a method of embossing in which a film of soft resin is applied to a nickel shim then exposed to ultraviolet light causing the resin to harden by cross linking. The resin film can now be removed and retains a faithful copy of the surface relief image that was present on the shim. This method of transferring an image from a nickel shim onto a plastic film, results in a bright image and causes very little wear to the shim.