WIGAN, UK. October 8th, 2025 – Thousands of baby hand and footprint keepsakes across the UK are fading away, leaving parents heartbroken as what they believed were permanent mementoes quietly vanish, according to a new report.
The revelation comes following a year-long experiment by The Bespoke Foil Company, a Wigan-based business that specialises in lasting foil keepsakes. The founders, Ashley and Ryan Eccleston, were inspired to investigate after hearing repeated stories from parents whose treasured newborn prints had begun to fade within months of creation.
In the experiment, the team purchased a standard low-cost toner foiling print kit – the type widely available online and used by many families to capture their baby’s first prints. They photographed the same print each week over the course of twelve months. Within just twelve weeks, the once-clear newborn handprint had already begun to blur. By the end of the year, the image had all but disappeared.
The results were documented in full in their report, Don’t Let Your Memories Fade Away, published on their website. The findings have raised serious questions about the longevity of cheaper inkless print kits that are marketed as keepsakes but fail to stand the test of time.
Ashley Eccleston, Co-founder and Chief Memory Keeper at The Bespoke Foil Company, said: “When Ryan first showed me those prints that had been sitting on the shelf, I honestly felt sick. We’d left them there by accident after one of my baby events, and within just a few weeks, the details had started to blur. By three months, they were barely recognisable.
“As a mum myself, I kept thinking about all the families who’d trusted these standard inkless kits to preserve their most precious memories, not knowing they’d fade away. That moment made me question everything – why were we in this business if we couldn’t guarantee that these irreplaceable moments would last? It completely reinforced our commitment to Foil Fusion Technology and made me even more determined to educate parents about the difference between a temporary print and a permanent keepsake.”
The company’s exclusive Foil Fusion process, developed over five years, permanently embeds metallic foil into the fibres of the card rather than sitting on the surface like toner foiling. This method prevents fading, cracking or peeling, ensuring each print remains as clear and detailed as the day it was made.
For The Bespoke Foil Company, the experiment was more than a technical test – it was a wake-up call for the entire keepsake industry. Many parents believe they are investing in lifelong mementoes, unaware that some materials deteriorate rapidly when exposed to light, heat or air.
The company hopes that their findings will encourage greater transparency in how baby keepsake products are marketed and raise awareness among new parents looking to preserve their baby’s earliest memories.
ENDS