A Guide to Hot Foil Plates and Press Plates

7 minute read
written by Adi Gregorio | April 07, 2025

Crafters are always looking for ways to elevate their creations and add something to make them look more exciting! Well, if you want to create stunning projects that look like a professional made them, look no further than hot foiling and press plates for crafting! 

These tools are amazing for beginners and seasoned crafters, and through this guide, we hope to help you navigate these two popular tools—what they are, how to use them, and techniques to use each for stunning results.

From luxurious gold foiling to subtle debossed impressions, let’s dive into the shimmering world of hot foiling and press plates, tools you should definitely experience using as a crafter. 

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Table of Contents 

A Guide to Hot Foil Plates and Press Plates - Introduction 

What Is Hot Foiling? 

What Are Press Plates? 

Hot Foil and Press Plate Techniques for Beginners 

Shine and Impress with Hot Foil and Press Plates!

Frequently Asked Questions 

What Is Hot Foiling?

Hot foiling is a crafting activity where you can use hot foil plates to transfer shiny images to your paper. If you ever feel like your stamped images or projects are looking a bit plain and you want to add more shine, then hot foiling is the way to go! Think of it like using embossing powder to add shine and shimmer to your projects, but without the mess. 

To accomplish hot foiling, you’ll need to create a sandwich with your cardstock, the foil of your choice, pretty side up, and the hot foil plate pretty side down. You’ll place this on a hot foiling machine and use heat to carefully transfer the foil onto your paper. Handle this with care because the top and bottom parts of your sandwich will be hot.

An image of a crafter peeling a hot foil sheet from a piece of cardstock to reveal a beautiful mandala pattern

The process doesn’t end there. You’ll also need to run your sandwich through a die-cutting machine to add a bit of pressure. Feel free to add shims if the foils aren’t fully transferring, but take care as well because too much pressure can damage your hot foil plates. 

Allow your hot foiling project to cool for a few minutes before gently peeling off the foil to reveal a stunning shiny image! It’s quick, easy, and incredibly satisfying to see the finished product. 

An Overview of the Hot Foiling Tools You’ll Need

Ready to start hot foiling and adding gorgeous shine to your projects? First up, you’ll need to make sure that you have all of the materials you need: 

  • Paper or Cardstock - This is where the hot-foiled image will be transferred

  • Hot Foil Machine - Heats up your foil and transfers the image

  • Hot Foil Plate - A metal plate with the design you’ll be using!

  • Heat-reactive Foil - Choose hot foil sheets or rolls in the color of your choice

  • Die-cutting machine - Presses the foil to your cardstock 

  • Extra shims - To add more pressure while using the die-cutting machine

What Are Press Plates? 

Press plates are crafting tools that you can use to press a specific design or image onto your desired surface. You can kind of look at it like a debossed image, but it adds beautiful texture and details to any project. 

This activity comes from the art of letterpress printing or a type of typography where ink is transferred from a metal plate to a surface like paper. Some old-time examples include newspapers, books, and flyers. Times have changed, of course, and so have the uses for these kinds of press printing. 

For crafters, you can use the BetterPress System by Spellbinders. This is a more modern, compact version of letterpress and makes the process more convenient. There are lots of compatible press plates on the market as well, with plenty of gorgeous designs to choose from!

An image of a handmade card with leaves drooping from the top, made with press plates and accompanied with a 'love you' sentiment

On the other hand, registration press plates are also game-changers for crafting. Unlike the standard press plates, these allow you to use more than one color at a time. So, if you enjoy using inks with your press plates, this might be worth exploring!

To use press plates, you’ll need to have your BetterPress system set up and put your desired press plate on it (pretty side up!), and then position your paper with washi tape to the transparent panel of your BetterPress system to prevent it from moving. Once you’re happy with the position, take it off and apply ink to your press plate. 

Create your sandwich and run it through your die-cutting machine to create a beautiful result with a slightly indented texture! 

An Overview of the Tools You Need for Using Press Plates

Excited to give press plates a try? We’ve got a list of the supplies you’ll need to get started. Make sure to assemble these and get a pretty good variety especially if you’re a beginner.

