Print & finish3 min readUpdated Nov 13, 2026

Foil stamping

Gold letters on a gift box or a silver logo on a tea carton are often foil: a shiny layer thinner than paper, pressed onto the board. Printers lay it down hot or cold, and you set up the artwork for both in the same way.

Hot foil

A heated metal die, made just for your design, presses a ribbon of foil against the sheet. Where the die touches, the foil lets go of its carrier film and sticks to the board; everywhere else it stays on the ribbon. This die is a tool of its own, not the cutting dieCutting die The steel knife that cuts the pack out of the sheet along the dieline. The die-maker builds it from the same file. your dieline is for.

Hot foil comes in gold, silver and many colours, shiny or matte, and holographicHolographic foil A foil with a rainbow, light-shifting shine, one of the hot foil options.. It gives the brightest shine, and it can be pressed together with a raised emboss, so the metal sits exactly on the relief. Making the die takes time and adds cost before the run, so ask for both when you get a quote.

Cold foil

Cold foil goes on in the printing press itself. A printing plate lays down glue in the shape of your design, the foil is pressed onto it and UV light sets the glue. No heated die is needed.

Because it runs on the press, ink can be printed over the foil, so a silver foil can take on other metal colours. The shine is a little flatter than hot foil. Uncoated board soaks up the glue, so cold foil wants a smooth, coated surface.

Which board takes foil

Foil wants a smooth, clean surface, because every bump in the board shows through the shine. Coated board, such as the white face of SBS, takes it best. Uncoated board is harder: some foils still work on it, so ask for a sample first.

Foil can also go on top of a laminate or a coat, but not every coat lets it stick. Tell your printer about both at once.

Set up the foil artwork

The printer can't guess where the metal goes. You draw it apart from your print, and the die or plate is made from that drawing.

• Put the foil shapes on a layer of their own, or in a separate file if your printer prefers. Our PDF has no layer for foil, so add yours next to your artwork layer and leave the dieline layers in.
• Fill the shapes solid, in one spot colourSpot colour An ink mixed to one exact shade before printing, often named by its Pantone number. For brand colours that must match every run. named the way your printer asks, or in 100% black. No tints or gradients: foil is either there or not.
• Keep the shapes as vectors, in exactly the same place as the print they belong to.
• Skip hairlines and tiny type. Foiled letters look a little bolder than printed ones, so a common rule is to keep them at 8 pt or larger.

Keep it off the folds

Foil can crack where the board folds. Stop the foil shapes short of the green dashed creasesCrease A fold line pressed into board so it bends cleanly, also called a score. Dashed green on our dielines. on your dieline and keep them clear of the cut edge. Leave the glue flapGlue flap A narrow flap at the end of the row of panels that the box maker glues to the last panel, turning the sheet into a tube. bare too, since glue may not hold well on foil. On a paper bag, also stay inside the blue dashed safe line. Ask your printer how close to a crease their foil may come.

The 3D view in the editor puts one finish on the whole pack, so it won't show foil. Ask your printer for a printed sample before the full run. This guide is about board and paper: for a pouch or a plastic bag, ask your printer what their press can do.

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