What white toner is for
Normal printing relies on white paper: the toner is see-through and the paper underneath reflects light back. On colored, dark, kraft or clear stock there is no white to reflect, so color printed straight onto it looks dark and dull. Our OKI C942 digital press has a fifth toner station that prints opaque white. That lets us print white text and graphics on their own, and lay white down under color so it stays bright. It is ideal for:
- Black, navy and other dark card stocks (invitations, business cards, tags)
- Kraft and natural papers
- Colored and dark envelopes
- Clear and transparent film, window clings and labels
The white layer: one named spot color
The press can't guess which parts of your design should be white. Your file needs to tell it, and the reliable way is a spot color swatch named exactly SpotColor_White (OKI's name for its white toner; same spelling and capitals, no spaces). Anything filled or stroked with that swatch prints in white toner. Ordinary white (CMYK 0/0/0/0) is treated as "no ink" and will not print.
- Put white on its own layer (for example "White"), above your color artwork, so it is easy to check and edit.
- Use 100% for solid white. Lower tints of the swatch give a lighter, partly see-through white for subtle effects.
- Make the swatch display color something obvious (a bright color you are not using) so you can see the white layer on screen.
- Add a non-printing "Media" layer filled with your paper color to preview the design, then turn printing off for that layer.
White only vs. white underbase
White-only elements are things that should simply print white: text, a logo or a pattern on dark stock, with no color on top. Underbase means white printed underneath a color element so the color looks right on dark or clear material. Without an underbase, color sinks into the stock and can shift (cyan on red paper, for example, looks dark purple). Sometimes that is a nice effect; for true colors you need the white underneath.
Set the white to overprint
For underbase shapes, select the SpotColor_White objects and turn on Overprint Fill (and Overprint Stroke if they have a stroke) in the Attributes panel. Without overprint, the white shape knocks out (deletes) the color underneath it, and you get white where your color should be. Check with View > Overprint Preview in Illustrator, or Output Preview / Simulate Overprinting in Acrobat.
Choke, registration and fine detail
White and color print in separate passes, so a hair of misregistration can leave a thin white edge peeking out from under color. The cure is to make the underbase very slightly smaller than the color (a choke) or the color very slightly larger (a spread). We apply trapping when we print, so build your white layer the same size as the artwork and let us handle it, unless we ask otherwise.
- Fine lines and small type: choking can thin or erase very fine white. Avoid hairlines and very small or thin reversed text in white; bolder weights hold up much better.
- Dark colors: rich colors over white often look cleaner if you remove the black (K) from the color mix.
- Gradients and soft edges are possible, but need a white layer built with matching tints. Ask us before relying on them.
Page size, bleed and margins
Set your page to the finished size with 0.125" bleed as usual (see the bleed guide). Extend the white layer into the bleed wherever the white or underbased artwork runs off the edge. Keep text and important white detail inside the safe zone.
Exporting your PDF
- Check the Swatches (or Separations) panel: you should see one spot color,
SpotColor_White, plus CMYK. - Export to PDF/X-1a. OKI's white-toner guide specifies PDF/X-1a so the named spot color carries through correctly.
- Don't convert spot colors to process in the export or output settings, or the white layer disappears into CMYK.
- Include bleed and crop marks, and send one PDF at 100% size.
Notes by program
| Program | How to make the white layer |
|---|---|
| Adobe Illustrator | Best choice. New Swatch > name SpotColor_White > Color Type: Spot Color. Put white objects on their own layer and set underbase objects to Overprint Fill/Stroke. Save as PDF/X-1a. |
| Adobe InDesign | Good for simple jobs (white text and solid shapes). Native text and frames can use the swatch and overprint, but placed images and graphics can't be set to overprint in InDesign. Build those white layers in Illustrator or Photoshop first. |
| Adobe Photoshop | Don't use a white layer; use a spot channel. Load the selection of your white areas, then Channels > New Spot Channel named SpotColor_White. Lowering a layer's opacity doesn't lighten the white; paint lighter greys into the channel instead. Hide the media background layer and save as Photoshop PDF (PDF/X-1a). Keep your layered PSD. |
| Affinity Designer / Publisher | Create a spot color swatch named SpotColor_White, apply overprint to underbase objects, and export PDF/X-1a with spot colors kept. Send us the file and we will check the white layer. |
| Canva, Word and similar | These can't create named spot colors. Design as normal, download a PDF Print file, and tell us which elements should be white (a marked-up screenshot works). Our prepress team will build the white layer for you. |
White ink file checklist
- Swatch named exactly
SpotColor_White, set as a spot color - White elements on a separate layer, at 100% unless you want a lighter white
- Underbase shapes set to overprint (checked in Overprint Preview)
- Media/paper-color preview layer set not to print
- No hairline white lines or tiny thin white text
- 0.125" bleed, important detail inside the safe zone
- PDF/X-1a with spot colors kept (not converted to process)
- A note telling us the stock (color, paper or film) you want
Frequently asked questions
- Can't I just use white in my design?
- No. Regular white (0/0/0/0) means no ink, so it won't print. Use a spot color named SpotColor_White, or tell us which areas should be white and we will set it up.
- Why does my white knock out my colors?
- The white shapes aren't set to overprint, so they delete the color beneath them. Select the SpotColor_White objects and turn on Overprint Fill (and Stroke).
- Do I need white under every color?
- Not always. On light stocks, color can print straight on the paper. On dark, kraft or clear stocks, put white under colors that need to look true. Printing without white can give interesting blended colors.
- Can I print white on clear film or labels?
- Yes. White behind color makes it opaque and readable on clear material, and white alone works well for clean, frosted-look graphics.
- I designed in Canva. Can you still print white?
- Yes. Send the PDF Print file and mark which parts should be white. We will create the white layer and send a proof before printing.
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