Our foil stamping is made with custom metal stamps, so only certain characters can be stamped, and each cover design has a set character limit. This article lists the characters we can foil stamp, how accented letters are handled, and the character limits for each book and design.
What's included in this article?
- Why are there limits on foil stamping?
- Which characters can be foil stamped?
- Can I use accented letters or special characters?
- How many characters fit on my cover and spine?
- What if my text doesn't fit or uses a character that isn't available?
Why are there limits on foil stamping?
Each foil-stamped letter is pressed by hand using a custom metal stamp.
The stamps are physical pieces, so we can only offer the characters we have stamps for, and only as many as will fit cleanly in the stamping area of your design.
The editor won't let you go over the limit for your design, and it will flag characters we can't stamp.
Which characters can be foil stamped?
The characters available depend on the text size of your cover design. Most designs use standard (14 pt) or large (36 pt) title text. Minimalist designs use oversized text (96 pt) and have a shorter list.
| Character type | Standard and large title text | Minimalist (oversized) text |
|---|---|---|
| Letters | A–Z, a–z | A–Z, a–z |
| Numbers | 0–9 | 0–9 |
| Accented letters | á, é, ó, ü | Not available |
| Punctuation | Period ( . ), comma ( , ), apostrophe ( ' ), colon ( : ), semicolon ( ; ), quotation marks ( " " ) | Not available |
| Symbols | # & + - / ~ · | & + - |
Characters not listed here, such as emojis, ©, $, %, ?, and letters with other accents, can't be foil stamped.
Can I use accented letters or special characters?
Each character requires its own physical stamp, so we're unable to combine letters with separate accent marks to create new characters.
Looking for a character that isn't listed? We'd be happy to check! Please reach out to our Customer Experience team with the character you're hoping to use, and we'll confirm whether it's possible for your project. If we're unable to accommodate your request, we'll add it to our list of most-requested characters as we consider expanding our foil stamping options in the future.
If your desired character isn't available, you can also:
- Use the unaccented letter instead (for example, n in place of ñ).
- Add the text to a printed page inside your book, where all characters are available.
How many characters fit on my cover and spine?
Character limits depend on your book type, book size, and cover design. Limits include spaces and punctuation. When you add text to your cover in the editor, you'll see the maximum number of characters allowed.
What if my text doesn't fit or uses a character that isn't available?
Character limits and available characters are set by our stamping templates and can't be expanded. A few options:
- Shorten your text. Try initials, an abbreviated date (for example, 06.14.26), or & in place of "and."
- Choose a different cover design. Designs with smaller text allow more characters. Find them under Layouts or Cover Design on the left side of the editor.
- Try a different book size. Larger sizes often allow more characters.
- Move the text inside your book. Printed pages have no character limits and support all characters.