Can cold foil run on a flexo press?

Yes. Cold foil is designed to run inline on UV flexo and narrow web presses. You need a cold foil station or a spare unit configured with an adhesive plate, a lamination nip, a foil unwind and a spent-foil rewind. No heated dies, no engraved tooling and no separate offline pass are required.

What adhesive is used for flexo cold foil stamping?

A UV-curable cold foil adhesive printed through the flexo plate. Free-radical systems are common on coated and uncoated paper; cationic systems are preferred on BOPP and PET because they keep curing after the lamp and give better long-term anchorage on low-energy films.

What anilox roller should be used for cold foil adhesive?

A 5–7 BCM anilox at roughly 300–400 lpi is the standard window for narrow web cold foil, giving about 1.8–2.2 g/m² wet adhesive coat weight. Lower volumes cause pinholing on solids; higher volumes blur the metallic edge on fine type and thin rules.

Which substrates work best for flexo cold foil?

Coated label papers, cast-coated wine stocks, BOPP and PET films perform best. Coated paper should measure at least 38 dynes and films 40–44 dynes at the press. Uncoated and highly absorbent stocks need a primer or a heavier adhesive coat weight to avoid pinholing.

Can CMYK be printed over cold foil on flexo labels?

Yes, and it is one of the main reasons converters choose cold foil. Printing process colours over a silver base produces tinted metallics — gold, bronze, copper, coloured chrome — inline, without stocking multiple foil SKUs. Use UV flexo inks verified for adhesion to metallised surfaces.

What causes poor cold foil transfer on flexo presses?

Most transfer failures trace to adhesive coat weight, cure energy or substrate surface energy rather than the foil. Check anilox volume, UV dose at the adhesive station, dyne level measured at the press, nip pressure and foil web tension stability before changing foil grade.

How do I request a cold foil sample for my flexo press?

Send your press model, web width, substrate, adhesive system, UV lamp type, target speed and required finish. CFS recommends a foil grade and supplies a production-grade trial roll with a short qualification protocol covering tape, rub, overprint and edge checks.

Is flexo cold foil suitable for wine, cosmetics and security labels?

Yes. Wine and spirits typically use pale gold, champagne and silver; cosmetics use rose gold, pearl and matte black; security and pharma applications use holographic and registered effects. All three sectors run cold foil inline on narrow web UV flexo.

UV Flexo & Narrow Web Materials

Flexo Cold Foil Stamping Materials for Label and Packaging Converters

CFS supplies cold transfer foils engineered for narrow web UV presses — gold, silver, holographic and specialty finishes matched to your adhesive chemistry, anilox volume, substrate and trial protocol.

Quick answer: Flexo cold foil stamping is an inline process where a UV-curable adhesive is printed through a flexo plate, cold foil is laminated at the nip, and the metallic layer transfers only where adhesive is printed. It is widely used by label converters for wine, cosmetics, FMCG, pharma and security labels because it runs inline without heated dies.

Request Trial Rolls Send Press Specs

UV flexo inline transfer
Narrow web 250–450 mm
Cationic & free-radical adhesive
5–7 BCM anilox guidance
Press trial rolls

Narrow web UV flexo press running a cold foil transfer station with metallised web

UV flexoNarrow webAdhesiveFoil transfer

5–7 BCM

Adhesive anilox window at 300–400 lpi

300 m/min

Verified transfer speed on high-speed grades

Line Qualification

Compatibility checklist

Ten variables decide whether metal transfers cleanly on your line. Confirm each against your press data sheet — most failed trials trace back to a value in this table, not to the material itself.

Diagram of the UV cold foil transfer sequence: adhesive print, foil lamination nip, curing and rewind — Inline transfer sequence on a narrow web press.

