Both cold foil and hot foil do one thing in common very well, and that’s attract attention.
It’s an effective method for catching the eye and getting noticed. And isn’t that the goal of your printed piece?
We think so.
Humans are naturally attracted to things that shine and sparkle. It draws us in and makes us take a closer look.
Foil also adds an aesthetic of higher quality materials, increasing the perceived value of your brand which could ultimately lead to a more positive brand experience. And this is why designers absolutely love incorporating foil into their projects!
Maybe because we offer cold foil printing machine, we like our foil cold. But more on that below.
Which is Right
for You?
Cold foil printing, also known as cold foil stamping, is a printing method that lays down foil on a sheet. It’s all done inline, in one pass and on press.
And the best part? You can overprint it which will turn the foil into any color you want. And that’s not all! What is
cold foil printing?
Cold foil has very tight registration. Think finer designs and smaller type sizes than hot foil. When printing, foil stamping gives you more flexibility and accuracy.
A Cold foil application can cover large areas of your printed piece.
A Cold foil label can be overprinted to create a full range of colors using either CMYK, a special ink mix, or a combination including extended gamut inks. You won’t be tied to a standard foil swatch book with this process.
Metallic gradients for an eye-catching finish. How cool is that?
Cold foiling, or cold stamping foil, allows you to enhance photos by either spot foiling behind images in certain areas or behind an entire image. Image pop like no other!
Multiple foil colors can be printed at the same time which would be cost-prohibitive if hot foil stamped.
Cold foil is done inline in one pass which will allow the product to get to market faster and, in most cases, less expensive than hot foil stamping. No custom foiling dies are needed!
Cold foil is cost-effective on high quantity jobs.
What are the benefits of
cold foil printing?
At MOTTONI, we continue to see the trend of foil in print design grow, and we know what it takes to consistently deliver the most creative printed products that dazzle the most demanding designers. Let’s work together and produce award-winning projects using our foil stamp solutions. Reach out today, and let’s explore how your business can benefit from the cold foil process. What is
cold foil printing and what is the process?
We love foil!
We love foil stamping and the results you get from it. We help our customers with cold foil stamping & printing all the time. After all, adding cold foil to your printed piece, it will do one thing for sure, and that is shine and get attention. Unlike cold foil, hot foil processes require a custom metal die to be created and are done offline. The die is created based on the area of the design that will be foiled. The die is then mounted on a foiling machine and heated. And when pressure is applied, the die comes into contact with the foil and transfers the foil onto the paper. Because of the pressure, the foil has a subtle dimensionality. How does
hot foil work?
Cold foil is a metallic film with a removable polyester liner that is applied to the press sheet inline on press. The technology works by covering the sheet’s surface with the material, providing a coated result that’s accurate and useful for a wide range of applications.
The cold foil unit is attached above the second printing unit on the press. The roll of foil runs from an unwind roller, through the printing unit between the blanket and impression cylinder and back out the press to a take-up roller. An adhesive is printed in the first unit using the traditional litho method, much like a varnish. The adhesive pulls the metallic foil off the polyester liner in the second unit adhering it to the press sheet.
The foil can be overprinted in the subsequent printing units to achieve a full spectrum of metallic colors. The end result is astonishing and impressive and we do it all right here at MOTTONI.
How does
cold foil printing work?
Cold foil is similar to foil board in that you are printing on top of the silver with both processes. The foil material used to create foil board is also similar to the cold foil. Where foil board and cold foil differ is in coverage. The foil of the foil board is across the entire sheet. This means all of your artwork will have a metallic look and if you don’t want a metallic look you have to print opaque white, often in two hits, to mask the metallic. Cold foil allows you to place your foil exactly where you want it and leave the rest of the sheet white and ready for your 4cp or PMS inks. Using cold foil instead of foil board allows your non-metallic areas to print sharp and clean and your metallic areas to print metallic.
with the cold foil?
Can you mix different coatings
Where cold foil really shines is time to market. Adding cold foil to your project doesn’t add any additional time to the turnaround of your project. This cannot be said for hot foil and foil board which is often shipped in from outside your location. And cold foil comes off press dry and ready to finish so there are no delays before heading to post press. Boom! On time, every time. Again. What does
it mean to my timeline?
Hot foil has a limited color palette and most foils are solid colors. Hot foil stamping is typically done on top of printing to produce a solid opaque metallic or pigment color. Hot foil is also done offline in a second pass adding to the turnaround time.
Cold foil is applied before printing and can be immediately overprinted inline. This allows you to alter the color using the entire CMYK color gamut.
Cold foil is applied to the press sheet using adhesive while hot foil uses heat and pressure to bond the foil material to the paper. Cold foil also uses a printing plate for the adhesive, while hot foil uses metal dies to create the foil area. How do we know all this? Because cold foil is MOTTONI. How does it compare to
hot foil stamping?
Cold foil is similar to foil board in that you are printing on top of the silver with both processes. The foil material used to create foil board is also similar to the cold foil. Where foil board and cold foil differ is in coverage. The foil of the foil board is across the entire sheet. This means all of your artwork will have a metallic look and if you don’t want a metallic look you have to print opaque white, often in two hits, to mask the metallic. Cold foil allows you to place your foil exactly where you want it and leave the rest of the sheet white and ready for your 4cp or PMS inks. Using cold foil instead of foil board allows your non-metallic areas to print sharp and clean and your metallic areas to print metallic.
How does
it compare to foil board?
The standard cold foil product uses a silver base, but as the market for cold foil grows, so do the materials. Silver holographic is currently one of the offerings along with gold foil. Keep in mind that gold can be achieved by printing 4cp on top of silver, but if you prefer to start with gold, it’s possible. If you have a unique idea for your project such as patterned holographics, please get in touch as new products are being developed and released all the time.
holographic images?
What about
What does
it mean to my timeline?
Cold foil works best on papers with smooth finishes. This primarily applies to gloss and dull coated papers. Some super smooth uncoated papers will accept cold foil with proper planning and preparation on press. Cold foil will also work on many synthetic and plastic stocks, so you can use cold foil on uncoated or plastic stock. What paper stocks
can I use it on?
“How do you like your foil :
Cold or Hot?”
Cold foil is an environmentally friendly product. The press sheets with foil and finished product can all be recycled using standard paper recycling streams. Even the polyester liner left behind after the foil is applied to the sheet can be recycled. The UV inks typically used to overprint the cold foil are also more environmentally friendly than conventional inks, emitting little to no VOC’s. So, sustainability and respect for your project and planet Earth are never compromised.
Can it be recycled? COLD FOIL PRINTINGHOT FOIL STAMPING
A. Namık Kemal Mahallesi 3. Namık Kemal Sokak Biaport B Blok K.1 D.2 Osmangazi-Bursa/Türkiye
T. +90 224 502 95 05 M. +90 505 677 72 21
E. info@mottoni.com
