Foil stamping is a custom print effect that is one of the easiest ways to introduce an elegant aesthetic to objects. This includes the likes of business cards, invitations, reports, and letterheads. To succeed with this process though, you must understand how to properly design for it. We can help, offering our expertise in foiling services to all kinds of clients.
With foil stamping, there are four principal items; foil, dye, die, and paper. Firstly, your design gets etched onto a metal die. Next, a piece of foil goes between the paper and die. All this gets put into a hot stamping press which then presses the layers together. The result is a metallic stamp that goes onto your paper via pressure and heat.
There are all sorts of machines capable of producing effects like these. Some are air powered or automatic. Others are manual. No matter what machine it is you are using, the outcome is an incredibly stunning effect. It is one capable of highlighting a design’s details in a silver or gold metallic patina. If you wish to move beyond basic metal effects, you can also add colours to your foil. Another possibility would be merging foil stamping and embossing to make your design pop. Often, this occurs with a 3-D effect.
You need to prepare
Designing for foil or metallic print effects demands more preparation than other print effects. There are multiple reasons why this is the case.
Firstly, specific font styles and graphics will look far better with metallic effects. Also, foiling asks that the printer produce a static, metal die that you can’t change afterwards. If your design has last minute changes, alterations can be time consuming and costly. Fortunately, we are here to inform you of some of the leading practices for foil designing and foiling services.
When designing pieces for hot foil printing effects, you must keep the following points in mind. If you do, you will be able to generate an end product that fits your vision perfectly.
Paper
One of the things you will need to do is consider the paper type. To get the finest finish, foil stamping calls for crisp line art. It has a higher chance of possessing a clear, consistent result on smooth or coated paper stocks. On the other hand, you might be making use of textured or heavy paper stock. Here, your foil design must be bigger and simpler to create a top tier effect.
Alter typography
Foiling has a habit of making type seem a little bigger. To ensure you have easy-to-read text, it is preferable to loosen up the kerning between letters. Increase the leading between the lines too.
When picking a typeface, keep the rules above in mind. Scripts are particularly elegant when merged with foil effects. But, serif and sans serif typography can look wonderful as well. Select what matches your brand. Only render in foil those words that are the easiest and biggest to read.
Sizing
When you are choosing what part of the design will receive the metallic effect, avoid introducing it to small details. Foiling isn’t the best choice for intricate or small elements of your design. Rather, you need to choose bigger ones like the company icon or name on a business card.
Something else you will need here is a 3D rendering. Use what technology is available to you in order to visualise what the end result will be like. When working with professionals, it is a good idea to ask them to supply a metallic rendering of the final result. This way, you will ensure that you are getting the proper effect. Please speak to us if you need help from the foremost team working in foiling services.
Keep it simple
It is also best to keep things simple. This is one of the most important things to remember when designing for prints that include metallic or foil effects. Such distinct finishes look far superior when you use them judiciously. Not only that, but the print quality is considerably more attractive. Keep simplicity on your mind when picking design elements and colour schemes. Two or three primary colours is usually enough to make things look professional without overdoing it.
Work with our experienced team when you need foiling services
We are confident we can help anyone who needs foiling work for both protective and decorative reasons. Our team has an excellent understanding of how the process works. As a result, we consider how an item would react to it prior to moving forward. This way, we can avoid any issues.
So, if you would like to use our foiling services, please let us know. We can work with you to choose a creative design that will make the best impression.