What is foil printing?
What is foil printing?
Foiling printing also know known as foil stamping is a process that involves a foil (think ink) and a metal dye which will have the image to be printed etched into it.
To transfer the image from the dye to the substrate being printed in the foil colour, the die is heated. This is then applied under pressure to the foil which is sandwiched between the die and the substrate being printed upon. When all three come into contact, the image on the dye is then transferred through the foil and onto the substrate.
The most common foil colours tend to be silver and gold however to delivery maximum creativity, there are now a huge range of both metallic and solid colours as well as clear foils that will add a spot gloss colour to a pre-printed area or graphic.
Why should I consider foil printing?
Foil printing will add another dimension to your printed project, making it more eye-catching and visually appealing by adding another layer of quality to your printed marketing and communications.
Typical projects that team well with foil printing include business cards, annual reports, restaurant menus, event tickets and invitation cards.
How can I make the most out of the foil printing?
There are no limitations to what can be foiled although the image to be foiled can only be a single colour foil. Four colour CMYK is not an option with foil printing.
Consider foil printing when you are looking to make any specific element within your project really stand out. For example, if you are celebrating 50 years in business, you may want to print the 50 in Gold Foil.
Foiling really is a specialised process and used to its potential will deliver visually stunning marketing and communications so if you’d like to learn more or see examples……..
About the author

Lewis Burgess
Digital Marketing Assistant
As Digital Marketing Assistant at Print4UK, Lewis helps with all aspects of digital marketing – from social media, to web design and from email campaigns to PPC. Being social media savvy Lewis settled into the role with ease. He is looking forward to making a real impact on what goes on at Print4UK, by taking their digital marketing to the next level.