Variable Data Foil is a great marketing tool for mail-outs, postcards, presentation products, and more. Having custom names specific to the client that is receiving printed materials is a huge advantage over generic marketing products. Consumers are more likely to pay attention to products that have their name printed on the materials than not. Historically, printing variable data has been extremely expensive and painstaking, not to mention variable data with foil. Tradtional die costs and set up time with variable data foil is too expensive to even consider. Luckily, our Scodix Ultra Pro has allowed us to print custom variable data foil postcards, business cards, presentation folders, and more, allowing us to offer more options for marketing optimization to clients.
Raised Foil not only gives a metallic shine to printed products, its variable data capability can make targeted customer names stand out above other design elements, giving targeted consumers even more reason to pay attention to the promotional product. Visit our website to request a custom quote on variable foil postcards today.
Foil Stamping + Embossing Vs. Digital Raised Foil: The Right Fit For you
In our most recent posts, we have been focusing on the innovative technology currently involved in the print industry, however, we don’t often walk through comparisons between traditional print methods and digital print methods. Each process is very different and achieves different tactile and visual effects on presentation folders, business cards, and more. This piece will focus on primary differences between foil stamping + embossing and digital printed raised foil coating. Both are finishing processes implemented to highlight design areas, most commonly logos and branding. Read more to learn about key differences between foil stamping + embossing and digital raised foil coating. It is important to learn these differences in order to determine which process will best fit your marketing materials and brand identity.
Foil Stamp Folders on Greenbrier Linen with Copper Foil Stamping
Traditional foil stamping + embossing has a classic look and feel and can add personal touch to any custom presentation folder. Most commonly, we see traditional foil stamping + embossing utilized on our in-house dark linen stocks, as we don’t recommend printing ink colors on those stocks. Foil stamping on dark linen stock is a simple and affordable way to showcase your brand, as the metallic shine of the foil contrasts with the matte weave of the linen. These pocket folders are great for office organization, presentations, and report covers. They can be used in a variety of fields including: accounting, real estate, legal, banking, medical, and more.
Light Linen Pocket Folder with Blue Ink and Gold Foil Stamping
Foil stamping and embossing on presentation folders does come with certain limitations we would like to mention here as well. The larger the area the more expensive the die will cost, as well as the set up time to ensure perfect registration. It will also have a longer production time to account for ordering and acquiring the die for the folder design. Moreover, embossing can only push up into the stock so far so not to compromise it, as well as leaving an indent on the back side of the paper. When a folder has embossing on the front cover, you can see the impression on the other side when you open the folder.
Embossing must be done on high quality paper, which can be an additional cost. Because the set up time and die costs are generally one-time costs, ordering these pocket folders in large quantities makes the price per unit decrease significantly, and becomes an affordable and customizable option. Ordering tax folders, report covers, or other folders on dark linen stock with foil stamping + embossing in short quantities, however, might not be the most cost effective option for you and your clients.
Black Folder with Digital Raised Gold Foil and Soft-Touch Lamination
For short orders looking to make high impact, we recommend implementing digital raised foil to complete your folder design. This metallic spot coating is printed with our Scodix® Sense press, and comes with a variety of customization options. We recommend that you use 10% coverage or less of the coating, and implement our capability of variable data and variable density options. This means that your client can have full control to customize their pocket folders to achieve a memorable tactile design that is completely unique to their brand. Raised foil folders are great for short runs because there is no extra cost for dies or set up times, and the effects can be breathtaking. Because there are no dies involved, the production time is much quicker. Moreover, raised foil can be incorporated on any kind of coated stock, and works well with printed ink colors. Raised foil is not pushed up into the stock in the way that foil + emboss is, rather it is a thick polymer UV coating with a foil layer over it. Because it does not compromise the integrity of the stock, raised foil can be applied to an array of coated stocks, allowing you to save money on paper cost if needed. This is a significant difference between embossing and raised foil coating, as embossing pushes into the back of the paper in order to achieve the raised look. Embossing produces a visible indent on the back of the sheet which converts to the inside of the folder or the back of a business card. Because Raised Foil is applied only to the front surface of the sheet, it will not make any indentations on the back of the stock, leaving the design of the inside of the folder clean and untouched. You can see an example of a business card with Foil Stamp and Embossing on the front and the indent on the back in the image below.
Business Card with Foil Stamp + Emboss with Visible Indent on Back Side
While the overall differences of raised foil coating and traditional foil stamping + embossing are apparent, it is ultimately the aesthetic and tactile difference that matters in terms of brand identity and presentation products. Knowing the difference and having both to offer can help you fully promote a client’s brand. To see and feel the differences between these two metallic finishing options, request samples of both here!
Raised UV + Raised Foil Folders
We at Presentation Folder Inc. are committed to serving your unique needs and look forward to working with you to continue building a better folder. We offer the following products online but can work with you to quote and print other presentation products.
Because you’ve moved on from the dull days of Gloss AQ.
What is Lamination?
Lamination is a transparent, plastic bond originally added to amplify the integrity of your presentation folder’s stock. While presentation folders traditionally add a gloss aqueous coating to the presentation folder’s paper to strengthen and add shine, lamination has become a necessity to building a better presentation folder. Adding protection from stains, moisture, and greasy fingerprints, your products will last longer and no longer require any reprints.
