Ink on these machines runs about $160 a litre, which works out to about fifty cents a square foot printed, in a range of 40 to 60 cents. That range is for the whole job, white included. A job that needs a white layer uses more ink than one that doesn’t, so it costs more per square foot than the same image on a white surface. White ink is standard on the Pro Series, the Tech Series and the Floor Series, so there’s no add-on to buy before you can use it.
The Wall Printer® assembles, tests and supports direct-to-surface UV printer packages for walls, floors, glass, metal, wood and panels in Wilmington, NC. Ink is the one material cost on a job. There’s no per-print fee and no software subscription.
When does a job need a white layer?
Color ink is translucent. On a white surface, the surface does the work of a white layer for you. On anything else, color sinks into what’s underneath. A white layer printed first gives the color something to sit on.
You’ll want one on:
Dark and colored surfaces. Painted brick, dark paint, stained wood, colored tile, dark concrete. Without white underneath, a bright logo reads muddy.
Glass and clear acrylic. There’s no background at all. White behind the color makes the image solid. Leave it out and you get a see-through, stained-glass look, which is sometimes exactly what the job calls for.
Metal. White underneath is what makes color read on bare or brushed metal.
White as a color. White lettering or a white logo on a dark surface is printed with white ink.
You usually won’t need one on white or light primed drywall, light panel stock or light floors. The surface is already the white.
How much ink does the white layer add?
It depends on three things: how much of the image sits on white (a full flood behind everything, or white only under the artwork), the resolution, and the color mode. The RIP and layout software, which comes with the machine with no annual fee, builds the white layer from your file.
Plan from the 40 to 60 cent range and expect jobs with a full white layer to sit higher in it than jobs without one. If the job is tight, send us the file and we’ll estimate the ink on that file.
What it means per job
Ink cost per job is square feet times cost per square foot. These are illustrative, using the 40 to 60 cent range:
Job
Square feet
Ink, about
A feature wall in a cafe, on light paint
120
$48 to $72
A logo at center court
300
$120 to $180
Zone marking across a plant floor
1,000
$400 to $600
The same jobs on a dark surface with a full white layer use more ink than the low end of each row suggests.
Ink isn’t the whole job cost. Add your operator’s time (the machines print 10 to 20 sq ft an hour), surface prep, travel, and a share of the print head, which is a wear item at about $2,000 on the Pro. Floors run on the Floor Series only. The cost model puts all of it in one place, with every assumption visible.
Does white ink need extra maintenance?
Ink that sits still can settle, which is why circulation matters. On these machines, white runs on the same circulating loop as the color inks, and the pump box circulates ink every twelve hours on its own, nights and weekends included.
The routine is about twenty minutes every other day the machine runs. It’s taught in training, and the maintenance page shows all of it.
What to ask any vendor about white ink
Hold every machine you’re looking at to the same four questions:
01
Is white ink standard, or an add-on?
02
Does white cost more per litre than color?
03
Does the white ink circulate on its own when the machine sits?
04
Does the software build the white layer, or do you build it by hand?
Our answers: white is standard on all three machines, the ink circulates every twelve hours, and the RIP builds the white layer. For white ink pricing, call the team.
Questions people ask
How much does UV ink cost per square foot?
About fifty cents a square foot printed, in a range of 40 to 60 cents. Ink runs about $160 a litre.
Do I need white ink to print on glass?
For a solid image, yes. White behind the color makes it read. Without it, the print is see-through, like stained glass.
Is white ink standard on all three machines?
Yes. The Pro Series, Tech Series and Floor Series all print white as standard.
Want the ink on your file worked out?
Call the team at 910-632-0320. Send the file and the surface, and you’ll get a number for that job.
Want a recommendation for your space? Every space is different. Tell the team in Wilmington the surface, the space and what you want on it, and we’ll tell you how we’d print it.