Custom metallic foil label — made to order: size, shape, metallic colour and finish are all specified per run.
A metallised PET label in silver or gold does something no ink reproduces: it reflects. Printed metallic inks approximate the colour; a metallised face gives the actual specular shine that reads, immediately and without being thought about, as expensive. Spirits, cosmetics, electronics and gift lines use it for that reason and very little else.
Finishes, and printing over metal
Mirror finish is the brightest and shows every handling mark; brushed is more restrained and hides them. Silver is the base, and gold is achieved with a tinted lacquer over silver. Printing over a metallic face needs UV inks and a considered design — anything printed solid kills the shine underneath it, so the metal has to be part of the artwork rather than a background it sits on. Hot foil stamping over the top adds a second level of contrast.
Ordering
Silver, gold, brushed or mirror; size, shape, metallic colour and finish are made to order, on permanent adhesive with a PET liner. Water resistance is 4 of 5, temperature range −30 to 120 °C. For an equally premium but transparent effect, see the transparent PET label; finishing options across the range are in printing and finishing.
What moves the price
The metallised facestock, and then the printing over it. Metallised PET costs several times coated paper, gold costs more than silver because it is a tinted lacquer over silver, and mirror and brushed finishes price differently. UV inks are required. Hot foil stamping on top is a separate pass with its own tooling. This is the most expensive label in the catalogue and it is bought for one reason, which is that nothing else reflects.
Where it goes wrong
Artwork that prints solid over the metal, which removes the shine that was paid for — the metal has to be an element in the design rather than a background behind it. The second is mirror finish on a pack that will be handled a great deal, where every fingerprint shows. The third is specifying metallic ink and expecting this result: printed metallics approximate the colour and not the reflection, and the difference is obvious when the two are side by side.
Where custom metallic foil label is used
Premium spirits, cosmetics, electronics and gift ranges — where the label is signalling price before anything is read. The printing and finishing page covers hot foil, spot UV and the other finishes that pair with it. Where the effect wanted is invisibility rather than shine, the transparent PET label is the opposite approach to the same premium problem.
What to send us for a quotation
A quotation for custom metallic foil label is written against a specification, so the more of this you can send, the closer the first number is to the real one: which structure, or the shelf life and the product so we can choose one — Metallised PET film (silver or gold) are available here; the temperature the pack has to survive, from filling through to how the customer opens it (−30 to 120 °C for this product); the line it runs on — this one is specified for uV printing and Hot foil stamping; which options you want fitted: silver, Gold and Brushed; the values for size, Shape, Metallic colour and Finish.
Send the fill weight and the quantity with it. Where you already buy something similar, a sample is worth more than a description — we measure what is actually there rather than quoting against how it was once written down.
Food-contact and export requirements are set out in FDA 21 CFR 175.105, the rule adhesives in food packaging are held to; the declarations for this structure are issued with the order.
