Gold Foil Artwork Guide
How to Prepare Files for Scodix Gold Foil
Gold Foil (also known as Scodix Foil) adds a premium, raised tactile finish to your print. Because this is a secondary process, your artwork must be supplied with a specific "Foil Layer" to ensure the finish aligns perfectly with your design.
Our digital foiling system identifies which elements to foil by looking for a specific swatch name.
Swatch Name: You must create a new colour swatch and label it exactly as Gold (case sensitive).
Colour Type: Set the swatch to Spot Colour.
Visual ID: We recommend setting the colour to 100% Yellow so you can easily identify foil elements against your CMYK artwork.
Your final PDF must contain both the printed CMYK elements and the foil elements in a single file, arranged in a specific order. The illustration below shows an example of a double sided business card setup.
Page 1 (Front): Your standard CMYK printed artwork.
Page 2 (Back): The reverse of your card (if applicable).
Page 3 (Foil): Only the elements you want foiled, coloured in your "Gold" spot colour. Note: Ensure all foil areas are removed from the printed CMYK pages to avoid registration ghosting.
Page 4 (Blank): A blank page to maintain correct document backed-up order.
To ensure the foil adheres correctly and does not crack during finishing, please adhere to these safety margins.
Edge Clearance: Leave a 2mm clear area around the edge of the design and any fold areas. This prevents the foil from cracking when the product is cut by the guillotine.
Typography: Avoid using script or highly detailed fonts for foil.
Minimum Size: Keep text above 10pt to prevent the foil from "bleeding" or filling in the gaps within the lettering.
