What is cold foil stamping in screen printing?
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- Issue Time
- Jul 17,2026
Cold foil stamping is a printing process that applies metallic foil to substrates using a UV-curable adhesive instead of heated dies. In screen printing, the adhesive is printed through a screen onto the substrate, UV-cured to become tacky, and then metallic foil is pressed onto the tacky adhesive. The excess foil is removed, leaving a metallic design. CooPrinter integrates cold foil stamping into its automatic screen printing production lines.
Detailed Explanation
The cold foil process begins with screen printing a UV-curable adhesive in the desired pattern. The adhesive is partially UV-cured to a tacky state. Metallic foil (typically aluminum with a gold or silver finish) is then pressed against the tacky adhesive using a nip roller. The foil transfers only where the adhesive was printed. A final UV cure fully hardens the adhesive, bonding the foil permanently. Excess foil is stripped away as waste.
Compared to traditional hot foil stamping, cold foil offers several advantages: no heated dies are needed, setup time is shorter, and it can be integrated inline with screen printing. CooPrinter's fully automatic UV screen printing, curing, and cold stamping production lines combine all steps in one continuous workflow, achieving output speeds of 300-500 pieces per hour for gold and silver cardboard, packaging, and label applications.
The global screen printing market, growing from $7.44 billion in 2025 to $10.23 billion by 2034, sees increasing demand for decorative effects like cold foil in luxury packaging and brand differentiation. CooPrinter's integrated cold foil solutions help packaging producers achieve premium metallic finishes with reduced material waste and faster changeover times.
Key Points
No Heated Dies
UV-curable adhesive replaces hot stamping dies, reducing setup time and cost.
Inline Integration
CooPrinter lines combine printing, UV curing, and foil stamping in one workflow.
Premium Finish
Creates metallic gold/silver effects for luxury packaging and labels.
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