Video · 0:27 · Process walkthrough
Cold foil stamping process video — inline foil transfer on press
This 27-second clip shows a full cold foil transfer cycle: a UV-curable adhesive is printed in the shape of the artwork, tack-cured, then the metallised layer releases from its PET carrier at the nip roller and bonds only where adhesive was laid down. No heated die, no tooling lead time, and no press slow-down.
What happens in each stage
| Stage | What you see | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Adhesive print | Flexo or offset plate lays UV adhesive in the artwork shape | Image definition comes from the plate, so fine type and halftones are possible |
| 2. Tack cure | Web passes a UV lamp before the nip | Adhesive stays receptive but stops spreading, protecting edge sharpness |
| 3. Foil transfer | Foil web and substrate meet under nip pressure | Metallised layer releases from the PET carrier only over adhesive |
| 4. Carrier rewind | Spent PET carrier is wound off | No die change between jobs — press speed is unaffected |
| 5. Final cure and overprint | Full UV cure, then optional process-colour overprint | One silver foil can produce gold, copper and coloured metallics |
Full video transcript
Timestamped transcript of the cold foil stamping process video above.
- 00:00The reel of cold transfer foil is loaded on the unwind stand. Unlike hot stamping, no heated die or engraved brass tooling is used — the image comes from a printing plate.
- 00:04A UV-curable adhesive is printed onto the substrate in the exact shape of the artwork, using a flexo or offset plate. Only the printed areas will accept foil.
- 00:09The web passes under a UV lamp station that partially cures — or tacks — the adhesive so it stays receptive at the transfer nip.
- 00:13The foil web and the substrate meet at the nip roller. Under pressure, the metallised layer releases from the PET carrier and bonds to the adhesive image only.
- 00:18The spent PET carrier is rewound, carrying away all unfoiled areas. Because the release is mechanical rather than thermal, the line runs at full press speed with no die change.
- 00:22A final UV cure locks the adhesive. Downstream units can overprint the metallic surface with process colour to create gold, copper, or coloured metallic effects from a single silver foil.
- 00:25The finished web is inspected for pinholing, edge definition and adhesion, then rewound for converting into labels, folding cartons or flexible packaging.