Raised borders on prints

[Grandsire]

Whilst not strictly speaking a framing issue, I'm hoping perhaps that someone in this forum can point me in the right direction. As a sideline to framing, I sometimes make giclee prints of my customers' work for them - usually a few at a time, so on a very small scale. Nevertheless it's interesting and quite profitable work as once the origination and proofing etc is out of the way, reprints are simply a matter of pressing the print button on the PC, and this work also often generates further mounting and framing income. I would now like to offer prints with a raised surround - I think it's called debossing (the opposite of embossing?), but despite trawling through Google have been unable to find anything that creates a raised rectangular border on heavy paper and card. There's plenty of craft packages that make fancy flower and wavy line designs etc, but nothing that does low volume, straightforward rectangles. One final thought - as most of these rectangular borders are likely to be of different sizes, the process would need to be sufficiently flexible to avoid the necessity of an individual tool for each size of rectangle. Does anyone have any thoughts or knowledge on this subject?

[Graysalchemy]

I take it you want an effect similar to an engraving? I have done it before using a vacuum press and a rectangle of mount board over the area to be debosed. Worked very well if I remember but you do need a vacuum press though.

[IFGL]

now that is a great idea, it's little nuggets of awesomeness like that, that keep me reading the forum.

[Grandsire]

The vacuum press idea sounds elegantly simple - I don't have one so I'll start scouring eBay etc for something suitable. Thank you!

[Graysalchemy]

You could also try using a deep bevel mount using the inside and out side and pushing it through a cold rollers, never tried it but it may work. The hot press one certainly works.

[prospero]

That's a very crafty trick AG.

There might be a few hard bed presses (with steering wheel on the top) floating about. Cheaper than a vac press. Cold rollers maybe wouldn't work so well as a heat press will humidify the print a tad making the indentation better.

[Dave]

I've got an old vac press (double mountboard ish size) that i have never used. It has a solid lid as opposed to the glass one and I've never felt brave enough to use it. I suspect though that if you've the room for it, it would probably be pefectly fine to do this. If anybody wanted to come and take it away it's probably a bargain (free). I would want some small consideration for the vac pump though as this is easily saleable on its own.

Dave

[chris62]

I did think of doing this some years ago, but you are trying to make it look like something that it will never be

[prospero]

That's Show Business.

[Graysalchemy]

Th reason why the vacuum works is that the rubber diaphram moulds round the board pushing the print against the glass hence making the indent. A flat bed press or rollers would need the outer part of the mount to form a mould to push the print up, but as Peter says the moisture and heat in the hot press probably makes it better.

[prospero]

A foam blanket in a hardbed press will do the same as the rubber diaphragm.

[Graysalchemy]

I didn't know that.