Embossing Powder Basics

  Embossing powder is the second ingredient (next to pigment ink) needed to emboss.  It is essentially a lithographic powder used by printers to give printing an embossed, raised image.
Embossing powders are either transparent, semi-transparent, or opaque.  With opaque powders, such as silver, gold, copper, bronze, the powder will cover the embossing ink completely and the ink will not show through.  You can use any colored pigment ink, or a clear embossing ink.  The image you get will be the color of the embossing powder.  Sometimes black pigment ink will turn the embossing powder a slightly darker color.
With transparent, or semi-transparent powders, the color of the ink under the powder will show through after embossing.  So, the color of ink you use is as important as the color of powder.  Included in this category are powders such as clear, pearl, sparkle, and most colored sparkle powders.

• Iridescent embossing powder is a fun, novelty powder.  As you heat it, the powder changes color.  When heating, first heat the entire design to the first color of blue/purple.  This takes a light touch.  Then direct your heat source to the areas you wish to change to additional colors. 

• Holographic powder is great over black ink and also on black paper over silver or gold pigment ink. 

• Mix copper and a little black embossing powder together.  Over black ink it will give a mottled, aged look, like an old coin.

• Vertigris is a green and black powder that looks great with greenery and architectural designs. 

• With glitter embossing powder, be sure to shake the bottle as the glitter in the powder stays on the surface.  When the embossine powder contains too much glitter, often the integrity of the embossing powder is lost and the result is that much of the design does not emboss.  You can always add some clear powder. 

  
  Experiment with combining embossing colors to create new combinations.