Embossing or Debossing
Our most popular customisation method, suitable for all materials. Your logo is milled onto a brass die, heated and impressed into the cover of your notebook.
Debossed or Embossed Notebook
Debossing, also known as blind debossing, is quite often mixed up with the notion of embossing. However they are similar techniques. We, at Bookblock, will rather use the word “debossed” for your logo. Indeed, rather than the image coming up, out of the cover, it is pressed into the material to leave an indented texture. On the other hand, embossing or blind embossing, the pressure will be apply from the back to create a goffering of the image on the front. This method is preferred for stationery work, like letterhead or enveloppes for instance. One way to actually get a proper embossing effect on a book would be to deboss the frame around the logo, rather than the logo itself, like on this clothbound diary made for Saatva. But it is a strong stance, and people usually just go for a debossing, more adapted to most brands artwork.
Why Deboss your notebooks?
Debossing is one of the simplest and most popular ways to brand your notebooks. There is no limit in size for your artwork. We can deboss full bleed on a hardbound journal for instance. Complex artworks may loose a bit of detail in small intricate parts. In this case we will make a brass made die which gives higher definition. A debossed logo gives a classic and elegant look to your journal. It is a perfect option for corporate journals . We strongly recommend this technique on certain material (ie real or bonded leather), as it will highlight the material much better than a print. It is also a rather fast process : once your proof gets validation, the die goes into making, and it’s only a couple of days upon completion. Therefore it is a good option if you need some notebooks in a rush for some clients or for an event.
How do we deboss your logo?
Firstly, your logo is milled on a brass or magnesium bit. This is called a die stamp. Once ready, the technician will then use the stamp, combining both heat and pressure, to impress your logo onto the notebook cover. We own manual and pneumatic machinery, depending on quantity and timeframe you might have. We leave the die-stamp a little cooler on our hardcover leather notebooks, which leaves a slick and subtle impression, and can cope with fine detail. For soft leather notebooks, we will deboss a bit deeper, as the soft leather springs back. Both our fabric and Moleskine-style PU notebooks achieve a similar finish, as the bookcloth material is stretched over greyboard. It is the greyboard that is compressed, with the material forming over the curve.
Pricing: What are the costs of Debossing?
All our prices for customized journals include a single debossed logo by default. An extra debossing costs around £1 or $1.5 per Notebook. But the more you order the cheaper it gets. The table represents the average cost of a debossed customised notebook with a single debossing.
Can I deboss my logo on any notebook?
Yes, pretty much. Debossing can be achieved on all kind of material, from card to leather including cloth. Obviously thicker and softer the material gets, easier and better the result is. Debossing works particularly well on a leather cover journal but we can brand all kind of notebooks with this technique. We can also deboss your logo on faux leather, any PU vegan leather or cloth. Some faux leather journals are thermo reactive, like the Castelli Tucson notebook or Bookblock Toucan. This results in a lovely contrasted two-tone effect. A debossing on card is similar to letterpress.