HOT FOIL STAMPING vs METALLIC INK vs COLD FOIL STAMPING vs GLITTER

It is imporatnt to understand some key aspects of production before you begin. Currently in the printing and personalization industry there are similar production methods and outcomes.

Foil Stamping

is the application of metallic print and foil on materials such as plastics, paper, and card, using heat and pressure.
It can be used to create a variety of textures such as metallic, matte, glossy, and holographic textures on the medium.
This printing process of stamping is different from pad printing or silk screening, and is ideal for printed products with dark coloured surfaces as it does not involve the use of any ink and is thus not affected by the colour or texture of the medium.
This printing process foil stamping has been around since 19th centures and has been used for creating products like holiday card, baby announcement, scratchoff foil, wedding invitation ideas, save the date cards, business cards, presentation folders, book cover, etc.
Foil stamping is a specialized printing process that involves the use of heat, pressure and metal foils to create shining metal like designs, texts, and graphics in a wide range of colors and textures.
It is also called hot stamping or hot foil stamping since the process is largely dependent on the heat for transferring the images from the hot stamp on a chosen surface.
“Dry stamping” or “dry foil stamping” is another name given to foil stamping. This is because the technique does not involve the use of any kind of liquid ink for the purpose of printing. Instead, dies and carved metallic plates are used for the stamping process.
During hot foiling, heat and pressure are applied to the foil, which is pressed against the medium supported by a plate or cylinder.
The adhesive layer in the gold foil or silver foil is activated by this heat and pressure, and the release layer melts, attaching the machine hot foil to the medium.

Metallic Ink

Metallic ink is created by adding metallic particles to ink, these particles reflect the light and give your project a unique, metallic look. Metallic ink is a spot color, which means it’s a pre-mixed ink that uses a single printing plate instead of the four used for traditional CMYK colors. Spot colors, sometimes also referred to as the Pantone Matching System (PMS), make it possible to print colors outside of the standard CMYK spectrum. Most notably, this is achieved with highlighter or metallic covers.
You can use metallic ink to make any of the following projects come to life:

Cards
Game Box
Game Board
Tokens
Tiles
Screens
Note Pads
Instruction Booklets

Metallic ink contains small colorful metallic particles, which lend it a shiny and lustrous quality. Though the particles are commonly of gold or silver metallic, they occur in a range of different colors as well, including blue, red or purple. Such ink ensures vivid colors and a glossy character of printed materials. Metallic printing is a perfect way to make your cards and brochures unique, elegant and eye-catching by highlighting their crucial components with colorful and shiny metallic pigment ink.

Metallic ink on different substrates can be achieved through customization using different printing methods below