Using Cold Foils
Fast and Sustainable:
Cold Foiling is a fast, cost-effective inline process that works in conjunction with most printing techniques, mimicking the effect of hot foil stamping. Cold Foil is applied to a UV-curable adhesive image using a standard printing plate. The foil, usually silver, is affixed to the printed adhesive, creating an image prior to the application of printing inks. When applied inline, a major benefit is that the registration between the applied foil and the overprinted inks and varnish is press perfect. Generally silver, but also comes in a limited pallette of gold, stock diffraction patterns and custom holographic designs.
Hot or Cold?
Cold foil is not a replacement for hot foil but instead an opportunity to expand the use of foil into more markets and applications. While hot foil is stamped into a surface using heat and pressure, cold foil is transferred onto a surface as a flat application.
Prepress Tip
To create a document for cold foil application, specify foil as a spot color. If the foil is to be overprinted, the overpinting inks should be set to “Overprinting”. For a preview with Adobe Acrobat, check the “Simulate overprinting” settings.
Inline Foil & Holography
Cold foiling is a great partner to UV casting for an efficient, inline metallic holographic effect—a fast and affordable way to simulate the look of holographic metallic substrates. A few printers can actually do both processes in one pass for maximum efficiency.
Cold Foil Halftones
While ITW Cold Foil can meet most challenges, foiled halftones or screens can be challenging. For best results, a coarse screen such as 60 dpi should generally be chosen. Consult your print vendor for guidance.
Opacity and Variety
Experimenting with variations in ink opacities and cold foil screen values can offer highly variable metallic effects and gloss levels.
