How to Print White on Color Paper

Printing white on color paper seems like it should be an easy task. After all, printing color on white paper is simple enough. The problem is, ink jet printers generally contain a black cartridge and a red/blue/yellow cartridge. With these inks you can make any color in the rainbow, but you cannot make white. Buying white ink is not an option, because companies simply do not make it. To print white on colored paper, you will have to use one of several workarounds.

Change the Color

Select the white text, image, or section of image you need to print.

Change the color to something just a tiny bit off-white. Adding a fraction of a percent of yellow is a good way to do this. Computer programs treat white as blank space, but even if there’s just the slightest hint of a color it becomes a printable object. Yes, it’s no longer technically pure white, but if you are careful about changing it the naked eye will never notice the difference.

Print the text or image on the colored paper as you would normally. You might have to set your printer in way that uses maximum ink for highest quality. Consult your printer manual to see how this is done.

Use a Copy Store

Transfer the file containing the white you wish to print onto a CD or flash drive.

Bring that drive to a copy store like Kinkos. Many of the larger stores have special machines they can use to do the printing.

Ask for a test page if you are printing many copies of something. You don’t want to have them print 1,000 pages that all look bad.