Styles of Thermal Foils - Colors, Patterns, & More
Foiling is easily achieved with these gorgeous thermal-reactive toner rolls. The huge variety of colors, patterns, and finishes make for fantastic versatility, so you can truly make anything you want! Some of our most popular clients include Etsy businesses that make foil stickers, crafters that make cards, print shops that make business cards and letterhead for clients, and businesses of all kinds that want to be able to make their own foiled documents in-house. Please know that these are not the foils you will find at a craft store; they are a professional-quality foil that offers a cheaper square-inch price on a larger roll while offering a more consistent and solid foil from edge-to-edge when paired with the right equipment.
Metallic Foils
Metallic foils are the most popular choice among our customers. These premium foiling rolls offer a very saturated, solid color with a high-sheen contrast, which gives them their metallic appearance. The most popular colors include gold, silver, rose gold, light gold, purple, light pink, dark blue, hot pink, red, copper, and turquoise.
These beautiful metallicized foils come in several widths, lengths, and core sizes. 8" x 100', 12" x 100', 24" x 500', and more are available. The core sizes are either 1/2", 1", or 3", depending on the roll sizes. Prices start at only about $25.00 per roll.
Matte Satin Foils
Matte foils offer a satin, supple finish that is lower contrast. It looks soft to the touch and offers a very saturated, solid color with a gentle sheen. There are several colors to choose from, including two different golds (medium or soft), two different silvers (medium or soft), copper, teal, or fuchsia pink.
These beautifully matted foils come in several widths, lengths, and core sizes. 8" x 100', 12" x 100', 24" x 500', and more are available. The core sizes are either 1/2", 1", or 3", depending on the roll sizes and colors. Prices start at only about $25.00 per roll.
Iridescent Foils
Iridescent foils offer a stunning, rainbow finish that shimmers and shines bright. The colors change as you move the roll around, with makes for a stunning rainbow effect. They are available in select colors, some transparent and some solid. Choose from a silver backing, a gold backing, or a clear backing. No matter your choice, these gorgeous pearlescent foils are sure to impress with their kaleidoscopic effect.
These dazzling foils come in several widths, lengths, and core sizes. 8" x 100', 12" x 100', 24" x 500' roll sizes are available. The core sizes are either 1/2" or 1", depending on the size. Prices start at about $45.00 per roll.
Holograhic Foils
Holographic foils offer a patterned, rainbow finish with high contrast. The colors change as you move the roll around, with makes for a vibrant rainbow effect. They are available in a large variety of patterns, some transparent and some solid with a silver backing. The fun kaleidoscopic effect makes for a memorable look. Choose from bubbles, checkerboard, hearts, shattered glass, shimmering waters, and more.
These dazzling foils come in several widths, lengths, and core sizes. 8" x 100', 12" x 100', 24" x 500' roll sizes are available. The core sizes are either 1/2" or 1", depending on the size. Prices start at about $45.00 per roll.
Glitter Foils
Glitter foil creates a stunning sparkly foiled print. We have tiny pixie dust style glitter, medium glitter, and a large "sparkle" glitter option. Plus, you can choose from silver, transparent, red, or gold glittered foil options. The colors of silver sparkle foils change as you move the roll around, with makes for a vibrant rainbow effect. The fun twinkly effect makes for a gorgeous, luminescent look.
These glamorous foils come in many different widths, lengths, and core sizes. 8" x 100', 12" x 100', 24" x 500' roll sizes are available. The core sizes are either 1/2" or 1", depending on the size. Prices start at about $45.00 per roll.
Transparent Foils
Transparent foils are unique, in that they are clear with a patterned design. This transparency allows you to show your toner color underneath the pattern, allowing for more versatility. There are holographic patterns, glitters, and iridescent options available in the clear finish. Note that clear foil tends to require a bit more heat than other options, so your equipment needs to be able to reach higher temperatures.
These subtle foils come in many different widths, lengths, and core sizes. 8" x 100', 12" x 100', 24" x 500' roll sizes are available. The core sizes are either 1/2" or 1", depending on the size. Prices start at about $55.00 per roll.
Gloss Pigment Foils
Gloss pigment foils are not metallic or graphic, but instead, offer a glossy look that looks similar to traditional ink with a coating. Pigment colors foil rolls have a color shift when fused, which means that the underlying color of your toner will affect the final foiled color, as it shows slightly through. This makes them very versatile, as you can achieve different hues of a single color, without needing multiple colored rolls.
These simple foils come in many different widths, lengths, and core sizes. 8" x 100', 12" x 100', 24" x 500' roll sizes are available. The core sizes are either 1/2" or 1", depending on the size. Prices start at about $25.00 per roll.
Important Factors for a Proper Foil:
Dry Toner - Our collection of foils are all "toner-reactive". This means that you will need a printer or copier that uses a dry toner (not a wax-based ink) in order for the foil to stick. Dry toner is found in most office-level copier machines and often in laser and inkjet printers as well, but not always; so be sure to check your printer for compatibility. If you're not sure if your printer is compatible, then consider sending us a sample to test; just print a sheet with a design or text and mail it to us. We will test it with our in-house equipment and then mail back the results for your review. Call us at (866)537-2244 to arrange sample testing.
