Economics When Ordering Foil and Embossing Dies

    

In today’s economy printers are looking for the right die at a reduced cost to give them that ultimate impression and to increase their bottom line. And, of course, time is always money.

Here are six ways you can reduce your costs and speed up the delivery times to your front office.

1.)   Show your graphics to your foil stamping and embossing printer.

2.)   Decide which metal will work best for you.

3.)   Note the registration marks.

4.)   Look for a less expensive alternative to copper.

5.)  Reducing the freight costs.

6.)   Avoid the additional charges included in an invoice.

One: To keep costs down it is a clever idea to show your graphics to your foil stamping and embossing printer. They can advise you on copy problems such as small type, fine lines, condensed copy, and reverse graphics that can cause a poor resolution. Eventually taking these steps first will save you time and money.

Two: Decide which metal works best for you. Most foil and embossing dies are made from magnesium and copper metals. Brass dies are expensive and useful when special effects are required, copper is the next most expensive, followed by the cost of a magnesium die.

Three: There are printers that require registration marks for an already printed copy. The die will cost more to produce it with all registration marks. To save money on the die you may only need one register mark to stay in registration. Some printers may not need any registration marks at all but always ask your foil printer what they prefer.

Four: Magnesium dies have recently improved in quality in hardness of metal. Most magnesium dies today are 40% harder. Those dies can give the printer more impressions, hold fine lines very well, release foil better, and are more economical than a copper or brass die.

Five: With freight now increasing astronomically, it is better to save money with your photo-engravings when they are manufactured in the state. A & G Engraving, the largest engraver on the West Coast, can help save you money by not having your jobs shipped from the Midwest. Also, there are a myriad of ways you can save on freight, if you have a deal with your shipper, you can trim costs by using your own shipper number or, if you’re in the neighborhood, we can call you when your job is ready, or you can use Uber to pick up your job when time is critical.  

Six: Some engravers like to add additional charges to the job, like contouring, special etching, texture, or half tones, and even rush charges. A & G Engraving will not add to those charges. Your cost is ZERO dollars added to the cost of the free quoted price of your die.

We hope these suggestions will help you when ordering foil and embossing dies on your next project. If saving money is a necessity, we hope our free quotes email to our art department at aandgengraving@gmail.com will help you decide.  Or call us during business hours. We pick up the phones. All this to save you money.

Metallic Elephant Stamping and Embossing Dies

 

Metallic Elephant Press 

A & G Engraving, Inc. in Los Angeles, the largest engraver on the west coast, has been producing foil stamping dies, embossing dies and counters, and deboss dies out of magnesium and copper for over 45 years.

We produce dies for all kinds of presses, and we now are a supplier of dies for the Metallic Elephant Press.

 

 

We can help you set up your graphic files to match the pre-drilled mounting plate on your press and recommend you on the most economical way to purchase your dies.

We do have a Metallic Elephant KSF series 3 hot stamp press in house and are remarkably familiar with the options needed for your press.

Please contact us at aandgengraving@gmail.com. We are located at 3846 S. Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, CA  90058.

Care and Maintenance of Metal Dies

 

Often, A & G Engraving, Inc. gets asked how to care, maintain, and store foil stamping and embossing dies to get the maximum life and printability out of the die.

 

All metal dies will oxidize.

 

Copper dies over time will patina or discolor to a blue or a light green color.  Copper dies will not react with water but will react slowly to the atmospheric oxygen and may look bad, but it will still be printable.

 

Magnesium dies will also oxidize but at a more reactive level.  Water and atmospheric oxygen will pit the die surface and sometimes leave a residue on the die that will destroy the printing surface of the die.

 

To avoid these chemical reactions, it is advisable to make sure all metal dies are cleaned and dried after each use and stored in a room that is dry and not exposed to high humidity.

 

Wrap all your dies in paper or cloth and place them in an airtight sealable plastic bag. 

 

Simple care and proper storage will protect your dies for years.