20.04.2023

How to design for foil printing

Foil printing is a brilliant way to ensure your design stands out. Whether you want to make your business cards stand out from the rest, add a touch of luxury to your product label, add some prestige to your flyers or design dreamy wedding invitations, with its shiny, reflective surface it is a popular way of enhancing the visual appeal of your print job.

How do you design for foil label printing?

To ensure a beautiful finished product, graphic designers need to make certain considerations when designing for foil printing, taking into account a few design specifications. Designers at Burleigh Print & Design have years of experience both designing for foil printing, and delivering finished foil printing jobs. Here are some of our recommendations when designing for this style of specialty printing.

Keep it simple

At Burleigh Print & Design, we like to keep it simple when we’re designing for foil printing on the Gold Coast. Foil labels look great with minimal text and graphics because the reflective nature of the foil material can make small text and intricate designs difficult to read. Type shouldn’t be any smaller than 10pt to make it easy to read, and sharp lines should be at least 1pt or thicker.

We like to use bold type where we can, and high-contrast typography with minimal graphic design elements. This ensures maximum readability and is especially important for accessibility. It allows us to communicate the message clearly and effectively, without distracting or confusing visual elements and helps to create a strong and distinctive visual identity.

Choose complementary colours carefully

For foil label printing, it’s essential to choose colours carefully. Always remember that the foil itself will act as a colour and impact the entire colour palette. The foil can also affect how the other colours appear, for example, white or other light colours coupled with a silver foil finish will take on a silver sheen.

Our Gold Coast graphic designers like to use bold, vibrant colours that contrast against the foil’s reflective qualities and always ensure text or graphics are legible against the foil material’s colour and shine. It’s important to carefully choose what elements you want to be foiled in the design.

Use vector graphics

Foil printing requires high-quality artwork, so vector graphics are the best choice if you want to achieve clear, crisp lines. Always avoid low-resolution images or raster graphics that may appear blurry or pixelated.

Select the right foil material

There are various materials available for foil label printing, such as gold, silver, rose gold and holographic foils. It’s important to choose a foil that complements the style of design you are looking for, whether it’s a silver foil for a more futuristic feel or gold for ultimate luxury.

Pick a paper stock

There are several factors to consider when choosing paper stock for foil printing, and it will largely depend on the type of job, whether it’s an invitation, business card or label. You will need to consider the thickness and texture and finish of the paper as it can affect the finished product.

Some paper coatings can affect how the foil adheres to the paper. Smooth, uncoated paper stock usually works best for foil printing, however if you prefer coated paper a matte or silk finish is ok too.

The colour of the paper can make a difference to your foil printing too. A lighter colour paper stock will work well with darker foil colours, whereas a darker colour paper stock will work better with a lighter foil colour.

Choose the right printer

To get the best result from your foil printing, it’s essential to find a reputable printer who has experience with foil printing. They will be able to guide you through the process and provide helpful advice and direction along the way.

At Burleigh Print & Design, we use a combination of 4 colour digital production machines, conventional offset and premium, large format fine art and vinyl printers, to produce the best possible results for your project. We aim for excellence with every print run and don’t compromise on quality.

Take the hassle out of foil printing

Need help with your foil printing?

At Burleigh Print & Design on the Gold Coast, we have a team of experienced graphic designers who can design your next foil printing job, whether it’s business cards, wedding invitations, product labels or flyers. Then, we have the latest printing equipment to ensure your next foil printing project is executed with precision and accuracy. Our state-of-the-art foil stamping machines allow us to create a range of stunning finishes, from metallic to matte, and we use only high-quality foils to ensure a lasting, professional result.