Hologram Hot Stamping — Patterns, Registration & Specs

Hot stamp hologram (also written holographic foil stamping) is the transfer of a holographic foil onto a substrate with a heated die. The foil carries a nanoscale diffraction grating embossed into the layer beneath the aluminium; when light hits the grating it is split into a moving spectrum, producing the rainbow shift. Press settings are the same as any metallic foil — 105–135 °C, 0.3–0.8 s dwell — because the effect is structural, not chemical.

Generic (continuous) holographic foil carries a repeating pattern — rainbow, fine pillar, dot-matrix, seamless star — so the die can land anywhere on the web. Registered holographic foil carries a discrete, customer-specific hologram image that must be aligned to the die within about ±0.15 mm, which requires a press with an electronic foil-registration unit. Generic foil ships from stock; registered foil needs an origination master, 2,000 m² MOQ and 25–35 days. Security applications are covered in the security foil guide.

A generic rainbow pattern is decoration, not security — anyone can buy the same roll. Real protection comes from a registered hologram made from your own origination master, optionally with hidden layers: micro-text, nano-text, dot-matrix kinetic movement, guilloche, CLR (covert laser readable) and tamper-evident VOID release. Those features cannot be reproduced by scanning or photocopying. We supply the origination and hold the master exclusively for the brand owner.

Rainbow is the general-purpose choice and the brightest under diffuse retail light. Fine pillar gives a tighter, more premium shimmer on small type. Dot-matrix produces kinetic movement as the pack tilts — the most eye-catching on shelf. Seamless star and geometric patterns suit gift wrap and children's products. Transparent holographic gives the diffraction effect without hiding the printed artwork underneath; see the transparent foil guide.

Holographic transfer foil is the heat-transfer grade used on textiles, leather and moulded plastics rather than paperboard. It uses a PU adhesive and a heat press at 140–160 °C for 10–15 s, and survives 25–40 wash cycles under AATCC 135. Apparel, bags, footwear and sports merchandise use this grade; the paper-grade foil will crack on fabric flex. Full detail in the textile finishing foil guide.

Coated board: 105–130 °C die temperature, 0.3–0.8 s dwell, medium pressure. Do not exceed 140 °C — excess heat can partially relax the embossed grating and visibly dull the rainbow, which is the most common cause of a 'flat' hologram stamp. Uncoated and kraft stocks need longer dwell rather than more heat. Registered foil additionally needs the press registration unit tuned to the repeat length of the hologram web.

Yes. Common combinations are hologram plus flat metallic in two passes, hologram over a cold-foil silver base for large coverage, and combination emboss-plus-hologram using a brass die for a raised, moving crest. Overprinting CMYK on top of a holographic base creates tinted holograms — gold, blue, pink — from a single silver-based roll.

Stock generic patterns (rainbow, fine pillar, dot-matrix, seamless star): 1 roll, 5–7 days from Shanghai. Custom continuous patterns: 1,000 m², 18–25 days. Registered holograms with an origination master: 2,000 m², 25–35 days including artwork proofing. Custom widths 30–1,600 mm. Free swatch packs of the stock patterns are available to qualified buyers.