Method and apparatus for generation and transmission diffractive microstructures on a printing material

In a method and an apparatus for generation and transmission diffractive microstructures on a printing material, it is provided that a fluid is applied to an embossing cylinder and is solidified there, so far during the rotation of the embossing cylinder, that it is filmlike transmitted with solidified microstructure on a printing material wherein the embossing cylinder has an elevator, which is preferably configured either as soft "Flexoshim" or hard as "Nickelshim".