Hot stamping (also known as foil stamping) is a method of printing in which a printed image is transferred to a printing surface from a special foil by means of heat and pressure.
In hot stamping, coloured films are used in place of fluid inks. The printing is either raised or depressed above or below the surface of the printed paper.
The way hot stamping works is fairly simple. A thin foil is pressed on the paper by a heated embossing plate. Pressure and heat cause the relevant sections of the coloured foil to become detached from the carrier material and become bonded with the printing surface. Book titles, book covers and packaging materials are often printed using this procedure.
Compared to other printing methods, hot stamping has several advantages, including the following:
The principles of hot stamping are quite similar to those of thermal transfer printing and ink ribbons.
The ink ribbons used in thermal transfer printing for the printing of films, paper and labels are also known as foils, carbon bands, printing films and thermal transfer foils. Each kind of ink ribbon or foil has specific characteristics that make it suitable for use with the material to be printed.