What It Is :
The process of Hot Stamping is also known as foil stamping, hot foil stamping, gold stamping, gold blocking, foiling, and gold leaf.
Hot Stamping is an industrial marking process best known for the shiny metallic gold or silver print it commonly produces. Most people know hot stamping as the hologram on your credit card, the gold band around a lady's lipstick, or gold print found on hard covered books.
Video # 1 : Low (3.3MB) l Medium (7.1MB) l High (46MB)
Video # 2 : Low (0.7MB) l Medium (1.5MB) l High (11MB)
How it Works :
Hot stamping works by impacting a heated metal die against a coloured foil and the product to be printed. Where the raised surface of the die meets connects with the foil and product being stamped, the foil graphic is permanently transferred to product.
Manual Stamping vs. Automated Stamping
It is important to understand the difference between automated and manual hot stamping.
The difference lies in pressure and precision. With an automated hot stamping press, the print head is powered by a series of precisely-timed pneumatic cylinders that generate 1.5 tons of pressure. Manual hot stamp presses are powered by muscle and timed by thought, which results in :
A maximum tonnage of about 1/2 ton
Marginal pressure variances between prints.
'Dwell time' variation (dwell time = the time when the die, foil, and substrate are impacted)
Videos : Low (0.4MB) l Medium (0.9MB) l High (6.6MB)
What Can Be Hot Stamped ? :
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Paper
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Leather
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Flat plastics of most kinds
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Textiles like satin ribbon, polyester and nylon
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Synthetic films & laminates
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Fine grained woods
What Can't Be Hot Stamped ? :
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Metal
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Ceramic
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Glass
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Textiles like terry cloth or towels
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Curved and irregular surfaces require specialized equipment
Principal Benefits of Hot Stamping :
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High value-added
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A dry process
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No chemicals or disposal
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Durability
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Cost effective
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Aesthetic appeal of metallic printing
Principal Drawbacks of Hot Stamping:
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Limited to stamping on flat surfaces
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A moderate learning curve ~ experience begets improvement
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Stamping white onto dark surfaces does not work well