Case study · Business cards · Leader Plastic Surgery
Leader Plastic Surgery ↗One gold, two finishes: foil business cards and writable appointment cards
Business cards and appointment cards for Leader Plastic Surgery. The business cards carry a script L monogram in Antique Gold foil (176-2M), debossed into 32 pt cotton. The appointment cards have to take a pen, and pens don’t write on foil, so they’re printed in one Pantone metallic ink (PANTONE 873), matched by eye to the foil, on 14 pt smooth uncoated card.
A ideia
Put the foil where it shines and the ink where people write.
Four rules
- 01Keep the foil where it earns its place. Antique Gold foil (176-2M), a matte, slightly bronzed gold, debossed into 32 pt cotton on both sides.
- 02Don’t foil a card people write on. No foil on the appointment cards. One metallic ink instead, printed on both sides of 14 pt smooth uncoated card that any pen writes on clea…
- 03Match the foil by eye, then pick the ink. We laid the 176-2M foil chip on the Pantone metallic guide (871 to 875) and picked PANTONE 873: the same aged, bronzed warmth, slightly sof…
- 04Change the ink, not the artwork. We kept the approved artwork exactly as it was and changed only the ink to the metallic match, so the layout, type and lines stayed untouch…
One gold, two jobs
Leader Plastic Surgery wanted business cards in a warm, aged gold foil, pressed into thick cotton. Then came the appointment cards. Front-desk staff write a date and time on every one, and you can’t write on foil.
So we split the job: foil on the business cards, a Pantone metallic ink on the appointment cards, matched by eye to the foil.
Keep the foil where it earns its place
Wanted: Business cards that feel like the practice: a soft, aged champagne gold pressed into thick cotton.
Constraint: The gold has to read as warm and quiet, not bright yellow, on a cream cotton stock.
We chose: Antique Gold foil (176-2M), a matte, slightly bronzed gold, debossed into 32 pt cotton on both sides.
Don’t foil a card people write on
Wanted: Appointment cards in the same gold, so the set looks like one brand.
Constraint: Hot foil is a thin metal film. Ballpoint ink beads on it and gel ink smears, so a foiled card can’t take a date and time at the front desk.
We chose: No foil on the appointment cards. One metallic ink instead, printed on both sides of 14 pt smooth uncoated card that any pen writes on cleanly.
Match the foil by eye, then pick the ink
Wanted: An ink that sits next to the foil without looking like a cheaper cousin.
Constraint: A screen can’t show metallics, and foil and ink never look identical: foil reflects, metallic ink glows.
We chose: We laid the 176-2M foil chip on the Pantone metallic guide (871 to 875) and picked PANTONE 873: the same aged, bronzed warmth, slightly softer.
Change the ink, not the artwork
Wanted: Lock in the colour without reopening an approved design.
Constraint: The appointment card artwork had already been approved in a flat champagne ink.
We chose: We kept the approved artwork exactly as it was and changed only the ink to the metallic match, so the layout, type and lines stayed untouched.
Como fizemos o filme
The card images are renders of the real artwork. The foil-and-pen, press and writing scenes are made with AI to show what happens on the desk and at the press: a single-colour offset press for the metallic ink. The swatch photo is real: her foil chip on the Pantone metallic guide.
Need a card people write on?
Appointment cards, loyalty cards, gift certificates, note cards: if it has to take a pen, we’ll match your foil with an ink that does.
Partir destes materiais
O mesmo papel, folha metálica e acabamento, já definidos. Nada da arte Leader Plastic Surgery's vem incluído.
Perguntas
- Can you write on gold foil?
- Not reliably. Hot foil is a thin metal film: ballpoint ink beads up and gel or felt-tip ink smears. If a card has to take a pen, print that side in ink, not foil.
- What is the best paper for appointment cards?
- A smooth uncoated stock, around 14 pt. Every common pen writes cleanly on it and the ink dries fast. Gloss and soft-touch coatings fight pens.
- Can a Pantone metallic ink match a gold foil?
- Close, not identical. Foil reflects like metal; metallic ink has a softer glow. Matching by eye against the Pantone metallic guide gets the same colour family so the two pieces read as one brand.
- Which Pantone metallic matches Antique Gold foil 176-2M?
- For this job we picked PANTONE 873, a warm bronze gold. Lighting and paper change the result, so we always match against a physical chip.
- Can you write on metallic ink?
- Yes, on uncoated paper. The ink sits in the paper surface, so ballpoint, gel and pencil all write on it once it has dried.
- Do foil and ink cards have to be printed on the same paper?
- No. Here the business cards are 32 pt cotton with foil and deboss, and the appointment cards are 14 pt smooth uncoated with one metallic ink. Matching the ink against the physical foil chip keeps the gold consistent.