Flexo cold foil compatibility requirements and CFS recommendations
Requirement	What buyers should confirm	CFS recommendation
Press type	Narrow web UV flexo with a cold foil station or a spare print/lamination unit and rewind for spent foil.	Standard cold transfer grades run on Mark Andy, Nilpeter, Gallus, Bobst, Omet, MPS and comparable narrow web platforms.
UV curing system	Mercury arc vs UV LED, lamp power (W/cm) and whether the adhesive station has dedicated cure before the nip.	Release layer tuned for 100–150 mJ/cm² LED or 120 W/cm arc cure; specify LED if your line is fully LED-converted.
Cold foil adhesive	Cationic or free-radical chemistry, viscosity, supplier and whether it is film-grade or paper-grade.	Both chemistries supported. Free-radical for paper stocks, cationic for BOPP/PET where post-cure adhesion matters.
Anilox volume	Current BCM, line screen and cell geometry of the adhesive anilox roller.	5–7 BCM (approx. 8–11 cm³/m²) at 300–400 lpi gives a 1.8–2.2 g/m² wet coat weight for full transfer.
Substrate	Face stock family, coating, dyne level and supplier data sheet.	Coated paper ≥ 38 dynes, BOPP/PET corona-treated to 40–44 dynes. Uncoated stocks need a primer or heavier coat weight.
Press speed	Target and maximum running speed for the foil station, not just the print units.	Standard grades qualify to 120–200 m/min on narrow web; high-speed grades verified beyond 300 m/min.
Web tension	Foil unwind, nip and rewind tension settings and whether tension is closed-loop.	Low, stable foil tension (typically 8–15 N per 250 mm web) — over-tension causes tearing and register drift.
Foil width	Usable print width and whether you will slit multiple lanes to save foil.	Slit to order from 30 mm upward; 76 mm (3") cores, roll lengths matched to your rewind capacity.
Overprint / varnish	Whether CMYK, white or varnish is applied over the metallised area and with which ink chemistry.	Overprintable release surface for UV flexo inks; confirm varnish chemistry to avoid adhesion loss or dulling.
Sample trial	Trial slot length, waste allowance and who signs off adhesion and overprint results.	Trial rolls supplied in production-grade format with a short qualification protocol (tape, rub, overprint, edge check).

Press type

Confirm: Narrow web UV flexo with a cold foil station or a spare print/lamination unit and rewind for spent foil.

CFS: Standard cold transfer grades run on Mark Andy, Nilpeter, Gallus, Bobst, Omet, MPS and comparable narrow web platforms.

UV curing system

Confirm: Mercury arc vs UV LED, lamp power (W/cm) and whether the adhesive station has dedicated cure before the nip.

CFS: Release layer tuned for 100–150 mJ/cm² LED or 120 W/cm arc cure; specify LED if your line is fully LED-converted.

Cold foil adhesive

Confirm: Cationic or free-radical chemistry, viscosity, supplier and whether it is film-grade or paper-grade.

CFS: Both chemistries supported. Free-radical for paper stocks, cationic for BOPP/PET where post-cure adhesion matters.

Anilox volume

Confirm: Current BCM, line screen and cell geometry of the adhesive anilox roller.

CFS: 5–7 BCM (approx. 8–11 cm³/m²) at 300–400 lpi gives a 1.8–2.2 g/m² wet coat weight for full transfer.

Substrate

Confirm: Face stock family, coating, dyne level and supplier data sheet.

CFS: Coated paper ≥ 38 dynes, BOPP/PET corona-treated to 40–44 dynes. Uncoated stocks need a primer or heavier coat weight.

Press speed

Confirm: Target and maximum running speed for the foil station, not just the print units.

CFS: Standard grades qualify to 120–200 m/min on narrow web; high-speed grades verified beyond 300 m/min.

Web tension

Confirm: Foil unwind, nip and rewind tension settings and whether tension is closed-loop.

CFS: Low, stable foil tension (typically 8–15 N per 250 mm web) — over-tension causes tearing and register drift.

Foil width

Confirm: Usable print width and whether you will slit multiple lanes to save foil.

CFS: Slit to order from 30 mm upward; 76 mm (3") cores, roll lengths matched to your rewind capacity.

Overprint / varnish

Confirm: Whether CMYK, white or varnish is applied over the metallised area and with which ink chemistry.

CFS: Overprintable release surface for UV flexo inks; confirm varnish chemistry to avoid adhesion loss or dulling.

Sample trial

Confirm: Trial slot length, waste allowance and who signs off adhesion and overprint results.

CFS: Trial rolls supplied in production-grade format with a short qualification protocol (tape, rub, overprint, edge check).

Shortlist

Grades built for narrow web

Five finishes cover the majority of label programmes. Each links to a full datasheet with coat weight, speed ceiling and substrate notes.

Bright Gold

High-impact gold for wine, spirits and confectionery labels where mirror brilliance carries the shelf.

View datasheet

Silver

Base metallic for tinted overprint effects — print CMYK over silver to build gold, bronze and colour metallics inline.

View datasheet

Holographic

Security and brand-protection labels for pharma, spirits and FMCG that need a visible authentication cue.

View datasheet

Matte Black

Low-gloss metallic for premium cosmetics and craft spirits where a satin, non-reflective finish is specified.

