Watch Our Step-by-Step Tutorial

You want to print metallic labels to simulate gold, silver or other metallic colours? Some texts and elements in the label should nevertheless not be metallic, but matt? Our step-by-step instructions and video tutorial show you how to correctly apply opaque white in your finished print file.

Overview Tutorials

First you need to create a new colour swatch. In order to do so, call up the colour control panel. Navigate there via the bar at the top of your screen. Click on Window  Colour. Use the list function to assign the following colour values: C100 M0 Y0 K0 [Ill.: 1.1]. Now select create new colour swatch which you will also find in the  list function. This colour swatch must be named “HPI-White”. Then change the colour type to spot colour [Ill.: 1.2]. Click on OK to confirm everything. The spot colour you just created can now be found via the control panel Window Swatches.

Now, create the following layers in your file: print layer, opaque white and die cutter. These layers do not have any influence on the assignment of your colours, but are merely there for your own convenience. You need to make sure that the opaque white elements are created over the printing colours. In the next step, click on Window again to call up the Layer control panel. Click on the plus symbol in the lower right corner of the panel to  create a new layers [Ill.: 2.1]. You can change the name of the layer by double clicking on the respective layer. After you have entered the correct name, confirm it with OK. It is important that you place the individual elements on the correct layer. To do this, select the objects with the   selection tool. A small square will now be displayed to the right of the layer. You can use this square to place elements on their correct layer. To do so, just drag the square to the desired destination. Now, repeat these steps until all elements are placed on the correct layer.

When printing on a metallic material, there are two reasons to create the colour opaque white or HPI-White:

1. to print white, non-metallic elements
2. coloured elements, such as text or images are not to be printed metallic. In this case the opaque white is printed first and the coloured area above it.

Use the selection tool to select the elements which are to be printed white. Assign the spot colour HPI-White from the colour panel [Ill.: 3.1] and make sure that the elements are on the HPI-White layer.

Select the elements that are to be printed in non-metallic colours with the  selection tool. Use the key combination cmd+c (Windows: Strg.+ c) to copy these elements. Now, select the opaque white layer and use the key combination cmd+f (Windows: Strg.+ f) to paste the copied elements to the original position on the opaque white layer. Call up your colour swatches again, by clicking on Window Swatches. Now colourise the selected elements with the spot colour HPI-White. It is important to set these elements to overprint to make sure that the underlying colours will be printed as well. To do this, use the  selection tool to select the respective elements and set them to overprint fill or overprint stroke [Ill.: 3.2] using the attributes panel (Window Attributes).

To see if all colour separations have been set up correctly use the Window   Separation Preview. When  hiding the “HPI-White” colour channel, make sure that the coloured areas underneath are displayed and not cut out [Ill.: 4.1]. The areas that are printed exclusively white should be cut out.