Hot Foil for Premium Labels
Roll labels with hot foil are a particularly popular way of standing out from the competition and drawing customers’ attention to your own product. With a premium finishing as hot foil, it’s possible to create sophisticated details that create visual and tactile contrasts, with a particularly elegant and delicate finish. In our online calculator, you can choose the appropriate hot foil stamping.
Labels with hot foil are often used in the wine, champagne, spirits or cosmetics industries, as well as on high-quality food products. This elegant finishing gives certain parts of your labels a special, light-refracting highlight, and it can be combined with many other finishings. Make sure your products leave an individual, exclusive and unique impression. In addition to labels with hot foil, labels with blind and relief embossing are also commonly used. If you opt for personalized labels with high-quality hot foil, there are several aspects to consider:
How is hot foil carried out?
When labels are embellished with hot foil, a very thin foil is applied to the label surface in the desired areas. These colored or metallic foils are embossed onto your label substrate using special embossing tools and heat.
Almost all our substrates, whether unprotected, laminated or varnished, are suitable for hot foil stamping. We offer a wide range of different, combinable iron-on films, so that your creativity knows no bounds. These include the following films:
- metallic or transparent
- matte or gloss
- gold, silver and holographic
- copper, bronze and rose gold look
- pink, red, orange, blue or green
- and many more on request!
Hot foil: correct print data with labelletiquette.fr
There are a number of aspects to consider for hot foil stamping labels, in order to achieve the correct print data. Our team of graphic designers will be happy to do this for you! Have your print data checked and corrected by selecting the package that suits you.
You can also use our artwork assistant to check the prerequisites for your print files. Please note that elements and fonts to be hot foil stamped must have a minimum line thickness of 0.2 mm, and empty spaces and recessed elements of at least 0.4 mm. If you have any further questions about the technical aspects of your files, take a look at our tutorials.
Professional print data in minutes
Would you like to create the print data for your hot foil labels yourself?
Our tutorials will help you! We’ve put together a collection of videos, texts and images that explain in detail how to create print files for hot foil stamping labels.
We’ll show you step-by-step how to correctly set up hot foil stamping on your file. Please note the following points:
- Create hot foil as a spot color
- Setting spot color on over print
- Check colors with Separation Preview
In the tutorial, hot foil stamping is created in gold as an example. Of course, hot foil can also be created in other colors. It’s just important to create the hot foil as a spot color with the name “Hotfoil” and set it to “Overprint”.
Note: when applying hot foil stamping, gaps may sometimes appear.
When elements such as borders are embossed, there may be slight changes in their location during production. What’s more, very fine elements can become distorted on textured substrates.
Production, pressure resistance and support
Hot foil requires a special tool, heat and pressure. The same tool is used several times, pressing the film into the desired position on the label backing. At labelletiquette.fr, a magnesium tool is used as standard, but you can of course choose from the following options on request:
- Magnesium tool
- Brass tool
The other differences between brass and magnesium tools mainly concern the finish and precision of embossing or stamping. Brass is more robust and allows for very high precision and excellent stability, even for complex designs or long production runs. Magnesium, being lighter and more cost-effective, is more sensitive to pressure variations and is therefore better suited to simpler designs or smaller production runs.
In addition, the level of pressure has a direct impact on the visual result: larger elements require more pressure than smaller ones. When a single tool combines details of different sizes, variations in the final result may occur. In such cases, we recommend producing separate tools to ensure each element is embossed with the optimal pressure for the best possible result.
Also, there are material-dependent features: for example, in the case of large-area hot foil with watermark cuts, there may be marks such as burrs or tears in the film on some materials. In addition, colored films are often thinner than other films, making them unsuitable for textured substrates such as Cotton Touch paper. We therefore recommend having several tools made in such cases. In this way, each element can be embossed with optimum pressure according to its size
Magnesium vs. brass
A magnesium tool is inexpensive in the short term and produces sharp edges. In comparison, a brass tool is considered a more expensive alternative and is recommended for filigree elements. A brass tool is more durable, as it can be reused more often, and is therefore more economical in the long run in terms of costs and resources.
Want a test print?
We produce a small quantity of your hot foil labels under real printing conditions. Book a package of our proofing service.
You’ll be able to test the printing result and make sure that everything matches your expectations!
