{{Short description|Method of relief printing}} {{about|a printing method|hot stamping in metalwork|Hot stamping (steel)|Hot steel stamping|Press hardening}} [[Image:Folienpraegung.jpg|thumb|Package with hot stamping before (left) and after stamping (middle) with the foil after the stamping (right)]] [[Image:Framed foil hot stamping sample.jpg|thumb|A sample from trade fair, where all the foil hot stamping know-how that was publicly available at the time was included.]] '''Hot stamping''' or '''foil stamping''' is a printing method of [[relief printing]] in which pre-dried ink or foils are transferred to a surface at high temperatures. The method has diversified since its rise to prominence in the 19th century to include a variety of processes. After the 1970s, hot stamping became one of the most important methods of decoration on the surface of plastic products.
==Process== In a hot stamping machine, a [[Die (manufacturing)|die]] is mounted and heated, with the product to be stamped placed beneath it.<ref name="Harper2006">{{cite book|last=Harper|first=Charles A.|title=Handbook of Plastic Processes|date=26 May 2006|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-471-78657-3|page=674}}</ref> A metallized or painted roll-leaf carrier is inserted between the two, and the die presses down through it. The dry paint or foil used is impressed into the surface of the product. The dye-stamping process itself is non-polluting because the materials involved are dry.<ref name="Benedek2010"/> Pressure and heat cause the relevant sections of the foil to become detached from the carrier material and become bonded with the printing surface.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.weber-marking.com/glossary/hot-stamping.html |title=Hot stamping |date=n.d. |website=Bluhm Systeme GmbH |language=en |access-date=2020-03-01}}</ref>
==Tools== Along with foil stamping machines, among the commonly used tools in hot stamping are dies and foil.<ref name="MitchellDrozda1996"/> Dies may be made of metal or [[silicone rubber]], and they may be shaped directly or [[Casting|cast]]. They can carry high levels of detail to be transferred to the surface and may be shaped to accommodate irregularities in the surface.
Foils are multilayered coatings that transfer to the surface of the product.<ref name="MitchellDrozda1996"/> Non-metallic foils consist of an adherence base, a color layer, and a release layer. Metallic foils replace the color layer with a layer of chrome or vacuum-metallized aluminum. Metallic foil construction has a metal-like sheen and is available in different metal shades such as gold, silver, bronze, and copper. Pigment foil does not have a metallic sheen but may be glossy or matte. Holographic foil paper includes a 3-dimensional image to provide a distinctive appearance to specific areas of a digitally printed application. Printing is often done on leather or paper.
Different hot stamping machines serve different purposes, but the most common hot stamping machines are simple up-and-down presses.<ref name="Benedek2010"/><ref name="MitchellDrozda1996"/> Three of the most common brands are Kwikprint, Kingsley, and Howard. However, for more industrial applications Kluge and Heidelberg presses are more commonly used.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
==Applications== Common applications include imprinted items and stationery such as [[business cards]], greeting cards, labels, envelopes, [[presentation folder]]s, [[postcard]]s, book covers, and packaging such as [[folding carton]]s.<ref name="FSEA2025">{{cite web |author=Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA) |title=Gold Leaf Awards 2025 |website=FSEA |publisher=Foil & Specialty Effects Association |date=2025 |url=https://fsea.com/gold-leaf-awards-2025/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250715045524/https://fsea.com/gold-leaf-awards-2025/ |archive-date=15 July 2025 |access-date=29 January 2026}}</ref><ref name="GraphicMonthly2006">{{cite magazine |title=Finishing Options |magazine=Graphic Monthly Canada |date=July–August 2006 |url=https://graphicmonthly.ca/downloads/awards/2006_finishing_feature.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250424172946/https://graphicmonthly.ca/downloads/awards/2006_finishing_feature.pdf |archive-date=24 April 2025 |url-status=live |access-date=29 January 2026 |pages=33–34 |format=PDF}}</ref> The process can provide an eye-catching or luxury appearance.<ref name="GraphicsHandbook1">{{cite web |title=Graphics Handbook — Hot foil stamping |url=https://www.iggesund.com/globalassets/iggesund/services/knowledge/iam/graphics-handbook/gh---full-copy---en/0_graphics_handbook_en.pdf |publisher=Iggesund Paperboard |date=n.d. |page=19 |access-date=29 January 2026}}</ref> Eye-tracking studies have reported that foil-decorated packages can attract attention more quickly than otherwise identical designs.