Embossing Prints

[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.