About Red Foil + White Ink
This sample showcases the most complex layer combination in the Feather series, demonstrating how multiple specialty printing techniques can work together. The black ink flood creates a rich, deep background that makes the metallic red foil truly pop with dramatic contrast.
Soft touch lamination applied between the base layers and the specialty inks provides a premium tactile experience while protecting the print. The white ink enables crisp, opaque text and details that would otherwise be invisible on the dark background.
Why Laminate?
You might wonder why a soft touch laminate sits in the middle of this stack rather than on top. The answer is the black flood underneath: we can't lay digital foil directly over full-color print.
The printable soft touch laminate does three jobs. First, it's the surface the foil needs. It's engineered to work with our sleeking foil and acts as a barrier between the foil and the print, so the red can go anywhere on the sheet, whatever is printed below. Second, it steadies the sheet. Laminate holds back the shrinkage paper goes through each time it's heated, which helps the white ink printed afterward line up. Third, it gives the piece its rose-petal soft touch finish and protects the print.
There are trade-offs. Lamination can shift color, and we can only foil one side of a double-sided laminated piece. For layered foil and ink work like this, though, printable laminate is what we recommend. It's the foundation of our substrate pyramid for a reason.
Best Practices
- Layer order is critical: The print order (substrate, black flood, lamination, foil, white ink) must be followed precisely for proper results.
- Two spot colors required: Both HP Foil and HP White 1 must be set up as separate spot colors in your file.
- Overprint both: Critical! Both HP Foil AND HP White 1 must have Overprint Fill enabled in the Attributes panel.
- Verify in PDF: Use Acrobat's Output Preview to confirm both spot colors appear in the Separations list before sending to print.
File Setup
Digital Sleeking Foil Colors
Click any swatch to see a detailed sample. Our digital sleeking foil adheres to HP Indigo toner, enabling custom foil designs without costly engraved plates.
