Foil Stamping

Foil stamping, or "hot stamping", transfers an opaque foil material to the surface of the paper to create eye-catching effects. It is affordable, especially when printing various items on the same sheet.

A super-thin ribbon of foil is fed into a press, where the foil releases its pigment onto the paper when pressed between a die and a hard flat surface and heat is applied. Foil stamping combines well with embossing, in which case a relief die and counter are used. Foil stamping is versatile. It can be a base for engraving, other foil stamping, offset printing or four-color process. Special inks may be needed to adhere to the foil.

Foil stamping has a vibrancy unmatched by other printing techniques. The most common foils are shiny gold and silver metallics, plastic, satin, pearlized and holographic. They range from white to intense primary hues. There are also pigmented foils. Foils can be stamped on top of one another to create different colors. However, there are limitations in matching foil colors to PMS colors, and foil colors may appear darker or lighter on different backgrounds.

Applications
Foil stamping is most often used to create special effects on presentation materials, brochure covers and stationery items.