Flat Foil Greeting Card Printing

Add a little shine. Our flat foil greeting cards combine full color printing with metallic foil in silver, gold, rose gold, holographic, glitter, and more, over a velvety soft touch or glossy finish. They’re the card people notice first. Starting at $208.58 for 80 5x7 foil cards with envelopes ($2.61 each).

Upload your own design, or let our designers build it from your photos. See Graphic Design Service below.

How to order:
1. Choose your options. Pick your foil color and quantity. Our most popular size and finish are already selected.
2. Add your design. Upload your print-ready file, or choose a design option and send us your photos and wording.
3. Check your proof. Design orders get an emailed proof to approve. Uploading your own file? Add a Digital Proof to see it first.
4. We print and ship. Printed in-house and shipped right to your door.

Foil: Choose one foil color per order. Foil is applied over lamination, so every foil card includes a soft touch or gloss finish.

Envelopes: Add matching blank envelopes. Use A4 for 4x6 cards and A7 for 5x7 cards.

Looking for other Greeting Card types?

View our Greeting Card Printing services.

Graphic Design Service

Need a design? Choose a design option when you order, then send us your photos (original files, not screenshots), your greeting, names exactly as they should appear, your foil color, and which parts you want foiled, such as the greeting, names, or a border. We’ll email you a proof to approve before anything prints.

Available Flat Foil Greeting Card Paper or Stock

12pt C2S Cardstock

Available Coatings:

(Not available on all paper or stock)
High Gloss UV
High Gloss UV on ONE SIDE
None

Options Available for Flat Foil Greeting Cards

Blank Envelopes (Flat)
Corner Rounding
Digital Proof
Foil with Lamination
Unique Per Piece (Variable Data)

We do tons of flat foil greeting card printing, and we have streamlined the process to make it as easy as possible. Just download the flat foil greeting card template for the size and application format you need, create your artwork, and upload your design to print.

Flat Foil Greeting Card Specifications

If you are doing a custom size or do not see a template in the application you are using, please be sure to use the following specifications to design your flat foil greeting card.

Foil Card Tips

Keep foil bold: Foil works best on greetings, names, borders, and simple shapes. Very thin lines and tiny text may not foil cleanly.
Photos: Use the original files from your phone or camera. Images saved from social media or text messages are usually too small and will print blurry.
Not sure it’s right? Add a Digital Proof to your order or call us at 877-613-1913.

How to Save Your Files for Foil Printing

Foil printing requires two separate files — one for the full CMYK print and one that tells our equipment exactly where to apply the foil. Setting up these files correctly is critical to achieving clean, accurate foil placement.

File Setup Checklist

Resolution: 300 dpi
Bleed: 1/8" (0.125") on all sides on both files
Color Mode: CMYK for the artwork file — black and white only for the foil file
File Format: PDF with fonts embedded or outlined
Files Required: Two separate files — an artwork file and a foil placement file

The Two-File Requirement

File 1 — Artwork File (CMYK)

Your complete design, including all background colors, images, and text. Do not remove, knock out, or cut a hole in the background where the foil will be applied. The CMYK artwork prints first, and the foil is applied on top of it. Your background must be continuous and complete underneath the foil area.

File 2 — Foil Placement File

A separate file the same size and bleed as the artwork file. This file contains only the foil elements:
• Areas where foil should be applied: 100% black (K=100, C=0, M=0, Y=0)
• All other areas: white (do not leave transparent)
• No gray values, no CMYK color, no gradients — foil placement must be solid 100% black only
• Both files must be the exact same document size, with elements in the exact same position

The Most Common Mistake

Most designers assume the CMYK artwork file should have a knocked-out (empty) area where the foil goes — the same approach used for die cuts or spot UV on some other systems. Do not do this with M13 foil products. Leave your background artwork intact and complete underneath the foil area. The foil lays on top of the printed CMYK layer, not into a gap in it. Knocking out the background will result in foil sitting on white paper rather than your intended background color.

Important Notes

• Both files must be identical in document size and element placement — misalignment between the two files will cause the foil to land in the wrong position
• Use only solid 100% black for foil areas — no gradients, no tints, no rich black
• Avoid extremely fine lines, very small text, or intricate detail in the foil placement file — fine elements may not foil cleanly
• Embed or outline all fonts in both files
• Select your foil color in the price calculator when you order

How to Export Your Files

Illustrator (Recommended)

Artwork file:
Hide the foil placement layer
File > Save As > Adobe PDF
Select preset: Press Quality
Bleed: .125"
Click Save

Foil file:
Show only the foil placement layer (all elements 100% black on a white background)
File > Save As > Adobe PDF
Select preset: Press Quality
Bleed: .125"
Click Save

InDesign

Artwork file:
Hide the foil layer
File > Export > Adobe PDF (Print)
Select preset: Press Quality
Bleed: .125"
Click Export

Foil file:
Show only the foil layer
Export as a separate PDF using the same settings

Why This Matters

Foil is applied as a second pass over the printed sheet. The foil placement file acts as a precise map for where the foil lands. Errors in either file — a knocked-out background, misaligned placement, or gray values in the foil file — cannot be corrected after printing and will require the order to be reprinted. If you are unsure about your foil file setup, call us at 877-613-1913 before uploading.

Flat Foil Greeting Card Template Download

Using our flat foil greeting card template is simple. Just download the size and application format you need, create your artwork, and upload your design to print.