The medium of printmaking allows creation of an edition—multiple identical impressions of an image printed from the same surface or matrix. The major printmaking techniques have a long history, originating in the Far East. They have been developed and elaborated in the West since the 14th century, and in the last 100 years have been supplemented by new techniques combining photography, computer-aided and digital media. The choice of printmaking, certainly in the last century, stems not only from the medium’s reproducibility, but also, mainly, from the unique qualities each printmaking technique lends the work of art. There are three main categories in traditional printmaking: intaglio (from the Italian itagliare, to engrave, carve, cut) in which the print is created from depressions cut into a plate, and which includes the various etching techniques; planographic, where the print is created from a smooth surface, and the main techniques include lithography, monotype, and screenprinting; relief where the print is created from protruding areas of the plate, and which includes woodcut, wood engraving,and linocut.

The print is created by the artist, often in collaboration with a master printer.
Every print is an original which is authorized and signed by the artist. In addition, it usually contains the number of the individual print within the whole edition, if it is limited, or some other annotation, e.g.: B.A.T. (French, Bon a Tirer; “okayto-print” proof)—marking the last trial proof and the one approved by the artist, according to which the entire edition is printed; A.P. (Artist’s Proof), the first proofs authorized by the artist (alternatively marked E.A., Epreuved’artiste); P.P. (Printer’s Proof)—a proof given to the printer; H.C. (French, Horsd’Commerces)—proofs from an edition which are not for sale. At times, proofs from early intermediate states predating the desirable final state are kept, and marked by the artist as “1st st” (first state), “2nd st” (second state), etc.

Intaglio
A general term for printmaking techniques based on the creation of furrows incised or etched into the surface, usually a metal plate (typically made of copper, iron, brass, or zinc). Drawn marks are directly incised in the metal plate or bitten into it with acid. In these techniques, the entire plate is inked and the ink is forcedinto the furrows.
The surface is then wiped clean. In the printing phase, thick and resilient dampened paper is pushed onto the ink-filled crevices of the plate with a press. The paper absorbs the ink and the image. The process is repeated in identical manner for every additional copy.

Drypoint
An etching technique in which a zinc or copper plate is directly incised with a hard steel or diamond-tipped needle, without acid. The lines are incised into the metal plate, and the burr raised on either side of the cut holds the ink, yielding soft, velvety lines. Drypoint requires great technical skill, and the resulting lines are variegatedand delicate.

Mezzotint
(Italian, half tone). A drypoint method which enables creation of subtle velvety gradations of tone, working from black to white. The entire surface of the plate is uniformly roughened by a serrated tool called a rocker, to make indentations.
Using another tool, a burnisher, the burr is gradually scraped away where lighter tones are desired, while other parts of the plate will print darker tones.

Etching
An intaglio technique in which the image is created on a metal plate covered with an acid-resistant mixture (asphalt, resin, or wax). The design is drawn through this ground with an etching needle to expose the metal beneath. The plate is then immersed in an acid bath, and the acid bites into the lines exposed by the needle. Different biting times allow for variations in the line’s thickness. Next, the ground is removed. The plate is inked, wiped, covered with a sheet of dampened paper, and run through the press.

Aquatint
An etching technique for producing areas of different tone on a metal plate. The plate is dusted over with acid resistant resin powder applied by a special aquatint box or through fine mesh cheesecloth, and subsequently heated until the resin melts and fixes to the plate. The plate is then immersed in an acid bath, where the acid bites between the grains of resin. The plate is usually etched in stages. The different tones result from different biting depths: the deeper the etch (the longer it is left in the acid), the darker the tone. During the biting phase, some areas of the plate are stopped out with asphaltum (liquid ground) to produce a lighter effect, working from light to dark values.

Sugar lift (also sugar-bite, lift-ground etching)
An etching technique which produces a brushstroke effect. The design is painted directly on the plate with a brush dipped in a solution of water, sugar, and a small quantity of black ink. When the drawing is dry, the plate is covered with a coat of diluted asphaltum (stop-out varnish), and dried again. It is then immersed in lukewarm water, which melts the sugar and exposes the plate in areas brushed with the sugar solution. Aquatint ground is next applied to the surface, and the plate is immersed in acid which bites the exposed areas uncoated with asphaltum, namely—those drawn with the sugar solution.

