Embossing Prints

[D. Bryant]

I'm interested in using an embossing tool to emboss my prints (traditional and digital) with my signature.

The embossment would be placed in an non-image area somewhere on the border of the print.

Is anyone out there doing this? If so where did you source your embossing tool. I'm not not done an exhaustive search locally but so far I can find a business supply that can create a rectangular embossing plate with my signature. I know I would a heavy duty long throat embosser for thicker material.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Don Bryant

[shadow images]

Any specialty paper store should be able to get you a embossing tool.

[Frank Petronio]

I had plates made years ago and had them installed in this:

[Louie Powell]

I've bought professonal seals at Staples. They can also do signatures - they just cost more.

[D. Bryant]

I've bought professonal seals at Staples. They can also do signatures - they just cost more.

I called their 800 number today and they tell me they don't make rectangular plates.

After posting I found a couple of online sources. I'd rather buy locally though.

Thanks,

Don

[D. Bryant]

I had plates made years ago and had them installed in this:

Thanks for the photo. Iwas hoping to find something with a "Deeper Throat"! :)

Don

[Frank Petronio]

Deeper throat? You quickly move into press territory. Some are only a foot or so tall, others can do poster-sized sheets for the book printing industry.

All these cutesy hobby ladies doing scrapbooking have created a market for less expensive plastic versions, please do some research and inform us!

For $10 I got a simple corner rounder at Hobby Lobby and use it for postcards. It used to cost me $75 per corner to get rounded corners on a run of business cards.

[cyrus]

Isn't photographic paper too thick to really get embossed? Would it crack the emulsion? How would you mount an embossed print wouldn't the matting flatten it?

[Frank Petronio]

Don't dry mount it, hang it.

Don't press so hard the paper cracks. Look a best-selling paperback, those have coated paper covers... they aren't cracked. You could always do it when the print is still not completely dry from washing.

Cartier-Bresson and others embossed their prints.

[keith schreiber]

Hi Don,

I looked into this a few years ago but never followed through - thanks for the reminder.

If you want a local source, look up "Rubber Stamps" in the phone book.

Googling "heavy-duty embosser" will turn up lots of sources such as this (http://www.fredlake.com/category.aspx?categoryID=976).

These things aren't really intended for embossing the ~300gsm watercolor and printmaking papers that we use for Pt/Pd and other hand-coated alternative processes. To get a good emboss will probably require doing it while the paper is damp.

I have seen some super heavy-duty cast iron industrial strength embossing presses but I don't remember where. If you can find one of these you could then get custom plate made for it.

Maybe someone who does letterpress printing would have some other ideas.

Cheers,
Keith

[Steve Gledhill]

Don,

I use an embosser. I've copied below my reply to someone else who asked me the same question, which in turn was a reply to another someone else!. As you see, my supplier is here in the UK, but you may find the overall information helpful.


The emboss stamp is a really nice addition to a print. I usually use it in the white border around a print but occasionally, inside the picture area - but only if it is unobtrusive.

I've attached a couple of pictures that show the embosser. In the close-up of the emboss head you can see the top of my logo. The company from which I bought it will make up emboss stamps to your own design so I simply created the logo in photoshop and sent it as a jpg file with instructions on size. Someone else has asked me about this - here's what I sent them ...

I bought it last year specifically to emboss larger limited edition prints. Who knows whether or not it’s a good idea? But I like it. It was expensive; here’s the quote for it:

· Embassy IDF press with insert clip to emboss SjG logo: £255 plus VAT. [About US$500]

· Impression size: 25mm top-bottom

· Fitting: Right Hand Side

· Delivery: 7-10 days.

Their website: http://www.bolsons.co.uk/

And their brochure link: http://www.bolsons.co.uk/Complete%20Brochure.pdf

I designed the logo in PhotoShop – simply my three initials sized and positioned on PhotoShop layers then flattened. The design is much larger than the stamp – the supplier reduces it to your specified size; 25mm in my case. The catalogue shows smaller, so less expensive, designs BUT – the key is to determine what is the maximum distance from the paper edge you want the logo. The further away the longer the ‘reach’ so the heavier and more rigid the press needs to be. With mine I can have 90mm of clear paper before the emboss. Also, the heavier the material to be embossed, the heavier duty the stamp needs to be. My stamp is ok for the heaviest papers I am likely to use. The figures they give (e.g. 200gsm or 250gsm) are very cautious. My papers are over 300gsm and this works perfectly – as long as you only want a light emboss. I sent them samples to confirm suitability for my papers. The orientation of the emboss stamp is fixed so I specified that I wanted the emboss to be on the right hand side of the paper – you can specify top, bottom, left or right.

I'm certain you'll find a US supplier of such things. You certainly wouldn't want to ship the whole thing to the US - it's very heavy!

[Ron McElroy]

Don,

I use an embosser.
[/INDENT]

Your logo looks good on the print from the folio exchange.

[D. Bryant]

Deeper throat? You quickly move into press territory. Some are only a foot or so tall, others can do poster-sized sheets for the book printing industry.

All these cutesy hobby ladies doing scrapbooking have created a market for less expensive plastic versions, please do some research and inform us!

For $10 I got a simple corner rounder at Hobby Lobby and use it for postcards. It used to cost me $75 per corner to get rounded corners on a run of business cards.

Damn Frank you know everything worth knowing!:)

[D. Bryant]

Don,

I use an embosser.

Steve seeing your emboss on your print exchange print as well the emboss on palladium prints made by Amy Holmes George reminded me of wanting to follow up on this as I've been wanting to add that touch to my prints for years.

Thanks for the write up.

Don

[Scott Walker]

I was quite impressed with the embossing on Steve's print as well, I thought it complemented an excellent image rather well.