THERM-O-TYPE Letterpres Ink Foil Q and A

What is Letterpress Ink Foil?
Letterpress Ink Foil is a specially formulated foil that simulates printing produced with letterpress equipment using ink.

When was Letterpress Ink Foil first released as a product?
Letterpress Ink Foil was developed by THERM-O-TYPE and was introduced in May 2011.

Why is Letterpress Ink Foil important?
While letterpress printed products have become increasingly popular, and command a high retail value, most shops do not have letterpress equipment that is capable of printing with ink. Today, most letterpress equipment is used to foil stamp and/or die cut. Using Letterpress Ink Foil, customers with foil stamping equipment can easily produce "letterpress printed products".

What kind of dies are used Letterpress Ink Foils?
Normally, metal flat foil stamping dies are used to simulate letterpress printed products. Letterpress Ink Foil can be used with foil embossing dies but this isn't a typically application for this foil.

What about using pigment foils to simulate letterpress ink printing?
Pigment foils can not simulate letterpress ink as they laydown as a solid, opaque color and lack the "mottled" effect customers identify with letterpress ink printing.

What are the special characteristics of Letterpress Ink Foil?
Letterpress Ink Foil creates a "mottled" color transfer to the image area that is very similar to letterpress printing with ink. Letterpress Ink Foil color density can be significantly varied with die temperature and/or pressure. This characteristic allows a range of color shades to be created using each Letterpress Ink Foil color.

What other advantages does Letterpress Ink Foil offer?
Using letterpress ink foil, instead of ink, eliminates the need for washing up the press between each color change. This saves time and effort while eliminating solvents and environmentally harmful waste. There is no drying time with products produced with Letterpress Ink Foil. There is no "feathering" with Letterpress Ink Foil and a single release formula works well with fine lines and solid image areas.

Are Letterpress Ink Foils suitable for all papers?
No. To achieve the desired letterpress ink effect, uncoated papers should be used. Paper selection is an important factor in achieving the best results with Letterpress Ink Foil. If the paper is too soft, the colors will be less dense and look more washed out. If the paper is a little harder, the colors are more vibrant and dense.

Can multiple color images be produced with Letterpress Ink Foil?
Multiple color images can be produced with Letterpress Ink Foil using multiple dies, different colors of foil and multiple press passes.

Can Letterpress Ink Foil be combined with other printing processes?
Yes. Letterpress Ink Foil does not have feathering issues like most metallic foils, there is no drying issues and the image is "impressed" into the paper surface. These characteristics allow a wide range of additional printing, finishing and enhancement processes to be used in conjunction with Letterpress Ink Foil.