Kaleido Foiling and Die Cutting Machine

This is not intended as a review of the Kaleido machine from Crafts Too but as I've had one for a few months I've decided it's time to post about how I'm getting on with it.

I still have (and use) my GoPress & Foil and I often use both machines in creating cards.

The Kaleido machine has been designed to make it easy to create foiled images or text from normal stamps - either rubber of acrylic/photopolimer.  The machine is essentially a die cutting machine that has a heated roller.  It works with a special stamping and stencilling mediums which when covered with toner reactive foil and passed through the rollers (when hot) transfer the foil where the medium has been used. The Kaleido can also be used to apply toner reactive foil to items printed on a laser printer (or photocopier) instead of using a laminator type machine such as a Minc foiling machine.

 

The mediums used for stamping and stencilling are easy to clean up and the kaleido stamping ink is applied to stamps as you would normal stamping ink.  Ink comes in a bottle used to re-ink the pad as the ink dries out quite quickly even when the lid is put on the ink pad.  The stencil medium is thicker and dries with a raised surface - similar to a gel medium or stencil paste but the "ink" can also be used with stencils applied with a sponge applicator or ink blending brush.

I've always used some ink stamping in my card making - mostly to create backgrounds, but I'm now looking at stamps in a whole new way and using some that I've had for years but never used.  

I'm also finding that stamps that go with coordinating die sets have lots of possibilities - these flowers for example, are made using Dreamees stamp and die sets.  I've stamped onto vellum with the Kaleido ink and then foiled before cutting out.

There are some limitations as to the types of card/paper you can use.  Many metallic, pearl and coated (shiny) card has a treatment on the surface that reacts with the foil - so foil is transferred everywhere the foil is, not just to the stamped or laser printed image.   I have a colour laser printer that I print backgrounds and toppers with, and I can't use the Kaleido to add foiling to those.

The Kaleido is also a die cutting machine - but if you are using it for die cutting it is best to have a separate set of plates to use when foiling so that they remain smooth and flat.

If you've read this far then your probably wondering what this machine looks like and how it's used - so here's the first video I've made using my Kaleido machine to create a foiled card.

This is the card made in the video