Cold Foil
A smooth, flat metallic base you can print full colour over — modern shine with creative freedom.
- process
- Inline, UV-cured adhesive — no heated die required.
- finish
- Smooth and completely flat.
- overprinting
- CMYK over foil for custom metallic colours.
- best substrate
- Smooth, coated and film stocks.
Answer — Engine Summary
Cold foil is an inline label-printing technique that applies metallic foil using adhesive and UV light rather than heat. It produces a smooth, flat finish, can cover large areas economically, and can be overprinted with CMYK to create metallic colours — making it ideal for vibrant, contemporary label designs.
What it is
Cold foil transfers a metallic layer onto the label inline during printing, using a UV-cured adhesive instead of a heated die. Because no metal die is required, set-up is faster and large metallic areas are more cost-effective on longer runs. Its biggest creative advantage is overprinting: printing CMYK inks on top of silver cold foil produces brilliant metallic golds, reds, blues and greens — effectively unlimited metallic colours from a single foil.Cold foil transfers a metallic layer onto the label inline during printing, using a UV-cured adhesive instead of a heated die.
Because no metal die is required, set-up is faster and large metallic areas are more cost-effective on longer runs. Its biggest creative advantage is overprinting: printing CMYK inks on top of silver cold foil produces brilliant metallic golds, reds, blues and greens — effectively unlimited metallic colours from a single foil.
Why it Matters
- 01
COST-EFFECTIVE FOR LARGE
Cost-effective for large metallic areas and longer production runs.
- 02
LIES PERFECTLY FLAT
A clean, modern look.
- 03
CAN BE OVERPRINTED
Can be overprinted with colour to create any metallic shade.
- 04
IDEAL FOR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE
Ideal for temperature-sensitive films and smooth, non-porous substrates.
- 05
FAST INLINE PROCESS
Fast inline process keeps lead times short.
Best Suited For
When should I choose Cold Foil instead of Hot Foil?
Choose cold foil for large metallic areas, smooth or film substrates, when you want to overprint colour onto metal, or for longer runs where its inline efficiency lowers cost. Choose hot foil for fine detail, textured papers and the brightest raised shine.
Can you print colour over Cold Foil?
Yes. Overprinting CMYK on silver cold foil is one of its key strengths and lets us create virtually any metallic colour.
Is Cold Foil suitable for plastic film labels?
Yes. Because it uses no heat, cold foil is well suited to temperature-sensitive films and non-porous materials.
Begin your brilliant project.
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