Printing on white or colored paper: which to prefer?

Have you noticed at public events that the background behind the speaker matters for perception? The white wall looks completely different from the velvet curtains in the theater. The same goes for promotional materials. Some people prefer printing on colored paper, while others choose white paper but accent the design with an interesting background image. Let's consider the pros and cons of both options.

Pure paint color

A significant argument in favor of printing on white paper is the brightness of the colors and natural color rendition, a clearer image. Printing inks may be partially transparent and blend with the background color, causing the design to appear somewhat washed out.

Sometimes a designer may specifically choose this style, but it is better to avoid such an effect. However, it will be less noticeable if you print with dark inks on light paper. But white is still the best choice and a guarantee that all design elements will accurately match the required color.

In addition, white media is more versatile when it comes to post-press selection. For example, foil stamping will not look good on every colored paper. However, blind embossing, on the contrary, may have limitations in areas of printed paper.

White areas

The design that contains white elements deserves special attention. Pure white is difficult to achieve, even using process paints. In this case, printing on white paper has even more advantages; the medium becomes part of the image itself. For example, if a white flower is depicted against a blue sky, then only the sky is printed; the white area can remain free.

Space for creativity

If you choose colored paper, you become tied to one background color and the color palette of the project as a whole. In this regard, printing the background is more interesting, and there is more flexibility. You can add patterns, textures, photographic substrates, and print interesting effects, such as a gradient.

It is also very important that you can print the background in absolutely any color. You don't have to pick something "similar" to your corporate color, you'll get it exactly. And the palette of colored paper is tied to the manufacturer’s supply program. At the same time, as a rule, only the most popular shades are present in the printing house's warehouse, and purchasing a small batch of paper of a different color specifically for your order can be quite expensive.

Margins

If you do not comply with the requirements printing house when preparing the layout when printing the background, you can get white stripes along the edges, or vice versa - part of the image will be cut off. It will be easier for beginners to deal with the design of products on colored paper, the shortcomings will not be so obvious.

Cost and time

Printing a beautiful background on white paper can increase the final the cost of printed products, for example, if a large amount of ink is required. In addition, for a number of products, for example, business cards or postcards, it is important that the front and back are the same color, which means you will have to overpay for printing on the other side. If the price factor is critical, then you should choose colored paper.

The same arguments apply to the production time of the edition. Duplex printing takes longer.

So, both colored paper and printed backgrounds have their advantages and disadvantages. Printing a background image gives better results and greater design flexibility. But this is not always the best choice, because there are certain limitations, for example, cost and printing time. In general, everything is very individual and depends on the specific project, as well as the capabilities of the printing house.