Our story
Founded by Giancarlo Moretti as a specialist supplier to the Milanese cosmetics industry, CFS has spent four decades obsessing over a single thing: the way light behaves on a printed surface. Today the company is run by his daughter Sofia Moretti, with a technical team of 80 chemists, color scientists and converting engineers spread across our Italian, French and Polish plants.
We started by hand-coating small rolls of polyester for letterpress hot stamping dies. By the mid-1990s our R&D team had moved early into UV-curable cold transfer chemistry, betting that inline metallization on flexo and offset presses would eventually displace much of the post-press hot foil market. That bet paid off — today more than three quarters of premium European beverage labels carrying a metallic element are produced inline, and a meaningful share of them use CFS chemistry.
What we make
Cold transfer foils for inline UV-flexo and offset presses — gold, silver, holographic, pigmented and bespoke metallic systems calibrated for press speeds up to 450 m/min. Every roll leaves our line with a measured optical density report and full traceability from raw aluminum coil to finished pallet.
Cold foil chemistry
UV-curable adhesives formulated for press speeds up to 450 m/min on offset, UV-flexo and inline label presses, with low-migration grades for direct food contact lamination.
Vacuum metallization
Aluminum, copper-tone and pigment-loaded depositions at optical densities from 1.8 to 2.6, measured roll-by-roll with inline densitometers and archived for ten years.
Holographic origination
Electroformed nickel shims produced in-house from designer artwork, embossed onto PET carriers at submicron precision for diffractive and 3D effects.
Color matching
Pantone Metallics, custom gold tones and brand-owned shades formulated within ΔE 1.5 against approved standards, with physical drawdowns shipped in 48 hours.
Where we work
Headquartered in Milano with manufacturing in Como (Italy), Lyon (France) and Łódź (Poland). Color matching labs are co-located with major converting hubs in São Paulo, Dubai, Mumbai, Shenzhen and Mexico City for next-day visual sign-off anywhere in the world. Regional account teams quote in local currency, hold consignment stock for high-runner SKUs and coordinate press trials in the customer's own facility.
Four decades, one focus
- 1987Founded in Milano
Giancarlo Moretti opens a single coating line supplying gold and silver transfer foils to Lombardy's cosmetics packaging printers.
- 1996First inline UV-flexo system
CFS engineers one of Europe's first dedicated cold foil chemistries for inline UV-flexo, replacing post-press hot stamping on shrink sleeve lines.
- 2004Como expansion
A second plant opens in Como with three vacuum metallizers and dedicated color matching for spirits and wine label converters.
- 2013Lyon acquisition
Acquisition of a French release-coating specialist adds holographic embossing and security foil capabilities to the CFS portfolio.
- 2019Łódź mono-material line
Polish facility commissioned to produce recyclable mono-PET and mono-PP foils that comply with CEFLEX and APR design-for-recycling guidelines.
- 2024Carbon-neutral metallizing
All three European sites complete the transition to renewable electricity and on-site solar, certified by TÜV SÜD against ISO 14064.
Quality & certifications
Every CFS production batch is sampled for adhesion, optical density, rub resistance and color delta against a digitally archived master. Customer-specific control plans are issued for regulated categories — pharmaceuticals, infant nutrition and direct food contact — and audited annually by independent third parties.
- ISO 9001:2015 — Quality management
- ISO 14001:2015 — Environmental management
- ISO 50001:2018 — Energy management
- FSC® Chain of Custody (carrier films)
- Sedex SMETA 4-Pillar audited
- EcoVadis Gold rating (2024)
Research & development
Roughly nine percent of CFS revenue is reinvested into R&D each year, split across three programs: next-generation low-migration adhesives for food packaging, recyclable mono-material foils for the flexible packaging industry, and pigment chemistry that delivers warm gold tones without the use of copper or chromium. We collaborate with the Politecnico di Milano on accelerated weathering models and with CEFLEX working groups on design-for-recycling protocols.
Pilot coating lines at our Como and Lyon plants let converters trial new chemistries at production-representative widths and speeds before committing to a full run, shortening typical product qualification cycles from twelve months to under four.
Sustainability in brief
CFS reached Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon neutrality across European operations in 2024, powered by on-site solar and certified renewable electricity contracts. Our mono-material foil range is designed to pass APR and CEFLEX recyclability protocols, and the average recycled content in our PET carrier films now exceeds 30 percent. Read the full report on the sustainability page.
Frequently asked questions
What is cold foil stamping and how is it different from hot stamping?
Cold foil stamping transfers a metallic layer to a substrate using a UV-cured adhesive printed in the shape of the design, then laminating the foil and curing under UV light. Unlike hot foil stamping, no engraved die or heat is required, which makes it dramatically faster, more energy efficient and compatible with heat-sensitive films.
Which substrates work with CFS cold foils?
CFS foils are validated on coated paperboards from 200 to 450 gsm, self-adhesive label stocks, BOPP and PET shrink sleeve films, and recyclable mono-material laminates. Our applications team will run a free press trial on customer substrates before production sign-off.
Do you ship outside Europe?
Yes. CFS exports to more than 40 countries from Milano, with regional warehouses in São Paulo, Dubai, Mumbai, Shenzhen and Mexico City for short lead times in the Americas, Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Are CFS cold foils recyclable?
Our mono-material range is engineered to pass CEFLEX and APR design-for-recycling protocols when applied below the recommended coverage thresholds. We publish recyclability test reports for every commercial grade.
