Holiday Card Round-Up: Your Digital Embellishment Designer Meetup Recap

The latest Digital Embellishment Designer Meetup was a lively exchange of ideas, tips, and trends in the world of digital print embellishments, with a focus on holiday card design. Below is a comprehensive recap of the discussion, organized into key themes and takeaways for easy reading.

Welcoming Newcomers and Introductions

Once the session officially began, Kevin greeted returning participants and newcomers alike. Notably, Jaclyn “Jackie” Bartholomew was introduced as Taktiful’s newest marketing intern. Jackie, a recent Cal Poly grad, cheerfully shared that she’s still based in San Luis Obispo (enjoying the beautiful weather) and excited to join the team. Her introduction reflects Taktiful’s connection with young talent and academia – Cal Poly was mentioned warmly by both Kevin and Sabine Lenz.

Sabine Lenz (founder of PaperSpecs, a resource for paper and design inspiration) also chimed in. Sabine has been a regular sponsor and contributor to these meetups, offering a designer’s perspective. Kevin expressed that he’s always glad to have Sabine on the call because of her unique viewpoint representing the design community. Sabine jokingly replied, “Yes, that’s why you invited me along, isn’t it?” – reinforcing the collaborative spirit among print industry experts and designers.

Other familiar faces included Natalie (from MGI Digital), Paul-André, Marco, Jason, Al, and more – a mix of printers, suppliers, and designers. Kevin even mentioned one attendee calling in from a train, illustrating the commitment of members to tune in from anywhere.

Holiday Cards Timing – “Christmas Sneaks Up Fast!”

Matthew Redbear began with a reality check: if you haven’t mailed your Christmas cards by mid-December, you’re running late! He shared a personal anecdote – in the previous year he mailed cards on Dec 15 from Florida and some recipients (even out of state) didn’t get theirs until mid-January. This year, he aims to send them out earlier (by this weekend, he promised) and encouraged others to do the same. The group laughed, acknowledging how the season sneaks up on everyone.

Interestingly, Matt revealed that at his company they actually designed and produced their company holiday cards way back in July. By Christmas time, the cards were all finished and ready to go. This early start allowed them to avoid the year-end production crunch and enjoy the festivities without last-minute stress. The key lesson: plan and produce holiday projects well in advance. Many on the call commiserated that they were still getting requests for last-minute holiday card designs or speculative projects even in December. Sabine joked, “Nobody told them Christmas is on the 25th every year,” underlining that clients often delay until it’s almost too late.

Show-and-Tell: As Matt was talking, a few participants couldn’t resist sharing holiday cards they had on hand. Sabine congratulated Matt on his festive Santa hat (noting that life was imitating the AI art Kevin made of Matt in a Santa hat). Kevin and another attendee (Bol) held up examples of recent embellished cards – one showed an elegantly foiled and varnished family card with gold foil names and a glossy lacquer on a photo. Another was a card Sabine had (produced with help from Harris & Bruno) using uncoated paper with digital embellishment. These impromptu showcases set the stage for discussing what makes a great embellished card.

Matt then segued to his prepared material, sharing his screen for a short presentation of holiday card design ideas, tips, and samples. He dubbed it a brief “teaser” to spark conversation. The following sections summarize those ideas and the group’s discussion around them.

Why All the Fuss About Embellishments?

Matt opened by addressing the fundamental question: Why do we put so much effort into embellishing print pieces, especially holiday cards? He described embellishments as the *“emotions” of the print – the shine, texture, and dimension add a special feeling that ink alone can’t. Key points:

• Shine = Luxury: Humans are naturally drawn to shiny, sparkling things. A touch of foil or gloss varnish conveys a sense of luxury and high value to the brain. It aligns with the celebratory mood of the holidays – think of twinkling lights, tinsel, and sparkling snow. In Matt’s words, “the shine is the luxury in the human mind” and it pairs with holiday emotions of joy and festivity.

• Embossing = Craftsmanship: He noted that techniques like embossing (raising the paper surface) add a tactile craftsmanship. Even digital methods that simulate embossing with clear varnish give that hand-crafted, artisanal feel when done well. This ties into the idea of nostalgia and quality that people appreciate in a holiday greeting.

• Making the Recipient Feel Special: Perhaps the most important point – an embellished card feels like a gift. When someone receives a beautifully designed card with foil, texture, and weight, it doesn’t feel like a generic Hallmark off the shelf. It feels like “you’re worth the extra effort” to the sender. Matt emphasized that a well-made card communicates to the recipient that they are valued – the sender cared enough to invest time and a bit more money into something special. As a result, the card itself becomes a keepsake. (He noted that in today’s economy, sometimes the card is the gift!). This emotional impact is supported by industry observations: physical cards create a lasting impression and a stronger emotional response than digital greetings  . The tactile nature of print engages people’s senses in a way an e-card or text message never will.

