Foiled Effects for business cards

Have you thought about putting a foiled effect on your cards or cards you are designing for a client? That metallic gloss or matt effect to make a business cards stand out above all others! And not just limited to business cards, but rack cards, appointment cards, menus or other printing?

As follows is a quick how-to for foiled business cards; and don't forget to ask us to send you samples of the colours we have available, and the kind of effects we can produce, if you would like a better look at the possibilities!

Here's a page-by-page file requirement for a foiled business card. PDF files are preferred -simply ensure all fonts are converted to paths/outlines (don't save over the original file when you do this!!) before you create the PDF file.

Page ONE of your business card file would be WHAT WOULD PRINT. This should be only in cmyk (no pantone colours for offset print), and all areas you wish to be foiled will not show.

The size should be inclusive of 3mm bleed (1.5mm on each edge).

Page TWO will be the reverse of your business card - or - if you do not want printing on the reverse, insert a blank white page the same size as the front page. We can print full colour or black-only on reverse, depending on your design requirements.

Page THREE will be the foiled area only set to 100% magenta only. We use this colour simply because it stands out, and is not commonly used on it's own so to most printers it indicates a "special requirement." This page must line up EXACTLY with page one, as the foil block gets made from this file and must fit on top of page one to foil.

HOW TO ensure your foil page or emboss page lines up exactly with your first printed page ; Create a composite page of your design first. Include everything. When it's correct - duplicate it twice. Go back to the first page and delete all the areas you want to be foiled. On the first duplicate page, delete all the areas that won't be foiled and change all the areas to be foiled to 100% magenta. The second duplicate you can leave as a "composite page" and this will be a guide for us. Throw a back page (or a blank page for the back) directly after page one and you're about ready to print!

Page FOUR will be the "composite page" - on this one you can overlay your foil layer onto your front printing layer to show us the final effect you want. You can have the foil in any colour you wish, to indicate the foil look you want. We can foil with a matt or a gloss finish so decide what look you want to go for first.

A few further NOTES ; When we foil a business card it gets printed first, then laminated, then the foil is done on top of the laminate, then the cards are trimmed.

As well as foiling effects, we can diecut and emboss - even on the same card. With these kind of effect, there is always limitations, or to put it better - things to be aware of. With embossing for example, say you wanted to have a swirly circle embossed and then foiled over the top. Sounds cool? The thing to avoid is making your swirly circle too fine - what can happen is that the cards will emboss fine, then the laminate may not be able to stay down in those small spaces and lift up. Ensure your designs are big and clear enough to avoid this. Both foiling and embossing look better on larger fonts - 8 point is about the smallest, and avoid itallic serif fonts where possible as it's very tricky to make a foil block on those tiny edges.

In saying all this - don't let these tips deter you from your creativity! We check all files as they come through, and if you're not sure if it will work you are welcome to flick us the file to have a look at before you proof the design to your client, or set your heart on it yourself.

Want to add an Emboss page, or a Diecut page? Simply create your diecut line or shape and set this to 100% magenta. Include this after the magenta-only foil page, keeping the "composite page" as the last page. A good idea to put your dieline on the composite page also, for reference. Emboss effect - same process applies, simply have the area you want to emboss in 100% magenta and include it after your foil or dieline pages. You can create a second "composite page" if you want to show the area on your final image - if it won't be seen where the foil already shows. Composite pages won't print so you can add some notes on there too if you want to send some instructions.

Notes on PAGE SIZE ; When you create your business card file, make the page size the size of the card inclusive of 3mm bleed (that's 1.5mm on each edge). So if you want a 90 x 55mm business card, create a page size that is 93 x 58mm. Another common size is 86 x 55mm, where you would make your page size 89 x 58mm. Put some guidelines on the page to remind you where the trim lines will be, and wherever possible, keep your text at least 3mm inside of this cut-line.