  • BetterPress System - You can get this from Spellbinders and at Altenew, great for use with press plates

  • Paper/Cardstock - This is where the image will be transferred

  • Press Plates - A metal plate with the design you’ll be using

  • Inks - This is optional if you want to add color and pigment to your pressed image

  • Die-cutting machine - Adds pressure to your press plate and cardstock 

Get an Idea of How to Use Other Paper Crafting Tools

Hot Foil and Press Plate Techniques for Beginners

Press Plates

Hot Foil Plates

Creates debossed impressions (letterpress style) 

Applies metallic foil designs using heat and pressure

Used with press machines like the BetterPress system

Used with a hot foil machine 

Creates dry pressed or inked textured impressions

Creates a shiny, metallic foil finish 

 

Now that you’ve got a good idea as to what supplies you’ll need and the difference between hot foiling and using press plates, it’s time to get into the fun stuff! Here are a few techniques to help you get started: 

Use Hot Foiling with Stamps and Dies

One of the many amazing things you can do with hot foiling is that you can use it with coordinating stamps and dies! For instance, if you’ve created a hot foil image onto your cardstock, you can use the coordinating die to cut it or some layered stamps to make the colors pop. Feel free to mix and match so you can come up with different project ideas! 

A flat lay image of a crafter using photopolymer stamps to accompany their hot foil project

Try Hot Foiling with Dies Instead of Hot Foil Plates!

Did you know that you can also use dies for hot foiling? That means you don’t necessarily need hot foil plates, but certain metal dies to create those beautiful, shiny images. 

The idea is simple: just do the typical hot foiling process but instead of the hot foil plate, use a die of your choice. Remember to apply the perfect amount of pressure when running it through your die-cutting machine, not too little and not too much to avoid mistakes.

An image of a crafter using a metal die for hot foiling

 Use with Stencils and Inks!

If your hot foil plates or press plates have coordinating stencils, then you can use these to accomplish beautiful color blending techniques! Simply press or hot foil your desired image first and once it’s ready, get your stencils, inks, and blending brushes out to make a vibrant masterpiece. 

An image of a crafter holding an image of a beautiful flower, created with a hot foil plate, some inks, and a coordinating stencil

 Play With Color and Pair It with Watercolor or Acrylic Markers

Don’t be afraid to use press plates and hot foiling projects with other coloring mediums as well. Inks are great but try and see if you’ll enjoy pairing them with watercolors or acrylic markers. It could be a simple accent or something more prominent in your work. 

An image of two cards created with watercolor techniques, one with a rainbow background and the other with pastel rainbow florals

Try Dry Pressing with Press Plates!

You’ll often see crafters using their press plates with ink. It’s a great way to add more pigment to the image, but if you want something more textured that’s great for backgrounds, then consider dry pressing! It’s essentially the same process but without ink. The result is a beautiful indented surface! 

An image of a crafter holding a piece of cardstock that has a dry letterpress design featuring patterned leaves

Put Them Together: Hot Foil with Press Plates!

Hot foiling and using press plates are great on their own, but if you love them both, try and use them both in one project! Maybe you can try hot-foiling a certain image and add a sentiment using press plates. Mix and match to your heart’s desire and see how your products come out! 

A staged image of a handmade card featuring a patterned background, die-cut florals, sequins, and a 'have a great day' sentiment

Shine and Impress with Hot Foil and Press Plates!

If you're drawn to the luxurious metallic gleam of hot foiling or the refined elegance of press plates, these tools are sure to revolutionize your crafting. They’re not just trends—they’re transformational. With a bit of practice, your cards and paper crafts will look like they came straight out of a boutique!

So grab a press plate or hot foil plate today and let your creativity lead the way to unique creations! Happy crafting! 

Get Your Own Hot Foil & Press Plates Here!

Frequently Asked Questions 

Hot foiling is an activity used for paper crafting, where shiny foil from a sheet or roll is transferred to a different surface like paper or cardstock with the use of heat. It’s a great way to add shine and interest to any project.
To heat foil, you’ll need a hot foil machine, some foil sheets or rolls, hot foil plates, and paper. You need to create a sandwich with these materials and place them together on top of the hot foil machine, where the heat will transfer the foiled image to your paper.
Letterpress plates are pieces of metal that transfer an image to a piece of paper. You can somewhat think of it as a stamp, but it adds texture and interest. Nowadays, more modern systems like Spellbinder’s BetterPress System are great for all things paper crafting!
A letterpress dates back to the mid-15th century, being used as a printing or typography tool to transfer ink from a metal plate to paper. Today, although modern printers have changed the game, letterpress or similar systems are still used for paper crafting.
It truly depends on the kind of system you’re looking to buy and how it compares to others. At first glance, you might find that certain systems are on the pricey side, but you can also be sure that it’s incredibly worth it and can be used for countless future projects.
Adi Gregorio

Adi is a writer with an insatiable love for romance, fantasy, and thriller novels. When she's not off on a fictional adventure, you'll find her journaling or rewatching Avatar the Last Airbender. At home, she's a fur-mom to a feisty but sweet beagle named Arya who keeps her life full of surprises.

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