Kevin added an interesting insight from the greeting card industry’s research: many greeting card companies have found that using uncoated paper stock for cards evokes a warmer, friendlier feeling. The soft, porous feel of uncoated paper “warms” to the touch, which subconsciously conveys comfort and sincerity. Studies have shown uncoated cardstock provides a natural feel that can convey warmth and authenticity  – perfect for a heartfelt holiday message. However, uncoated stocks traditionally pose challenges for digital embellishment (which we’ll discuss soon). The group noted that some paper manufacturers (e.g., Neenah or others) are now developing substrates that look and feel uncoated yet are treated to accept digital foil and varnish without issues. This kind of innovation could be a game-changer, merging the emotional appeal of uncoated paper with the flashy effects of digital embellishments.

Sabine Lenz pointed out that when a recipient touches a soft uncoated card, it indeed feels more intimate. She and others on the call, however, also love the shiny stuff (Sabine held up an example of an uncoated card with holographic foil that PaperSpecs had done). It’s all about using the right paper and embellishment to match the sentiment.

Coated vs. Uncoated Stock – Making Digital Embellishment Work

The coated vs. uncoated debate became a recurring theme. Matthew admitted he’s “50/50” on it. On one hand, he appreciates the elegant, subdued look and natural warmth of uncoated or matte papers for holiday cards (especially for certain minimalist or rustic designs). On the other hand, “the holidays are shiny!” – he’s a fan of gloss and glam when appropriate. Coated stocks (even specialty ones like pearlescent or metallic papers) can amplify the sparkle of foil and the clarity of printed colors  . His own company’s 2025 card (which we’ll describe later) used a coated pearl stock to maximize shine.

Technical Challenges: The big challenge is that most digital embellishment processes (like MGI’s inkjet varnish and hot foil or similar) don’t play nicely with porous, uncoated sheets. Applying liquid UV varnish on uncoated paper is like “pouring water on a sponge” – it soaks in, resulting in dull, undefined gloss and poor foil adhesion. The group discussed several workarounds to get the best of both worlds:

• Pre-Coating the Sheet: One method is to apply an aqueous coating or primer over the uncoated stock before embellishing. For example, you can flood the sheet with a clear coat (via an offset press or roller coater) to seal the surface, then run it through the digital embellishment press. Matt showed an example of a holiday card printed on a heavily textured uncoated paper which was first flood-coated, then embellished. The gold foil on that card had a distressed, almost broken appearance because the texture still telegraphed through – but aesthetically it worked (it looked intentionally rustic, like a hand-stamped card). Designers should know: if you want a textured/artisan paper, you might need to coat it first, or embrace that the foil will look weathered. Sabine commented that in the example, the result actually fit the illustration style (watercolor holly berries and script text) – the slightly patchy foil looked handcrafted by design, which can be a plus for a vintage feel. It’s not always a “mistake” if the foil isn’t perfectly smooth; it can be an artistic choice!

  
  

• Double-Pass Digital Varnish (Primer Layer): Al, a print operator on the call, shared that his shop has been experimenting with running sheets twice on their MGI JetVarnish: first laying down a thin layer of varnish as a primer, then a second pass with the full varnish + foil. This two-pass method also creates a sealed surface on uncoated paper. Matthew agreed – he’s used a similar technique for ~5 years. The key is to use a very light varnish layer in the first pass (almost invisible, maybe only a few microns thick), just enough to seal the fibers, and then align the second pass perfectly on top with the actual artwork. Registration is critical; Matt advised adding extra registration marks (small targets or crop marks on the edges of the design) so the machine’s camera can precisely line up pass two to pass one. When done right, the second layer of polymer sits on top of the first without soaking in, giving good gloss and foil adhesion. This effectively simulates what some newer machines (he alluded to “the S word” – likely Scodix) do with dual varnish jets in one pass. For those using MGI or similar equipment, two passes can achieve comparable results to embellish uncoated sheets, as long as you account for any slight sheet shrinkage or distortion between passes and ensure the machine has clear scannable guides for alignment.

  
  

  • Tip: When setting up multi-pass jobs, include multiple registration marks down each side of the sheet (e.g., small crosses or circles in the margin in all colors or in the spot varnish color). Make them thick enough (0.75–1 point line) so the camera can see them. This will greatly improve pass-to-pass registration accuracy.

