The FoilXpress machine is manufactured in the US by Impress Systems, and is being distributed in the UK by Unibind.

The compact, table-top unit operates via a PC interface and users simply enter the wording or logo they require into a Word document, and then ‘print’ to the FoilXpress.

The device is fitted with a single cold-foiling head and can foil a maximum area of 57x150mm at a time. The foiling head can be repositioned manually across the print bed in order to apply foil in multiple locations, for example on a photobook cover.

The foil is applied using hundreds of tiny needles, so it is effectively ‘tattooed’ onto the substrate. The head pressure can also be adjusted to suit different types of stock.

A FoilXpress machine costs £8,495, and rolls of the special foil required are £50 for a 91-metre roll, which gives a minimum of 600 impressions.

"If you are foiling the maximum format, the foil cost is 8p," explained Unibind commercial account manager Greg Dowling. "We think it’s ideal for student dissertations, theses, photobooks, business cards – all sorts of things. We even foiled some polyester earlier as an experiment."

Unibind has already sold a machine straight off its stand at Northprint, to Hastings-based Berforts. Berforts managing director Gerald White said: "It’s the first foiling machine we’ve seen that is computer-controlled, so we can make a book of one. And it’s very affordable."