A lot of individuals have chosen foiled business cards only to be disappointed with the results. The issue may come down to the technique to apply the foil. Or it could be problems with the materials, with a bad card/paper stock producing a lacklustre finish. As one of the top names for foiling services in the UK, we want to have a closer look at two techniques here; digital toner foiling and foil stamping.
What is digital toner foiling?
This method consists of printing your design using black toner. Then, you feed the sheet through a digital foiling apparatus. This is one that has a heater roller like a laminator. It heats the carbon molecules up in the toner, fusing it with the foil.
Let’s say that the card stock has a minor texture so it isn’t totally smooth, or the speed and temperature aren’t quite right. Here, the foil won’t bond properly. Black ink will show up in random areas where the foil doesn’t fuse correctly.
Foil stamping
This applies foils with hot metal dies. You can etch the blocks to hold fantastic levels of detail. Afterwards, you stamp the die into the card stock using machine pressure. The die activates the adhesive present on the back of the foil, along with the force of stamping. The process generates a nice debased indentation.
Pros and cons
Both digital toner and foil stamping have pros and cons that need discussion. It will help you decide what type of foiling services to choose.
Let’s start with the digital. One great benefit is that it doesn’t require metal dies. This makes it more affordable for large foil areas or short runs. In many cases, it is best for proofing purposes because you can run one SRA3 sheet cheaply. Moreover, few foil stamping machines are able to cope with a die of this size.
Toner foiling is also good for variable data projects like printing names on invites. You can customise it easily without big changes to the tooling.
One drawback to this approach is that you’re only able to use it with completely smooth card stocks. Preferably, this stock must be laminated. If there is any texture, it won’t create a decent result and you can get the issue we mentioned above.
Next, we have foil stamping. The biggest con here is that you need to make an investment into metal dies. They might be etched with magnesium, copper, or brass depending on the run’s length.
However, it is not all bad news in regards to the dies. You are free to use them repeatedly as long as the artwork doesn’t change. So, your investment can pay off if you need to print large runs and want consistency.
The biggest advantage here is you can obtain an outstanding level of detail. This can include crisp lines for text and graphics.
Furthermore, there is a massive range of card stock types you can introduce foil effects to. Also, unlike the other method, your card stock doesn’t need to be smooth. You are able to use all textured stocks.
Work with our team for wonderful foiling services
We do work that aims to exceed even the highest expectations. You might already have the ideal design in mind. If so, we can find the right way to apply the foil. But, if you need some design advice, you can use our experience to come up with something.
So, let us know if you need the UK’s foremost foiling services. You will get everything you hoped for with us, whether it is beautiful business cards or other products.