Why special finishes cannot be applied over fold and cut lines

For products with special finishes (gold embossed foil, silver embossed foil, or embossed gloss), the finish cannot be applied along cut lines. The cutting processes (which take place after the application of the polymer base) would make the finishes too fragile and prone to cracking and peeling.

Here's an example of a printed product with a special finish applied over the cut lines:

Close-up product photo of a dark green box with a gold foil topographic mountain-line pattern and 'HOLYROCK' lettering, showing the special finish design running across the folded edge of the box.

To avoid this outcome, always keep elements with special finishes at least 3 mm away from cut lines in your file.

Here’s a correctly created file and the corresponding print result:

Packaging template marked with fold line and cut line arrows, showing gold foil mountain-line artwork positioned with clearance from both lines for correct special-finish placement.

Close-up product photo of the folded corner of a dark green box, showing the gold foil mountain-line pattern and ‘HOLYROCK’ lettering kept away from the fold lines for a clean, clear result.

If you select special finishes (gold embossed foil, silver embossed foil, or embossed gloss), always keep the elements you want to highlight at least 3 mm ((0,11") away from cut lines to ensure a high-quality result.

If you have any further questions, please contact us; we will be happy to assist you.

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