  
  

• Using a Digital Press Primer: Kevin mentioned an alternate trick pioneered by Christine Yardley of Print Panther (an early adopter of digital embellishment in Canada). Christine often prints a layer of clear toner on her sheets (using a fifth-color toner station on a Xerox Iridesse or similar) as a “DIY primer” before adding varnish . For instance, if printing a design on an Indigo or toner press first, one can lay down a clear toner or even a heavy coverage of CMYK in the areas to be foiled (e.g., 240% rich black under a gold foil area). That toner acts as a sealant on uncoated stock. When the sheet later goes through the UV coater/foiler, the polymer sits on the toner rather than soaking into the paper, yielding crisper results. Matt has successfully used a rich black underlay for this purpose – a dense patch of waxy toner can prevent the varnish from disappearing into the paper. In fact, on some Xerox machines that use fuser oil, the oil residue on heavy toner can further help the varnish stay on the surface. It’s a clever hack if you have the capability, essentially building your own barrier on the fly.

  
  

• Specially Treated “Uncoated-Look” Paper: As noted, some paper mills now offer substrates that feel uncoated to the touch but have a coating engineered for digital UV adhesion. Natalie held up a sample that Neenah (a major paper brand) created – it maintained that uncoated matte look but worked with embellishments (in this case, digital clear foil on top). These are worth exploring for designers who want the best of both worlds. The takeaway: talk to your printer about paper options; there may be new sheets that achieve the effect you want without the headaches.

Dealing with Static: One practical issue when running laminated or coated sheets through embellishment machines is static electricity. Some mentioned their teams do a lot of double-sided soft-touch lamination on sheets prior to embellishing, and they’ve encountered static causing feeding issues or shocks. They keep the humidity around 55–70% (a good range), but static persists. Matt and others shared a tried-and-true solution: anti-static tinsel. This is a conductive tinsel (often with copper) that you drape across the sheets (touching them) as they feed in or exit the machine. By grounding the tinsel to the machine’s metal frame, it continuously discharges static from the moving sheets (no external power needed) . Printers have used this trick for years on laminators, cutters, etc. – some called it “Christmas garland,” fittingly! Matt usually tapes a strand of tinsel on the feed end and another on the delivery end of his MGI. It’s a cheap and effective method, since the machine’s metal body is grounded (especially on MGIs, which have a fully grounded frame). This simple fix can save a lot of frustration with sheets sticking together or mis-feeding due to static cling. (Action item: the group noted to install grounded tinsel at the feed and stacker of their laminator/embellisher and test if it reduces static in ongoing jobs.)

Other static tips included letting laminated stacks sit overnight to acclimate and discharging sheets with anti-static wipes or dryer sheets. But the tinsel approach garnered a lot of nods as a must-do for those running laminated or plastic-heavy stocks.

AI-Generated Art: Fun or Foe?

A brief but interesting tangent was the role of AI in design. The meetup’s promotional graphics featured some hilarious AI-generated images of Matthew (like “Matt in a tuxedo” and “Matt in a Santa hat”) that Kevin had created. Kevin revealed he used Google’s Nano Banana Pro model – Google’s latest image generation AI released in November 2025  – which he said is “absolutely bonkers” in its ability to produce what he envisioned. Matt chimed in that he’s been playing with various models too (Grok, DALL·E variants, Midjourney via Dijen, etc.), and is especially interested in ones that allow creating consistent characters or even animating them with preset dialogue. He admitted it’s still challenging to prompt AI just right, but Kevin’s success shows it’s possible to get great results with practice.

They polled the group on interest in a future session focused on generative art for print design. A few hands went up. However, Sabine provided the broader design community perspective: many designers “hate AI” in the sense that they fear it could threaten jobs or they feel the results lack a human touch. Yet, she acknowledged “it’s here to stay” and can be useful especially for idea generation and fun concepts. For final production artwork, Sabine feels AI images are often still detectable – “you can spot it from a mile away” if used naively – so the quality isn’t fully there for serious print applications… at least not yet. In the case of Kevin’s AI images of Matt, everyone understood these were just tongue-in-cheek, not pretending to be real photos. Sabine drew a line between using AI for playful or preliminary creative work versus trying to pass it off as polished original illustration. The former is increasingly embraced, the latter remains contentious.

Matthew shared a timely quote he’d seen: “AI won’t replace you, but the person using it will.” This phrase, making rounds in tech discussions, encapsulates that those who leverage AI tools may outcompete those who don’t . The group murmured in agreement – regardless of mixed feelings, it’s wise for designers to familiarize themselves with AI as another tool in the toolbox. The consensus: perhaps in an upcoming meetup, they will do a hands-on with AI image generators to show how to prompt effectively and incorporate AI art into embellishment designs (ethically and creatively).

In summary, AI in design was recognized as a double-edged sword – a source of quick inspiration and even assets for those who use it well, but also something the print design community is approaching cautiously. For now, it added a lot of fun to the session (like Matt literally wearing the same kind of Santa hat that Kevin’s AI image had put on him!), and it’s clearly a topic to watch.

