The “Designers Guide to Foiling” is an easy to use reference, illustrating how hot stamping foil has the ability to make your brand leap off the page with vivid colour, texture and dimension.  Foil is “eye catching” and especially suited to products that will be displayed on retail shelves. If the customer picks up the package it is 50% of the battle.

Foil is not expensive and should be considered as an addition to the design to attract buyers even on “throw away” packaging as it increases perceived value.  Case studies show that foil embellishment can increase sales by as much as 25%.

This palm size guide focuses on foils used in the Graphics Industry for coated and uncoated paper and boards.  Most common applications include wine & beverage labels, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food and retail labels.  It includes an overview of the various grades and their features, as well as colour swatches of metallic gold’s, silvers and a vast range of colours, clear foil and holographic patterns.

The guide also includes tips for achieving the best results whether it is the most suitable font size, using spot UV after foiling, matching gloss or matt laminates to the foil or identifying which foils are over-printable.

To obtain a free copy of the “Designers Guide to Foiling” simply email your name and address details to sales@astor.com.au

Milford Astor is 100% Australian owned and the only hot stamping foil manufacturer in Australia.  Our ISO9002 quality accreditation has assisted us to a position where we now supply foil to 6 continents.  With branches in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide and a very experienced technical support team we are well equipped to supply and support the industry.

Visit Milford Astor’s website here.

• Supply a hardcopy printout with your files. This hardcopy should be created from the final files
• Try to structure files in a logical way e.g. use separate folders (directories) for all document files, pictures, illustrations etc
• Outline all fonts
• Supply all images/links used in the document. If supplying a PDF, ensure images are not down-sampled
• Check to see if the printer can accommodate your file types (PDF usually is the safest bet)
• Make sure all images are in a suitable resolution for your print medium (e.g. recommended 300DPI for business collaterals)

We know we cannot cover everything here. Please feel free to share your knowledge with others by leaving a comment below!

Spot UV is usually used to highlight a particular area of your design. The most common usage is by applying a gloss varnish onto a designated area of a already matt varnished surface. This method is increasingly popular with business cards and book cover designs.

Die Cut

Possbilities are numerous when die cut is used on a printed project. Common usage are rounded corners, cut-out to see beyond a page and onto the proceeding one, alter the shape of the paper to inmitate a certain object.

Emboss/Deboss

Emboss and deboss is a stamping technique where particular part of the paper surface is textured into a three-dimensional surface. This technique is commonly used in conjunction with spot uv or foil. Emboss and deboss works exceptionally well with minimalist design.

Foil Stamping

Foil stamping is the process of applying coloured foil onto a substrate with a heated die. It is best used as a highlight of focus which adds a tone of elegance to the design. Traditionally, foils are available in gold and silver only. These days, things have changed significantly (thanks to advanced digital printing methodologies) and allow us to have a plethora of choices: metallic gloss and matt, pigment colours, holographic, security foils . . . If you are aiming for innovative and ground-breaking techniques for your next design, Theo Pettaras from Digital Press can help. (www.digitalpress.com.au)

Folding

Folding comes in many forms: Letter Fold, Z or Accordion, Gate, Double Parallel, French Fold . . .

Each folding technique, if used creatively, can achieve exceptional results. Take the accordion fold as an example, by applying a slight tweak immense visual impact can be created.

Flocking

Flock printing is a process that replicates cut velvet on paper. The process involves hand block printing of a special glue instead of ink, and then cut wool or viscose is vigorously shaken onto the surface of the paper.

Although not used widely, I personally found it effective with high-end fashion branding where a touch of sensitivity and elegance is introduced.

It is important that you contact your printer early if you plan to use any of the above special finishing techniques. Every printer requires you to prepare your files differently to ensure that these special finishing are executed precisely. And bear in mind too that not every printer will have the tools or equipment to perform your “specialty” needs, some will outsource particular parts of your job.

Got more to add? Please leave your comments below.

