Ed #6 Embossing / Foil Stamping

From the time that Roman emperors first stamped a seal on official documents, raising the type or designs that appear on paper has given them a special meaning. It literally adds a whole new dimension.

Embossing starts with a metal relief die, a matching counter die and an embossing press. Paper is placed between the die and the counter, heat and pressure are applied, and the type or design is pressed into the stock. When the image is raised above the surface of the stock, it is embossed; when it is indented below the surface, it is debossed. “Blind” embossing (or debossing) means that the embossed image appears by itself, without needing to be registered, or precisely positioned, against the edge of any printed color or foil coating. See chart, “die-a-grams”

Embossing is available in a variety of shapes and depths. The raised or recessed image may be flat, dome shaped, v-shaped or beveled. Sculptured dies create softly rounded edges at various depths; multilevel dies create a number of distinct levels, separated by bevels. Depending on the die and the paper used, the depth of the embossing can range from a subtle .004 inch to a dramatic .025 inch.

Dies are made from a variety of materials using several techniques, including hand tooling, photo etching and a computer-controlled cutting machine. Brass dies, which are typically the most expensive, are used for high-volume and high-quality projects, because engravers can hand finish the material into complex, multilayered designs and because the same die can be used to make more than one million impressions. Copper dies are less expensive than brass dies but typically can make only up to 100,000 impressions. Rather than being tooled by hand or machine, copper dies are photo etched to create single-level designs. Magnesium dies, which are softer than brass or copper, can be tooled or etched, but because the material is soft, the dies do not hold up well, and typically are used only for small print runs, from 1,000 to 5,000 impressions. In projects where the same embossed design is printed a number of times on the same sheet, a master die is created and then duplicate dies, cast from resin, are used to stamp the design.