Creative Holiday Card Design Highlights

The core of the meetup was sharing and discussing actual design examples and techniques for holiday cards with digital embellishments. Matthew’s presentation included several visuals (which, even over a screen share, sparked excitement). Below we recap each example and the key insights:

1. Embracing Imperfection – Gold Foil on Textured Stock

Matt showed a card with a gold foiled wreath and message on a textured off-white paper. At first glance, it looked like a luxurious, classic holiday card. On closer look, the foil had taken on the heavy texture of the paper – the larger solid foil areas (like parts of leaves/berries) appeared slightly uneven or distressed, while the thin foiled letters were relatively crisp. From a technician’s perspective, Matt said his instinct might be “uh oh, something went wrong – the foil isn’t perfectly filled in.” But as Sabine and others quickly pointed out, the aesthetic worked. The design was a loose, sketchy watercolor style illustration of winter foliage, and the foil’s broken texture actually gave it a handcrafted charm. It looked as if an artist manually pressed gold leaf onto a hand-made paper card. In this case, the “flaw” became a feature – it made the card feel bespoke.

The team deduced the production steps: likely the card was printed on uncoated textured stock, flood aqueous coated to seal it, then spot UV and gold foil applied. Despite the coating, the deep paper texture still imprinted into the foil. The takeaway for designers: know your paper and desired look. If you want a smooth, mirror-like foil, choose a smooth stock or consider a laminate first. If you want a rustic look, a textured paper with foil (even if a bit patchy) can add character. As Sabine put it, it’s all about intent – if the intent is an artsy, organic feel, then the technical “imperfection” actually enhances the design.

Another note: vector vs raster in foil masks. The text “Merry Christmas” on that card, being vector art, foiled fairly sharply, whereas the foliage (likely from a raster image scan) had softer edges in foil. When preparing artwork, providing vector shapes for foil will yield cleaner edges than rasterized masks. But if the art is inherently painterly, don’t fret if the foil isn’t razor sharp – it might be truer to the art’s style.

2. Layered Color and Clear Varnish – Faux Stained Glass Effect

Next, Matt showcased a modern card design that he really loved. It featured an ornament composed of many facet-like color segments, almost like a geode or stained glass, printed in vibrant CMYK. Over these colorful “shards,” he had applied clear varnish coating. The varnish layer gave the segments a glossy, dimensional look, enhancing the illusion of prismatic crystal or glass. Matthew noted that the design already had a lot of visual complexity (multiple colors, tiny shapes), so he opted to cover the entire ornament with a solid gloss varnish rather than trying to selectively varnish piece by piece. The solid spot gloss made the whole ornament catch the light, while the underlying color separations still showed through and created a multifaceted shine.

Kevin asked if he had considered using a texture or pattern in the varnish for additional prismatic effect. Matt responded that in hindsight, one could do a second varnish pass with a textured pattern just on certain darker segments to accentuate them – it might create a 3D beveled effect. But that would be a lot of work and perhaps overkill. The single gloss layer already achieved the desired effect of making the flat print look more like a glass ornament. Sometimes simple is sufficient. This example underlined how spot UV alone (without foil) can dramatically enhance a design by adding depth and sheen to printed colors.

Designer Tip: When you have an intricate multicolor design, consider whether a flood gloss (on specific areas) might enrich it, rather than multiple complex spot areas. Too many different textures could muddle an already detailed image. In this case, varnish unified the ornament’s look and made it pop against the matte background.

3. Minimalist Night Scene – Elegant Foil Silhouettes

Another card that garnered praise was a midnight blue card with simple village winter silhouettes. It had a dark matte (or uncoated-look) background with minimal artwork: a few houses with lit windows, some stars, and the word “Rejoice” in script – all rendered in gold foil. Despite its simplicity, the card was striking. The foil houses looked like warm light glowing in the dark, and the design had plenty of empty space, which gave it a classy, calming feel.

The group analyzed the production: the stock appeared very matte, leading some to suspect uncoated paper. But Kevin pointed out the fine details in the foil (tiny star dots, thin script) were extremely crisp, which is hard to achieve on true uncoated sheets. Matt revealed it was likely a silk-coated or matte-coated stock – these have a dull finish but a coating that holds detail. He mentioned that when running such stocks through a digital press (e.g., Xerox Iridesse), you have to calibrate the fuser properly and often use a high-temperature fuser setting to get toner to bond (silk stocks can be tricky). The card’s printing was flawless, indicating the printer knew what they were doing.

This example illustrated the principle “less is more.” A very minimal design can carry a big impact when combined with foil and a rich paper color. The restrained use of embellishment (just gold foil, no varnish or other effects) was actually part of its charm – it looked refined and luxurious without being busy.

Building on earlier tips, if one did want to use an uncoated sheet for such a design, applying a clear toner base for the foil areas or using a specialty sheet would be key. But as shown, a silk matte paper can give that look of a “warm” uncoated card while still yielding sharp foil edges.

