Foldfactory.com offers digital white ink printing on a variety of substrates. One of the greatest benefits of using white ink is the ability to show an intense pop of white on a colored sheet. We can print white ink on its own, or as an additional spot color combined with CMYK. We can also apply the white ink as a foundation and print full color on top of it—which would give you the ability to print a brightly-colored photograph onto a black sheet of paper, for example.
To set up your file for white ink printing using Adobe InDesign, please follow these steps.
- Create a new layer on which you will create the white ink portions of your design. Name this layer “White.” Please make sure the W is capitalized, as the software we use to print is case sensitive.
- Once this layer is in place, create a new color swatch. Open your color palette by clicking “Window,” then “Color,” then “Swatches.” The Swatch Palette will appear.
- Click in the upper right corner of the Swatch Palette and select “New Color Swatch.” The new color will default to black, but we recommend making it a light blue color so you can see what will be white more clearly; 20% Cyan is a good option.
- Click on the Color Type drop-down menu and select “Spot.” Change the Swatch Name to “White” (case sensitive). Click “OK.”
- On the White layer and using the White spot color, create the design elements that you wish to have printed with white ink. For white ink to be printed behind a design element with CMYK four color printing, trace the desired shape.
- When you’ve created your white ink elements, click “Window,” then “Output,” then “Attributes.” Check the box next to Overprint Fill and Overprint Stroke (if applicable).
- When you save your file, the “White” layer should be the top layer.
Your Adobe InDesign print file including white ink printing should now be ready for submission to Foldfactory.