Foil stamping, also called foil printing and hot stamping, is a common and versatile post-press method involving the application of pigmented or metallic foil to a surface, creating a decorative finish. It’s an ideal method for lettering and patterns on product packaging, cards, invitations, letterheads, and more!
Are you considering choosing foil stamping as a decorative method for your projects? Here’s your guide to foil stamping, the process, materials used, and why it’s beneficial.
What Is Foil Stamping?
Foil stamping was first done in the late 19th century. Before, early foil stamping was performed with custom engraved dies and handset lettering. Since foil stamping was very labor-intensive, it was only limited to book covers.
Hot foil stamping evolved in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Fast forward to today, it’s used to create more aesthetic visuals, increasing your products’ perceived value.
The foil is a thin film coated with colors applied through foil stamping. A pigment will be placed on clear film, acting as the carrier to transfer color into the product. We’ll get into the process in the next section.
How Foil Stamping Works
Foil stamping will use heat, pressure, foil film, and metal dies, with foil coming in rolls of various colors, finishes, and optical effects.
There are different types of foil stamping, such as traditional and digital ones.
You can even combine foil stamping with embossing and debossing for a more striking 3D appearance while creating a shiny and reflective effect. Embossing is a method that presses images into a paper or packaging, either lowered or raised.
For this article, we’ll focus more on the traditional foil stamping process here, the more common method.
The traditional foil stamping method starts with the desired design etched on a metal plate known as the foiling die. You can compare the die to conventional rubber stamps.
When the die heats up, a thin layer of foil will be placed between the substrate and the die. The die will apply pressure to the printing surface and foil, which causes the foil to bond permanently on the surface with the shape of your etched design.
For different colored designs, separate dies must be created for every color, and the press foiling machine will need to go through several runs until it produces the final design.
Materials Used for Foil Stamping
There are different kinds of foils used for foil stamping. Here are the popular types to choose from:
Metalized foil, also referred to as foil, is a commonly used material with this printing technique. The material would produce a shiny and metallic finish, which you can find in various colors. The most popular colors include silver and gold.
Pigment foil has a non-metallic finish and comes in virtually any color. You can choose between a gloss or matte surface textures, which you can use on plastics or paper. The matte pigment would have a muted appearance but depth of color, while gloss pigment combines high gloss and non-metallic finishing.
Pearl foil is primarily used to add a lustrous, pearlescent shine to designs. You can choose between translucent and transparent foils, which you’ll find on greeting cards or wedding invitations.
Effects foil come in different tones and patterns. You can choose among light diffractions, sparkles, or stripes patterns. Special effects foil can mimic the appearance of leather, marble, or pearl.
Holographic foil can transfer hologram images for that eye-catching and futuristic appearance.
Scratch-off foil, as the name suggests, Scratch-off foil is made to be easily removed through scratching. They won’t adhere to printed surfaces permanently, making them an ideal material when concealing sensitive information temporarily. You find these foils on phone cards and lottery tickets.
The Pros and Cons of Foil Stamping
There are numerous benefits to foil stamping, which include:
· Foil printing allows you to stand out from the competition as prints appear even more visually appealing. It can grab customer attention, which results in higher sales.
· Foil stamping is exceptionally versatile, as you can choose among various eye-catching metallic colors and patterns. Companies can create personalized designs that suit their branding and give it a customized finish, like embossing or varnishing.
· Hot foil stamping makes your printed design more durable with a photogenic resolution. Plus, it’s chemical and moisture-resistant and considered a sustainable process!
· You can easily print foils in metallic and light colors on dark-colored surfaces. Since it won’t use ink, the foil color won’t be impacted by the substrate color when the design is applied.
· You get a shinier and lustrous finish with a significant visual impact and foil stamping. Compared to other techniques like lithography, thermography, or letterpress, metallics would fall flat and look shiny.
That said, there are also a few disadvantages to take note of before you proceed with your project:
· The lead time to create the die is quite long, so it may not be the best if you’re in a rush. Furthermore, foil stamping uses heat to apply the foil to melt the thermographic resins.
· Cold foil stamping may result in a slightly irregular edge on your design. Also, it won’t produce the finer detail of hot foil stamping, though the printing plate is much cheaper.
By learning the pros and cons of foil stamping, you have a better understanding of whether this is the proper printing technique for you or not.
Wrapping It Up
Foil stamping is an interesting technique worth investing in for your packages, as it offers a wide variety of colors and textures. That way, you have enhanced aesthetics and uniqueness to your projects. As long as you choose the suitable method and material, you’ll enjoy the end product!
Hopefully, you learned a lot about foil stamping from our short yet informative guide. If you believe foil stamping is a suitable printing technique for your projects, contact us now for inquiries.