This paper addresses the feasibility of direct nanoimprinting and highlights the challenges involved in this technique. Our study focuses on experimental work supported by dislocation dynamics simulations. A gold single crystal is imprinted by a tungsten indenter patterned with parallel lines of various spacings. Dedicated dislocation dynamics simulations give insight in the plastic deformation occurring into the crystal during imprinting. We find that good pattern transfer is achieved when the lines are sufficiently spaced such that dislocation activity can be effective in assisting deformation of the region underneath each line. Yet, the edges of the obtained imprints are not smooth, partly due to dislocation glide. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.