View datasheet

Deep Emerald

Coloured metallic for niche beverage and cosmetic ranges that need shade without a second overprint pass.

View datasheet

All 12 grades

Filter the full range by finish, substrate, speed and end application in the product finder.

Open product finder

Operating Window

Process parameters

The settings below define the window CFS uses when recommending a grade for a narrow web line.

Step 1
Adhesive print
UV-curable adhesive imaged through the flexo plate at 5–7 BCM.
Step 2
Foil nip
Metallised web laminated under kiss pressure; release layer splits cleanly.
Step 3
UV cure
Full cure locks the transferred layer to the printed substrate.
Step 4
Rewind
Finished web rewound, spent carrier collected on a separate shaft.

UV flexo adhesive compatibility

The adhesive is the transfer mechanism, not the foil. Free-radical UV adhesives suit coated and uncoated paper; cationic systems continue to cure after the lamp and hold better on BOPP and PET. Match adhesive tack and cure speed to the foil release layer — a release that is too tight causes partial transfer, too loose causes flag and background pick.

Anilox roller selection

Adhesive coat weight decides edge definition. A 5–7 BCM roller at 300–400 lpi is the usual window for narrow web. Below 4 BCM you see pinholing on solids; above 8 BCM adhesive squeezes out and the metallic edge blurs on fine type and 2 pt rules.

Nip pressure

Cold foil transfers under kiss pressure. Excess nip crushes the release layer and causes ghosting on the next repeat; too little nip leaves incomplete transfer in the centre of solids. Set nip on a clean substrate first, then re-check after the adhesive station reaches steady state.

Web tension

Foil web tension must be lower and more stable than substrate tension. Tension spikes at splices are the single most common cause of foil breaks on narrow web. Use closed-loop unwind control where available and keep spent-foil rewind torque constant.

Curing window

Adhesive must be tack-cured before the nip and fully cured after transfer. On LED lines confirm 100–150 mJ/cm² at the adhesive station; under-cure leaves migration risk and over-cure kills tack so the foil never keys.

Substrate surface energy

Target ≥ 38 dynes on coated paper and 40–44 dynes on BOPP/PET measured at the press, not at goods-in. Corona treatment decays in storage; a film that tested 44 dynes at the supplier can be at 34 dynes eight weeks later.

CMYK overprint over cold foil

The main commercial advantage of flexo cold foil is inline overprint. Print process colours over silver to create tinted metallics without extra foil SKUs. Use UV flexo inks with good adhesion to metallised surfaces and verify with a tape test on the finished web.

Common defects

Pinholing usually means low coat weight or low surface energy. Ghosting points to nip pressure or a tension oscillation. Poor adhesion is normally an adhesive cure or dyne issue rather than a foil fault — check cure energy and substrate before changing foil grade.

UV adhesive guide Anilox roller selection Pinholing & ghosting diagnosis

Before Sampling

What to send us

With these ten data points we shortlist grades, flag adhesive or substrate risk and define a trial protocol before material ships. Incomplete briefs are the main reason a first press trial has to be repeated.

CFS cold foil sample kit with swatch book and trial rolls prepared for converter evaluation

Laboratory adhesion and rub testing of cold foil trial samples before production approval

Send Press Specs

Press model and manufacturer
Web width (mm)
Substrate type and supplier
Adhesive system and chemistry
UV lamp type (LED or arc) and power
Target press speed (m/min)
Foil colour or effect required
Artwork coverage (% of web area)
Application market and region
Expected order volume per month

Applications

Frequently asked

CFS quality control laboratory inspecting metallised foil rolls before shipment

Ready to qualify metal on your press?

Share your press, substrate and target finish. We return grade options, adhesive considerations and a trial path sized to your line.

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Flexo Cold Foil Stamping Materials for Label and Packaging Converters

Compatibility checklist

Press type

UV curing system

Cold foil adhesive

Anilox volume

Substrate

Press speed

Web tension

Foil width

Overprint / varnish

Sample trial

Grades built for narrow web

Bright Gold

Silver

Holographic

Matte Black

Deep Emerald

All 12 grades

Process parameters

UV flexo adhesive compatibility

Anilox roller selection

Nip pressure

Web tension

Curing window

Substrate surface energy

CMYK overprint over cold foil

Common defects

What to send us

Where converters specify it

Wine and spirits labels

Cosmetic labels

FMCG labels

Pharmaceutical and security labels

Premium food packaging

BOPP and PET film labels

Frequently asked

Ready to qualify metal on your press?