How Foil Stamping Works
Foil stamping uses pressure and high heat to release a thin film onto the substrate. The image to be stamped is etched in relief on the plate (so it is raised, rather than recessed). The pressure of stamping tends to slightly deboss the stock. The registration of foil to foil, or foil to embossing/debossing, is excellent – and this layering can create touch me-tilt me effects.
Foils
Foil stamping colors are limited compared to lithography inks, but foil comes in several “effects” – matte pigment, gloss pigment, metallic, holographic, tint and special effects. Metallic foils are a good choice for smallish type – they tend to be the most opaque, and to release the most cleanly. For large type, foil is great for tone-on-tone – black-on-black, pearl-on-anything.
Why We Love It
It’s pizazz-y, but with a little mystique. We can stamp on paper, board, fabric, leather, plastic – and probably some surfaces we haven’t tried yet. It’s easy to test different foils and even try layering them – and with foil stamping, there’s no press wash-up.
