PROJECT 159, although formed in 2007, has 21 years of Hot Foil Printing behind the company.

This print technique is often referred to as Gold Blocking or Hot Stamping. The company is the latest venture of entrepreneur JOHN SHARP. His first print business was known as SHARP GRAPHICS. Launched in the early eighties on the back of Citizens Band radio, a large proportion of the turnover was supplying QSL cards to Radio Amateurs and CBers and the QSL cards were ordered and collected world wide.

In 1980 Albafoil Ltd was formed and moved into supplying and distributing Hot Stamping foils to other printers in the UK. Around 1993 SHARP GRAPHICS was sold to concentrate on the distribution business. But early in 2000/2001 demands for foil testing as part of customer service strategy lead to the re-acquisition of plant, which, in turn, lead to a few print jobs being undertaken and this grew, thereby improving the overall profitability of Albafoil.

In January 2007 the stock and assets were bought by FOILCO Ltd, the largest distributor of Stamping Foils in the UK.