Foil Stamping | NYC

Foil stamping, also known as “foil embossing” or “hot foil stamping,” produces some of the most vivid and intense effects of all the specialty print processes. It is a specialty technique in which opaque foil is transferred onto paper by pressing a stamping die, foil and paper against a hard, flat surface with heat.

Karr Graphics has produced foil stamped collateral for over 45 years. We pride ourselves on offering the highest quality foil stamping available in the New York City area.

A number of special effects can be achieved with foil stamping. By using a combination of colors and textures, we are able to create a multi-dimensional look perfect for business cards, stationery, press kits, cosmetic boxes, wine labels, invitations, brochures, greeting cards, and book covers.

Our stamping presses can apply foil to paper, board, acrylic, leather, plastic and many other synthetic materials.

Give us a call and ask for our Foil Selector Guide, which includes many of the colors available, as well as a sample kit which features samples of our award winning work.

Types of Foil

Foil is available in a variety of colors and finishes. Finishes include gloss, matte, metallic, and pearlescent. There are several hundred foil color options to select from.

Metallic foil have a metallic look and is available in many shades of gold, copper and bronze as well as metallic blue, red, green and a host of other colors.

Pigment foils are foils that are either matte or gloss colors with no metallic sheen. Their primary use, when it comes to graphic design, is where you have a product that won’t be printed but still requires some graphics.

Pearl foils are foils that are transparent/translucent and have a pearlescent shine. They do add some color, but are primarily used to give a shine to some element of your design.

Holographic Foils have a “rainbow” effect. As light shines on the foil, it is reflected back in a rainbow of colors. Holographic foils can include solids or repeating patterns.

Types of Foil Stamping Dies

Foil stamping dies are made from one of of three metals: Copper, Brass and Magnesium.

Copper is used for most foil stamping dies. While they take longer to etch, they are harder to damage, hold heat better for registration critical jobs and last longer. To the extent a particular die will be used for future press runs, copper is the metal of choice.

Brass dies are the most expensive and strongest of the three options. Brass is generally used for sculpted and foil embossing dies where run lengths are long, the type is fine, or the stamping die will be used on future production runs. These stamping dies are made on a CNC machine by using varying sizes of drill bits to etch an image into the die.

Magnesium is the least expensive metal used for making foil stamping dies. The advantage of using a magnesium die is that it can be produced relatively quickly and is lightweight. Unfortunately, magnesium is relatively soft. A mis-feed during the press run can result in a damaged die that requires remaking the die.