|
HOT
FOIL PRINTING
Hot foil
printing is a process whereby coloured foils are used in place
of the more conventional inks. Metallic hot stamping foil
is the bright and shiny print, often in a gold or silver colour,
used in many applications from the front of passports and books
to greeting cards and to enhance many packaging examples such as
the "Kodak" Gold film carton and other worldwide
leading brands.
We use bench top mounted hot foil printing machines which enable
us to produce quality products for the promotion of your
business and/or event. We are able to hot foil print onto
virtually any flat surface and the promotional range of items
varies from pens and pencils to leather key-fobs and diaries,
tax disc holders to matchboxes.
Hot stamping foil
is often the only way to add a metallic print to paper, board,
leather or plastic.
The foil product
is in a dry form and coated on to polyester film which is
carried in roll format to many widths.
As we have
already stated, the process involves the use of foils in place
of inks. A magnesium plate carrying the design or wording
is mounted onto a heated block which can reach high and extreme
temperatures. The foil literally lies between the design
plate and the material to be printed onto. It is then a
combination of the correct pressure, precise temperature and the
length of press, that we are able to produce the finished foiled
product.
Each object, whatever that may be, is individually printed onto
the product by hand. If a second colour foil is required, the item is
passed through the hot foil printer a second time and so on.
There is a vast range of foils to choose from but the main
categories are:
- Metallics
- Glossy
- Matt
- Multi-Coloured
- Rainbow
Effect Stripes
- Pearl
Before printing
commences, we have to produce a magnesium plate (one for
each colour to be printed) carrying your design. The
one off cost for making up these plates includes artwork which
is of simple design and requires little creative input.
| 
