Glossary | Printmaking Terms

A

Acid

A term used to refer to the corrosive solution in which a metal plate is etched for intaglio printing. The concentration of this bath is precisely measured, as is the period of a plate’s submersion.

Aquatint

Like etching, aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, but it is used to create tonal effects rather than lines. Intaglio refers to printing and printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface, and the incised line or sunken area holds the ink.

Artist Proof (AP or EA)

Often marked “A.P” or the French version “E.A” (or E. d’A meaning “épreuve d’artiste”). Approximately 10% of a print run is assigned as artist proofs. These prints are usually kept by the artist as a record of progression, but can also be released to the market.

Atelier

A French term for a workshop or studio, especially for a professional artist, architect, or designer, where a master works with a group of assistants, students, or apprentices.

B

Baren

A disk-shaped tool used to apply firm, even pressure to the back of a sheet of paper, transferring ink from a raised printing block to the paper.

Binder

A clear substance to which pigment is added to create printmaking inks.

Bite

The action of an acid on a metal plate.

Blanket

A type of cushion used in printmaking presses between the roller and the paper.

Bleed

Areas where ink appears outside the designed areas of a print. Digitally, bleed can also refer to the extension of the design beyond the cut or crop line to ensure the image runs to the edge of the print.

Block

A carved matrix of material, such as wood or linoleum, used in relief printing to create an image.

Burin

A sharp steel cutting tool with a pointed tip, used primarily in the technique of engraving to cut recessed lines into a metal plate or for carving into materials like wood or ivory.

Bon à Tirer (BAT)

Deriving from the French phrase meaning “good to pull,” bon à tirer prints delineate the standard to which all other prints will be held.

Brayer

A roller used to spread ink on a matrix.

C

Carborundum

A technique used in intaglio printing which utilises a gritty paste applied directly onto the plate, resulting in a painterly and impasto effect.

Chine-collé

A process developed in the 19th century which enabled artists to print on delicate papers imported from China. This paper (chine) was attached (collé) to a heavier paper support as it passed through the etching press.

Chop

A small mark printed in the margins of a print to show the maker. Traditionally, a chop shows the printer or publisher, but is now sometimes used to show the artist.

Chromogenic Print

Also known as a C-print, a photographic print made from a colour negative, transparency, or digital image. It is developed using a chromogenic process and composed of three gelatin layers containing cyan, magenta, and yellow organic dyes.

Chromolithograph

A colour lithograph popular from the mid-19th century for book illustrations and print portfolios. Chromolithographs were produced using numerous lithographic stones, each inked with one of the colours needed for the final print.

CMYK

CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black) and is a subtractive colour model used for colour printing. Unlike RGB, which is an additive model for screens, CMYK uses ink absorption to subtract light and create a wide range of colours by layering tiny dots of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink onto a white surface.

Collagraph

A technique of relief printing using any combination of actual elements such as cardboard, fabric, washes, carborundum (an abrasive powder), or found objects, which are adhered to a plate, inked, and printed.

Collotype

A reproductive printmaking technique that is photographically based, known for its effectiveness in reproducing the subtle delicacy of drawings and photographs. A photographic negative is projected onto a printing plate coated with light-sensitive gelatin that hardens and becomes receptive to the application of ink. Paper is laid on top and the image is printed on a press.

Colour Proof (CP)

A colour proof is used to test which colours best express the artist’s intention. This is usually done before signing off on the bon à tirer (BAT).

Cyanotype

An iron-based process where paper is treated with special light-sensitive chemicals. Objects, films, or negatives are then used to block light on the treated paper to create a composition. When exposed to light, the paper turns the characteristic Prussian blue colour and the blocked areas remain white.

Cybachrome print

A high-quality colour print made from a colour transparency enlarged directly onto reversal colour paper. The paper is unique in that dyes are incorporated into the emulsion on the paper instead of being formed chemically.

D

Dabber/dauber

A wad of cloth used to apply ink to a block or plate. Also used to apply grounds to etching plates.

Digital printing

A printing process that reproduces digital files directly onto various materials like paper, fabric, or glass, without the need for traditional printing plates or screens.

DPI (dots per inch)

The number of pixels in one inch of an image. 300dpi is usually standard for high-quality printing.

Drypoint

An intaglio printmaking technique in which an image is scratched onto a copper plate with a needle-like instrument. This method produces a softened line due to raised edges in the metal around the scratched image and is best for creating small editions of works. Drypoint is often used in combination with etching.

Dye destruction print

Also known as a cibachrome or Ilfochrome print, a print made using a photographic printing process in which colour dyes embedded in the paper are selectively bleached away to form a full-colour image.

E

Edition

The total number of prints struck from one plate. There are two types of print editions: limited and open. Limited edition means that a fixed number of prints or impressions are produced, thus making the print more valuable and collectable.

Embossing

In printmaking, any process used to create a raised or depressed surface.

