The Journal

This is part twenty-three of a series called One a Day in May, where we will review one wedding stationery term every day in May!

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White-ink printing is becoming increasingly popular due, in some part to trends, but also because there are more ways than ever before to achieve this beautiful effect. White-ink printing was traditionally hard to come by for anyone on a budget because the techniques used were labor-intensive and expensive. Digital printing has always been the most affordable option, many people even choose to do that at home but white-ink printing cannot be achieved that way. Most people don’t realize that printing something “white” on a regular printer is actually the absence of color coming from the printer, not white ink itself.

White-ink printing can be done in a couple different ways. Of course the most straightforward method is hiring a calligrapher to write in white ink on the paper, which is a beautiful option for place cards or envelopes, but not cost-effective for invitations. There are certain laser printers that accept white toner, which works well because laser toner sits on top of paper versus inkjet printers whose ink soaks into the fibers of the paper itself. Foiling is another option for white printing, as well as letterpress and engraving. (More on all those techniques in the next couple posts!)