A method for producing a microstructure (40, 41) on a carrier (45, 46), characterized by the following steps of: (a) manufacturing a donor foil by forming an embossed structure having elevation surfaces and depression surfaces at least in a partial region of a principal area of a first foil material or in an embossable layer on at least a partial region of a principal area of a first foil material, wherein the elevation surfaces and/or the depression surfaces form a desired microstructure, applying a coating at least to a partial region of the embossed structure to form a transfer layer (30, 31, 32), wherein the transfer layer comprises transfer-layer areal elements on elevation surfaces of the embossed structure, transfer-layer areal elements on depression surfaces of the embossed structure, and transfer-layer areal elements connecting the elevation areal elements and the depression areal elements, (b) manufacturing an acceptor foil by applying an adhesive layer (53, 54, 55) at least to a partial region (56, 57, 58) of a principal area of a second foil material, (c) laminating the donor foil and the acceptor foil by means of the adhesive layer (53, 54, 55) in such a fashion that at least a partial region of the coated embossed structure and a partial region of the adhesive layer (53, 54, 55) come into contact with each other, wherein the transfer layer (30, 31, 43) on elevation surfaces bonds adhesively to the adhesive layer (53, 54, 55) of the acceptor foil in the contact region, (d) transferring the areal elements of the transfer layer (30, 31, 32) on elevation surfaces of the embossed structure of the donor foil in the contact region to the adhesive layer (53, 54, 55) of the acceptor foil by separating the donor foil and the acceptor foil from each other, through which, there arises from the acceptor foil a first microstructure carrier with a first microstructure having the transferred transfer-layer elevation areal elements, and/or there arises from the donor foil a second microstructure carrier with a second microstructure, wherein the second microstructure is the microstructure from step (a) without the transfer-layer elevation areal elements transferred to the acceptor foil. (a) manufacturing a donor foil by forming an embossed structure having elevation surfaces and depression surfaces at least in a partial region of a principal area of a first foil material or in an embossable layer on at least a partial region of a principal area of a first foil material, wherein the elevation surfaces and/or the depression surfaces form a desired microstructure, applying a coating at least to a partial region of the embossed structure to form a transfer layer (30, 31, 32), wherein the transfer layer comprises transfer-layer areal elements on elevation surfaces of the embossed structure, transfer-layer areal elements on depression surfaces of the embossed structure, and transfer-layer areal elements connecting the elevation areal elements and the depression areal elements, forming an embossed structure having elevation surfaces and depression surfaces at least in a partial region of a principal area of a first foil material or in an embossable layer on at least a partial region of a principal area of a first foil material, wherein the elevation surfaces and/or the depression surfaces form a desired microstructure, applying a coating at least to a partial region of the embossed structure to form a transfer layer (30, 31, 32), wherein the transfer layer comprises transfer-layer areal elements on elevation surfaces of the embossed structure, transfer-layer areal elements on depression surfaces of the embossed structure, and transfer-layer areal elements connecting the elevation areal elements and the depression areal elements, (b) manufacturing an acceptor foil by applying an adhesive layer (53, 54, 55) at least to a partial region (56, 57, 58) of a principal area of a second foil material, (c) laminating the donor foil and the acceptor foil by means of the adhesive layer (53, 54, 55) in such a fashion that at least a partial region of the coated embossed structure and a partial region of the adhesive layer (53, 54, 55) come into contact with each other, wherein the transfer layer (30, 31, 43) on elevation surfaces bonds adhesively to the adhesive layer (53, 54, 55) of the acceptor foil in the contact region, (d) transferring the areal elements of the transfer layer (30, 31, 32) on elevation surfaces of the embossed structure of the donor foil in the contact region to the adhesive layer (53, 54, 55) of the acceptor foil by separating the donor foil and the acceptor foil from each other, through which, there arises from the acceptor foil a first microstructure carrier with a first microstructure having the transferred transfer-layer elevation areal elements, and/or there arises from the donor foil a second microstructure carrier with a second microstructure, wherein the second microstructure is the microstructure from step (a) without the transfer-layer elevation areal elements transferred to the acceptor foil.