4. One Design, Multiple Foil Variants

Matt floated a creative idea for those producing their own cards or short-run series: design one card, but vary the foil color in different batches. He showed an example where the same illustration (a festive pattern) was done in three treatments – one with red foil, one with green foil, and one with a teal-blue foil. The concept is to have a set of cards that are essentially siblings: identical in design and print, but each with a different foil highlight color. This can be done easily on digital embellishment equipment by simply changing the foil roll and perhaps the spot color used, without altering the underlying print.

The benefit? It creates variety and a sense of collectability. If you send a pack of mixed cards, recipients get a different color each, which feels more bespoke. Or if you’re selling cards, you can offer packs of assorted foil colors. Since digital foil has no cost penalty for switching colors (other than some waste during changeover), it’s an efficient way to add creative variation without a new design.

Kevin and Matt agreed that the design should have a neutral base (e.g., white or a single-colored background) so that any foil color would work. If your background is very specific (like a pink card), you have to pick foil colors that won’t clash (maybe gold or silver only). But on a white or black background, you could do red, green, blue, gold, etc., and all would look good. They joked about even using pink foil for holidays – which Matt has done before in combination with other colors. Pink foil can look great in moderation (for instance, as an accent with silver snowflakes). It’s not a traditional holiday color, but in modern, playful designs it can be quite festive.

On sourcing foil: Matt noted bright pink/fuchsia foil is a bit rare; not all suppliers carry it. KLaser has a vivid pink in their swatch, and Konica Minolta (which provides foils for MGI machines) also offers a nice fuchsia. If you need unique colors, it’s wise to request a foil swatch book from your supplier and plan ahead, since some specialty foils may need ordering.

5. The Geometric Christmas Tree Card – Simplicity with a Twist

Perhaps the favorite design of the session was one Matt labeled “nuts” in its elegance. It depicted a series of stylized Christmas tree silhouettes in a horizontal row, each tree made of simple geometric or abstract shapes, and each one embellished differently:

• One tree was just an outline in gold foil.

• One was a solid gold foil silhouette.

• One had diagonal foil stripes, another had a foil snowflake pattern.

• A couple of the trees intentionally had no foil at all (just printed in a contrasting color), serving as visual breathing room.

• The greeting text below (“Merry Christmas” or similar) was in foil as well.

All of this was on a clean background with no other printing – the foil was the hero. The design achieved a modern look through repetition and variation, while still being very simple shapes.

The group absolutely loved this. Sabine was literally hopping in excitement, because it showcases how clever design doesn’t need to be complicated in elements, it just needs the right balance. The mix of foiled and unfoiled trees, different foil textures (stripes vs snowflakes vs solid), and lots of white space gave it a contemporary feel.

This sparked a technical discussion: Sabine suggested how stunning it would be if the center tree (the one in the middle with zigzag foil pattern) were made extra dimensional – for instance, raised higher than the others using a thicker varnish layer – to make it the focal point. Perhaps the middle tree and the text could be at a 50 micron height, and the other foiled trees at 20 microns, creating a tactile depth difference.

Natalie from MGI confirmed that designers can achieve multi-level height effects in one pass by using grayscale or “dithering” in the mask (e.g., using 50% value in the spot mask for areas you want half the height). This will cause the inkjet heads to deposit less varnish in those areas. However, she cautioned that when foiling in the same pass, very low varnish heights may not hold foil well. Most digital foiling systems have a recommended minimum height (often around 30–40 microns) to get good adhesion . If one part of the design is too low (say 15 microns), the foil might not transfer fully, resulting in a patchy foil. In practice, if a significant height difference is desired and perfect foil, it might be better to run two separate passes: one for the lower height foil, and a second pass to add higher build clear varnish (with no foil) on top of select areas.

Marco, another technical expert on the call, shared that on some newer machines he’s been able to get foil to stick even on 14 micron thick varnish, but it depends on the foil quality and machine calibration. Matt noted each machine has its own personality and capabilities – what works on one might not on another due to printhead differences, firmware, etc. He personally doesn’t go below ~21 microns when foiling, to be safe.

The consensus: it’s possible to have multi-height foil in one go, but test thoroughly. Alternatively, do what Sabine and Matt plan to experiment with – two-pass the card: first pass foil all trees at a base height, second pass add another layer of clear varnish on the one tree you want higher. That second layer could even be textured to really stand out. This kind of effect would make one element literally rise above the rest, a very cool idea for emphasis.

6. Gatefold Cards – Managing a Tricky Format

Gatefold holiday cards (where two panels fold inward to meet in the middle) are not common, but Matt had an example to discuss the challenges. A gatefold can be stunning – it offers a tri-panel canvas and an interactive “reveal” when opened. However, adding digital embellishments to a gatefold means you must be extremely precise in design and finishing:

• Alignment: The left and right panels must meet exactly at the center when folded. If you have a design (say a phrase or image) that spans the two panels, it will look terrible if there’s any misalignment or gap. Thus, your trimming and scoring tolerance is near zero. In Matt’s workflow, if he designs a gatefold, he will handle the printing, embellishing, and finishing in-house to maintain control. If different vendors do each step, the risk of slight size differences or shifts increases.

