Onyx Thrive - setup for white ink on black substrate.

[Haakon]

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with a solution for my inquiry.

I was wondering if there is any way to set up a file in the rip so that it prints the "opposite" (I know that is the wrong term here, but English being my second language I can't always find the words) than it would on a white substrate.

I've found a random image and made a modification to it to show what I think would need to be printed. Using a OCE Arizona 360GT with white ink for printer reference.

So if you imagine this printed regularly (on a white substrate) it would just print all the black areas. But I would want it to NOT print the black, as the substrate is black anodized aluminum, and need the anodizing to show. But would also need a white base layer so that the colours will show up correctly.

So to show what I think would be needed, I made this "preview" to show what my mind says would need to be printed. Just the center image, and no ink laid down where it's gray in this image:

Does this make sense? Is there anyway to set this up in the RIP? My thought is to make a vector file for the white background base layer, print that first, and print the image with cmyk on top. It won't be this exact image, but I think it will serve to illustrate my thought process.

I'm just working part time at this facility that has the printer/rip, but I'm interested in figuring out different ways to use all the possibilities this fine equipment has to offer.

Any feedback greatly appreciated!

 

[balstestrat]

Well you can remove or set the black as your "material" color. It's not perfect tho. If you have any variation to the shade of the black it won't work very well if at all.

Best way for you to do it is remove the black before in your editing software, illustrator in this case I guess.
Just leave it as white if you don't want it.

 

[White Haus]

I would go to color replacement --> select black with eyedropper and leave at 0/0/0/0. (As balstestrat mentioned, it may leave some objects that aren't exactly the same shade of black, but those won't show on a black substrate anyways)

Then go to spot layer tool and select mask so that it will print white behind remaining printed objects only, then add a small choke/spread to make sure white doesn't bleed past printed objects.

Sorry not at our RIP computer those those menus may not be super accurate, but hopefully you get the idea.

Alternatively, this could all be done in Illustrator using clipping masks and by manually creating the shapes you want to feature Spot1(white).

 

[Haakon]

Thank you both, this will be very helpful to explore next time I'm at the workstation

I'm much more comfortable in illustrator, so anything I can set up there would be easier, but also I want to learn to understand the possibilities in Thrive. So I will try both ways.

For now, I've only made solid fills with white when it's needed for a background color in order to make vibrant prints (or a final layer when printing reverse on acrylic), but will the RIP support a spot color with gradient fade out? Or just a solid block of color? Or make it into a raster?

 

[balstestrat]

Thank you both, this will be very helpful to explore next time I'm at the workstation

I'm much more comfortable in illustrator, so anything I can set up there would be easier, but also I want to learn to understand the possibilities in Thrive. So I will try both ways.

For now, I've only made solid fills with white when it's needed for a background color in order to make vibrant prints (or a final layer when printing reverse on acrylic), but will the RIP support a spot color with gradient fade out? Or just a solid block of color? Or make it into a raster?

View attachment 154075

Just imagine it like additional ink. You can do everything you could do with cmyk.
On your picture make it negative and change the color to Spot1 and import to RIP. You will print that on black just like in your image.
This lion for example, you can print it just with white ink. No cmyk needed.