a decorative substrate consisting of a paper base sheet coated with a thermoplastic material , involving a novel technique for coating and embossing the substrate . the paper sheeting is supplied with a thermoplastic material , as by coating or extrusion . the coated sheet is heated to adequately soften the coating , such as by use of a heated cylinder , and remote heat sources such as infrared heaters . the softened sheet surface is then decorated using an embossing member , to provide a diffraction pattern or hologram . use of an embossment pattern of lesser depth than the surface roughness of the sheet before embossing provides attractive decorative patterns .