Embossing is an attractive and essential technique. When done properly it can take designs from good to great! It can enhance the look and feel of any surface, whether it paper, cloth or metal. It gives a piece added value and stands out from the rest.
With a host of elements involved, embossing can take a while to master. So, at Champions Creative we have put together some top tips to help you take your embossing skills to the next level:
• Embossing is not suited to fine details, such as small type or shapes with thin lines, as tolerances will be too small to register.
• You’ll get the best result when you don’t match the embossed area with the printed objects, and instead, treat it as a design element in its own right.
• Choose the right sort of paper, as the textures play an important role in embossing. Heavily coated, lightweight, varnished papers or recycled are not good for embossing because cracking can occur and with the recycled paper it becomes too weak to withstand the pressure.
• Blind embossing tends to make type and images looks as though they have shrunk. For this reason, increase the size of the font and emboss a few points larger than usual. And, another top tip - be sure to make any graphics or designs slightly ‘fatter’ when they are being embossed.
• For greater clarity, small serif and tapered lines do not produce the best results. The thinnest part of the font should be no smaller that 1mm in width.
• Allow a bit of space between each letter, to ensure that your design doesn’t merge into one because at the end of the day it has to be functional and legible.
• Always be aware that the reverse of the printed item will be de-bossed, this may distort the design or text on the reverse. A lot of clients and designers often forget to take this into consideration.
• Avoid areas of embossing bleeding off the edge of the artwork. When it comes to being guillotined, it may chip, flake or flatten the embossed area and be highly noticeable on the finished product.
Don’t be afraid to emboss different elements. Not sure what is possible? We are happy to advise on what can make your branding stand out from the rest.
Contact us at [email protected] or drop us a line 08453 31 30 31.
