Scratch-Off Foil for Hot Stamping — Opacity Grades, Press Settings & Sourcing

Scratch-off foil is an opaque hot stamping foil engineered to be removed with a coin or fingernail after application. It is stamped over the confidential data — a PIN, promo code or prize field — at 100–140 °C, forming a fully opaque silver, gold or holographic panel that hides the print underneath but releases cleanly when abraded. Unlike screen-printed scratch-off latex it needs no drying oven, no ink kitchen and no separate curing pass; it runs on any existing hot stamping press.

Scratch-off foil wins on short and medium runs, on-demand personalisation and mixed substrates: zero ink waste, no drying line, instant job changeover, and a metallic or holographic look that latex cannot match. Screen-printed latex is cheaper per m² at very high volumes (millions of lottery tickets) but requires screen setup, solvent handling and drying capacity. Many card producers run both — foil for promotional and prepaid cards, latex for national lottery runs.

A compliant scratch-off panel must reach an optical density that makes the code unreadable under 1,000 lux transmitted light. Our standard grade reaches ≥ 95% opacity in a single stamped pass; the Security grade reaches ≥ 99% and adds a tint layer that also blocks IR/backlight reading — the standard demanded for prepaid airtime, gift-card and gaming applications. Always request an opacity test report with your sample order.

Typical window: 100–140 °C die temperature, 0.3–0.8 s dwell, 2–5 bar pressure, running at 3,000–6,000 impressions/hour on a platen press. Use a flat magnesium or brass die with even make-ready — pressure variance is the number one cause of streaky panels. Run 10–15 °C lower on PVC and PET cards than on paperboard to avoid substrate distortion.

Coated and uncoated paperboard, label paper, thermal ticket stock, PVC and PET cards, and pre-varnished surfaces when the varnish is stamp-receptive. For plastic cards specify the PVC-adhesive grade. Always pre-test over the exact overprint varnish or toner you use: a slip-additive varnish can under-anchor the panel, causing it to lift at the edges instead of scratching off cleanly.

Release is governed by the wax/release-layer coat weight, cured within a tight window so the panel neither flakes prematurely nor resists a coin. We test every batch with a standardised coin-abrasion cycle and log the removal force; batch-to-batch ΔE colour drift is held ≤ 2.0 so reprints match the original run. Ask for the batch QC sheet — a supplier who cannot produce one is a sourcing risk.

Yes. Options include a holographic scratch-off layer (overt anti-counterfeit), tamper-evident VOID release that leaves a permanent mark if lifted with tape or solvent, UV-invisible taggants under the panel, and registered holographic patterns. Layer these with security foil for full brand protection on high-value prepaid and gaming products.

Stock silver and gold scratch-off foil: 1 roll (~640 mm × 120 m), shipping in 5–7 days. Holographic and tamper-evident VOID grades: 500 m² MOQ, 10–14 days. Custom-width slitting from 20 mm to 1,600 mm is free on orders above 500 m². Free A4 sample cards with a live scratch test ship within 5 business days to qualified buyers.