Printing inks can imitate gold, but they cannot give you the mirror-like shine of real metallic foil or the feel of a design you can touch. That comes from two finishing processes: foil stamping and embossing. Here is how they are typically done on a calendar board.
Step 1 — Print the picture
As with every calendar, the full-colour picture is printed first, by four-colour offset (see Offset printing explained). The artwork is prepared with separate layers marking where foil and emboss will go, so every effect lines up exactly with the printed picture.
Step 2 — Make the dies
Foil and emboss need tools made for each design:
- a foil die — a metal plate engraved with the shapes that should shine, such as the crown, the jewellery and the border;
- an emboss die pair — a raised (male) and a recessed (female) die that match each other exactly.
Step 3 — Foil stamping
A roll of thin metallic foil — gold, silver or another colour — is passed between the heated foil die and the printed sheet. When the machine presses down, heat and pressure release the metallic layer from its carrier film and bond it to the sheet, only where the die touches. The rest of the foil stays on its film and winds away.
Step 4 — Embossing
For emboss work, the sheet is pressed between the male and female dies. The paper or board is pushed up into the shape of the design, leaving it raised above the surface. When foil and emboss are combined, the gold is not only shiny but also stands up from the picture — the rich, textured look of gold emboss sheets.
Step 5 — Mounting, cutting and the date pad
The finished sheet is mounted on board if needed, cut to size or fancy cut to shape with a cutting die, and fitted with its tear-off date pad. (Follow the full journey in How a daily calendar is made.)
Why it takes skill
- Precise alignment — foil and emboss must land exactly on the printed picture, sheet after sheet.
- The right heat and pressure — too little and the foil does not bond; too much and it spreads or the board cracks.
- Die quality — sharp, well-made dies give clean edges and fine detail.
Foil and gold emboss calendars from Senthaamarai Press
The Lotus range from Senthaamarai Press includes 10x15 Special Gold Foil mounts (with or with lamination), 11x17 Fancy Cut Foil boards, and Gold Emboss Bed Foil Sheets in 6x19, 10x16, 12x19, 14x23 and 20x30. See every design on the price list.
