Foiling for Print
Have you ever wondered how some Printed Notepads feature metallic, shiny logos and text? That’s foil stamping, also known as foiling – a subtle but beautiful way to enhance Printed Notepads designs. At Printed Notepads, foiling can be added to your print run via digital foiling or hot foil stamping – but what’s the difference? Here’s a quick guide to both methods and which one offers the best option for your Printed Notepads requirements…
Digital Foiling
If you’re looking for a faster turnaround and/or a lower price tag for your Printed Notepads, digital foiling is the way to go. This method simply requires a digital artwork file, which tells the digital foil machine where to ‘print’ the foil onto the paper.
The pros of digital foiling:
Digital foiling is a cost-effective option for shorter print runs, making it more economical compared to hot foil stamping. This method is suitable if you only need to add foil to a small quantity of Printed Notepads. Additionally, digital foiling offers quicker production times as it doesn’t require the assembly of a die block, making it an ideal choice for last-minute print runs.
The cons of digital foiling:
Lamination is necessary for achieving a good result with printed notepads that have digital foiling. If you’re looking for a more natural finish, your options are limited to either matt lamination or soft touch lamination. However, it’s worth noting that digital foiling can’t match the presentation quality of hot foil stamping, despite still looking great. With hot foil stamping, the foil is de-bossed into the paper, creating a more elevated effect that catches the light better than digital foil, which sits on the surface of the print. Despite this minor difference, both methods can be used to enhance the appearance of your printed notepads.
Digital foiling at Better Printing
Hot foil stamping
For those seeking premium foiling quality for their printed notepads, hot foil stamping is the ideal choice. This method involves using a press that is equipped with a unique custom-made die, the paper product to be foil-stamped, and a sheet of foil placed in between the two. The die plate is heated up, and then pressed onto the foil and the printed notepad. Only the areas of the foil that come into contact with the die are transferred onto the paper, resulting in a high-quality finish.
Additional costs. You’ll also have to pay an additional fee for the assembly of your foiling die – this will vary depending on the size of the area you’re looking to foil on your printed items. (As mentioned above, the extra cost won’t be as much of a problem if you’re after a large quantity of foil-stamped items.)
Custom brass die block for foiling
Coloured hot stamping foils
The pros of hot foil stamping:
Hot foiling offers more professional results with finer detailing that can render small and/or thin text effectively. Moreover, the stamping process slightly de-bosses the foiled elements, giving them a subtly enhanced shimmer under the light that makes the printed notepads more visually appealing. Besides, hot foil stamping is more economical for longer print runs, making it a cost-effective option for printing a large batch of printed notepads. Although it may be more expensive than digital foiling for small-quantity orders, the costs quickly balance out in the case of longer print runs.
The cons of hot foil stamping:
One thing to keep in mind is that hot foil stamping requires increased production times compared to digital foiling, as it takes longer to set up the job due to the time needed to create the die block. If you have an urgent order that needs to be completed quickly, digital foiling may be the better option. However, whatever your choice may be, Better Printing can provide both digital foiling and hot foil stamping in-house from our Southampton print factory. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about any extra outsourcing costs.
Hot foil stamping machine
If you have any additional questions about any type of foiling then call us on 023 8087 8037 or email us.