an embossing roller has protruding lands extending radially outward from the surface of the roller to provide corresponding indentations in a thermoplastic surface to which the roller may be applied . a layer of resilient material underlies the lands so that when the roller is rolled over an irregular surface , individual lands , or groups of lands , may be depressed different amounts so that embossing indentations are formed in all portions of the surface . by applying adequate pressure to the roller , all of the lands are depressed at their points of contact when in contact with the surface if the surface is flat and regular . the lands are forced by action of the resilient material into contact with the bottom of any slight concavity in the surface and adapt to any slight convexity . in some embodiments , lands protrude outwardly from metal rings which encircle the roller . in other embodiments , lands are supported directly by the resilient material . in a method of using the roller , a surface is substantially simultaneously coated and embossed by first pressing against the surface a portion of a film web which carries a thermally transferable coating , then heating the web , the coating and the surface , and then rolling the embossing roller across the web and the surface . the heating and pressing steps may be carried out with heated resiliently surfaced rollers which travel ahead of the embossing roller .