Embossing can be thought of like a paper mountain – where the image is pushed from behind the sheet to raise the image above the paper. Embossing requires two dies or plates (male and female) to produce a sharp, clean result.

Debossing can be thought of like a paper valley – where the image is pushed down from above the sheet to bite the image into the paper. Debossing is a by-product of contemporary letterpress and is what gives it a unique hand-crafted look.