Humans are mesmerized by shiny things and like to pay top dollar for jewels and accessories that sparkle. Foil has a nice way of adding that light and dimension to your card design that we as humans are naturally drawn to. The shimmering contrast between the foil accented elements and the flat ink printed parts of the design create a visual that is sure to grab attention.
We offer two types of foil business cards, cold foil, and hot foil. A question that we are frequently asked by our customers is what’s the difference between the two and what are the advantages of each?
Hot foil is an opaque sheet that is stamped onto the paper in whatever shape or text you indicate in your design. Hot foil is better for text or shapes and minimal designs. This technique is preferred by many who are looking for a clean, professional finish. Hot foiling can be combined with embossing to produce a tactile effect, which cannot be done with cold foil.
This is what hot foil looks like:
Cold foiling is a technique that is becoming increasingly popular. This technique uses a thin metallic layer that sits on top of the paper, and ink is printed onto the foil. The metallic layer shows through the
ink and gives everything a shiny, reflective quality.
This is what cold foil looks like:
The main benefit of cold foil is that you can give a photographic image a shiny quality, while hot foil is limited to only one color. If your design has various gradients, shading, and coloring, we recommend cold foil.
Some customers have the option of choosing cold foil or hot foil depending on their preference and budget. However, some designs will only allow for one or the other. If you are not sure what is best suited for your project, you can ask one of our design experts to take a look at your artwork and make a recommendation.
