Where foil works
- Logos, brand names and short headlines.
- Thin borders and line patterns.
- Folding cartons, rigid boxes and paper labels with a smooth surface.
Where it struggles: large solid panels (it can crack on folds or show bubbles), very fine type or lines, heavily textured or kraft board, and areas that cross a fold or crease. As a rule of thumb, keep strokes above about 0.2 mm and gaps above about 0.3 mm.
Setting up foil in Packaroo
Give a layer the Gold foil or Silver foil finish and put everything you want foiled on it. Use solid shapes, not gradients or photos: foil is either on or off. Keep foil at least 3 mm from folds and inside the safe area.
The 3D preview shows the foil as metal, so you can turn the pack and see it catch the light. On export, each foil arrives in the spec pack as its own plate, ready for the printer to make the die.
Packaroo offers gold and silver foil. If you want another foil colour, design with the closest one and name the colour you want in the supplier notes on the spec sheet.
Foil and ink together
Foil can sit on bare board or on top of printed ink. If the design has ink under the foil, say so on the spec sheet; if not, the printer will usually knock out the ink under the foil area.
Cold foil (applied inline on the press, then printed over) is cheaper for long runs and can be tinted to any metallic colour. Hot foil is the usual choice for short runs and a richer shine. Ask your printer which they run.