What colors can be printed on on colored film?

Most inks - with the exception of white, black, and metallic colors - print translucent or even transparent. This causes the print to pick up the color of the film, or to disappear completely - especially on dark film. For instance, Blue ink on yellow film will become greenish, yellow ink on black film disappears completely, and red ink on beige or buff film will become burgundy. Predicting how different inks will appear on different film colors is tricky, and highly dependent on the ink formula of the chosen color. White ink looks good on dark colors, but picks up the film color slightly. On black film, white looks slightly gray, on navy blue film, white looks light blue, etc. 

We match ink colors using the Pantone PMS Formula Guide. Flexographic printing uses spot color printing, which requires mixing of different base ink colors to match the color desired. The Pantone Formula Guide provides the recipe for different color mixes. 

It is possible to make lighter colors show up on dark film, but predicting the outcome can be very tricky.

All ink colors print well on white film, so if your art has multiple, or bright, colors, the colors will always look great on white.  

If wanting to use colored film, we can assess your art and make recommendations for creating a look that will work for you.