What are Fine Prints?

Printmaking Techniques

Woodcuts

A woodcut is a relief print. The process was used as early as the 1400's in Europe. The image is cut into a block of wood with straight or scooped knives called gouges. The raised uncut surface holds the ink. Paper is placed over the block and rubbed by hand or press

Engraving, Etching, Aquatint, and Drypoint

Engraving, etching, aquatint, and drypoint are intaglio processes. The image is incised with a pointed tool or bitten with acid into a metal plate. Ink is rubbed into the grooves; the areas that hold the ink are below the surface of the plate. The differences among the various processes consist in how the grooves are made. They are all rolled through a press to print the image onto paper.

Engraving, a highly skilled craft, was introduced around 1450. The grooves are cut directly into the metal plate with a burin, a sharp pointed steel rod set into a handle. The burin is pushed across the plate and cuts a clean V-shaped furrow. The slivers of metal that are forced up in front of the furrow are removed with an instrument called a scraper.

Etching, a process introduced in the early 1500's, uses acid to make the grooves. The plate is covered with a waxy coating. The image is drawn with a sharp needle that scrapes through the ground but does not scrape into the plate itself. The plate is then placed into an acid bath which eats into the exposed metal to make the grooves. The waxy coating is removed before printing.

Aquatint is a variety of etching introduced in the 1650's that produces graduated tonal effects. Through a variety of means powdered resin is made to adhere to a metal plate. The metal that remains exposed around the tiny drops is bitten in the acid bath, creating a pitted grainy surface that holds a thin layer of ink, which prints as an area of tone.

Drypoint is a process that started in the 1500's. The grooves are cut directly into the plate with a needle-sharp instrument that is held like a pencil and pulled across the plate. The displaced metal is thrown up on either side of the scratched line and gives a velvety texture when inked.

Inkless Intaglio (Embossing)

Inkless intaglio (embossing) is a technique also produced on an etching press. The plate may be incised or built-up creating a bas relief in the moist paper. The image relies on shadows to be read.

Lithography and Silkscreen

Lithography and silkscreen are planographic prints; the surface from which they are printed is flat.

The lithography process was discovered at the end of the 1700's. It is based upon the fact that grease and water do not mix. On a smooth stone or metal plate the image is drawn with a greasy crayon or painted with greasy ink called tusche. The surface is covered with water, which is attracted only to the blank areas, and then inked. The ink adheres only to the greasy areas. A press is rolled over the stone or plate to transfer the image into paper.

Silkscreen (also called serigraph) is the newest printing process dating to the early 1900's. However, it is based on the stencil, one of the oldest graphic principles. A stencil is adhered to a silk screen and ink is forced through the mesh with a squeegee. The ink prints through the open areas onto the paper underneath. The stencil can be cut from thin material, or printed directly onto the screen with a liquid block-out.