I was surprised at how much detail it is possible to achieve with a simple cheap embossing tool. Lettering is no problem for it, I even tried embossing from an old piece of letterpress (the letter E, bottom of the top picture). I think my favourite result has got to be the pocket watch (second from bottom).
The thicker the paper, the harder it is to get the detail showing through. For the bottom picture, I was using 300gsm. I found that the side pressed to the surface gets a better result than the other side, if you press really hard with the tool. Like, reverse embossing.
I also tried it on handmade paper, which did not work at all.
This method could be great for adding textures, or little hidden elements in illustrations.
