Gold    and    Silver
Hot Stamping Foil Ribbon
for
Military Leather Name Tags

          How to Hot Stamp a Good Impression
                                 Helpful Hints

Hot Stamping with foil requires the setting the temperature to just the right setting for the material you are imprinting and the type and color of the foil you are using.  In our print shop we work with temperatures of between 235°  for small lines of type up to 265°F for larger dies.

The Dwell time.  Dwell, in hot stamping, is how long you hold down the type or die on the product.  In our print shop we try and describe the best dwell time is the same a a good handshake.  Firm and crisp.  We bring the head down almost to the product then as we stamp we say 'one one thousand' then up.  We have had good success with this method.

If you get a Faint or Unclear impression you can try and stamp over it again or hold the handle down a bit longer.  If the impression is still faint the machine could be too cold.  Long Runs:  On long runs where you are running product steadily you will need to adjust for heat loss into your product.  But remember if you stop imprinting, the heat will rise quickly; so, may want to turn it down and start over when you get back to your work.   Incomplete Imprint:   If you find the imprint is perfect except for a few letters, then these pieces of type could be worn or your are stamping over a seam,  uneven area in the material, or you're on a worn spot on the cushion board.

If you experience a Blurred  impression you may have used too much dwell by holding the handle down too long.  Also, the machine might be too hot.  We find in our shop, more heat is Not the answer.    Some times the Blurred impression can be cleaned up with a soft cotton or terry cloth towel.  We have found just brushing the impression with the towel works well...not rubbing.

Foil not sticking:   Today so many items are coated with an oil, wax or some other coating to make them look shiny.  These materials many time cause the foil to not stick to the product.  In our print shop we find the use of 70% Isopropyl Alcohol (Not 90%) works well to clean the area to be imprinted prior to imprinting. 

Reminder:  Different colors release at different temperatures.   Best to make sure you get the heat set correctly for the color you are using and the material you are stamping.   Dwell time will vary depending on the color your are using and the type or die.  We find a fine line type requires a shorter dwell than does a book weight, for example.

Always use a good quality foil.  We find Cheap foil is cheap for a reason; it is hard to use, requires excessive heat and in the end  either does not work or produces a poor imprint.  Good quality foil is not expensive when you calculate the cost per imprint.  Consider this a 3" wide x 200' long roll of  foil can make 1200 impressions that are 2" long if the roll cost is say $21 then each impression only costs .0175 cents each.  That is under 2 cents per impression.  If you damage your type by excessive heat or ruin just one book or trash that box of stationery that did not imprint well, what did that cost?    We believe, Good foil used correctly makes a good impression and is worth the money.