How to prevent scratching of the gold stamping on hardcover books with large-area foil stamping?

In our book production process, especially for high-end hardcover books,such as romantic fiction novel book collector's edition, we often encounter issues with large-area gold-stamped covers (particularly when the stamped areas need to be wrapped into the edges). Such books are highly prone to scratches on the gold-stamped parts, which has been a major headache in our production. Is there a way to completely resolve this issue? Is large-area gold stamping simply not feasible for books? Below, we will share some of our experiences using our coffee table books cover as examples(picture 1&2). The edges of the book cover need to be wrapped into the spine, so we cannot make the gold stamping after wrapping.

If we just wrapping the cover like normal books, the following issue may arise: the gold-stamped areas inevitably get scratched. For a high-end book, especially a collector's edition, this is absolutely unacceptable and cannot be considered qualified in terms of quality.(picture 3&4)

1.We did some treatment on the cover foil area, with easy to move stickers, want to protect the

Foil are when do the cover wrapping.  However, the test results were not satisfactory. Firstly, the protection was insufficient, as other areas remained prone to scratches. Secondly, the stickers were prone to causing paper jams, peeling off, or leaving adhesive residue. (picture 5)

2.Modify the book-covering machine by wrapping areas prone to friction with felt, as shown in the image below.

2.Implement full coverage of the cover paper

Ensure that the gold-stamped pattern is completely covered by the cover paper. Using a very thin paper, such as bible paper 30-50gsm, and remove-able sticker to fix the paper, same as the picture below:

The drawback of this method is that it requires extensive manual labor and a large inventory of spare materials. However, it offers the best protection effect—at the highest cost.

Additional points to note:

A.When casing in the books, adjust the machinery of the hardcover bookbinding line to avoid B.scratches caused by conveyor belts.

C.Implement comprehensive quality control, conducting thorough inspections before shipment to ensure every copy is flawless.

Use eco-friendly soft plastic bags for packaging, protecting each book individually before boxing.

Below is the improved result—the books look exceptionally elegant.

If you require printing services for high-end books with extensive gold foil stamping, feel free to contact us for a quote! Thank you