Embossing
What do you need to know when you emboss your job? What pitfalls do you need to avoid?
First, be aware that embossing is a mechanical process that manipulates the paper stock--and, by default, also manipulates your design. Also be aware that embossing follows the printing stage. Embossing before printing would provide a more fragile product that would be crushed by the press rollers during the printing process. With these facts in mind, do the following when planning for embossing:
1. Set your type with more space between letters than usual. Once embossed, the letters will be slightly closer than you had initially placed them. This goes for small design elements as well. If you put them too close to one another, they can merge and become one element once the embossing has been done.
2. To avoid wrinkling your printing paper, keep design elements away from the edges of the sheet.
3. Set your type larger than 9 point. In fact, use this approach with all design elements, including rules. Embossing makes design elements look smaller and reduces the sharpness of smaller items. Rules that are too thin may also cut through the paper, so make your rules larger than 1/32 inch.
4. Consider the heat and pressure an embossed piece will endure when you design anything that will run through a xerox machine or laser printer. Digital printing equipment will flatten your embossing. If you're feeling lucky, at least run a test embossed sheet through your equipment before committing to embossing the entire press run. Also, the depth of the embossing does make a difference as well.
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