Presentation Folder with Satin Lamination
What can Lamination do for you?
Not only can lamination increase the integrity of your presentation folder by protecting its stock from environmental factors, it also enhances the ink colors by layering in a vibrant, transparent film. This specialty finishing enhances the artwork on a presentation folder by adding a sealant coating that not only protects it, but adds a glossy, matte, or satin finish to its exterior. You can choose the thickness of the lamination film, leaving it as subtle or pronounced as you would like. Not only does this augment the professionalism of your promotional products, it holds the attention of the viewer longer. Adding lamination allows for an even more vivid design to show through.
Design Tips:
We recommend pairing lamination with a digital foil or raised UV finish. After much experimentation, some of our favorite folders feature a matte lamination finish with the glossy raised spot UV coating. The contrast between the matte-coated stock and the glossy UV design generates a textural design that can be tangibly understood.
Interested? Click here to learn more and add it to your next order, at no extra charge.
Because the last thing you need to worry about during tax season is the folder that holds them.
Gray Tax Folder with Window Slit
About the product:
We understand the chaos that comes with tax season, and how one “season” can end up lasting many months. The last thing you want to be worrying about during these busy months is the presentation folder that will hold your finished report, whichis why we have teamed up with accounting teams of all sizes to develop a simple product that works for any of your tax report needs. Printed in the classic presentation folder dimensions of 9 x 12 x 4, our tax folders make elegant report covers. Typically, we print tax folders on neutral dark gray, green, or blue thick 100# linen stock from Group B . This robust stock can accommodate anything from short tax returns to a large-scale annual report.
Red Tax Folder with Window Slit
Unique and Functional Form:
We start with a traditional presentation folder and implement design strategies to fit your unique tax folder needs. We make tax folders keeping practicality in mind without compromising an emphasis on brand consistency. Depending on the length of your report, we can incorporate an expanded spine with or without staple tabs for different sized tax returns.
In addition, we die cut a small window on the cover of the folder in order to make the name and year on the report visible. If your tax folders require any additional functional demands, we have the equipment and expertise to implement multiple solutions.
Showcasing your Brand:
When it comes to designing tax folders, we like to keep it simple. We understand that you want your report covers to be straightforward while also leaving a lasting impression on clients. Using a durable frame that supports their sensitive information will allow your business to maintain a client-facing professional ethos, but adding an extra touch of design with leave them with that lasting impression. Because we prefer to use durable, dark-colored stock for tax report covers, we don’t recommend any actual printing done to these specific presentation folders. Instead, utilizing foil stamping and embossing will allow your showcase your brand. Embossing with a gold, silver, or bronze foil stamp finish is the best way print on tax folders. Showcase your tax reports with a functional, sleek presentation folder that will protect months of accounting.
We believe one of the most valuable aspects to printed products is the combination of visual and tactile experiences it creates with the audience.
When looking at an image on a screen, you’re simply just looking. With print, not only are you looking at it, but holding it in your hands. That tangible quality that comes inherently with print is what sets it apart, makes it memorable and allows it to have a greater impact.
With that in mind, we’ve curated a book of coating and finishing options, that both enhance the look of the print and form the finished surface that ultimately determines what it feels in someone’s hands. Each finish has both aesthetic and functional properties.
Using a finish that complements the design, perhaps accentuating a certain element is often an overlooked and underestimated aspect to printing. When done well, a strong finish can be used for your advantage to create more engaging printed pieces that keep your customers coming back, especially when they see how much it benefits them as well.
You may be familiar with the difference between a gloss and matte finish, and while there are many of each in this book, we aim to show the benefits, limitations and best practices for all of our coating options.
In addition to our traditional overall aqueous and laminate options, we’ll take a closer look at some exciting new digital spot coatings – Spot Gloss UV, Raised 3dUV and Raised Foil.
These unique spot coatings provide fresh ways to give your printed piece an unforgettable look and feel that can make print sensational. We’ll also show ways to best combine them with overall coatings for the most impactful finish.
Foil stamping is a specialty finishing (post-printing) process that highlights selected artwork typically with a metallic foil material stamped into the paper by using a metal die, combined with heat and pressure.
Used for over a century, foil stamping is a traditional letterpress process that combines old-world craftsmanship with modern graphics via the use of a metal die.
By itself, it creates a slight Deboss (indent) into the paper because it is “stamped” in.
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In addition to the many metallic foil colors, there are also some gloss pigment color options that aren’t metallic, such as white and black, although there are other color options.
It can be done over printing as an additional color / enhancement, or directly onto almost any paper as the only imprint.
It can also be combined with embossing (pushed up), and debossing (pushed farther down), to make it stand out more.
What makes it different?
The look and feel is defined by it’s timeless simplicity, often a classic gold or silver color stamped into paper for a look of permanence of both the printed piece and the brand or idea it represents. You can feel the subtle debossed impression, especially on softer papers.
It’s a great way to add a unique touch to printed pieces, but also can be used as the only imprint, without any ink or color printed underneath.
The price – By itself, it’s actually less expensive than 4-color printing, if the image is relatively small. Since it requires a metal die to be made with the image to be transferred, there is an initial cost for that, products in our catalog all include 12 square inches built into the foil price. Additional areas or larger areas will add to the cost.
What makes it different?