You’ve probably seen foil printing before—it has a high visual impact, and it immediately elevates any packaging that it’s printed on. It can come in many colors, but the most popular applications use silver and gold. It looks like metallic ink that’s been printed, but it’s actually a roll of thin metallic foil that is adhered on top of a printed piece (either through pressure or heat).
If heat is applied during the foiling process, it’s called “hot foil,” and if pressure only is applied (no heat), it’s called “cold foil.” (By now, you can probably tell there are multiple terms for “foil printing.” It can also be referred to as foil stamping or metallic foil printing. It all refers to the same thing.)
Are we getting too technical? Let’s focus then on why you should order your packaging with metallic foil.
Enhances Brand Perception and Product Value
Embellishments—like metallic foil—allow your packaging to stand out from the competition. While there is a higher cost to apply foil to your packaging, the value added to your brand and packaging cannot be measured. It’s a fact that customers assign a higher perceived value to packaging that includes enhancements, whether that is foil, spot gloss, soft-touch coating, etc.
Using metallic foil intentionally in your artwork, especially minimally, can add a luxury feel to your packaging. This is why it’s often a popular choice for fragrances, wine labels, and high-end cosmetic products.
Improves Tactile Experience
Studies show that we automatically associate a sense of ownership with a printed piece as we engage with it physically. And that feeling of ownership can translate to a higher purchase percentage. Sappi explores this concept of the “endowment effect” in their book Reach Out and Touch (pictured below).
Sappi uses a few embellishments on the front cover pictured above, including silver foil in the top right that highlights the title.
Increases Shelf Impact
You can tell when a brand spends extra time and money on their packaging. It jumps out at you from the shelf. Adding foil not only increases the “curb appeal” at the store but also at home, where it’s being used. Think of a wine label that has foil embellishments—if the wine label looks high-end and classy, there’s a high likelihood that customers will want to leave the bottle out on the counter. And that’s free advertising for you! The same applies with a foiled perfume or candle label, too.
Foil Printing vs. Metallic Digital Printing
There are at least two ways to print a metallic effect on your packaging—you can either apply a foil on top of the printed packaging or you can print on top of a metallic material.
There are a few key differences between the two: printing on metallic material is more cost-effective, but it doesn’t allow you to layer materials/effects. For example, if you wanted a wine label printed on black vellum and a metallic touch, applying foil would allow you to have both effects at the same time.
Printing on metallic plastic would still give you the metallic effect, but you would lose the tactile benefit and the clean, black edges of the black vellum material.
Bonus: Pairing Foil and Label Materials
Curious about which materials look best with foil printing? Luckily, there is a wide range of materials that can work well.
Try silver or gold foil printing on black vellum.
Try silver or gold on clear or ultra-clear plastic.
Pair silver foil with kraft paper.
Questions?
We have yet to officially launch ordering with cold foil embellishment, but we will very soon. When that time comes, our Customer Care Team can help answer any questions you have about embellishments or ordering.