Engraving

A print made by cutting into a metal, wood, or plastic plate with specialised tools and then inking the incised lines. The ink is transferred to paper under the immense pressure of a printing press. The name can be applied to both a type of print and the process used in its production.

Etching

A printmaking technique that follows the same principles as engraving but uses acid instead of a burin to cut through the plate. After a copper plate is coated with a waxy acid resist, the artist draws an image into the wax with a needle. The plate is then immersed in an acid bath, incising the lines and leaving the rest of the plate untouched.

This intaglio process is known for its fine, detailed lines and rich, velvety tones.

Extender

A transparent modifier to add to ink. Adding extender can make the colour more transparent and can loosen the ink.

G

Giclée

A high resolution, archival quality digital fine art print generated from a digital image and printed with archival inks onto different materials such as canvas, paper, metal and acrylic.

Gouge

A tool used to carve a block for relief printing. Can have a V or a U-shaped end.

H

Halftone

The breakdown of an image into small dots to simulate the look of continuous tones. Greyscale images need to be broken down into halftones in order to be exposed onto screens for screenprinting.

Hangito

A Japanese woodblock cutting tool that resembles an angled sharp knife with one bevelled edge.

Hardground

A substance added to the surface of an etching plate to resist acid. A hardground can be drawn into with a sharp tool to reveal areas of metal to the acid bath.

Hors d’Commerce Proof (HC)

A print destined for promotional use by galleries and dealers.

I

Impression

Any numbered print from a completed edition.

Intaglio

A term for the family of printing techniques which transfers ink from the recesses of a matrix, rather than from its surface. Techniques using intaglio printing include etching, engraving, drypoint, aquatint, and mezzotint.

J

Japanese woodblock (Mokuhanga)

A type of relief printmaking in which brushes are used to ink up a woodblock with watercolour paint and nori paste. Images are printed onto dampened paper in layers, often registered using kento marks.

K

Key block

The key layer in a print that gives the main detail or outline of an image. Usually printed first or last in a multi-layered print.

Kento

Japanese woodblock method of registration. Kento marks are cut into a block using a kento chisel. The corner of the paper slots into these marks so that the paper rests in the same place for each layer.

L

Letterpress

A relief technique for printing movable type (though blocks with images may also be used). Metal, wood, or polymer forms of a standard height are set in place in the bed of a press. Since ink is transferred from the surface of the blocks by the application of pressure, letterpress prints are recognisable for their embossed printed forms.

Limited edition

A set of identical prints taken from the same matrix or matrices (printing surfaces). Limited editions mean that no more of the same prints will be made.

Linocut

A printmaking technique in which the image is relief-carved into a linoleum block using various sharp tools, such as chisels, gouges, and knives. The final print is created by applying ink to the block and pressing the inked block onto another surface, by hand or with a printing press.

Lithograph

Meaning “stone drawing,” this type of print is made by drawing or painting onto the surface of limestone, using a greasy crayon or liquid wash and is best known for its flat painterly surface.

M

Matrix

A physical surface that can be manipulated to hold ink, which is then transferred to paper. Most matrices are able to print the same image many times. Matrices used in printmaking include blocks of wood, sheets of linoleum, metal plates, sheets of Plexiglass, and slabs of limestone.

Medium

A clear substance to which paint is added to create printmaking inks.

Mesh

The woven fabric stretched over a frame to make a screen for screenprinting.

Mezzotint

An engraving technique whereby a metal plate is systematically pricked with numerous tiny holes to produce a print with subtle gradations of dark and light, used often from the 17th to 19th centuries for reproducing paintings.

Mixografía

A printing technique made with a master plate; a variety of materials are applied to this support as collage, over which the artist adheres, rips or scribes to achieve a high relief. From this master plate, moulds are created, which in turn are used to obtain a copper plate that collects every detail of the negative plate. The plate is then inked and transferred to a press that prints on handmade paper pulp—a mixture of cotton fibres, water and sizing. The result is a print on paper with volume, showing the reliefs, textures and colours of the plate.

Mokulito

A form of Japanese printmaking meaning ‘wood lithography.’ An image is drawn onto the block using greasy materials.

Monoprint

A printing technique using an inked plate, typically producing a singular image on paper. It is noted for its bleeding edges and velvety texture.

Monotype

A type of print offering a singular work by drawing, painting, or inking onto a base and using a press to make an impression onto paper.

Multi-Block

A relief print that is made using multiple blocks that print on top of one another to create a multi-coloured final print.

N

Nori

The use of rice paste as a common and safe adhesive for woodblock printing, made from diluted rice flour and water to create a versatile, non-skinning glue.

O

Offset lithography

A photomechanical process used to translate photographs into ink-based prints. In use since the 1950s, offset lithographs are composed of differently coloured dots, visible under magnification, that blend when viewed by the naked eye, thus creating the illusion of continuous tone.

