Foil Stamping for Card Games
Adding glamour to your card game is easy with hot foil stamping. In this process, metallic foil is transferred onto your printed sheets producing a reflective shine.
Designs vary in their application process, so some designs require a custom quote to see if the number of foil stamp designs will impact the cost. “Basic Foil Stamping”, as indicated in our calculator, is priced for an area less than 4″ x 4″ with the same design on 1 side of the component. Contact your Customer Service Ninja for more information on foil stamping.
Looking for a cheaper option? Check out our metallic ink option.
Foil Stamping Color Options
Most card game creators will foil stamp their logo or title, but you can also use foil as an accent to compliment your logo, as seen in the image to the left. Be traditional with gold and silver foil, or be adventurous and choose one of our 12 other foil colors.
Metallic Ink and Foil Stamping Pros and Cons
- Metallic ink achieves a subtler effect than foil stamping because it’s applied to your project early in the printing process, then covered with a finish (lamination or varnish). Foil stamping, on the other hand, achieves more of a vivid impact and a highly realistic metallic shine because it is applied to your project after printing has already been completed.
- Small, intricate designs are best suited for metallic ink, because it is applied with the printing press. When foil stamping is performed, the design is cut out of foil stock. If your design is small and thin, metallic ink is likely the better fit.
- If your card or board game has an intricate, predominantly metallic design, consider using metallic ink instead of foil for a softer shine. Some designers feel that using too much foil can create a gaudy appearance and opt for metallic ink for these applications instead.
- There are vast color options available with metallic ink because it is made by mixing the ink color of your choice with gold or silver metal particles. However, if you prefer a metallic other than gold or silver, you may want to consider the 12 foil stamping options besides these two choices. We even have holographic foil options for a truly wow-worthy effect!
- If you intend to incorporate other specialty printing options like embossing or debossing into your project, foil stamping works best. Because metallic ink encompasses real bits of metal, embossing or debossing could cause the ink to crack.
- Foil stamping tends to outperform metallic ink in terms of longevity. The ink’s metal flecks may cause cracking as the product ages.
- Metallic ink is typically the more economical option when compared to foil stamping.
If you are looking for other high-end looking finishes, check out our page on specialty card options.
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We’ve created a custom card game pricing calculator just for card games so you can explore printing choices, shipping methods, and accurate order prices for your project. You can also customize just about anything, from game card sizes to specialty options like embossing and debossing.
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