Printing white on transparent paper

[Jayzee]

Hi,

I'm trying to print few stickers on a transparent paper (Canon Transparent Self Adhesive paper) with white shapes using Illustrator CS5.

Whatever I try to do I can not get printer to print white color, it simply skips it (I have a color laser printer - Canon CX11NF)!?

[Nagisan]

Printers do not contain white ink most of the time, so it's logically impossible to print white with a standard printer.

[iKenndac]

Yes, you can't print white without a special printer.

If you want white shapes, I'm afraid you'll have to buy some white self-adhesive paper and get busy with the scissors!

[Jayzee]

So, if I wanted to print vectors containing white shapes on a transparent paper I would either need to buy a special printer or go to my local printing company?

[Nagisan]

So, if I wanted to print vectors containing white shapes on a transparent paper I would either need to buy a special printer or go to my local printing company?

That would be the best way unless you want to do what iKenndac said, but that wouldn't exactly be printing white shapes.

[Jayzee]

My guess is that those printers are extremely expensive and take a lot of space, correct?

BTW, thanks guys for your swift answers, it's truly appreciated!

[lnmnky]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer_paper

for dark coloured background you use white transfer paper, for white coloured backgrounds you use transparent transfer paper

[Jayzee]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer_paper

for dark coloured background you use white transfer paper, for white coloured backgrounds you use transparent transfer paper

Probably not the best solution for printing stickers for jar lids :)

OK, I'll need to have a printing company do it for me then...

[lnmnky]

:unsure: Stickers for jar lids... Maybe you could print in off-white...

[Jayzee]

:unsure: Stickers for jar lids... Maybe you could print in off-white...

I tried with PANTONE Cool Gray 1U and it wasn't visible on the black jar lid :(

[neufuse Veteran]

unless you have a spot color printer that you can put white in as one of the spot colors, then you are out of luck, but those generally run you a LOT of money...

you'd generally need a CMYK+Mt+W (6 color) like this model XC-540MT which can print metalic colors and white, but then you are talking $40,000 for a printer before ink costs

[Jayzee]

unless you have a spot color printer that you can put white in as one of the spot colors, then you are out of luck, but those generally run you a LOT of money

Unfortunately I don't, I only have a high-end color laser printer. I hoped that it would work with it - obviously it did not...

[neufuse Veteran]

Unfortunately I don't, I only have a high-end color laser printer. I hoped that it would work with it - obviously it did not...

you MIGHT be able to get white toner for your laser printer, some places do have them as a speciality color, but its very expensive usually, taking $1,000 a cartridge, but you are talking Richo, Oki, and Brother high end laser printers, and some Cannon ones

[hdood]

It's fairly unlikely that your average print place will be able to do it, and even less likely that they can do it on your specific transparencies, but checking is pretty much your only option. Might not be cheap in small amounts.

Honestly, I'd consider abandoning it and doing something else or find someone who makes lids (bug again, high startup costs for a small run), maybe screen-printing.

[Jayzee]

Thanks a lot guys. I decided to let a printing company deal with it :shiftyninja:

[neufuse Veteran]

It's fairly unlikely that your average print place will be able to do it, and even less likely that they can do it on your specific transparencies, but checking is pretty much your only option. Might not be cheap in small amounts.

Honestly, I'd consider abandoning it and doing something else or find someone who makes lids (bug again, high startup costs for a small run), maybe screen-printing.

Screen printing would be very cheap at home now... there are machines called Yudu's which you print from your home printer then use a chemical process then you have a screen print color reduction sheet and the inks already... very easy process from home for about $290