Choosing the right support …
At labelletiquette.fr, we offer you a wide choice of substrates for printing your personalized labels, to match the hot foil stamping process. Depending on whether you prefer paper or film labels, you’ll have a choice of different options, so you won’t have to compromise on aesthetics or functionality. We also offer a range of sustainable versions.
If you’d like to have labels produced on a specific material, please contact us. labelletiquette.fr has the right solution for every application and every situation! On request, we’ll add your substrates to your online calculator.
… with the right adhesives
Depending on where your hot foil labels are to be used, you will of course need different adhesive properties. We offer a wide choice of adhesives, such as :
Free sample book
Request your free sample book today. You’ll find countless design ideas and tips.
It also includes pre-cut labels. You can stick them on your product as a trial. You’ll be able to convince yourself not only of the look and feel of our substrates, but also of their print quality and adhesion to your products.
Test before you order! If you’d like to test colors, papers and materials live, we recommend our free sample book. We can also send you a personalized sample folder on request. Please do not hesitate to contact us by telephone on +33 (0)4 81 68 19 73 or by email at info@labelletiquette.fr.
Hot foil with 3D effect!
The combination of hot foil stamping and embossing produces relief embossing, considered the queen of finishes. Thanks to the interplay between embossing and hot foil, the embellished elements are highlighted in a special way, and a striking 3D effect is created that can not only be seen but felt.
The material is deformed at the desired point using an embossing tool, then refined with a hot foil. Blind embossing, on the other hand, does not emphasize the colors and is distinguished only by its partial deformation. labelletiquette.fr specializes in relief embossing. The palpable contour enhances labels not only tactilely, but also visually. The difference in height also creates an interesting interplay of light and shadow, making it a real visual asset.
Embossing workshop
To give you a better idea of what our hot foil looks like on your product, we’ve put together a “toolbox” of different-shaped labels with silver hot foil stamping in our free sample book.
Metallic labels as an alternative
Hot foil stamping alone cannot create a special metallic effect. In addition to paper and film labels with hot foil stamping, we also offer metallic labels. This is an economical alternative to hot foil stamping.
Extra protection for your labels
Finishes score points above all for their aesthetic appeal. But they can also be functional! Such is the case with protective varnish and matt or gloss film lamination.
Protective varnish not only gives your label a higher-quality or more eye-catching surface, it also protects it from normal wear and tear. The properties of the protective varnish must be adapted to the label material and the hot foil stamping: for example, we recommend choosing a glossy protective varnish if the hot foil stamping is glossy. Film lamination, on the other hand, is not a varnish but a transparent film on the label that acts as an additional protection against more tenacious abrasion. Both finishings can be combined with hot foil stamping, giving your label extra protection against external stresses.
No design yet?
No problem at all! First of all, our free sample book will help you come up with ideas and provide you with a good dose of inspiration. What’s more, our design expert, Mirsad, will give you some label design tips.
If you still need help afterwards, our creative minds are at your disposal! Our design department will create your personalized label, thanks to a graphic designer who will work with you to create your optimum label with hot foil stamping.
Shipping and handling
Printing personalized labels with hot foil stamping can be time-consuming. But it doesn’t have to be that way! At labelletiquette.fr, production times are shown directly in the online calculator. In some cases, you can opt for express production, which means you’ll receive your labels even faster. Please note that production times may be delayed, for example due to incorrect print files or the manufacture of a finishing tool. We also offer various shipping options.
Once your high-quality hot foil labels have been produced and delivered, they can be labeled automatically, semi-automatically or manually. In this context, the winding direction is important.
What next?
You can find out more about our different finishes on our overview page. In addition to hot foil stamping, other options include blind embossing and digital selective varnish. In just a few steps, you can configure your individual hot foil labels in the online calculator! If you can’t find what you need in the calculator, please contact us. We’ll be happy to help. You can reach us by phone on +33 (0)4 81 68 19 73 or by e-mail at info@labelletiquette.fr.
Our Services
Sample Book
You can order your free sample book, containing pre-cut labels on our standard materials. This will allow you to explore the materials and finishes available at labelletiquette.fr.
Proofing Service
Choose one of our proofing service options. We will print your label under the same conditions as the final print run. This allows you to check the print result and make sure that your label or substrate is well-suited to your needs.
Artwork Service
Not sure if your print files are correct? Take a look at our artwork service and we will check your files, depending on the package you chose, to correct and prepare them for printing. Your labels will then look exactly as you want them to.