Hot stamping & Gilding
Hot stamping, also known as hot foil stamping or hot foil stamping, is one of our most popular options for highlighting a specific logo or motif. It is also one of the most flexible methods of solvent-free printing and is unique in that it is able to offer shiny, mirror-like metallic finishes.
Hot foil stamping is one of the only ways to achieve this level of reflection and refraction. This finish consists of transferring a metallic film (embossing foil) by heat and pressure onto the paper using a cliché made to measure to match your design. The final result of hot stamping depends on the range of papers and the choice of stamping foil. It can give a metallic or highly pigmented finish, creating an elegant and unique visual effect.
Hot stamping can also be combined with other printing techniques. For example, it can be combined with neutral debossing, offset printing or embossing to give a curved gilding effect.
Important for design
- If the size of your hot stamping exceeds the bleed area, we will need to manufacture an oversized plate. Please select the option in our configurator.
- The minimum size of letters or motifs for hot stamping is 10 pt or 3.6 mm.
- Hot stamping may have a slight alignment shift when combined with offset printing.
- Several hot stamps close together can sometimes cause a slight misalignment.
- If you want a Qr-code in hot stamping, it must be of the URL type, with a minimum height of 25 mm for pigmented ribbons and 28 mm for metallic ribbons.
- If your hot stamping is deemed too complex to produce or if the paper selected is not compatible with this technique, we will offer to replace it with metallic ink.
The STAMPING SHEETS families :
- Metallic: metallic gilding films use metallic films such as gold, silver, copper and bronze. The associated colours are bright gold, rose gold, bright silver, antique silver, polished copper, aged bronze, etc.
- Pigmented: pigmented marking foils offer a wide range of bright colours. Some examples of colours are red, blue, green, purple, pink, turquoise, black, etc.
- Holographic: holographic films create complex visual effects that change depending on the viewing angle. They can give the impression of movement, 3D patterns or rainbow effects.
- Pearlescent: pearlescent marking foils use films that give an iridescent, pearly appearance, reminiscent of the mother-of-pearl on shellfish. Colours can be shades of white, cream, pale pink, pale blue, etc.
- Textured: Textured marking foils involve the use of films with specific texture patterns, such as snakeskin, crocodile, woodgrain, linen, etc. These textures add a tactile dimension to the print.
We’ve made a selection of hot stamps directly on our configurator, so you’ll have plenty to choose from. There are hundreds of references, so if your project has a specific need, don’t hesitate to contact us directly using our contact form.
OUR HOT MARKING FILMS :
We can also offer you other choices from among hundreds of references of pigmented or metallised films,
with a multitude of finishes and variations: holographic, prismatic or fluorescent.
Curved gilding
Curved gilding, also known as curved embossing, is a finishing technique that combines hot stamping with embossing to create additional visual and tactile effects on a printed surface. In curved gilding, a metallic film is transferred to the paper using hot stamping, as explained above. However, instead of applying uniform pressure over the entire surface, the embossing process is used to give a specific curved shape or relief to certain parts of the design.
This technique consists of combining embossing with hot stamping. Shown here with a shiny gold hot stamping.
Overlapping hot stamping
The hot stamping process
Hot stamping involves the use of a printing block known as a hot stamping block or die. It has a raised surface engraved with the desired visual. The plate is heated to a high temperature, generally between 100°C and 180°C, depending on the foil used. A thin, transparent transfer film containing the ink or marking material is used to transfer the ink to the print substrate. A stamp is used to apply pressure to the hot stamping block and keep it in contact with the print substrate. Temperature and pressure must be correctly controlled to ensure adequate adhesion of the marking material. Various materials can be used for hot stamping, such as aluminium foil, gold foil, silver foil, coloured foil or holographic film. The printing medium, in this case paper, is called the substrate on which the hot stamping is carried out.
As a general rule, we always carry out an initial calibration phase by carrying out preliminary tests to determine the best marking temperature between the marking film and the type of paper. This enables us to achieve the best results in terms of adhesion, gloss and sharpness of the design.
Resellers
We have produced a sample kit for our resellers, enabling you to choose the right reference for your project directly during the graphic design phase. To order your sample kit, please open your account using the registration form here.
