Cold foil printing, metallic at press speed
A technique that transfers metallic foil onto packaging inline with printing — a UV-cured adhesive does the work of a heated die — bringing fast, finely detailed shine to cosmetics, labels and retail packaging.
Adhesive, foil and light — no dies at all
Hot stamping needs an engraved die, heat and a separate pass. Cold foil printing skips all three: a UV-curable adhesive is printed in the shape of your artwork, the foil web is pressed against the sheet, and a UV lamp cures the bond in an instant. The carrier peels away, leaving metallic foil exactly — and only — where the adhesive went down.
Because the foil follows a printed plate rather than an engraved die, it holds detail a stamp can’t — and it happens inline, at press speed, which is what makes cold foil the time-efficient, cost-effective way to put real shine on a production run.
Time-efficient, inline decoration
Foil is applied and cured in the same pass as printing — no separate stamping station, no die changeovers, no drying time.
Cost-effective foil coverage
Setup is a printing plate, not an engraved metal die — so short runs, large foil areas and artwork changes all stay affordable.
Fine detail, any metallic shade
Hairlines, halftones and gradients carry foil cleanly, and overprinting the silver with translucent ink yields any metallic colour.
Where cold foil earns its keep
Cold foil favours smooth, coated stocks and generous coverage. These are the products it pairs with most often.
Beauty
Cosmetic packaging
Metallic logos and patterns across a beauty carton run — even full-coverage shimmer — without slowing the press.
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Labels
Product labels
The label press classic: fine metallic detail on beauty, beverage and retail labels, applied at roll speed.
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Retail
Retail packaging
Foil accents that stay affordable when the run climbs into the tens of thousands of boxes.
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Luxury
Luxury gift boxes
Gold, silver or a tinted metallic on a gift box — one foil, overprinted to match your brand.
View productsCold foil printing, answered
What brands ask before adding metallic foil to their packaging.
Both transfer metallic foil, but hot stamping presses a heated, engraved die into the sheet in a separate pass, while cold foil prints a UV-cured adhesive inline and lays the foil at press speed. Hot foil gives the deepest mirror shine and a touch of relief; cold foil wins on speed, fine detail and cost — especially over large coverage areas.
Yes — that is its signature strength. Because the adhesive is printed like an ink, hairline rules, small type, halftones and fades all carry foil cleanly. An engraved stamping die cannot hold that level of detail, which is why intricate metallic artwork is usually specified as cold foil.
Smooth, coated stocks — art paper, SBS folding-carton board and coated label materials — give the brightest, most even transfer. Rough or uncoated sheets absorb the adhesive and dull the metallic effect; for those we usually recommend hot stamping instead. Send us your artwork and stock, and we’ll confirm the right route.
Yes. Overprinting the foil with translucent inks turns one silver web into any metallic shade — tinted golds, coloured metallics, even metallic halftone imagery — and the foiled sheet can then take spot UV, lamination or embossing. We plan the sequence so each finish protects, rather than fights, the one before.
The transferred foil is an aluminium layer well under a micron thick — a small fraction of what a metallised film lamination adds — so cold-foiled paper and board are generally accepted in standard paper recycling streams. As an ISO and FSC certified manufacturer, we are happy to advise on the most sustainable build for your project.