Copper Engraving
A process similar to wood engraving, using the same burins, only this is an intaglio technique. The resulting furrow is softer and non-uniform. The furrows are inked and the surface of the plate is wiped clean. Printing as in etching.

Soft-ground
An etching technique in which the plate is covered with soft ground (made of hard
ground mixed with grease or petroleum jelly). Drawing in soft ground is performed on a sheet of paper (fine drawing paper, silk paper, or some other soft textured paper), and not directly on the plate. The paper is laid on the grounded plate and drawn upon with pencil or chalk. The pressure of the drawing instrument causes the ground to stick to the paper in areas where the line is drawn. When the paper is lifted, the plate is exposed in those spots. Strong or light presses generate (respectively) darker or lighter lines after the biting phase. The etched lines in this technique resemble softly drawn pencil lines. Soft-ground is also used for creation of diverse textures after biting the plate by pressing different materials onto the ground.

Spit-bite
An etching technique where the design is drawn on the aquatint ground of a prepared plate with a brush dipped in strong acid, which bites the plate. The plate is then inked,
its surface is wiped clean, covered with a sheet of paper, and run through the press.

Photoetching
An etching technique in which a photographic image is transferred to a metal plate by applying photosensitive emulsion. The plate is then bitten by acid as in routine etching, and the artist can continue processing it with the various etching techniques.

Chine colle (also chine applique)
The chine colle (French, pasted or glued Chinese [paper]) process allows for layering or delicate adherence of tissue-thin paper to another heavier sheet. It is used primarily in etching to obtain color stains or colorful backgrounds. The dampened printmaking paper and the ultra-thin colored paper are applied to the metal plate, and run through the press. This process must be repeated, accurately, with each new print.

Embossing
An etching technique without acid. Raised impressions are created using three-dimensional elements placed on the printing plate. The plate is then covered with
a sheet of dampened paper and run through the press to produce the embossing on the paper.

Woodcut
A relief technique whereby the image is initially drawn on a woodblock. The unpainted areas are then excavated with a knife or a gouge, and the parts not cut away form the design. Ink is rolled onto the block so that only the projected areas of the surface receive the ink, while the cut away areas remain clean. In the printing phase, a sheet of paper is placed on the plate and run through the press.

Wood Engraving
A relief technique of printmaking. As opposed to woodcut, it is made from the end grain surface of a hardwood block, thus requiring different, purpose-made tools (fine chisels and gouges) which, in turn, produce a different type of line. Ink is rolled onto the block so that only the projected areas of the surface receive the ink, while the cut away areas remain clean. In the printing phase, a sheet of paper is placed on the plate and run through the press.

Linocut (Linoleum Cut)
A relief printing technique using a linoleum block instead of wood, since it is softer and easier to cut. After cutting and removing unwanted sections from the surface, ink is rolled onto the block, so that only the projected areas of the surface receive the ink, while the cut away areas remain clean. In the printing phase, a sheet of paper is placed on the plate and run through the press.
Lithography
A planographic process based on the mutual antipathy between grease and water.
The image is drawn or painted with a greasy medium (a waxy crayon or an oily liquid wash called tusche) on a flat slab of limestone. Once the image is drawn, it is fixed on the surface of the stone with a chemical solution. The stone is then dampened with water, which adheres only to the non-greasy, non-drawn areas. The surface of the stone is then coated with oily ink using a roller. The ink clings to the drawn areas and is repelled by the wet areas. A sheet of paper is applied to the inked stone and both are run through the press.

Screenprint (also Serigraphy, Silkscreen)
A printing process based on the stencil principle and the separation of the image into colors and hues by means of a dense polyester or nylon screen stretched over a frame. An image can be printed on any flat surface, such as paper or fabric. By means of paper cut-outs, wax, glue, or light sensitive emulsion, non-printing areas are blocked out. The screen thus becomes a modular stencil which may be altered and masked again in keeping with the color one wishes to print. Ink is squeegeed through the screen onto paper, and forced through the open areas not masked by the stencils. The final image may be created from a single screen or from multiple screens.

Monotype
A one-off print made by applying printer’s ink or oil color to a hard, non-absorbent
surface, such as metal, glass, or plexiglas. The plate is then covered with a sheet of
dampened paper and passed through a press or pressed manually.

Multiples
Three-dimensional, usually small, works produced in large editions.