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How to Prepare White Ink Artwork for Brown Kraft Business Cards

How to Prepare White Ink Artwork for Brown Kraft Business Cards
Quick visual guide: CMYK artwork + White Ink Mask preparation.

What is White Ink?

Kraft paper is brown, so light colors may look dull. White ink is used to: (1) print white text/logo, or (2) act as a white underbase so CMYK colors look brighter on Kraft. White ink is typically printed first, then CMYK prints on top.

Step 1 — Choose Your Printing Option

  • CMYK (Full Color) — no white ink, artwork prints directly on Kraft.
  • CMYK + White Ink — white underbase + CMYK on top (recommended for brighter colors).
  • White Ink Only — your design prints in white only.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: White Ink requires a “White Ink Mask” file

A White Ink Mask tells us exactly where to print white ink. The standard rule is: BLACK = print white ink, WHITE/blank = no white ink.

Step 2 — Prepare Your Main Artwork (CMYK)

  • Size: Set your document to the ordered size (e.g., 85mm × 55mm).
  • Bleed: Add 3mm bleed if background goes to the edge.
  • Safe area: Keep important text/logo at least 3–5mm inside from edges.
  • Color mode: CMYK recommended.
  • Resolution: 300dpi recommended for any images.
  • Fonts: Outline or embed fonts before exporting PDF.

Step 3 — Create the White Ink Mask (Simple Rules)

White Ink Mask must be:

  • Same size & same position as your main artwork.
  • 100% BLACK shapes for white ink areas. Keep background WHITE/blank.
  • Solid vector shapes only (no gradient / shadow / transparency / blur).
  • Avoid very thin lines or tiny text (white ink may not appear clearly).

Step 4 — Recommended Setup (Adobe Illustrator)

  1. Open your CMYK artwork in Illustrator.
  2. Create a new layer on top: WHITE_MASK.
  3. Copy the objects you want printed in white into this layer.
  4. Change those objects to 100% BLACK (solid fill). Keep everything else blank.
  5. Ensure the mask aligns perfectly with the CMYK artwork (no shifting).

Step 5 — Export & File Naming

  • Export as PDF (preferred).
  • Front (single-sided): provide 2 files:
    • Front-CMYK.pdf
    • Front-WHITE_MASK.pdf
  • Double-sided: if white ink on both sides, provide 4 files:
    • Front-CMYK.pdf, Front-WHITE_MASK.pdf
    • Back-CMYK.pdf, Back-WHITE_MASK.pdf
  • Recommended: ZIP all files into 1 ZIP before uploading.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using grey instead of 100% black (mask must be solid black).
  • Using gradients/shadows/transparency on the mask.
  • Mask not aligned with your CMYK artwork.
  • Forgetting the WHITE_MASK file after selecting White Ink.

Need help preparing White Ink?

WhatsApp us and our team will assist you before printing.