Usually, yes—but it depends entirely on the printer’s process. Many print workflows do not use white ink, so areas that are pure white or very light in the file may simply show the metal substrate instead of printing as white. That said, you should confirm this with the print provider, because some processes handle whites differently.

If the lab supports transparency, a common way to prepare the file is to export it as a PNG with transparency instead of a JPEG. Put the image content you want printed on its own layer, and leave the areas you want to show bare metal transparent. In an editor like Photoshop or GIMP, you can do this with selections, masks, and layers.

So the practical answer is:

1. Ask the metal print supplier how their process treats white and transparency.
2. If they support it, deliver a file with transparent areas (often PNG).
3. If they do not print white ink, white/light areas may already render as exposed metal.