieve optimum results.

popular white ink applications

White ink has many uses to really make your project shine. It can be printed as a base layer on color, clear or metallic stocks before applying CMYK as a way to create a layer to reflect back the CMYK color image. Especially on clear stock, white is necessary to prevent light from passing through without reflecting the other colors.

More and more graphic designers are relying on white ink for a wide variety of creative applications. As paper companies continue to expand their product offerings, white ink has increased in use due to its versatility and unique characteristics. Some of the pieces we've seen utilizing white ink include posltcards, posters, invitations, metallic items and more.

Mohawk's take

We excerpted the following interview from Mohawk's Make Ready publication, one of our paper suppliers:

What applications have been most popular with white ink users?

Indigo customers are using ElectroInk White for a wide range of commercial applications (invitations, direct mail, photo greeting cards, eye-catching effects on metalized substrates, point-of-purchase materials, business cards, and more) as well as label & packaging applications. Customers are running it across all verticals and all geographies, and continue to surprise us with their creativity. We've seen a direct mail piece in the shape of a computer, with a personalized message written on a black keypad. Packaging that catches the eye with metalized substrates. Even a photo book that used only white ink on 14-point black uncoated substrate.

We've heard number of hits is important. How does a printer determine the number of hits that's right for their job?

As with every job, testing is important. The design of the job, the substrate used and the customer's preference all play a part in determining how the job is printed. We recommend testing the different options before deciding — and by the way, the operator can always change these parameters easily, in real-time.

How does a printer avoid mis-registration of color while laying down these multiple hits?

Indigo sheetfed presses work in a multi-shot form and can support more than 12 impressions or hits (depending on the model). Therefore, there should not be any issues with mis-registration when using more than one hit of white.

Is there anything specific printers should watch for to avoid problems with this technology?

The one thing we recommend for our customers is to ensure they are working with certified substrates when using ElectroInk White to obtain the desired results. Mohawk has lots of great substrates in various shades and calipers that are suitable for working with ElectroInk white. Check out their Studio Collection.