<ref name="RIT">{{cite journal |last1=Hurley |first1=R. Andrew |last2=Holmes |first2=Julianne Lee |last3=Tonkin |first3=Charles E. |last4=Cooksey |first4=Kay |last5=Rice |first5=Julie C. |title=The Effect of Decorative Foil Stamping on Consumer Attention |journal=Journal of Applied Packaging Research |volume=8 |issue=2 |year=2016 |url=https://repository.rit.edu/japr/vol8/iss2/5/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251118043718/https://repository.rit.edu/japr/vol8/iss2/5/ |archive-date=18 November 2025 |url-status=live |access-date=29 January 2026}}</ref><ref name="FSEA2014">{{cite web |title=An Initial Study into the Impact of High-Visibility Enhancements on Shelf Presence: A Second Study |url=https://fsea.com/wp-content/uploads/FSEA_WhitePaper_CoffeeStudy.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301123456/https://fsea.com/wp-content/uploads/FSEA_WhitePaper_CoffeeStudy.pdf |archive-date=1 March 2024 |publisher=Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA) |date=2014 |url-status=live |access-date=29 January 2026}}</ref>
Hot foil stamping is often combined with [[paper embossing|embossing]] ("combination emboss" or "foil embossing") to create raised metallic details.<ref name="GraphicsHandbook2">{{cite web |title=Graphics Handbook — Foil embossing |url=https://www.iggesund.com/globalassets/iggesund/services/knowledge/iam/graphics-handbook/gh---full-copy---en/0_graphics_handbook_en.pdf |website=Iggesund Paperboard |date=n.d. |format=PDF |access-date=29 January 2026}}</ref><ref name="FSEA2003">{{cite web |author=Foil & Specialty Effects Association |title=The Designer's Guide to Foil Stamping & Embossing |url=https://www.kluge.biz/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/FSEA-The-Designers-Guide-to-Foil-Stamping-Embossing-US.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221124751/https://www.kluge.biz/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/FSEA-The-Designers-Guide-to-Foil-Stamping-Embossing-US.pdf |archive-date=21 February 2024 |publisher=FSEA |date=2003 |url-status=live |access-date=29 January 2026}}</ref>
For security applications, holographic hot-stamping foils are used as overt features on labels and identity documents; when hot-stamped, they form a tamper-evident transfer that cannot be removed without damaging the substrate.<ref name="Keesing2022">{{cite web |last=Dunn |first=Paul |title=The Latest Developments in Holograms as a Security Feature |website=Keesing Platform |date=19 May 2022 |url=https://platform.keesingtechnologies.com/the-latest-developments-in-holograms-as-a-security-feature/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251013151744/https://platform.keesingtechnologies.com/the-latest-developments-in-holograms-as-a-security-feature/ |archive-date=13 October 2025 |url-status=live |access-date=29 January 2026}}</ref> As of 1998, foil stamping was one of the most commonly used methods of [[security printing]].<ref name="Couchman1998">{{cite book|last=Couchman|first=Ivan|title=Interpol: 75 Years of International Police Co-operation|year=1998|publisher=Kensington Publications|page=102}}</ref>
==History== In the 19th century, hot stamping became a popular method of applying gold tooling or [[Paper embossing|embossing]] in book printing on leather and paper.<ref name="Cambras2004">{{cite book|last=Cambras|first=Josep|title=The Complete Book of Bookbinding|year=2004|publisher=Lark Books|isbn=978-1-57990-646-7|page=115}}</ref> The first patent for hot stamping was recorded in Germany by Ernst Oeser in 1892.<ref name="Benedek2010">{{cite book|last=Benedek|first=Istvan|title=Developments In Pressure-Sensitive Products, 2nd Edition|date=12 December 2010|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-57444-542-8|page=514}}</ref>
From the 1950s onward, the method became a popular means of marking plastic .<ref name="MitchellDrozda1996">{{cite book|last1=Mitchell|first1=Philip|author2=Tom Drozda|author3=Philip E. Mitchell|title=Tool and Manufacturing Engineers Handbook: Plastic part manufacturing|year=1996|publisher=Society of Manufacturing Engineers|isbn=978-0-87263-456-5|page=9-6,9-7}}</ref> Hot Stamping technology for plastic is used for electric components (TV frames, audio components, refrigerators etc.), cosmetic containers (lipstick, cream, mascara, shampoo bottle etc.), automobile parts (interior and exterior materials).{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
Foil stamping can be used to make [[Radio-frequency identification]] (RFID) tags, although [[screen printing]] is faster and cheaper.<ref name="constr">{{Cite web |url=https://rfid4u.com/rfid-basics-resources/dig-deep-rfid-tags-construction/ |title=Construction of RFID Tags - RFID chip and antenna |date=n.d. |website=RFID4U |language=en-US |access-date=2020-03-01}}</ref>
==See also== *[[Cold foil printing]] *[[Pad printing]]
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hot Stamping}} [[Category:Printing terminology]]