Opaque

Impenetrable by light, opposite of transparent, not see-through. Refers to inks that do not show any colour of the paper, fabric, or previous print layers through.

P

Photo emulsion

When mixed with a sensitiser, a photo emulsion can be used to coat screens to create exposed images for screenprinting.

Photogravure

A general term for any metal plate process in which an image has been transferred to a metal surface by photographic means. A corrosive bath is used to incise the image into the plate before inking and printing.

Pigment

The coloured particles in an ink.

Planography

A printing process, such as lithography, that prints from a flat surface. The printing and non-printing areas exist in the same plane and rely on chemical properties to hold or repel ink.

Plate

The flat surface (wood, metal, or stone) used in printmaking for an etching or engraving.

Platemark

The embossed mark left on a print made by the edges of the plate when printing through an etching press.

Pochoir

French for stencil, this process allows the artist to directly add hand-coloured areas to an impression by painting through a stencil.

Print

A reproduction of an artwork, produced through a printmaking process or digital printing, often on high-quality paper, with a limited edition or series. Among the most popular printmaking techniques are lithography, screenprinting, and engraving.

Printer’s Proof (PP)

An edition of a print held by the printer and sometimes signed by the artist. It operates as both a gesture of appreciation from the artist and as a record for the printer.

Proof

A print that is not considered to be part of the numbered edition. Examples include prints made in advance of the edition – known as ‘trial proofs’ – as well as those made at the time of the edition but are reserved for the artist or printer.

R

RGB

RGB is an additive process, meaning it adds red, green and blue together in varying amounts to produce other colours.

Registration

The process of precisely aligning multiple elements, such as inked plates or screens, to create a single, sharp image or pattern.

Registration marks

Guides drawn or carved to aid in the proper positioning of matrix and substrate in the printing process.

Relief printing

In this technique, the artist first sketches a composition on a hard, flat surface, such as a wood or a linoleum block, then the parts of the image are carved away so that they do not receive ink, leaving only the composition visible on the top surface of the matrix. These prints are characterised by bold contrasts of dark and light.

Resist

An etching resist (such as hard ground or asphaltum) is applied to the plate in order to prevent an acid solution from corroding the surface. The artist scratches off the resist using a variety of etching tools: these lines are etched into the plate by exposing the bare metal to acid.

Restrike

Later print impressions that have not been authorised by the artist or the artist’s heirs.

Retarder

An ink modifier used to slow down the drying time of ink.

S

Screenprint

A process based on the stencil principle in which material is attached to a mesh screen to block the flow of ink to the paper in a particular area. A squeegee is used to force the paint or ink through the exposed areas of the mesh screen. A separate screen is required for each colour in the artist’s composition and the same piece of paper is printed with each screen in succession. The resultant image is simple, yet bold and often has a graphic quality. Also known as serigraph or silkscreen.

Scrim

A rough, loosely woven fabric used in intaglio printing to wipe ink from the plate.

Serigraph

Silkscreen

Sizing

A water-resistant coating added to paper.

Spit-bite

An intaglio printmaking technique where strong acid is painted directly onto a plate, often prepared with an aquatint ground, to create localised areas of tonal depth.

Squeegee

A screenprinting tool with a rubber blade fixed to a metal or wooden handle. The blade is used to force ink along the screen and through the mesh.

Stonecut

A printmaking technique where a drawing is transferred to a flat block of stone, and the non-image areas are carved, cut, or chiselled away to create a raised, relief surface.

Stop Out

An acid-resistant substance used in etching to protect an area of a metal plate from an acid bath.

Sugarlift

A printmaking technique in which an image is painted onto a metal plate using a sugar-based mixture, then covered with an acid-resistant ground. When the plate is submerged in warm water, the sugar dissolves, lifting away the ground and exposing the metal plate beneath. The plate is then etched in an acid bath. Also known as lift-ground aquatint.

Sumi

A Japanese word for ink.

Sumi-e

A centuries-old Japanese art form using black ink and brushes on paper.

T

Trial proof (TP)

A test print made to assess the development of an image on a plate, stone, or woodblock while it’s being worked on. A trial proof often features unique colours and may be considered a distinct work of art.

Tusche

A greasy drawing medium in the form of a stick or a liquid, used mainly in lithography.

Tympan

A sheet of smooth, tough, and flexible material, like plastic or Mylar, that is placed on a lithographic press between the inked stone and the scraper bar.

V

Viscosity

A term used to describe the fluidity of an ink.

W

Wet-on-dry

A printing technique where one colour is printed over the top of another while the first layer has dried.

Wet-on-wet

A printing technique where one colour is printed over the top of another while the first layer is still wet.

Whetstone

An abrasive stone used for sharpening tools.

Wood Engraving

A printmaking method distinct from woodcut in that the line is incised into the wood block, rather than the background being cut away to leave a line in relief.

Woodcut

A printmaking technique within the relief printing process where an image is created by carving into a wooden block, leaving the desired parts of the image raised.