September 2003: Set Your Products Apart With Embossing

As new products hit the marketplace and retail shelf space becomes increasingly valuable, marketers are looking for designs that grab the attention of prospective customers quickly and effectively. Embossing and debossing is a great way to set book covers, software and other product packaging apart from the crowd. Of course, embossing and debossing is also ideal for adding elegance to annual reports, yearbooks, pocket folders and more.

When planning a project for embossing or debossing, keep the following tips in mind to be sure your products turn out exactly as you envision.

Will the Embossing be Blind or Registered?
Embossing that’s designed to stand on its own and not register to print or foil stamping is referred to as blind embossing. Registered embossing, on the other hand, registers to printed images. Blind embossing is commonly used on the cover of a perfect-bound book, while registered embossing is often used to highlight certain areas of an image, or to make text appear to pop off the page. Registered embossing can be designed to register to print or foil stamping.

How Much Detail Do You Want? 

The three most common types of embossing dies are single-level, multiple-level and sculptured. To determine which one is right for your project, we need to know the amount of detail and intricacy you want in the embossed image. 

Single-level dies offer one level of detail - often with beveled sides - making them ideal for adding depth to words and other simple images. Single-level dies are made of copper or magnesium, and are etched with a chemical to form the image.

Multi-level dies allow for more intricate and detailed embossing than single-level dies. They are usually formed with brass, which offers more detail than a copper die. For the most intricate embossing, a sculptured die can be formed from brass. A sculptured die often requires significant hand tooling to achieve the desired level of detail. 

Specify a Sufficient Stock

The embossed area is formed when paper is pressed against the die using heat and force. In general, a heavier-gauge paper will tend to pick up more detail from the die, giving you the most desirable results. For that reason, we encourage customers to specify a minimum stock weight of 7 pt. cover for all embossing applications. This is particularly important for multi-level and sculptured dies, which require a thick stock in order to transfer as much detail as possible.

THE RIVERSIDE EDGE

The embossing process is complex and requires plenty of communication between designer, printer and finisher to turn out properly. Simplify production of your projects by consolidating embossing with other post press services. At The Riverside Group, we can combine embossing with services such as foil stamping, die cutting, folding, gluing, adhesive binding and mechanical binding to create a complete “under one roof” binding and finishing solution.