The relationship among processing conditions, material properties, and part quality in hot embossing was investigated for three optical polymers: pdycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and polyvhyl butyral EVE%). A series of systematic embossing experiments was conducted using mold inserts having either smgle or multiple feature depths. The feature dimensions varied fi-om 90 to 3000 km. The processing conditions studied include embossing pressure, thermal cycles, and heating methods. The displacement profile, replication accuracy and molded-in stresses were measured experimentally. It was found that for isothermal embossing. both replication accuracy and birefringence pattern depend strongly on the processing conditions. For non-isothermal embossing, the molded parts showed excellent replication as long as the feature transfer was completed. The flow pattern under isothermal embossing resembles a b i d extensional flow. Under non-isothermal embossing, the polymer deformation involves an upward flow along the wall of mold features, followed by downward compression and outward squr-. Rheological characterization and hot embossing analysis are presented in Part II.