Heat - You will also need a proper heat source to activate the specialized adhesive. Typically this heat source is a foiling machine of some kind, such as a foil fuser, roll laminator, or pouch laminator. Some important factors your equipment must have to create a consistent foil include a minimum temperature of 300° Fahrenheit, adjustable heat, and adjustable speed settings. Without these features, it is still possible that the foil will work, however, it may take some tinkering, two-passes, or other additional steps to get it to work as expected. Transparent foils and some specialized patterns may need even more heat, so the ability to go higher is recommended. If you want us to send you a sample piece of foil to test on your machine, just give us a call at and we would be happy to do so!
Smooth Paper - You should also be using a smooth paper stock with no coating on it. Textured papers will not allow the foils to penetrate into the crevices, so it may result in flakey and non-solid finishing. A smooth stock, however, lets the foil apply cleanly from edge-to-edge of your toner design. Coatings can sometimes affect the adhesion as well, so we recommend an uncoated stock. The thickness of the paper doesn't usually cause an issue, however, note that thicker paper stocks may require more heat or longer times in the heat to compensate.
Foiling Videos
Want to see foiling in-action? Take a look at our most popular foiling videos below. Choose from some special feature videos highlighting how to foil, holographic and iridescent styles, as well as some finished samples and a clear versus silver underlay comparison.
Holographic Foils
Various Foil Samples
Iridescent Foils
Clear vs Silver Underlay Foils
Foil Troubleshooting
Having some trouble getting your foiled print to look perfect? Check out these troubleshooting tips to help you figure out what is going wrong, and fix it.
Foil Not Transferring - If the foil is not transferring onto your page, there are a few things to try, all of them very simple. Starting from the top...
• Is your ink a dry toner? Remember, foil will not stick to anything but dry toner, so if you are not using the compatible ink, it will not transfer. Check your printer cartridge to see what you're using.
• Is your paper stock smooth? Foil won't be able to penetrate into the crevices of textured paper well. Switch to a smooth, uncoated stock instead.
• Is your paper uncoated? The coating on some stocks can prevent the foil from transferring.
• Is your laminator hot enough? 300° F is the minimum recommendation that your laminator needs to reach, and hotter is better. Some paper stocks (like thicker sheets) and even some foils will need more heat to transfer properly. If your laminator is already at its top heat, then try slowing down the speed. If you do not have adjustable speed or heat, then try just running it through a 2nd time without peeling up the foil. Note that it can only be heated a couple of times before the foil becomes unusable, so you may need to use a new piece of foil. And if you already peeled up your foil, you may need a new sheet of foil/a newly printed sheet, as the adhesive may be compromised.
Foil Transferring onto Paper too - It is a good idea to have a paint or dusting brush handy to lightly dust off the page after foiling, as some speckling on your page is normal. This will help remove those speckles. If they are not being removed, then your laminator may be too hot or too slow. Try lowering the temperature or increasing the speed and running a new sheet to see if that reduces the speckles.
Foiling FAQs
Q: Can I get a sample? A: Yes, we are happy to assist with foil testing before you buy a full roll. There are two ways that we can do foil samples for you: (1) we can send you a piece of foil for you to test with your machines, or (2) you can send us a sample of your printed sheet and we can test with the professional equipment in our demo room. Just give us a call at (866)537-2244 or email info@buy101.com.
Q: Can I foil multiple colors on the same page? A: If you are using a pouch laminator to foil, then the answer is yes! You have total control over where the foil lies on your sheet, so you can use as many or as few colors as you would like by just cutting the pieces and placing them on the toner. If using a foil fuser or roll laminator, you would want to print your first toner, run it with color number 1, then add your second toner and run it with foil number 2.
Q: What is the best paper for foiling? A: The best paper stock for foil fusing is going to be a smooth and uncoated sheet. Textured paper with mountains and valleys won't allow the foil to properly adhere in the crevices, but some very lightly textured pages might work. Coatings like gloss will resist foil, and may not get a completely foiled finish.
Q: What is the smallest font size foil will stick to? A: We've tested text as small as 6pt using metallic foils with a nice, solid adhesion. Anything smaller than that generally does not have enough toner saturation to attract the foil.
Q: Can I make stickers with foil? A: Yes, we have many customers who use our foil with their sticker papers to make metallic stickers. Just make sure the sticker paper is smooth and uncoated for the best adhesion.
Q: Will your foils work with Minc machines? A: Yes, thermal toner foils will work with nearly any heat source, including the Minc machines (which are essentially little laminators). With our experience, Minc machines do not reach a hot enough temperature to work with all foils, and without an adjustable speed or heat, the finish may not always be perfect. That is why we actually recommend using a foiling laminator instead.
