The thing that appeals to buyer at the first go is the look (appeal) of the product and features on the packaging. How attractive and presentable the product looks, catches the customer’s eye. The shiny metallic / non-metallic, gold / silver print / design on a product that makes it standout and elegant is known as foil stamping. Foil stamping, is typically a post-print process, the application of pigment or metallic foil, often gold or silver (and sometimes copper), but can also be various patterns and designs on paper. The foil is a PVC film which has a coating of metallic powder mixed with glue, it transfers on to the paper or board through hot melt adhesive. The result is a document that has a highly reflective image with a bright and dense metallic appearance.

Higher the feel and quality of the foil, the stamping and the embossing increases the products value accordingly and also helps in avoiding the duplications of products safeguarding the brand. There are several machines that help achieve the quality along with good speed and consistency. The German Heidelberg letterpress machines are known for their sturdy and long lasting nature and there are lots of these letterpress machines that have been converted into the hot foil stamping machines. These machines are best suited for foil stamping as they are known for quality and quantity productions. Though these machines are vintage, they have tremendous power and sturdiness to perform at high speed and voluminous production. These cylinder machines are known for their features like low power consumption, trouble-free performance, longer service life and easy operations. They come in various sizes. There are options for small and jumbo foil rolls considering the quantity to be stamped. Make-ready time and wastage is also minimal. They can be used for both stamping and die-cutting. These converted Heidelberg letterpress machines are mostly used for foil stamping. There are many big printing and packaging firms who would own these machines and have converted them for foil stamping and die-cutting.

Business cards, brochures, presentation folders, greeting cards, note cards or invitations are some of the endless possibilities that you can foil stamp. It adds a touch of class to the product making it elegant and affordable too.

Holograms are also very important types of foil stamping and are used around the world for pharmaceutical products which also acts as a security feature. When these hologram are incorporated with custom design pattern or logo, they become security foils which protect credit cards, passports, bank notes and value documents from counterfeit. From security perspective, if stamped hologram is of superior quality, it is virtually impossible to remove from substrate.

Greater brand perception
Research shows that by adding foil or other interesting effects (holograms) to the product, consumers perceive a higher value and quality for the product.

Attention grabbing effects
Foil stamping helps make your printed product stand out from the crowd with its distinctive and eye-catching appeal.

Piracy and duplication check
Nowadays foils and holograms are used to avoid duplications and authenticate products. Many of the pharmaceutical, alcohol companies use foil/holograms on their labels to avoid piracy of their products.

Conclusion
Appearance is the first step towards creating a brand and it is very essential to keep re-inventing it. It’s human nature to get attracted by appearance / appeal and is one of the primary factors for selection. Over the years it has been proven that all companies should keep on upgrading their products to make sure they do not lose their demand in market and cope with the high and severe competition. This can be done in several ways, but for the customers to understand and differentiate between the products available and their quality is difficult as the gamut is vast. This is where the foil stamping plays an important role for the product and brand enhancement.

This artical has been penned by Kedar Borwankar, chief executive officer at Precise Equipments