News From the Foil Stamping Front
Crown, says Glazer, is also in the process of creating new kinds of holographic effects that combine stereograms and surface-diffracting images. A stereogram, as described by Jim Kingsby, president of JK Hot Stamping Consulting, Olathe, KS, is a "movie inside a hologram--" a sequence of images recorded on film, video, or created with computer graphics.
Foilmark now offers foils with printed patterns that imitate picture frames, says Zeller. According to John Halotek, sales and marketing manager for the holographic packaging division of Foilmark, the company also developed holographic Print-to-Register technology which allows printers to enhance their graphics by registering print to pre-designed diffraction graphics. Print-to-Register, he says, was used in the design of the Godzilla video box distributed in Canada.
IHP recently introduced seamless sheets of holographic paper. Traditionally, sheets of printed holograms, Monaghan explains, have seam lines where the pattern breaks--every 6 to 12'. The seamless sheets of holographic paper are manufactured from rolls that have pattern breaks only every 40' or so.
However one is striving to have a design jump off the book pages, incorporating hot stamping foils can add style, dimension, impact and, ultimately, quality to a book cover. Zeller advises designers to try various types of foils to complement and accent the standard gold and silver foils. Monaghan advises them to ask vendors for samples early in the process in order to eliminate surprises along the road. He also recommends using a reputable holographer, preferably a member of the International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA), who follows the copyright guidelines and is knowledgeable.
The Foil Stamping and Embossing Association (FSEA) offers a Designer's Guide to Foil Stamping and Embossing for $15 to FSEA members and $20 for non-members (plus shipping and handling). Also available from FSEA is a Pantone® Foil Selector, which includes over 100 hot stamping foil colors for specifying and purchasing by the graphic arts professionals. For more information or to order, contact FSEA at 503-331-6221, or visit www.fsea.com.
