Both the stamping die and counter die are flat. The foil and print substrate are brought into contact with a defined contact pressure through a controlled vertical movement of the counter die. As a result the die is pressed against the print substrate and the hot-stamping printing process is initiated.

The contact pressure is distributed uniformly over the entire surface. Stamping foil and print substrate remain motionless during the transfer. Contact time = stamping time.

Once the counter die has returned to its original position, the spent foil is advanced a defined distance. This controlled transport is known as foil advance. The entire process takes place in a fraction of a second.

As a rule, the pressure in a machine system such as this is generated by means of the knuckle-joint principle. Modern hot-stamping printing machines are equipped with up to four pairs of knuckle joints. This provides high pressure reserves and guarantees a uniform pressure distribution even under unbalanced loading. In a few cases the pressure is generated by means of eccentrics or cranks. These do not generate the same pressure as the knuckle joint system, however.

The high contact pressures required for stamping foil printing onto large format sheets places high demands on the construction of the printing unit. The necessary precision sheet feeding system using chain grippers is also expensive. This is clearly evident when comparing the prices of printing systems.