Hot stamping is one of our most tried and true processes. It’s perfect for showing metallic colors or creating an embossed look to your tags. Today, we’ll be discussing what goes into the process step by step.
After submitting your art files, we will review the artwork you submit to determine if it will work for the process. Vector artwork is required to create a die to stamp with. If the artwork file you submit is not vector, a designer can convert it for you for a small fee of $30. Once your artwork has been converted, a copy will be sent to you for future projects.
From the vector artwork, metal dies will be manufactured for each color. This is the reason an additional production day is required for hot stamping.
When we get the dies back from our manufacturer, the machinist will align tags to a guide on the stamping machine. This setup process can be time consuming because the table of the machine must be adjusted so the stamp is imprinted level with the tag, otherwise the stamp will be uneven or miss a spot.
Once a color is set up, all the rest of the tags can be aligned to the guide on the table. Check out the video at the bottom of this post to see a demonstration.
Each color is stamped one on top of another. All of one color will be stamped before the next is set up.
We offer up to 3 colors on the website, but you have the option of calling in to set up more colors. The reasons for this is that it’s increasingly difficult to set up each color and fine details may start to get lost. After 3 or 4 colors it would likely make more sense to set up a full color tag instead, unless you require a metallic foil color.
We hope you enjoyed hearing about how our hot stamping process is performed. It is an art that few can master because of the mechanical skill and finesse required to get the machine to stamp with reliable accuracy and speed.