Hot Foil Business Cards
Struck with Heavy Iron
In a digital world, a business card is either a piece of peacock suit armour or a forgettable limp lettuce of a handshake.
Industrial luxury business cards, deep struck in Eastbourne.
Delivered direct to designers from Land’s End to John o' Groats.
Most business cards are destined for the bin the second they are handed over.
Not even worth a second glance. They are printed on flat, clay-coated paper using digital vanilla toner that has no texture, no weight, and no meaning.
The Gilded Press takes an entirely different approach. I forge hot foil business cards and foil stamped business cards for designers, creative directors, and independent brands who understand that presentation is a physical discipline.
A logo or monogram, I drive deep into the compressed fibres of premium cotton stock — a shadowed impression you can feel with your thumb. A broad solid is a different animal, and I'll tell you straight which yours is.
The die goes into the stock, never on top of it.
Premium Materials
True foil stamped business cards need materials which can withstand physical violence. I only stock premium papers and boards which are engineered to take the heat and pressure needed.
How thick can you go?
540gsm to boards thick enough to stop a door. The Marshall has six inches of daylight — if it fits under the press, I'll strike it.
Gold Foil Business Cards: The Studio Standard
Search for gold foil business cards or a gold foil accent business card, and you'll be sent to an online bish-bash-bosh shop using digital foils that sit on the surface. Flat. Temporary.
On my Marshall No. 5 press bed, every card is struck with a solid metal die. There's no default setting.
Fine text and delicate detail might run as cool as 80°C, so the foil stays sharp and doesn't fill. A heavy solid might need 210°C to lay down clean and dense.
Reading the stock, the foil, and the mark, and dialling in the exact heat each one wants. Copper, matte silver, or a rich traditional gold: the result is a permanent, light-catching mark that changes the whole tone of a handshake.
Hand-Fed with Pure Bloody-Mindedness
The corporate print trade plays it safe behind the glow of a blue screen. They spit out vanilla orders by the million because it’s cheap, fast, and requires zero human thought.
I don't play that game. My workshop is built on tradition, heavy iron, and an unwavering commitment to short-run over high-speed volume.
I’m Simon. I’ve been pulling levers and adjusting impression depths since 1987. My trade began long before digital shortcuts took over, learning page architecture with a metal pica ruler and a physical scalpel blade. Today, I combine precision vector geometry with raw, hands-on press experience. I am here for the unique, the short run, the elite creator, and the mark that stays struck.
How To Order
No account to set up, no portal, no chatbot. You talk to the printer. Here's the shape of it.
Minimum Order
Like a fine wine, it gets better with age. 100 cards is the sweet spot.
Artwork
Nothing fancy. PDF, text converted to curves. Job done.
How Long?
About 5 working days, artwork check to dispatch.
Send me the job, and I'll tell you straight what will and won't work before a single card is struck.