Hot foil is a printing technique that has been used widely in many different industries. It’s frequently the way that luxury goods are monogrammed and also provides an effective option for creating distinctive marketing materials and creating aesthetics for everything, from business cards to brochures. This is what you need to know about hot foil and monogramming techniques.
What is hot foil printing?
It’s the process of using heat and pressure to create a metallic printed design in a wide range of different foils. Most hot foil printing processes use metal dies that are engraved with your chosen design. These are heated and pressure is applied to them as they are pressed against a sheet of metallic foil that sits between the die and the material that you are hot foil printing onto. When the die is removed, the design has been transferred onto the material in the metallic foil. There are lots of benefits to using hot foil printing. For example, the process is completely ink free and, as there is no need to dry the design, items can be used immediately.
What kind of materials can you hot foil?
Paper and card are two of the most frequently used but you can, in theory, hot foil onto any type of material. For example, you could use leather, vinyl or plastic. Whether a particular material will work for hot foil printing will depend on the properties of that material so it’s always worth checking this out before you start printing.
What options are there when it comes to the foil?
Many people choose traditional gold, silver and bronze for hot foil printing as these are tried and tested colours. However, there are also many other types of foil to explore including a broad spectrum of shades such as metallic red or blue. You can also choose from a range of foil finishes, whether you’re looking for something matte or a holographic or pearlescent finish for your print. People often assume that something like gold hot foiling is going to be really expensive but the reality is that this can be done very cost effectively, even with a large volume of prints.
How does monogramming work?
Hot foil stamping machines can also be used for monogramming. You may already have seen this used in the fashion and retail industries, for example to add a customer’s initials to a purchase like a bag. Sets of type are used for monogramming, as opposed to metal plates, which are loose letters and numbers that can be used in the right combinations to reflect customer initials etc. Monogramming is very quick and simple so a customer can wait for the process to be completed after they have bought the item. It’s very easy to offer monogramming, as the machines that are used for it can be placed anywhere.
Hot foil and monogramming techniques provide a simple way to bring distinctive details to any design – and to personalise products for customers who are looking for something a bit different.