• Bleeding Foil Across Folds: Matt’s rule is generally avoid foiling across a fold or trim if you can. Foil (and heavy varnish) is essentially a thin layer of plastic sitting on the paper – if you try to fold or cut through it, it can crack or peel if not perfectly adhered. In the gatefold example, they had a photo covering the entire inside spread, and some text foiled near the folds. To prevent issues, they made sure the foil stopped short of the fold line by a few millimeters. Where the two gatefold panels met, they actually printed the background color/imagery slightly overlapping beyond the fold, but kept the foil elements shy of the fold. This way, when trimmed and folded, the foil artwork looked continuous but wasn’t actually crossing the hinge. It’s a subtle design modification that saves a lot of headaches.

  If one absolutely must have foil right up to a cut, Matt advises leaving a tiny unfoiled “gutter” and also performing a “nickel scratch test” on samples – i.e., scrape a coin over the foiled area and see if it chips. If foil is well-bonded (no flaking under moderate pressure), then it might survive trimming/folding. If it comes off easily, redesign to pull it back from the edge. As Marco added, thicker varnish layers are more prone to cracking when folded; sometimes using slightly less height on a fold line area can reduce stress.

• Scoring and Folding: Any embellished card stock should be scored before folding to avoid cracking. For gatefolds with coating, a channel score on a die-cutter or cylinder press works well. Matt often uses a 2mm wide score allowance. He shared a neat trick: in his Elite Print card, he printed a solid black line along the intended score (on the backside of the card). When that is folded, it conceals any potential white cracking with a dark edge. It also gives a visual guide for the scoring machine operator. The black line was about 5–6 points thick (2 mm) and it sits exactly on the fold – so after folding you see a clean dark edge rather than paper fiber. This is an excellent tip for designers: if your card edge will be seen (like on a gatefold or a dark-colored card), consider printing the fold line in a matching or dark color to mask cracks.

• Hand-Folding vs Machine: Due to the precision needed, embellished gatefolds are often folded by hand. Matt noted they sometimes deliver them flat to clients with instructions, or they hand-fold if quantity is manageable. If using a machine folder, go slow and make sure the fold plates/rollers are super clean (foil specks can offset).

The bottom line: Gatefolds look impressive but require planning. Always create a dummy mock-up to test panel sizes and design alignment. Provide extra bleed in the center in case of slight shifts. And engage your printer early to ensure they can cut and score to the needed accuracy. As Natalie recounted, one friend took on a wildly complex folded piece (a kite-shaped fold with variable names spanning it) and it turned into a marathon of hand-assembly – great end result, but very labor-intensive. So, gauge the complexity against the budget/timeline.

7. Transparent Holographic Foils – Subtle Sparkle

One of Matthew’s personal favorite effects is using clear holographic foils. He showed a card where the only embellishment was a clear foil with tiny holographic “dots” pattern (appropriately named “Lots of Dots”). When you look straight on, you barely notice anything, but tilt it and suddenly a constellation of rainbow dots shimmers into view. It’s an understated yet delightful effect. Sabine and others on the call who have used these clear foils agreed – they can add a layer of magic without obscuring the design or adding color. It’s especially good for snow, stars, fairy dust, or just an overall glimmer.

These foils are essentially transparent Mylar with embedded holographic elements. They can be applied just like normal foil (using a clear or white UV underlay for the adhesive). You can even layer them over a colored foil. Matt mentioned applying a transparent holographic on top of a red foil area, for instance – it gives a red sparkly result.

However, a caution: such specialty foils are often seasonal stock. Manufacturers like Crown Roll Leaf, Infinity Foils, and Kurz produce them mainly around Q4 for the holiday market . If you think you’ll want to use, say, a “snow sparkle overlay” foil throughout the year, you might need to buy a supply during the holidays and shelf it. (The group actually made a note to source transparent holographic foils from their suppliers now as an action item, before they go off-catalog after the season.)

Jason asked who carries the “Lots of Dots” clear foil – Matt answered that Crown Roll Leaf has one version, Infinity Foils (an imprint of Brethren Press) has some, and Kurz (a big foil manufacturer) also offers various holographic patterns. Checking with the foil supplier or MGI/Konica rep for a sample roll is a good start. Everyone agreed these clear foils can set a design apart in a way end customers haven’t seen before.

