Real metal, pressed into the sheet.
A heated die transfers a metallic film onto the stock under pressure. Not printed, not simulated: a layer of metal with an impression around it.
Start with the finish
See what foil stamping does with your own brief.
Free · about two minutes
How it is made
Each colour is a separate pass with its own die and its own makeready. Two foils on one card is two set-ups and a registration tolerance of about a quarter millimetre between them: which is why designs that let the colours sit apart cost less to run beautifully than ones that interlock. Setup dominates at low volume: at 100 cards you're mostly paying for the die; at 1,000 the per-card cost falls off a cliff.
Foil is a reflection, not a colour. Matte gold and mirror gold look nearly identical on a screen and nothing alike in the hand.
What the screen cannot show
A screen physically cannot show this finish. It is a reflection, not a colour, and every image on this page is light hitting a surface at one chosen angle.
Hold the finish in your hand: order the sample kit →What it runs on
| Substrate | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Uncoated & 100% cotton | Excellent | Soft sheet takes the die cleanly; the impression is part of the effect. |
| Colour-through (dyed) stock | Excellent | Metal on saturated ground is the highest-contrast thing we print. |
| Soft-touch laminated stock | Good, tested | Adhesion varies by film : we proof it. |
| Stainless & brass | Excellent | Metal-rated foil transfers cleanly with the correct heat and dwell settings. |
| Recycled, kraft & inclusion stock | Good, tested | Grips well, but husk and fibre inclusions break up fine lines. Keep the mark bold and expect a slightly broken edge as part of the look. |
Minimums and specs
- Minimum line / gap
- Lines 0.15 mm target / 0.1 mm floor; gaps 0.25 mm target / 0.15 mm floor
- Every foil series
- Minimum type
- 7 pt
- 8 pt recommended · 10 pt reversed · 12 pt high-contrast serif
- Foil-to-foil registration
- ±0.25 mm
- Tooling
- 1 die / colour / side
Design note. Gradients, photographs and halftones don't foil: it's a solid film, so artwork wants solid shapes and line work.
Choose the process by the outcome
- Metal on uncoated
- Hot foil: metallic ink goes grey on absorbent stock.
- All-over metal
- Metallic stock supplies reflection across the whole sheet.
- Gloss on cotton
- Clear foil for a pressed satin shine.
Pairs well with
Blind deboss
A die presses the artwork into the sheet with no ink and no foil. The only thing you see is the depth: the surface reading differently where it's been compressed.
Edges and thickness
Paint adds colour, foil adds reflection, and duplex or triplex adds real plies. Choose the edge and construction together, not as interchangeable effects.
Letterpress
A polymer or metal plate is inked and pressed into a soft sheet, leaving colour sitting in a visible impression rather than on top of a flat surface.
Seen in
Common questions
- Is foil a printed metallic colour?
- No. It is a metallic film transferred by a heated die, so it stays opaque and reflective on dark or absorbent stock.
- Why does a second foil colour cost more?
- It needs a second die, a second makeready and a second registered pass through the press.
- Can a photograph or gradient be foiled?
- No. Foil artwork is solid vector shape and line work; continuous tone belongs to a printing process.
- How close can two foil passes register?
- Plan around approximately ±0.25mm. Designs with air between colours run more consistently than interlocking shapes.