Embossing

Embossing, the practice of raising figures in relief half, high, or low (mezzo, alto, basso rilievo) upon surfaces such as paper, wood, leather, bronze or the like. Some substances are embossed by means of dies which under great pressure depress the parts not intended to be in relief. A method of embossing upon wood is to depress the parts intended to be in relief, then to plane the wood to a level with them, and to soak it in water, when the depressed parts rise to their former level.