8. Humor in Design – The Varnish-Only “Nightmare” Card

For a bit of comic relief, Matt shared a slide from his deck that simply had the words “Everyone’s worst nightmare” in clear raised varnish (on a white card). It was a playful jab – because from some angles you don’t see anything (just a blank card), and from others you suddenly read the message in shiny relief. The group chuckled; many printers have had a nightmare job where something like forgetting to print the color and only the spot gloss plate gets printed could happen! In this case, it was intentional and tongue-in-cheek.

While not a serious project, it illustrated that embellishments alone can carry a design – even a message – in a very minimalist way. A card could, for example, have a hidden message only visible when tilted to the light. This could be a creative approach for invitations or interactive pieces (think secret messages revealed by light). Just another idea in the designer arsenal thanks to digital embellishment.

9. Elite Print Finishing’s 2025 Card – Putting it All Together

Finally, Matt revealed the card his company (Elite Print Finishing) produced for this year. It encapsulated many of the discussed techniques:

• Design: The card front featured a large ornament shape made up of overlapping white snowflakes on a shimmery pearl white stock. Within the ornament, holographic silver foil snowflakes were interspersed, creating a tone-on-tone sparkle. A bold red ribbon graphic was printed “holding” the ornament, and beneath was the company logo and greeting. The inside was printed as well (one side with a photo of the team, the other with a message).

• Embellishments: They used a holographic silver foil on the snowflakes (to maximize shine) and clear varnish on selected elements – Matt mentioned a textured varnish on the red ribbon to give it a fabric look, and a touch of clear gloss under the logo text. The layering of white ink, silver foil, and clear varnish gave a frosty, dimensional effect. When you move the card, the ornament’s snowflakes twinkle and almost create a slight optical illusion (some folks said it makes your eyes cross for a second – likely the parallax of overlapping foil and print).

• Technical details: Matt applied his trick of printing the score line in black on the inside. So when folded, the spine of the card has a sleek black edge, with no chance of white cracking showing on the dark printed areas. They debated laminating this card with soft-touch for an extra lush feel, but decided the bare print with spot UV was already effective (and laminating can sometimes mute the sparkle of a metallic stock).

• Outcome: The card feels festive and premium. Matt noted that when someone holds it, they do a double-take adjusting it in the light to catch the hidden details – exactly the kind of engaging experience you want a holiday card to deliver.

The fact that Elite planned it in July and executed it flawlessly shows in the result. It’s a showcase piece for their capabilities and also a nice gift to their clients.

10. Real-World Example – NC State University Card

One more example was briefly touched on: a project Elite did for NC State. It was a card that combined a full-color photo with embellishments. One side of the card had a printed photograph (presumably of the campus or a holiday scene) that went right up to a solid red area at the fold. They wanted to add foil text or logo on that photo.

Challenges and solutions for this project:

• They laminated the card with matte laminate on both sides for durability (hence the static issue earlier). This also gave a smooth surface for the embellishments.

• They extended the red color from inside around slightly to the front, so that when trimmed and folded, there wouldn’t be any white showing along the edge of the photo panel.

• They kept foils slightly away from the trim edges and score line. Matt showed how in the press feeding image, you could see the foil mask stopping short of where the card would be cut out – ensuring no foil got cut in half.

• Registration marks were used because the card had to be run through multiple processes (print, lamination, embellish, die-cut/score). In the end, everything lined up perfectly – a testament to planning and quality control.

This NC State piece demonstrated how to integrate embellishments into a complex design (photos + solids + foil) by smart file preparation: wrapping colors around edges, avoiding foil on critical lines, and testing adhesion (Matt likely did the nickel test here too due to foil being near a score).

Audience Q&A and Technical Nuggets

Throughout the meetup, attendees asked questions and shared tips, some of which we’ve weaved into the above sections. A few additional nuggets worth highlighting:

• Multi-level Varnish in One Pass: As discussed, you can simulate multiple varnish heights by using grayscale values in your spot mask (a technique often called dithering or screening the mask). For example, 100% K = full height, 50% K = half height. This can produce a relief effect without a second pass. Just be mindful of foil adhesion if using this under foil – stay above the minimum recommended thickness for any foiled areas (check your machine’s spec, ~30 microns typically).

• Mask File Preparation: Always specify vector vs raster intentionally. Small text or fine details should be vector in the mask for sharp edges. Large fills or patterns can be raster if derived from imagery, but ensure sufficient resolution. And remember to include crop/registration marks on every mask file if the job involves multiple runs.

• Testing and Iteration: Matt emphasized how he often runs one sheet first, examines it (in light, with a coin, folding it, etc.), then tweaks either the machine settings or even the artwork (like adjusting a mask a pixel or two) to perfect it. Digital embellishment is part art, part science – encourage your print provider to do a press proof and be part of that review if possible.

