A finishing process that bonds a thin metallic or pigmented film onto paper or label stock. Gold on a wine label, holographic on a gift box, copper on a craft beer can wrap. It runs as its own plate, separate from CMYK or any other spots.
A heated metal die (brass, magnesium, or copper depending on detail and run length) presses a foil roll onto the substrate. The foil layer bonds where the die touches and lifts away clean everywhere else. Gives the sharpest edge, the deepest impression, and the most tactile feel. Used on premium packaging, book covers, business cards, and wine labels.
Adhesive is printed in the shape of the foil artwork using a flexo or offset plate, a foil web is laminated over the wet adhesive, and the foil only sticks where the adhesive landed. Fast, inline, and much cheaper than hot stamp at volume, but the edge is a hair softer and the tactile depth is flat (no impression). Common on mass-market labels and folding cartons.
A digital press prints the artwork, then a foil transfer unit fuses foil to the toner wherever the artwork calls for it. No die required, so it's ideal for short runs, variable data, and one-offs. Finish quality sits between cold and hot foil.
| Finish | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Gold (bright, pale, antique) | Wine, spirits, chocolate, luxury beauty |
| Silver | Tech packaging, editorial, cosmetics |
| Copper / rose gold | Craft beer, coffee, specialty spirits |
| Holographic | Gift cards, security seals, children's products |
| Pigmented (opaque color) | Solid red/black/white foil effects on dark substrates |
| Clear / transparent | Gloss-over-matte effects, protective overcoat |
In Illustrator or InDesign, create a new swatch:
Draw the foil artwork on its own layer. Set the foil shapes to Overprint Fill (Window → Attributes in Illustrator) so the foil plate doesn't knock out the artwork underneath, that way if the stamp drifts slightly, the color still shows through instead of a white gap appearing.
Export to PDF with "Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities" off and verify the spot plate in Acrobat's Output Preview. You should see Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, and your foil plate listed as a separate separation.
Foil knocked out instead of overprint. If the foil plate is set to knockout, the CMYK beneath it is erased where the foil should land. Any registration drift leaves a white gap. Always set foil to overprint.
Foil left as a CMYK approximation. Filling a shape with "gold-ish" C0 M20 Y80 K10 and exporting does not produce foil. It produces a flat printed color. Foil must be a named spot on its own plate.
Foil plate count forgotten in the quote. Each foil color is one extra plate and one extra pass on press. Two foil colors doubles the finishing cost vs. one. Lock it in at the quote stage.
Fine detail on hot foil. Hot foil dies struggle with hairline strokes (below about 0.25pt) and dense fine typography. The foil tears or bridges. Keep type bold and strokes at least 0.35pt for reliable pickup.
Preflight detects foil spot colors, flags incorrect naming, and warns when foil is set to knockout instead of overprint. Before the plates are cut.
Check a file →