Cold Foil Stamping, Do You Know What's New?

Cold Foil Stamping: The Pros And Cons

Do you know what the difference between Cold Foil and Hot Foil Stamping? The main difference between the two, from a technical point of view, is hot foil is stamped into a surface and cold foil is laid onto a surface. The application of cold foil on the lithographic sheet-fed press should be viewed as an extension of the use of foil to embellish the printed surface. There are a variety of applications between the two process. There are applications that will be hot foil always. There is an area of the processes that could be either one and there is a new part that is absolutely cold foil.

The final look that you can achieve with hot foil has been around for years and well understood. The outcome that you can attain with the litho process of cold foil is not so much understood, though many types of the same looks can be attained with either ink or the cold foil process.

Being able to produce solid areas of foil in a variety of sizes and thicknesses, as well as the ability to produce half tones that are foiled create added value to this process.This process is also better suited for textured substrates. Example:Linen Stock. Using the cold foil process allows such stock to retain their texture after foiling. This gives the designers more flexibility for designing products. It also gives the manufacturer more flexibility on materials that are not suited for hot foil stamping.  

Cold Foiling is also more adaptable for "flexo" packaging applications. Because it uses thinner films that are heat sensitive, hot foiling is not the right process to use. Hot foiling causes these more sensitive materials to distort. Cold foiling allows thing films to be foil stamped but lets the foil shrink or expand just a little, without cracking. 

Every business is focused on costs of processing their products. Cold foiling reduces or eliminates many previous costs such as running speeds, maker ready times and cost of stamping dies. Changing over to multiple print format costs is also reduced. Adhesive is applied through the use of a polymer plate, which is very cost efficient. Hot foil requires rotary tooling which is very expensive and has several drawbacks for many applications of the process. 

The negative side of cold foiling is the use of sheet-fed presses. These are not useful in many applications and have drawbacks that hinder many uses. In these cases, hot foiling is a better choice. The cold foiling is better suited for use with coated stock vs dry and porous stock. Though cold foiling has advanced with technology, including using with the more porous stock, hot foil is a better choice for cost effective use. Cold foil stamping can't be used for the combination of stamping & embossing. It employees a flat application and defers to the hot foil stamping process for the best applications of this type. 

The current cold foil advancements today appear to point to the market of web flexo labels. Experts expect to see more sheet-fed operations for such markets as folding cartons and greeting cards.With hi-speed rotogravure printing in the future, cold foiling could come to include markets such as gift wrap and cigarette cartons.

The final analysis of the cold foil process is it's ability to complement the hot foil process by opening markets where foiling was not even an option. For manufacturers getting their products out, all they know is their options have improved. They can offer great labels on their product and it can be done in a cost efficient way. 

Information and Education is necessary and should begin out in the marketplace. If a foiled product is put on the shelf, it stirs curiosity in people who are taking notice, such as Designers. Like any good idea, it becomes more and more popular with the passing of information and ideas. The advancement of this growing process is a positive move for the industry of packaging and labeling. 

The Future Of Eco-Friendly Packaging

With the emphasis today on sustainable packaging methods, Industry leaders & average consumers are thinking alike. There is a push for research and development across the board.Not surprisingly, the industry has responded quickly and with tremendous innovation, to get packaging products in the market that are eco-friendly and manufacturing friendly.

With this movement, we have seen the huge changes in how packaging materials are made compared to just a few years ago. What has changed? To us, the changes are relative to new thinking and better production processes such as these evolving developments.

1^st Development: Consumer Mandates For Eco-Friendly Packaging Products

  Unparalleled consumer mandates for sustainable containers, is motivating improvements as well as creating more maintainable resolutions. As a result, the container industry is exceeding expectations, which offers consumers a responsible choice. Packaging that is asthetically pleasing, has an excellent shelf life and will turn into compost within 3 months is the new norm. With packaging made from natural products through a joining process of paper and film technologies, packaging becomes both efficient and practical for many applications. This is a great alternative to petrochemicals and hazardous ingredients previously used. This,along with the accessibility of buying these products right here in the United States instead of buying overseas is creating a whole new market for American companies. Money that was previously invested in overseas products is now being re-invested in American companies, who are providing this valuable new technology.

2^nd Development: Materials That Perform Well In Today’s Climate 

Consumers have raised the bar for sustainable packaging manufacturers. Finding new resources and using more environmentally friendly materials has made it challenging to say the least. Through various testing methods, it has been recognized that biopolymers have reacted differently to the many stages on the production line.

Some were more likely to tear during the process or become sticky. Ongoing collaboration with manufacturers, new ideas have brought the fruition of biopolymers that do not tear as easily and allow for more flex and less cracking. This is an extremely important part of the food container process and for the shelf life of the products.

3^rd Development: More Efficient Machine Options 

With advancements in the types of eco-friendly products available in the printing & packaging industry, improvements in the processes has also improved. Lower sealing temperatures because of the use of bio-polymers instead of the old fashioned plastics has eliminated the need for high temp machines. They run faster and it creates a less stressful environment for the machines, which results in longer life and less maintenance.

We can see that with progress in the environmentally friendly packaging processes, companies are finding new ways to cut costs and meet the ever increasing demand for sustainable packaging for consumers. This ensures competition and eco-friendly growth for a long time to come.