Say for example, you sign up to Toast Print as a printer using the following:

Username:	joeblogs
Email:	joeblogs@gmail.com

When you sign up to Toast Print as a designer, you cannot use the same details as above. You can use something like:

Username:	joeblogsdesign
Email:	joe.blogs@hotmail.com

Logging into Toast Print is simple – whether you are a designer or printer, you can login via the same link. We recommend that you bookmark this link for quick access:

http://app.toastprint.com.au/login

Optimum sheet use
As parent sheets of paper typically come in several standard sizes, it is important to work closely with the printer early in the planning process. Designers can size their projects to make more efficient use of standard sheet sizes—printing 2, 3, or 4 up (or more) to use less paper and to minimise the amount of waste. When making compositions, designers can request the use of double-sided, smaller, reused, or recycled paper.

Revisit the size needed
Does it really have to be A3 folded to A4? Can you cleverly utilise a die-cut A6 postcard instead? Rethinking size in general is a good place to begin. Can a smaller piece serve the same purpose and have as much impact as a larger piece? Large or odd-sized designed pieces may not use paper efficiently and can often result in substantial amounts of waste. Reducing size not only minimises waste and energy consumption, but also saves money.

Less complexity equals less waste
Simplifying a piece can also reduce waste. Complex folding specifications can use more paper, resulting in more waste. For example, while elegant, a french-folded book uses twice the paper necessary, as it is composed of sheets with printing on one side, folded to reveal the printed side only. Sometimes, reducing complexity might be as simple as adjusting the size of a pocket or folded section.

Combine jobs
Ganging multiple print jobs uses less paper. By working with the printer early in the conceptual stage, designers creating multiple pieces with the same paper stock and ink can combine similar print jobs in the same print run. Ganged print runs reduce paper use, decrease the number of press make-readies, use fewer printing plates and save money.

Digital photography
The advent of digital cameras has drastically reduced waste output. Gone are the developing chemicals and the celluloid negatives. Paper is considerably reduced or eliminated entirely. However, not all digital photography is equal— care must be taken to ensure high resolution and quality.

Digital proofing and file delivery
The electronic technology of the PDF (portable document format) can save not only resources but also time. Delivering art directly to the printer via PDF and/or server uploads eliminates wasted storage media. On-screen proofing, via PDF, eliminates paper waste.

Do you have any other design tips that will help the environment? Please share with us by leaving a comment below.

Promotion is becoming more and more of a commodity as people grow more immune to the effects of marketing in modern society . Sure, doing a mailout can get you exposure for your brand, but it is no longer enough to actually bring business to your door. How many people will actually remember what that piece of paper in their mail was, let alone there’s always a zillion other pieces of paper next to it? The customer’s got to at least remember your brand first, right? As graphic designers, these are some questions to consider when helping your clients with their campaigns, because if your designs can prove better conversion rates, that’s how you can build your reputation and 1-up yourself from other designers.

Consumer expectation for quality and surprise has risen immensely over the years. Glossy and colourful is no longer enough – there’s full of it in the streets and on the web – and don’t think a nice looking photo will always do the job either! What you need to do is to go that extra mile with your work to captivate your audience and make sure they can engage with your message.

How about a bit of die-cut and special finishing?

If you are looking to differentiate your design, it makes sense to leverage print techniques such as embossing, raised print or hot-foil stamping, as these are effective ways to capture your audience’s attention on first impression. Add to that a custom-shape cutout or round edges and you instantly increase both value and visibility for your promo piece. When you are not only stuck with the boring old rectangle, the possibilities become endless – perhaps for ongoing campaigns, you can devise a set of custom-shapes that are meant to be collected by end-users, or maybe one campaign could physically be a key that unlocks a package from another.

Just as gloss and matte became the standard in today’s direct mail marketing, I anticipate die-cut and special finishings will soon become the future standard for mailouts. Although most would argue that the cost of custom-shape/special finishing printing is much higher, the increased effectiveness of the design is usually well worth the extra cost. Clients are usually willing to pay extra as long as the campaign works and can produce better results.

Here are some inspirations on effective use of custom shapes and special finishing to get you kick started: