Printing onto coloured card

[Chanson]

This may sound like a silly question. I have been asked to design some wedding invites for a friend. I have finished the design and exported the pdf with crop and bleed. The invites will be printed on coloured card. How do I ensure the printer knows not to print the white background from the pdf? So it should only be the black text from the pdf on the coloured card.

Thanks in advance

[Bill Silbert · Accepted solution]

I'm assuming that you made the pdf from an InDesign document which you had created. If you have not put any kind of fill in the background then there is nothing for the printer to print from. You'll also notice that InDesign actually does not have White in the swatch panel—it is called "Paper" because it is only used to "stand in" for the color of the stock on which it is to be printed. So even if you had used it you would not have been indicating "white".

[Chanson]

Perfect, makes complete sense. Thank you

[Derek Cross]

They couldn't print the white (easily).

Apart from screen printing and blocking, printing inks are semi-transparent. Ensure your design will be easy to read on the coloured card.

I suggest you discuss these issues with your printer.