Understanding Foil Stamping with just one image! What is foil stamping? Printing process, principles, and procedures for hot stamping with aluminum foil.

Common post-printing techniques include foil stamping, embossing, 3D foil stamping, and UV printing, which are commonly used in design. Regarding foil stamping, it is more accurately referred to as "Foil Stamping" or "Foil Imprinting" because the most commonly used colors are gold and silver. 

Foil stamped printing is commonly seen in book covers, real estate brochures, business cards, and packaging. However, if you have not been to a printing factory, you may not be familiar with the process of these printing techniques.

Let's explain in detail the process and principles of foil stamping:

1. Preparation for Foil Stamping:

1.1 Materials: The materials to be stamped are generally paper, or other materials such as plastic, wood, fabric, etc.

1.2 Aluminum Foil: Also known as foil paper or gold foil. Aluminum foil is produced in various colors by manufacturers, such as red, black, blue, purple, green, etc. Within the same color range, there are different effects including gold, matte gold, light gold, champagne gold, and also some special colors like sandstorm, holographic gold, etc.

1.3 Stamping Plate: The design is first engraved on a metal plate, which is then used to stamp the desired design onto the material. Common materials for stamping plates are zinc, magnesium, and copper.

2. Foil Stamping and Embossing:

Let's imagine stamping a company seal: Apply ink to a stamp engraved with the company name and press it firmly onto the paper.

Foil stamping can be understood in a similar way: The engraved stamp is the stamping plate, the aluminum foil is the ink, and by pressing the foil onto the paper, the entire foil stamping process is completed.

This understanding should make it more intuitive.

3. Foil Stamping Process:

Place the aluminum foil between the paper and the stamping plate. Heat the stamping plate to around 100-150 degrees Celsius, press it down to make contact with the foil, applying pressure onto the paper. The design on the stamping plate completely adheres to the paper. Lift the stamping plate away. Due to the temperature, the colored layer of the aluminum foil adheres to the design on the stamping plate and transfers onto the paper. The waste aluminum foil that has been completely separated is removed. The foil stamping effect is completed on the paper.

4. Summary:

1. Does it seem similar to stamping?

2. Just like stamping, the stamping plate needs to have the content engraved in reverse, so that it appears correctly when stamped on the paper.

3. Very fine fonts are difficult to be engraved on a stamping plate, just like in logos. The fine details of small lettering are challenging to achieve in foil stamping.

4. The precision of carving on stamps made from radish or eraser is different, and the same applies to foil stamping. The precision achieved through copper plate engraving and zinc plate corrosion differs.

5. Different stroke thicknesses and special types of paper have different requirements for temperature and aluminum foil material. Designers don't need to worry about this; just let the printing factory handle it. It's essential to know that intricate details can be solved with a higher price tag.