Which Should I Choose: Foil Stamping or Embossing?

Customers are always debating about whether they should foil stamp their products or get their paper products embossed. What is the difference? When should you go for the 3D embossed look versus the shimmery foil stamped look? Let’s delve a bit deeper into these specialties to better help you make your decision. Or maybe you don’t have to decide on just one. Keep reading to find out why not!

Foil stamping

What is it

Think of a flash of lighting against the sky. What feelings does it invoke? Awe, wonder, amazement? Regardless of the feeling, you noticed the flash. Foil Stamping is the lightning of the paper world. Its purpose is to catch your eye in a pleasing way and to give the air of sophistication to the paper once it has arrested your attention. It’s metallic shine allows it to stand out so your paper products won’t be lost in the shuffle.

This specialty, simply put, is the process of taking foil material and melting the foil color of your choice into the paper stock itself. The foil can be stamped onto any paper, no matter the size or thickness. When you think of foil stamping, does a metallic, chrome silver color come to mind? While that effect is an option, foil stamping is certainly not limited to that genre. Foil stamping comes with an array of colors or even hologram! The effect also comes with a wide variety of finishes, meaning you can lessen the shine by opting for matte perhaps. There is not a lot to regret when choosing this specialty effect.

When to Choose It

Foil Stamped products are very versatile compared to embossing with its plethora of finishes and colors. It also allows the customer to not be limited to a certain kind of paper stock. Gold Image Printing offers a staggering amount of paper stocks so if you choose foil stamping you are free to find the perfect paper stock to use as your base paper. Foil stamping is a great way to spice up an otherwise uninteresting paper product. Try our foil stamp greeting cards, foil stamp note cards, foil stamp postcards, foil stamp folders, foil stamp letterheads and much more. Another small note is foil stamping can cost a bit less than embossing. If you are hoping to save some money but add a specialty, choose foil stamping. 

Embossing 

What Is It

Imagine a customer picks up a standard business card. They may not glance down at it right away. So what do they feel? A bland rectangle in their hands? Maybe all they can feel are sharp edges and paper. They don’t even bother to look down the card, never seeing the logo or the business information. Another customer lost.

Now they pick up your embossed business card. Their hands run over the intriguing logo popping up from the surface of the paper. They also feel the rise and fall of the embossed text under their fingers. Their eyes dart down the paper wondering what this intriguing card is. Your logo and business information pronounces proudly from the card in beautifully embossed lettering. Embossing does this for you.

While both specialties we are discussing today are a stamp with heat, embossing is a process that uses a lot of force. This force is necessary to leave a 3D result. The paper is pressed with heat into the shape of your choice so that the surface of the paper has a raised surface you feel under your fingers. What parts of the paper is raised is up to you to be in the shape of your logo, it can be the raised lettering on a business card, it can be a pattern that is pleasing to the touch. Embossed paper is also pleasing to eyes, giving the paper a look of elegance and luxury.

When to Choose 

Do you want your customers to have a more tactile experience and not just a visual one? Are you trying to more than catch the eye, but want to give your paper an air of high end sophistication? Then opt for embossing your paper. Embossing works best with heavier paper stock to allow for the relief to be well stamped into the paragraph and for the 3D effect to hold. If you are limited to lightweight paper then this effect may not work for you. This product can really be added to any paper products. Try our embossed greeting cards, embossed roll labels, embossed wedding invites, embossed business cards and much more. 

Foil Embossing

Perhaps you can’t decide. You are in love with the sheen of a rose colored foil stamp, but you also adore the soft, airbrushed feel of an embossed letter card? Try both! Foil embossed paper allows for you to have the benefits of the impressive raised 3D effect with all the bright pleasing foil stamped color. Imagine a foil embossed business card, foil embossed sticker label, foil embossed hang tag or foil embossed wedding invite with both effects working together to give your paper product a look to remember. 

Summary of Benefits

Why Foil Stamping?

  • The option of any paper stock you would like
  • The amazing array of foil colors to choose from
  • The varying finishes to match your paper product’s mood

Why Embossed?

  • The elegant air it gives to your product
  • The pleasing tactile experience it gives customers

Why Not Both?

Exactly! Both specialties heighten the professionalism, the beauty and the allure of your product so there is really no need to choose.


How to Order

What is great about Gold Image Printing is the high quality cards don’t mean a hassle when ordering, designing or asking questions. We offer amazing shipping times with our one day, two day or even one hour shipping. We offer impressive customer service, allowing you to request a quote right on our website for custom jobs. We encourage you to explore the different options and add specialties like the foil stamping and embossing to design the perfect product for you. We have designed our whole time so you can effortlessly design order and receive your paper product in record tie to your door. This smooth and fun process will have you coming back to Gold Image Printing for all your paper product needs.