White Ink Wide Format Printing: What to Know Before You Buy

White ink opens up work you can't do with CMYK alone — printing directly onto clear film, dark or coloured substrates, and building up layered effects for backlit signage. Here are the questions we're asked most before a customer switches to a white-ink-capable printer.

How opaque is it?

HP's white ink on the Latex 700 and 800 series is built for high opacity, so it stays solid and doesn't yellow over time — important for anything that's going to be on display for months, not days.

What does it take to maintain?

Switching between white and other inks used to mean manual purging and wasted ink. On these printers, a removable printhead and automatic recirculation handle that for you, cutting down on waste and the time you spend on upkeep.

Is it expensive to run?

White ink is priced the same as any other colour on these machines. Because it's applied as a thin, high-opacity layer, you typically use less of it than you'd expect to get the same coverage — and a thinner layer means fewer issues when you laminate afterwards.

Where it's used

• White and colour stickers on clear or coloured stock
• Window graphics and backlit displays
• Vehicle graphics on dark paintwork
• Retail decoration and wall coverings

Prints also come out odourless, so they're fine for use indoors straight off the printer. If white ink is something you're considering, talk to us about seeing it running on one of our demo machines — 01483 596 200.