Custom Hardcover Foil Stamping

Foil stamping in a classic literary style that produces timeless, elegant books. We offer foil stamping for cloth covered hardcover books, as well as softcover books and dustjackets.

Embossing, Debossing, Custom Colors & More!

Nothing beats the striking look of a hardcover book stamped in shiny foil. Stamping is typically done on the front and spine, but we can also stamp the back cover of your book. Use our Get a Price tool to see our current prices for printing a foil stamp book.

Foil Stamp Setup Requirements:

If the spine of your book is smaller than 3/8 of an inch (.375" wide), all spine text must be in caps
Allow 1/16 of an inch between the words and the vertical edges of your spine
Do not place anything closer than .75 inches from the edge of your book's front cover
Avoid using very thin lines or typefaces
A little extra space between letters will keep them from blending together
Try to keep lines and elements uniform and avoid mixing thick and thin elements together

How Foil Stamping Works

Step 1: Designing the Foil Stamp Artwork

Foil stamping begins with the creation of a digital design file. This design is usually composed of vector graphics and text that form a flat, black and white outline of the artwork. By default, if we are designing your cover, we use your book's title page to create this design, ensuring that your font, images, and branding stay consistent. You may also supply your own PDF artwork provided that it meets the above requirements.

Step 2: Creating the Stamp

The file is passed to a print technician to be made into a stamp or "die." The technician will create a copper plate and emboss it with a mirror image of your artwork. Our printers allow for die sizes up to twenty square inches.

Step 3: Printing the Books

After it's made, the die is then pressed through a sheet of colored foil onto the book, leaving behind a colored impression of the artwork We offer three default foil colors: gold, silver, and matte black. Additional colors, as well as multi-colored foil stamp options, are available by request. If two or more colors are being pressed, separate plates are made for each color, combining to make a cohesive stamp.

Because the stamping process involves pressure, some natural spreading of the artwork may occur. We recommend avoiding thin lines in your artwork for this reason. If you have any concerns about your artwork, contact us to discuss it.

Endless Creative Possibilities

We pride ourselves on making every book printing project unique. Foil stamping is just one of the many premium features that we offer. If you are looking for a feature or color not listed in our quote tool, contact our print experts to ask about custom pricing.