Dunno what forum to put this in, Embossed Senior Portraits?

j-bo · January 11, 2010

No clue what forum to ask so here it is.

Where do you get senior portraits printed at that does the gold embossing on the prints?

I've done some searches on google and dgrin and I can't figure it out.

Went to mpix and didn't see anything either.

Art Scott · January 12, 2010

You need a PRO lab from the film era that does HOT FOIL STAMPING.....and you need a set of signature slugs....slugs are made of lead (I think as mine were very heavy (for their size) and they are heated by the stamping machine and then each print is "embossed" with a colored signature.....most used gold or silver a few used various other colors.........If you search you may find a Veach hot stamping machine on the web for sale......and gold foil also.......I got my slugs thru a local printer --- the kind that does b-cards, invitations...etc...etc......I paid approx $50 for a set of 3.....standard print of my name....ifit had been done as a real signature that would have been over $100 and that was over 25 yrs ago.

here are several on this ebay page.......

Here is one that looks decent it is a KINGSLEY.....BUT IT has everything to get you started............

j-bo · January 12, 2010

Let me clarify, I don't want to do this myself, I'm looking for a lab that does this printing. My daughters friends sent portraits with gold embossed lettering on the photo's and I want to take her and some of her friends portraits, send them to a lab and give them the name of the person to put on the print.

Maybe I'm using the wrong description of what's on the prints? Gold overlay lettering?

ColoradoSkier · January 12, 2010

j-bo wrote:

Let me clarify, I don't want to do this myself, I'm looking for a lab that does this printing. My daughters friends sent portraits with gold embossed lettering on the photo's and I want to take her and some of her friends portraits, send them to a lab and give them the name of the person to put on the print.

Maybe I'm using the wrong description of what's on the prints? Gold overlay lettering?

I have yet to find a lab that does it. They all told me to just add it to the image I am uploading.

j-bo · January 12, 2010

ColoradoSkier wrote:

I have yet to find a lab that does it. They all told me to just add it to the image I am uploading.

Wow.. I'm surprised..I wonder where all these senior portrait photographers are getting this done at. More searching.

Llywellyn · January 12, 2010

Are the letters raised or depressed (you can feel them when you run your hand over the paper)? That's foil stamping, as Art mentioned. If they aren't raised by look shiny, the vendor could have used a metallic ink or a spot varnish.

I'm more familiar with this technique in publishing and large offset printers than I am in photography prints.

Perhaps have your daughter ask her friend who did the prints?

Llywellyn · January 12, 2010

This could be worth a call to see if any of their color options include metallic gold: http://www.bayphoto.com/catalog/logoprints.htm And I know Bay does foil stamping on their press albums, not sure it would extend to prints, though.

Art Scott · January 13, 2010

j-bo wrote:

Let me clarify, I don't want to do this myself, I'm looking for a lab that does this printing. My daughters friends sent portraits with gold embossed lettering on the photo's and I want to take her and some of her friends portraits, send them to a lab and give them the name of the person to put on the print.

Maybe I'm using the wrong description of what's on the prints? Gold overlay lettering?

As I stated in my 1st post.....You will need to find an old time film era PRO lab that still offers HOT GOLD FOIL STAMPING and then finding someone to make the slugs is another problem.....imprinting from a slug is 10000X better than from movable type but I haven't found anyone to make me new slugs or do the imprinting in my area.......other wise you will have to do it yourself....that is why I gave you links to the stamping machines on ebay........NONE of the 3 PRo labs do it any more here....everyone is adding siggy lines in photoshop except me.....I hand sign in gold archival acid free paint from a prisma color paint pen.................
Good Luck

Art Scott · January 13, 2010

j-bo wrote:

Wow.. I'm surprised..I wonder where all these senior portrait photographers are getting this done at. More searching.

A lot of current senior photogs are doing the imprinting themselves as they are also printing their photos also....the advent of good inexpensive roll printers (large or wide format printers) has it possible for alot of photogs to print and package every thing themselves................

j-bo · January 13, 2010

Art Scott wrote:

A lot of current senior photogs are doing the imprinting themselves as they are also printing their photos also....the advent of good inexpensive roll printers (large or wide format printers) has it possible for alot of photogs to print and package every thing themselves................

Thanks Art.. great information.

ColoradoSkier · January 19, 2010

Saw this place in the back of the latest Rangefinder - http://www.upilab.com - they claim to do foil embossing.

Also, you can buy an embossing tool from http://veachco.com

Dunno what forum to put this in, Embossed Senior Portraits?

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