Help your packaging shine with Hot Foil Stamping!

One of the biggest challenges that any brand faces today is creating distinctive packaging that stands out on the shelf. But, given the over-saturated nature of most markets, this is becoming increasingly hard to achieve. However, there are options out there. Hot foil stamping, for example, is one very simple way to bring a distinctive packaging aesthetic to life and add a unique shine.

A visual shortcut to quality

Packaging is a quick and effective way to deliver visual cues to consumers about what’s inside the box, as well as the brand behind the product. This is especially so when it comes to quality. A technique like hot foil stamping can communicate the high quality standards of a brand, and its products, in a very effective way. There is no need to put this into words, as hot foil stamping delivers the most effective visual shortcut to quality that there is.

How does hot foil stamping work?

It’s a very simple process of using heat and pressure to apply metallic foil or holograms to materials such as cardboard, paper or plastic. The term hot foil stamping could apply to flat foil stamping, as well as embossing, or combining embossing with the application of something like holographic foil. Although gold and silver tend to be the go to colours when it comes to hot foil stamping, there are lots of different options available.

Where is hot foil stamping most often used?

You’ll find hot foil stamping helping packaging shine in many different sectors but especially when it comes to food and drink, as well as cosmetics and greetings cards. With respect to packaging, hot foil stamping has two key benefits:

• Attracting and sustaining consumer attention. Research by the Foil & Specialty Effects Association found that hot foil stamping, and other similar embellishments, work harder than ordinary packaging when it comes to attracting consumers’ attention, and keeping it. In another study on coffee packaging, the products that had gold foil on them attracted attention 2.5 times faster than the control packaging that was being used.
• Authenticity and anti-counterfeiting measures. In industries such as pharmaceuticals and technology, hot foil stamping isn’t just about making packaging shine but also proving that products are authentic and not counterfeit.

Is hot foil stamping right for right now?

This question has often arisen around the issue of sustainability, which is now a key priority for many brands. Packaging that has been treated with traditional hot foil stamping processes is actually a lot more recyclable than many businesses think. There are no hot or cold foil stamping processes that would result in packaging that can’t be recycled. Given the increasing focus on being more environmentally friendly when it comes to choices and processes, this is an important point to make.

Hot foil stamping provides many options for helping your packaging to shine. Whether it’s aesthetics and decoration, sustainable credentials or authenticity and anti-counterfeiting, it is a simple way to elevate the finish on any design.