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How to Create a Metallic Label

Intricately designed metallic label for Birds Fly South Ale Project

People love shiny things! Whether it’s a polished silver dollar or a glimmering diamond jewel, shiny things stop us in our tracks and lure us in for a closer look. Something inside of us wants to hold that object in our hands, tilt it into the light, and watch the reflection ripple across the surface.

Imagine your finished product on the shelf having this same effect. Knowing how to successfully create a unique metallic design can help your custom label stand out and catch the eye of any consumer.

Light it up!

As a labeler, you are probably familiar with traditional techniques like foiling, hot stamping, or printing with metallic inks. Some major downsides to these methods are that you might be limited to only gold or silver foil, and the cost of metallic inks can quickly rack up a hefty bill.

But the world is forever changing! With newer digital printing methods, we can actually print directly onto a silver metallic base material. We use semi-translucent inks so that the metallic quality is able to shine through and create a metallic color. For example: when we print yellow ink onto the metallic material, the end result is an eye-catching metallic gold.

You now have an unlimited number of choices! Digital printing allows you to transform any of the millions of colors out there into lustrous, vibrant metallic accents on your custom label.

A gloss laminate on top is going to add extra shine (like the traditional look of foil), while a soft touch matte laminate will give your metallic a flat, brushed metal appearance.


Gloss and soft touch matte laminates deliver two completely different looks on our metallic material.

Pro Tips!

Less is more! Minimal metallic accents are more appealing to the eye.

Avoid making your small text metallic. The reflective nature of metallics will make it extremely difficult to differentiate the small text from the background.

Helpful Hints! 

Seeing is believing! Request our Sample Pack (it’s on the house!) and experience our metallic label materials for yourself.

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