the term “Debossed”

I’m a little bit puzzled by the term ‘de-bossed’ as well. Shouldn’t it just be ‘embossed’? Where does ‘de-bossed’ come from?

Too bad “Boss” doesn’t seem to derive from the same “-boss” in emboss. This one source suggests that “-boss” came from “boce”, meaning “a hump, swelling, tumor.”

I bet plenty of folk would notice the similarity to their employer!

But I don’t think clients would take me up on an offer to tumor up their ephemera.

Source: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=emboss

Embossing is pushing an image from behind the sheet to raise it above the paper surface.

‘De-bossing’ sounds like we’re trying to flatten an embossed image and make the paper flat again!

Surely the term for pressing something into the paper to sink it below the surface should be ‘impressing’. It’s the principle of our beloved letterpress.

In French the difference can be made with ‘haut-relief’ (raised) and ‘bas-relief’ (lowered, or engraved). By the way, ‘em’ comes from the old French ‘into’ and ‘boce’, stands for protuberance.
Debossing is as much a mystery to me as ‘deep letterpress’.

actually, I think the term is one of those pseudo-sophisitcated words that somebody recently made up to sound more intelligent than us mere mortals.

In my entire carreer, which has been a long one, I’ve never heard an experienced designer, or a veteran printer use the term “deboss”. The only place I’ve encountered it is in the amateur hobby-printing world…. and even then it’s mostly used by inexperienced folks.

BUT hey…. I personally don’t care what words a person uses as long as they are sincere in trying to learn the techniques.

However….. to keep things lively, I’d like to throw a challenge out there: can anyone who now uses the term “deboss” or “debossing”, actually find a reference to the term that predates maybe 2000 or so? If they CAN then maybe it’s a legitimate term…. if not then is it a pseudo-made-up term? Hhhmmmm?

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Aren’t panel cards debossed?

I just looked at all my panel card boxes…. none o them are labelled as debossed

Debossing Debunked. Let’s hear it for “Deep Impression”!
When we look at quality English language dictionaries and explore the words “bossing”, “embossing” and then can’t find “debossing” that just about says it all.
To take “debossing” to a conclusion it would be infact be returning the surface of the stock back to its original state, flat, however one could only imagine the mess made to the surface of the stock. So, please no more cute and poorly thought out terms for this process.
Most of what I’m saying has been stated by others earlier in this stream. I think “deep impression” is a more appropriate term as it is more positive and reflects the excellent results being made in letterpress printing. “Excess impression” is also acceptable but the use of the word “excess” implies poor makeready. “Crash” numbering or impression is appropriate for letterpress numbering machines, the intention is to crash through the stock, ie carbonless paper or carbon papered sets to
save on press time and facilitate accurate collating of the parts. A bit rough on the numbering machines, but in the cost of things, cheaper to wear out a numbering machine than to often feed offset printed sheets through a letterpress machine, technology has moved on since then in this area. So let’s hear it for “Deep Impression” rather than the other term.
William Amer, Rockley NSW

Actually, the correct term is blind impression, but deboss is just too widespread in use to ignore.

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Deep Impression it in and since I’m my own boss the term of throwing me out is now out. Over and out.

Folks, the traditional terminology is what it is. What? did we just have a wipe out of intelligence here?

Gerald

One of the engraver’s web sites defines emboss and deboss as….

Embossing dies provide a raised readable mark, whilst debossing dies mean a sunken relief can be achieved.

Strangely, “deboss” is not in the dictionary, but if it is used or abused enough it will be!

The term used for panel cards is ‘plate sunk’. It may be a UK term though.

I’ve had 35 years in the trade and never heard the term deboss until about 4 years ago, when a customer rang up and asked for a logo debossed on a leather folder. Essentially he wanted it pressed into the leather.
I find the term very confusing. I envisage a customer collecting a debossed job only to find it’s been embossed, or vice versa!

‘De-construct’ is to undo a construction, would ‘de-boss’ mean undo em-boss? Let’s just stick with ‘emboss’. That has been the correct term for decades.

