copyright
2010

Cathy Savage

Printmaking Terms:

Intaglio: The image is created from a plate that holds the ink in areas lowered below the level of the original surface. Types of intaglio include drypoint, collagraph, etching, engraving, and mezzotint.

Etching: Marks are made through an acid-resistant coating on the plate, after which the plate is bitten in a chemical bath to etch the image into the metal.

Drypoint: marks are made directly on a plate creating a burr, which holds the ink. Plates are usually zinc, copper or Plexiglas. Prints are limited since the burr has a short life span.

Collagraph (also spelled Collograph): This printmaking technique is best described as a plate composed from a variety of textured materials glued to a substrate and printed either in an intaglio or relief fashion.

 

Relief: A relief print is one whose image is printed from a design raised on the surface of a block. In this type of print the ink lies on the top of the block and is transferred to the paper under light pressure. Types of intaglio include linoleum and wood block printing.

Chine collé: A collage technique used in intaglio printing whereby a (usually thinner) piece of paper is adhered to a heavier sheet and printed simultaneously. With a very thin coat of adhesive on the back, the thin paper is positioned face down on the plate, the heavier paper then placed on top and the pile run through the press.

Editioning: At the bottom of an original print you will most likely see an edition number written in pencil that looks like a fraction (for example: 6/7). This number indicates the number of copies of the same work printed by the artist (in our example 6/7, this would mean this is the 6th print of 7 in the series). An AP for "Artist’s Proof," or TP for "Trial Proof," would meant the piece is a one of a kind print—it is too dissimilar to be in an edition, it was an experiment, it was a test print, or was an accident. For an artist to print an edition, all prints must be virtually identical—paper, color of ink or additional hand coloring, contrast, etc. For example, in an edition of 7 prints, an artist may print 25 prints in total but only 7 considered similar enough to each other to be numbered. The remaining 18 were most likely used to experiment with getting the image just how the artist wanted.

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