• Communication Between Designer and Operator: Marco’s advice was golden – if you’re a designer dreaming up an embellishment piece, talk to your printer early. Let them know, for instance, “I have 50 micron here and 15 micron here, can your process handle that in one go?” It might save a redesign if the operator knows they’ll have to do two passes or if they have to adjust something. Collaboration yields the best results in these high-end projects.

Key Takeaways and Action Items

To wrap up, here are the key takeaways and action items from the December 12 meetup:

• Plan Holiday Projects Early: Aim to design and produce holiday cards well ahead of the season. Last-minute requests risk delays in mailing (learn from those January card arrivals!).

  
  

• Emotional Impact Matters: Use embellishments (foil, varnish, emboss) to tap into emotions – make the recipient feel valued. A beautifully embellished card can be a memorable gift in itself.

  
  

• Choose the Right Paper: Decide if you want the cozy warmth of uncoated texture or the vivid punch of coated gloss. Uncoated stocks can work with digital embellishment if you seal them (aqueous coat, clear toner layer, or double-pass varnish) . New faux-uncoated digital papers are emerging – ask your suppliers.

  
  

• Technical Tricks for Uncoated: If using uncoated sheets, consider a pre-print clear primer (like a clear toner or a UV flood). Alternatively, run a thin varnish layer as a primer, then the full layer. Heavy coverage of CMYK (rich black) under foil areas can also act as a barrier.

  
  

• Static Control: When laminating or using plastic-heavy processes, mitigate static. Grounded tinsel or static string at feed and delivery can dramatically reduce static shocks and feeding issues . Maintain humidity and consider anti-static wipes if needed.

  
  

• Design for Registration: For multi-pass jobs, include alignment marks on your artwork. Give the embellishment camera plenty to latch onto for precise registration (e.g., small crosses near sheet edges in the spot UV color).

  
  

• Avoid Foil on Folds/Cuts: If your design has foil or thick varnish near a fold or trim, adjust it to avoid crossing the line. Leave a tiny gap or taper down the varnish thickness on the fold line to prevent cracking. Always score folded pieces and ideally hand-fold to preserve the embellishment.

  
  

• Multi-Level Effects: To create depth, you can vary varnish heights or do multiple passes. But ensure foiled elements aren’t below the adhesion threshold (e.g., >30µm if foiled). Testing is crucial to achieve the desired effect without sacrificing quality.

  
  

• Innovate with Color and Materials: Don’t be afraid to try non-traditional foil colors (pink, teal) or interesting materials (transparent holographic foils, textured papers) to set your cards apart. These can delight recipients with something unexpected.

  
  

• AI as a Tool: While controversial, AI image generation can be a fun way to create unique imagery or brainstorm concepts. Used thoughtfully (and transparently), it can augment your design process – but maintain your own style and quality control. Keep an eye on this space as it evolves  .

  
  

• Community and Learning: The meetup itself is a testament to continuous learning. Engage with communities (like the Digital Embellishment Alliance and groups like this one) to share experiences. As the technology is still relatively new, everyone benefits from pooled knowledge.

Looking Ahead

The December 12 meetup was rich with practical advice and creative inspiration for anyone involved in designing or producing embellished print. From philosophical questions about why we embellish, to nitty-gritty technical fixes for better output, the session demonstrated the value of printers, designers, and suppliers communicating and collaborating.

Everyone left with some new ideas to try – whether it’s a novel paper, a design twist, or a production hack. The holiday theme provided a festive backdrop, but many lessons (like registration techniques or the use of clear foil) apply year-round to all kinds of projects.

Before signing off, Kevin announced an exciting design contest on the horizon. In partnership with Harris & Bruno, HP, and Dscoop, Taktiful is launching a contest for designers to showcase their best embellished print designs. Winners will be submitted to the FSEA Gold Leaf Awards (a top honor in the foil/embossing world) and displayed at Dscoop Edge Rockies 2026, a major print conference in March . This is a fantastic opportunity for designers to gain recognition and for the community to further spread the word about the power of digital embellishment. Details were shared via a link in the chat (and presumably on Taktiful’s website), and Kevin encouraged all designers in the meetup to participate or share with colleagues. It’s yet another way to push creative boundaries and demonstrate what these techniques can do.

As the meetup wrapped, Kevin thanked everyone for their time and contributions, with special thanks again to sponsors MGI, PaperSpecs, and FSEA/DEA. The next meetup will be in the new year – and given the buzz, it just might dive deeper into AI-generated art or other cutting-edge topics as they relate to embellishments.

In summary, this session reinforced that successful digital embellishment is equal parts creativity, chemistry, and collaboration. By understanding materials, mastering your tools, and iterating on design ideas, you can create print pieces that truly dazzle. The community aspect – sharing failures and victories – makes everyone better equipped to elevate print to an art form that resonates emotionally. And as was evident throughout, the joy in doing so is contagious. Here’s to many more innovative prints and meetups in 2026!