We can print in a variety of custom inks, but there are a few extra steps to the process, so if you’re hoping to print with custom ink, please give yourself a few extra days to get your order started!
The easiest way for us to prepare a custom ink is from a Pantone number. Every color prints a little differently on chipboard, so once you send us your Pantone number, we’ll order a custom ink drawdown on chipboard so that you get an opportunity to approve the color before we order a whole can of ink.
(Chipboard has a tendency to darken ink colors – as a result, our custom ink manufacturer Great Western mixes us special chipboard versions of custom inks that include some opaque white ink to lighten the ink to counteract the chipboard.)
Producing a custom ink drawdown takes 2-3 business days, and we’ll require approval on both your custom ink and your digital proof before we take your project to print!
If you don’t have a Pantone number for us to match, we can also match a color from a physical sample of the color. Digital examples and hex codes won’t do the trick! There’s just too much lost in translation.
Custom inks add a $100 fee to most orders, with orders over 5000 pieces resulting in a larger fee since we’ll have to order more ink! Your first custom ink drawdown (per custom color in your order) is free, but if you want to order a few to choose between, each additional ink drawdown will cost $25.
Please note: using a custom ink with a rush order can be very tricky, since there’s extra time involved in getting the drawdown and it takes a little more time for the ink to arrive once we order a can. Sometimes we can still make it happen, but check in if you’re in a hurry!