There are hundreds of metallic colours on the pages. But there is only one metallic ink. Silver. That’s it. The rest is CMYK. In other words, a 5-colour job.

How can that be possible? This revolution in printing is made possible by a specialized silver ink, special CMYK inks and a remarkable new metallic ink software program called MFX.

Developed by the British design and technology company of the same name, and used under licence, MFX was named "Innovation of the Year 2003" at the UK National Business Awards. Computer Arts magazine gave it 41/2 stars out of 5.

Already, European designers are putting MFX through its paces. The packaging for the Sara Lee line of premier profiterole desserts features subtle blends of metallic silver and purple.