Print Only Service

Getting your foiling just right

Foiling adds a shimmering metallic finish that catches the light beautifully. If you'd like foil on your own design, please read through these guidelines before requesting a quote. They'll help your foil come out crisp and clean.

File Setup

• Supply a high resolution, print ready PDF
• Set up your file in millimetres, not pixels
• Foiling needs vector artwork. Text (including Canva text) is fine, but photos, bitmap images and artwork made in Photoshop can't be foiled
• Set anything you'd like foiled to 100% black: C0 M0 Y0 K100, or #000000 in Canva
• Please don't set your artwork in the foil colour itself. Just let me know your foil colour in your quote request

Lines & Text

• Keep all lines and strokes at least 0.5pt thick
• Where there are small gaps between letters or lines, use at least 1pt
• In Canva, text at 8pt or smaller will usually be too thin to foil
• Sans serif fonts work best, as their lines are an even thickness. Serif and script fonts can have very fine strokes that fall below the minimum
• Not sure? In Illustrator or InDesign, draw a 0.5pt line and compare it against the finest parts of your design

Foiling With Printing

Combining foil with printed text or colour? Please supply a 3 page PDF:

• Page 1: foiled elements only
• Page 2: printed elements only
• Page 3: the full design combined, so I can see how it should look

Printing can move up to 2mm as the card runs through the press. That's normal and can't be avoided, so leave a little breathing room between printed and foiled elements, and avoid designs where the two need to line up exactly.

Guest Names

Each foiled design needs its own custom-made block, so individual guest names can't be foiled. Instead, print guest names and keep the foil for the parts of the design that are the same on every card. See my guest name printing guidelines for how to set up your names.

Before You Order

Please check your file carefully before ordering. Changes to your design after your order is placed may incur an extra charge. Want to see how foil compares to other finishes? Visit my printing styles page.

Not sure if your design will foil well? Send it through with your quote request and I'll let you know. For general file setup, see my print guidelines.