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Hi - I am printing a business card on Kraft paper. I need to create a white mask for a colored waves image and colored text on the card so the image prints vibrant on the kraft paper. The white mask needs to be separate from my file, same size as artwork and vector. Not sure how to do this!
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You duplicate all the artwork and color it with whatever color they told you.
I suppose it should be a spot color.
And about the files: you need to ask the printing service if this should be two separate files, or two pages in one file, or a separate layer or whatever. Talk to them on the phone, so you can directly ask when you don't understand something.
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Kim,
You would need a custom opaque white ink and ask the printer exactly how they wish you to set it up.
But why not use white Kraft paper and add a grey frame, which would be require less ink and be more accurate, especially at the ends of the wavy shapes (you may think misregistration).
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Have you thought about placing an image in the background of your artwork in order to simulate kraft paper instead of printing on actual kraft?
Then you could order full color business cards much cheaper from a place such as gotprint.com or vistaprint.com.
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What color is the paper? I am concerned with the text elements. You could defer the logistics of file prep to the print vendor if they are willing to assist. But Monika's suggestion should get you to where you want to go.
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I have the same question! I have to print on a clear acrylic sign and the manufacturer requires me to upload a white mask, but i have no idea how.
Can the people in the comments below stop offering alternatives and answer the questions please. 🙂
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As I already wrote 2 years ago: contact the manufacturer and ask them exactly how you are supposed to provide this and then deliver it according to the specifications.
Manufacturers have different specifications for the task. And before anyone can even think about a solution, we need the specification. And then also we need to see your artwork and we need to know which part of it exactly needs the white undercoat. Without having all this information nobody will be able to help you.
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Before you call your vendor for the exact file specs, do a search on clingz printing to get some basic information about printing on vinyl, and search this forum for Spot White. Here is a related thread:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/printing-white/m-p/11583960#M251575
Also note that vinyl substrate also comes in white (no spot ink needed).
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1 would use an opacity mask to mask all the parts that don't need to be white.
Create a new layer
Create a box same size as your card, give it a black fill. Duplicate the box.
On the original layer, select all the elements that you need the white underprint.
Copy these. Go to the new layer, use ctrl+f to paste in place. Convert all the text to outlines. Set the fill to for all these elements to white (0%k). Ģroup all these elements. Select this group and the top black box, group the selection, cut this out. Select the remaining box
On the transparency tab, select make opacity mask
Paste in place the group you just cut.
Click on the left panel to exit opacity mask mode.
You should have an exact white plate...
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Sorry missed a step, and unable to edit the post. Before you make the opasity mask, on the remaining box, set the fill to spot white.