You may have heard of white toner printing but have no idea exactly what it is. This is THE post for you! I’m going to cover white toner printers, what they do, how they work, supplies required, and even pricing.
This is a continuation of the printer series I’ve been working on. We’ve worked our way through sublimation printing and even DTF or direct-to-film printers. Now I’m going to dive into white toner printing.
You can watch me walk through what white toner printing is by pressing play on the video below.
A Closer Look at White Toner Printing
White toner printers are pretty new on the market, you may have heard the term or people talking about them but don’t really know what they are. Today we’re going to fix that.
In future posts and videos, we’ll walk through the setup process, and pressing process, and even review how white toner printing holds up in the wash.
My goal is for you to know all of the different printer options for crafting and small businesses so you can make the best decision for you and your needs.
The white toner printer I am going to review is the Crio white toner printer. When I talk about cost that is the printer I’ll be talking about.
What Type of Printer is a White Toner Printer?
White toner printers are laser printers. That is why they’re called toner printers. The amazing thing about toner printers is that they have zero maintenance.
Because it is a laser printer, I could print on it today, unplug it, and not print on it for two months. Then plug it in and it would print just like I had printed yesterday. If you’ve been scared of the maintenance required for some other printers, this may be the printer for you.
What Does CMYW Mean?
Now let’s talk about why it’s called a White toner printer.
Most printers, standard inkjet printers, print CMYK, which means they can print in Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, and Black. Anything in your design that is white would become whatever color your paper is.
White Toner Printers print CMYW, which is Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, and White. Don’t worry that black isn’t included. By mixing the other colors, your printer will still print black beautifully.
Why is Printing White Important?
One of the questions I am asked most often is how to print white with a sublimation printer. Sublimation ink is translucent which means, whatever color you apply the print to can show through the design. This is especially obvious in any area of the design that is white or other light colors.
Having the ability to actually print white opens up a new world of project options. With white toner printers, you can apply the prints to any fabric of any color. With a white toner print, you can add white designs onto black garments and you’ll get the result you’re looking for.
What is RIP Software and Why Do I Need It?
The Crio printer comes with RIP software. As you’re looking at white toner printers, you’ll want to make sure that it comes with RIP software. If it doesn’t, that will be an additional start-up cost because you have to have this software.
You need RIP software to get the designs correct for white toner printing. RIP software translates the design from a CMYK design to a file that will print white. If you tried to print a regular CMYK design without RIP software, you’ll end up with a print that doesn’t have white in it.
What does a white toner printer print on?
White toner printers work with a special film or specialized paper that you feed through the printer to print onto. The film is how you will apply the design to your blank.
There is a wide variety of different films you can use for different blanks. You’ll need to pick the one that applies to what you’re creating. I will go over the different films in an upcoming tutorial but there are ones for light fabrics and dark fabrics. Films that can give you a foil-type effect, and so much more.
Your printer will pull the film into the printer and then apply the color to the film. The RIP software will do all the work to make sure the design is right.
Are White Toner Printers Fast?
The Crio white toner printer prints very quickly and the best thing about it is, the print is completely dry when it comes out of the printer.
I do want to note that the colors you see on the film may vary from what they look like when they are pressed. It’s likely parts of your design will have a white layer of toner over the top. That is okay, it will look right after you press it.
How Large Can White Toner Printers Print?
The Crio printer I have has a maximum print size of 11″ by 17″ or tabloid-sized paper. You can get white toner printers in a wide variety of sizes. There are small ones that print letter or legal-sized paper and printers that can print even larger.
Are White Toner Printers Hard to Use?
I do not think white toner printers are hard to use. Like all technology, there is a learning curve to using a new machine but once you’ve done the process a few times you’re going to love how quickly projects come together.
How Do You Use a White Toner Printer?
Now let’s walk through the printing process. This is a general overview of the whole process. I will go into further detail in future posts.
Step 1: Run the Image Through RIP Software
The first thing you need to do is run the image through the RIP software. The software will turn the image into an image that can be printed correctly on the white toner printer.
Step 2: Print Onto Specialized Paper/Film
Next, we’re going to send the print to the printer. Make sure you select the white toner printer and that you have the right type of paper or film installed in the printer. The type of film will be determined by the blank you’re pressing the design onto.
Step 3: Marrying Adhesive to Print
When the print comes out of the printer it does not have adhesive on it. Adding the adhesive is called the marrying process. You’re going to apply the adhesive to the print with the heat press. Peel off the liner and you’re ready to press the design to your shirt.
Step 4: Press Design onto Blank
Follow the settings for your material and blank and press for the recommended time and temperature.
Most films are a cold peel. You need to let it cool completely before peeling back the film.
Step 5: Press a Second Time
To finish the project you need to press the design a second time without the protective film covering it. This second press embeds the design into the blank and gives it a more professional-looking matte appearance when it’s finished.
How Much Does a White Toner Printer Cost?
I am going to talk about the white toner printer that I am using. That is the Crio 8432WDT White Toner Printer. This printer does come with the RIP software and has manufacturing support and a warranty. These are important things to look for when purchasing a printer.
I made this choice for a printer after looking a several different options. There are others on the market so make sure you look at different options and choose the best one for your needs.
This model is an $8,000 printer. This is not a small investment for your crafting hobby or even your small business.
The Crio website really impressed me because they have calculators on their site that will help you determine how long it will take you to make your investment back. If you’re interested, head to their website and run through those calculations for yourself. I also found Crio very helpful if you want them to help you run through the calculations.
Who Should Invest in a White Toner Printer?
A white toner printer is not going to be for everyone. If you think this is the direction you want to go in but haven’t tried it yet, you can purchase white toner prints to test them out. Some businesses sell white toner prints that you can order to test out the process, how the prints look on your blank, and if it’s the right choice for you.
What is the Cost Per Print?
We’ve talked about the initial cost of the printer. There are additional costs that you need to consider in your planning.
The printer will come with toner but a toner refill will cost about $100. Depending on what you print the toner will last a very long time.
There are also different materials you need to purchase to print onto. You will need the special film, you’ll need the adhesive that you marry to the film. Depending on the material you need and any type of effects they have I would estimate an average-sized print is going to cost about $2.
This is an estimate, some materials will cost less and others may cost a little more but the average is about $2.
What are the Pros and Cons of White Toner Printing?
Now let’s look at the pros and cons of white toner printing.
White Toner Printing Pros
- The biggest pro is that you’re getting a printer that is easy to operate, has no maintenance, and of course prints white!
- White printing opens the door to any color of garment and unlike DTF printers you can put these prints on a wide variety of surfaces.
- The printer prints very fast which is something I appreciate.
- The design feels thin on the shirt which is really nice.
- White toner print designs have approximately 50+ laundry cycles for longevity as long as you do the whole process correctly.
- White toner prints have a low pressing temperature. You can even apply designs on blanks like mylar balloons.
- You can press the designs to a variety of surfaces. Think stickers, decals, mugs, tumblers, and more.
- Because this is an ink printing process it’s very stretchable. Along with regular fabrics, you can add these prints to fabrics with stretch and not run into any issues.
White Toner Printing Cons
- The biggest con is the price. White toner printers are very expensive and you will need to decide if it’s right for you.
- I also think the pressing process is complicated and does have a learning curve to get it right.
- You will need a professional heat press to make this process work.
- You may find that you need to make adjustments in the RIP software to get your designs to look their best when using blanks that are a dark color.
Sign Up for White Toner Printing Updates
These are the basics for white toner printing. I will get into more specifics in future tutorials. If you’re interested in being updated when I have new white toner printer content, sign up for my interest list. You’ll be notified every time new content comes out.
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