Gerald…. are you asserting that “Debossed” and “Debossing” are traditional terms? Or just the opposite?

You might be right…. but I can’t find any reference in print prior to about 2005 or so that actually uses the term in relation to printing or the book arts, and I’ve got dozens of reference books. If it were a “tradtional term” wouldn’t it appear in reference works? The closest I can find is “embossing”, “blind embossing” and similar terms.

There are a few current websites that use it in relation to deep blind impressions as “debossing” but they all appear to be newcomers in the field.

So…. as far as I can tell is a NEW term, not a traditional one. BUT if you can show us a reference that is old enough to be considered “tradtional”, I’m more than willing to change my ideas.

What a muddle. I certainly heard people using the term deboss by the ’90s,but only to refer to blind impression. You mean the neo-neologism now applies to an inked deep impression?
Even so, it is hardly as disturbing a term as “letterpressing”.

Wow….. a neo-neologism! Would that be a “new new word-ism”? Or is it a “new, new study”? Being “olog” I’d guess it’s a intellectual study of some sort. Either way, it’s a great example of language in action!

jeez… being in the foil stamping/embossing/diecutting bizz,,, i have been able to call any die maker and order my die as a “debossing’ die for about the last 30 years. it basically requires a female counter.(either made in shop or ordered along with the die). debossing dies will typically come with a much shallower “edge/side angle” than a flat out foil die. however, if the substrate can take the “sheer” involved, any die, type or,even wood, can be used to deboss. a debossed “effect” can be achieved on a heavier substrate simply by hitting it hard. you will have an ironed out effect on the back of the sheet. a true deboss, using a female counter would results in a raised impression on the back of the sheet. most greeting card Co’s won’t mention a debossed panel on a description, and if they do it is usually mentioned as a “recessed” panel.

Hhhmmmm Eric makes a semi-valid point. His having been in the business of making raised / depressed imprints for quite some time does lend some creditiblity to his assertion.

I’m still not 100% convinced, though. I’ve got several catalogues from die makers going back to the 1970’s, and they show Embossing die sets, but don’t list “debossing dies” in their literature.

BUT…. Eric might be right, so to confirm what he’s saying I’ve posed the question to Basil…. who is a third generation diemaking / engraving / “raised and engraved image in metal” guru. If anybody would know, it’s him.

So…. that’s what I’m going to base my personal opinion on: If Basil says it’s ok… it’s ok.

I’ve heard the term used only in last 10-15 years. Another “new” term I’ve heard is “flood coat”. First time I encountered it was from a graphic designer at an ad agency. I asked him what the term meant and he said a full coating of ink across the sheet. What I referred to as “full bleed” or “100% coverage”.

Anyone come across others?

OK…… my buddy Basil…. the Guru-designee and unilaterally chosen arbiter of the matter, even though he doesn’t realize that he’s been appointed to this task….. has spoken, and here is his opinion:

” I like debossed and embossed because I understand the kind of tag that is being requested. If it is made up, then it is a handy word.”

Does this mean that the current usage is right or wrong? I’m not sure, but it seems to indicate that the Debossers might have a point.

So…. in my view, the matter is settled. I’m going to stop rolling my eyes in superiority whenever I hear a newbie use the word. Now I’ve got to think up a new term to roll my eyes over! Dang…..

I started in the screen printing industry in 1983. We printed labels, decorative trim, control panels, emblems etc. We printed on various materials; polycarbonate, polyester, pvc and metalized mylar. We “debossed” the metalized mylar on Thompson Clamshell presses using magnesium plates that were teflon coated. We also embossed the polycarbonate and polyester sheets with tools that had a male and female parts. The “debossing” ws pushing the image from the front into the surface, displacing the adhesive that was between the mylar and the backing. When “embossing” the male part came from behind and “formed” the material by pushing/stretching it into the female side of the tool, changing the structure of the material. “Debossing” is basically the same as the blind impression. When we ordered the tooling for a “deboss” the graphic image was backwards.