Make Your Book Shine with Custom Foil Cover Treatments

November 18, 2020 (Last Updated March 05, 2025)

Marcy G.

Need your self-published book to stand out but not sure how to design it? We all judge books by their covers. It’s only natural — the cover is the first thing we see! You can make sure your self-published book gives a good first impression with custom foil book covers

Accent your book design with a foil book cover treatment from 48 Hour Books to make your book stand out. This glossy metallic addition can be used in a variety of ways to give your book a luxe, professional appearance — just like the big-name bestsellers.

Foil in a flash

Foil cover treatments add richness to your book’s cover for a truly high-end look. You can place foil on an image, on a design element, or on your title — anywhere you like. Your readers will be able see and feel the metallic shine. It’s an instant attention-getter.

Even better, adding foil doesn’t add a lot of turnaround time to your book order. In fact, we only need a few extra days to give your book this royal treatment!

Why should I use foil covers when publishing?

Why add foil to your book’s cover? Perhaps the better question would be, why wouldn’t you use foil? A stroll down the aisle at your nearest bookseller will show that nearly every book from today’s major publishing houses uses foil treatments on its cover.

Foil stamping and embossing shows the reader that your book is worthy of such good company, and that the utmost care and attention was given to it. It’s a touch that assures the reader that your book was professionally printed and produced, and that it’s worth their time and money to read. In fact, such attention to detail on your book’s cover is an important component in the marketing of your book as well as your brand.

Which foil to choose?

As you make decisions about the printing of your book, from cover design to trim size to binding style, you’ll be able to decide which foil method and color to choose as well.

At 48 Hour Books we have two foil cover options. Which one you pick will depend on the cover option you select.

Foil Stamping

Foil stamping is a heat-bonded process that applies metallic foil to a book’s cover. It’s an old-school method that looks rich and elegant. We provide foil stamping for hard cover books with cloth or leather covers, so the foil adds an extra layer of elegance.

See exactly how the treatment is applied using a heat-press in this foil-stamping process video.

 

 

Black cloth book cover with silver foil stamping

 

Diamond 3D

What is Diamond 3D printing? This dazzling metallic cover option adds foil with an extra raised surface, so your title or design element literally stands out. With Diamond 3D, you can add foil treatments to any style of book cover, including softcover and even dust jackets! Check out our Diamond 3D foil cover treatments.

Plus, you can apply the embossing look of Diamond 3D to the entire cover if you choose — not just a select few words or a single image. It’s a great way to add shine and texture over a wide area, elevating the design and providing a rich, tactile experience. See the shine in this Diamond 3D video.

 

Diamond 3D is more affordable than foil stamping, which is useful for self-publishing authors on a budget, because it gives you the professional look of foil accents without breaking the bank.

You can see a sample of our foil cover treatments while learning the entire self-publishing process by ordering our Ultimate Guide to a 48-Hour Book. We invite you to see and feel the difference a professional foil application can give to your book — it’s a look you won’t find at other self-publishing printers! Use 48 Hour Books as your printing and publishing company today.

 

48 Hour Books' Diamond 3D printing in blue foil

 

Ready to print your book? Get a quick price quote online or reach out to one of our specialists to get started.

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Print Painlessly

Sign up for the 48 Hour Books newsletter to learn how to self-publish your book — and get it printed faster with us than anywhere else.

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