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GLOSSARY OF PRINTMAKING TERMS
Aquatint: an etching technique that creates areas of tone through the use of powdered resin that is sprinkled on the etching plate prior to being bitten by the etching acid. The result is a finely textured tonal area whose darkness is determined by how long the plate is bitten by the acid.
Chalcography: engraving on metals, copperplate etching. Copper is a bit softer than zinc so it is an easier medium on which to do manual etching, it allows for softer line work and more detailed work.
Chine Colle: a print in which the image is impressed onto a thin sheet of Oriental paper which is backed by a stronger, thicker sheet. Because China paper takes an intaglio impression more easily than regular paper, chine colle prints generally show a richer impression than standard prints.
Collagraph: a print taken from a plate (usually cardboard or masonite) to which textured material, such as fabric, wire mesh, netting, string, paper, glue etc. has been applied to build it up. It is then sealed, inked and printed like intaglio plates.
Drypoint: Similar to etching, but the lines are simply scratched into the plate manually, without the use of acid. The hallmark of a drypoint is a soft and often rather thick or bushy line somewhat like that of an ink pen on moist paper.
Engraving: a form of intaglio printing in which lines are incised into a metal plate with a carving tool called a burin. Engraving with a burin requires considerable force to draw the design into the plate but often results in elegantly swelling and tapering lines.
Etching: another form printmaking that uses the intaglio process. A metal plate is coated with an acid-resisting material called the "ground". The artist draws his design on the plate with a sharp needle which removes the ground wherever the needle touches it. When the plate is put in an acid bath, the exposed parts are etched (or eaten away). This produces sunken lines that receive or hold the ink for printing. The plate is wiped clean, leaving the ink in the sunken area. The plate, in contact with dampened paper, is passed through a roller press. This forces paper into the sunken areas to receive the ink, thereby forming the art image on the paper.
Etched lines are often subtle and fine since the motion comes from the motion of the fingertips.
Intaglio: describes any printing technique in which the image or tonal area is printed from lines that are etched into a metal plate (eg. engraving, drypoint. aquatint, lift ground, soft ground). The plate is covered with ink, then wiped clean leaving ink in the incised lines or texture of the image. This plate is then printed in a press on moistened paper. The paper is forced down into the area of the plate holding ink, and the image is transferred to the paper. This technique contrasts with planograph printing in which the ink is laid on the surface of the plate, as in lithography, for example.
Lithograph: the lithographic process is based on the chemical principle that oil (or grease) does not mix with water. The design is drawn with a greasy crayon, or brushed with a greasy ink, directly onto the smooth-grained surface of a stone or metal plate. The plate is then dampened with water, and inked. The ink clings only to the greasy crayon marks. When a sheet of paper is pressed against the stone or plate, the ink on the greasy parts is transferred onto the paper, thus forming the image.
Monotype: a form of printmaking in which the artist draws or paints on some material, such as glass, and then prints the image on paper, usually with a press. The remaining pigment can then be reworked, but the subsequent print will not be an exact version of the previous print. Monotypes may be unique prints or variations on a theme.
Screen Print or Serigraphy: a serigraph is produced by screen printing. The process has been popularly known as silkscreen printing because screens were first made of silk. Today, however, screens can be made of paper, metal, or plastics. The screen is tightly stretched across a frame. The design is made by blocking out the entire screen, except for the area to be printed. Paper is placed under the screen, ink is then ’squeegeed’ over the screen through the open or unblocked areas onto the paper below, thereby creating the original art image. Whenever a serigraph is printed in more than one color, a separate screen must be made for each color. Each color is applied separately through a screen blocked out to allow the color to fall only where wanted on the design.
Woodcut (and Linocut): the oldest known printing method. The design is drawn on a flat block of smooth hardwood. Then the surface around the lines or areas of the design is chiselled away, leaving the design in high relief. The block is inked and the paper is placed under it and rubbed, transferring the image to the paper. A separate block is used for each color. A linocut is made in the same way except that linoleum is substituted for wood.
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