Metallic labels
The shine is the stock, not the ink
The short answer: a metallic label starts as a silver or gold surface, and your printing sits on top of it — which is why the whole label glints rather than a single stamped word. Bright foil papers from €140 per 100, brushed aluminium and metallised films above them. Protection is included: ink on metal has to be sealed.
The range
Five metals, two ways of printing them
Bright silver paper
A mirror-bright metallised paper, printed in black or in one colour. The cheapest way to put real metal on a product — and the classic pharmacy and spirits look.
from €140 / 100
Gold ground paper
The same paper with a gold base instead of silver. Warmer, heavier-looking, and the natural background for a dark serif and a crest.
from €145 / 100
Brushed aluminium polyester
A film, not a paper: waterproof, tear-proof, with the fine brushed grain of a machine plate. Equipment badges, hi-fi, appliances, premium tools.
from €152 / 100
Metallised film, full colour
Silver or gold polypropylene printed in four colours: waterproof, flexible, and the right answer for chilled bottles and bathroom products.
from €207 / 100
Foil-effect paper
Full-colour printing on bright metal, so the shine shows through the lighter areas of the design. Spirits, gift ranges, limited editions.
from €215 / 100
Patterned metallics
Two decorative films — a fine dot pattern and a scale pattern — where the texture lives in the metal rather than in the print.
from €218 / 10016 sizes up to 100 × 105 mm, any die-cut shape, 100 to 10 000 labels online and more on quotation. Permanent adhesive across the range.
Two ways to get gold
Metallic stock or hot foil?
They look related and behave nothing alike. A metallic stock is silver or gold across its whole surface: the label shines everywhere your ink does not cover it. Hot foil is a metal film pressed into an ordinary paper, only where the die touches — a name, a crest, a border — leaving the rest matt and textured.
So the question is what should shine. If it is the whole label, choose this range. If it is one element against a beautiful paper, choose a textured stock with foil, from €169 per 100. Both start at a hundred labels.
- Material
- Bright silver paper
- Size
- 75 × 105 mm
- Printing
- Black + one colour
- Protection
- Gloss lamination
- Adhesive
- Permanent
- Quantity
- 500 per reference
- Production
- 2 to 10 working days
An example of a real order. Quantities are not capped — we print from a hundred pieces to several million.
Specification
What you choose when you order
| Choice | Options | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Printing | One colour · full colour | Inks are transparent: colours keep the metal underneath |
| Opaque white | Under any area that must be flat | Turns a metallic red back into a true red |
| Protection | Gloss varnish · gloss or matt lamination | Always included — ink on metal must be sealed |
| Adhesive | Permanent | The only adhesive offered on this range |
| Water | Films yes · foil papers no | Chilled or wet products need the metallised film |
| Sizes | 16 formats, up to 100 × 105 mm | Any die-cut shape at no extra cost |
Variable data is not available on metallic stocks — numbering and barcodes run on coated and synthetic materials.
Price by quantity
What a run of silver paper costs
One colour on bright silver, 55 × 70 mm, gloss lamination — die, setup and printing included.
| Quantity | Run price | Per label |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | €162 | €1.62 |
| 500 | €170 | €0.34 |
| 1 000 | €185 | €0.18 |
| 2 000 | €210 | €0.10 |
| 3 000 | €233 | €0.08 |
Excluding VAT and delivery. Full-colour metallised film runs roughly a third higher — the quote tool gives the exact figure. Above 10 000 labels, quantities are quoted at volume rates — up to millions.
FAQ
Metallic stocks — what customers ask us
What is the difference between a metallic label and hot foil stamping?
A metallic label is printed on a stock that is already silver or gold, so the metal is the background and your ink sits on top of it. Hot foil is the opposite: a metal film pressed into an ordinary paper, only where the die touches. Use metallic stock when you want a whole label to shine, foil when you want a name or a crest to shine against paper.
Can you print colours on a silver stock?
Yes, and the effect is worth understanding: printing inks are transparent, so colours laid on silver keep the metallic glint underneath — a red becomes a metallic red. If you want a flat, true colour on part of the label, we print an opaque white underneath it first. Both are decided on your proof.
Are metallic labels waterproof?
The metallised films are; the foil papers are not. A silver paper is still paper under its metal layer, so it belongs on products that stay dry. For a bottle that gets chilled or a jar that goes in the fridge, take the metallised polypropylene rather than the paper.
Why is every metallic label laminated?
Because ink on a metal surface has nothing to sink into and would scratch off in handling. Every stock in this range therefore ships with a varnish or a lamination included in the price — there is no unprotected option, and that is deliberate rather than an upsell.
Do metallic labels come in patterns?
Two decorative metallised films are in the range — a fine dot pattern and a scale pattern — for cosmetics and spirits ranges that want texture in the metal itself rather than in the print. They cost more than plain silver and they are worth seeing on a proof before committing.
In this range
Every product under Metallic
Metal costs less than most people assume.
Silver and gold stocks from €140 per 100, protection included.