As “The Foil Experts” we spend a fair bit of time in the marketplace educating printers and print buyers on the positive outcomes of foil embellishments being applied to printed materials. More specifically, we focus on our market leading Eagle Systems Cold Foil machines that integrate with a wide variety of offset presses. Through our blog, trade shows and in-person meetings, our goal is to give print providers and their print production shops the ability to offer more competitive and differentiated products, ultimately driving more business and profit.
As you look at your print shop, are you offering foil embellishments, cast & cure enhancements or a combination of the two to your packaging print buyers and customers? If you aren’t you are missing out on an opportunity to set yourself apart from other printers competing for the same jobs. In this blog, we will help you discover the possibilities of cold foil with these three reasons for why you shouldn’t ignore this print embellishment.
ONE: Adding Value—and Dollars
Embellishments to print have been written about a lot over the past few years. In the past, the challenge for print providers has been that these types of enhancements have typically been achieved by printing a piece and then moving it to an offline secondary process. Sometimes that meant contracting with another provider. The end result is a beautiful piece that stands out, but with the addition of significant cost, complexity and lead time. Adding an in-line process such as Cold Foil and Cast and Cure allows the printer to accomplish creating embellishments while running at the speed of the press with a fast turnaround at significant cost savings. This also allows the printer to have complete control of their job.
The upside to providing embellished print is that it is something print buyers are looking for…and they are willing to pay more to have their printed materials stand out whether at an event, in the mail or on a store shelf. As you may have deduced, you can add enhancements, like cold foil, to a wide variety of printed paper materials and other substrates including folding carton packaging. We write about the impact for Eagle Systems’ customers in our Add an Effective Print Sales Tool to Your Offset Print Shop blog.
Another point you will want to investigate is the potential upcharge people are willing to accept for print that has enhancements. We have seen researchers say buyers will pay a premium of anywhere from 25 to 85 percent. And that is where an Eagle cold foil solution comes into play. Add an easy-to-use inline Eagle Systems Cold Foil to new or existing sheet fed offset presses ranging from 29” to 80” and it will add dollars and value to your entire offering.
TWO: Proven Support for Success
Asking a print shop to add something to their process shouldn’t be a process that your organization has to go alone. Eagle Systems wants to help you add profit to your printed offerings and has developed a proven certification course to help make sure you have the knowledge and skills to take advantage of your cold foil capabilities. The Eagle Cold Foil Certification (ECFC) course, is something our clients’ value and speak about quite often. If you have a few moments, read these few blogs that discuss real customer experiences with our ECFC course and how it has changed these organizations ability to get the most out of their cold foil investment:
Cold Foil Education and Certification Continues to Make an Impact in 2019
Making the Investment in Cold Foil Education Really Pays Off
Printers Gain Success with Eagle Cold Foil Certification Course
THREE: Impact Purchase Decisions
This final reason is what will really drive interest from those buying print from you. There is a lot of research out there on the impact of “High Visibility Enhancements on Shelf Presence.” In fact, we talk about this in our Cold Foil Offers a Multi-Sensory Experience in Packaging blog from a few years back.
In 2016, a study commissioned by the Foil & Specialty Effects Association, in co-operation with The Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphic’s CUshop, was created to see what was capturing consumer attention. It discussed that, on average, shoppers spend 27 seconds making a decision in the aisle which makes shelf appeal very important. Foil makes packaging stand out.
*To acquire a copy of this study, contact The Foil and Specialty Effects Association.
What are your next steps? We invite you to reach out to our team here at Eagle Systems and start a conversation on the possibilities of cold foil. With our industry leading and easy-to-use two step inline process, you can be up and running quickly—and take advantage of a lot of new opportunities to grow your business. We look forward to speaking with you soon.
