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 Wine Labeling In The U. S.

We have heard for a long time the involvement of the FDA in nutritional labeling practices for food. Up until now, they have excluded alcoholic beverages from the same criteria of labeling as food. It has recently made the announcement that it will allow for nutritional labeling to be included on alcoholic beverages. These changes were brought about in part because of the liquor mogul Beam Global. In order to prove their Skinnygirl Brand of Wines, actually contains just 100 calories, instead of the normal 110 or more for each 5 oz. serving, they have to be able to include the ingredients. Though this is an action not supported by other alcohol bottlers, it will be voluntary to begin with. Most non-supporters are concerned this is the first step towards mandatory label requirements.

The alcohol laws in the U.S. are still reflecting a lack of oversight from the years of alcohol being banned. The unquestionably unequal law is obvious. An example is today, if you sell “food” such as a fruit flavored drink, you have to list the ingredients as well as the nutritional information. But if you use that same fruit to make an alcoholic beverage, you are then subject to regulations of the Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau.

With the lack of participation in this process, consumers have stood to ask the questions like “Does this beverage contain GMO’s or Animal Products?” Currently, it is just a guessing game to figure out if their beers are vegan enough or GMO free enough to purchase. Smaller specialty brewers are trustworthy and are locally available.

When it comes to Wine, it has not been excluded from the discussion either. Whether outrageously expensive or the bottle on the refrigerator shelf at the local wine store, it could contain up to 200 different additives. That is the number the U.S. currently sets as a limit for any additives in the wine produced here.

Winemakers who see the importance of “real ingredient” labeling, are in front of the efforts to get the wine and alcohol producers to see the value as well. 

Randall Graham-Founder of Bonny Doon has listed everything on his labels since 2007. Even something as minor as water was listed. Another leader in the labeling movement is Paul Draper. He is a famed minimalist Winemaker, who also believes ingredients should be on the bottles of wine. These two are just a small percentage of the growing support for this type of transparency. It would appear consumer support is positive as well.

It is not a consensus however. Adding extras to the manufacturing of products in this market are a normal process that hides a multitude of mistakes and adds flavoring not retained in the finish product, normally. It is reasonable to see why this would be the case. So many of the additives are toxic on their own and that couldn’t be the best news to publicize. 

Real Ingredient Labeling for alcoholic beverages is something that is trying to catch up with today’s standards. Until recently, most people have not been concerned about the ingredients in their alcohol, but that has started to change as well. Today’s consumer is smarter and more concerned with what’s in their food & drinks. With this new train of thought, it is inevitable for better labeling practices to be ignored. 

The reward for this thinking will filter throughout the industry with wineries for taking more care in providing additive free or additive limited products. Consumers will buy more beverages that are labeled with “real ingredient” information. There will also be a reward to the label manufacturing market. Their involvement in this transition is critical to the excellence expected in the future. Changing both the details of the labels and the sizing requirements will require skilled companies who specialize in food or beverage labeling, to get even more involved in their wine and alcohol manufacturers planning process.  

Authorized for reprint by Rose Richmond by Labels Fort Worth