Porous offset stock can be difficult to work with because more pressure is required to smooth out uneven paper surfaces before the foil can properly adhere. Unfortunately, heavy tonnage makes it difficult to foil stamp fine line art without small gaps filling in. Different paper surfaces require different foil adhesive properties and release characteristics. There are many options to choose from including gold, silver, black, bronze, colored metallic, pastel, matte, holographic, clear and smoke colored foil. Each has different finishes, light refracting characteristics, opacity, adhesion and release properties.
Some foils can be tricky to use, because they look different after application .
For example, pastel and pearl foils applied over colored stock can be disappointing because their low opacity sometimes makes the foil appear faded. On the other hand, some of the best effects are the subtlest. Once we applied black foil to a coated black business card the result was subtle but outstanding. No ink or varnish could have created such an effect. The position of the foil placed on a piece is significant when foil must be registered exactly to print.