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A Fine Art Printmaking Glossary

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A

Acid bath: the means by which recessed areas are produced in the plate surface in order to hold ink. A metal plate is immersed in a shallow tray containing an acid solution that chemically dissolves the part of the plate that is not protected by an acid resist.

AP (Artist's proof): a proof that meets the right to print impression or standard used for the edition but is retained apart from the edition by the artist or publisher.

Aquatint: a method whereby tonal areas can be etched into a metal plate. This procedure involves the use of a powdered resin, which can be made to adhere to the surface of the plate through a variety of means. The areas of the plate that are exposed around the drops of resin are bitten in the acid bath, resulting in a grainy surface. The varying gradations of tone that are produced depend on the amount of resin applied and the length of time the plate remains in the acid bath.

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B

Burin: an engraving tool with a knob-like wooden handle and metal shaft. The shaft has a sharply beveled point that can cut a V-shaped groove into a metal printing plate, providing a clean, rich line for printing.

Burnisher: an intaglio tool with a wooden handle and metal shaft that has a smooth, hard end. It is used to flatten areas on the roughened printing plate by pressing or rubbing against it, thus
lightenng a line or a tonal area.

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C

Cancellation proof: an impression pulled from a printing element that was effaced in order to ensure no further impressions can be taken.

Chine collé: a method that uses glue during the printing process in order to adhere a thin sheet of paper to a heavier sheet. The fragile paper can take a finer impression than the more substantial paper beneath. Chine collé is often used for purely aesthetic purposes - for the visual qualities of the collé paper, rather than its ability to reproduce impressions.

Chop: an embossed, printed or dry-stamped mark, accompanying each print, that identifies the workshop in which it was produced.

Counteretch: the image that is produced by laying a clean sheet of paper on a wet proof and running it through the press.

CP (Collaboration proof): a proof meeting the right to print impression or standard used for the edition that is intended for distribution to a special group of artists or craftspeople.

CPP (Color progressive proof): a series of proofs intended to illustrate the development of the completed print by showing each color, as added, one by one.

CTP (Color trial proof): these proofs generally have the same printing elements as those in the edition. They may deviate from the edition through a sequence or color variance, or through added or deleted elements, as in the trial proof. A color trial proof may be pulled at any time during the proofing period, or during the printing of the edition, and are signed if the artist feels they are a unique and desirable variation.

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D

Debossing: an inverted form of embossing in which a relief plate is placed under the sheet of paper as it is run through a press. That area of the paper is thus lowered, rather than raised.

Deckle: the untrimmed, irregular edge of handmade paper.

Die-cut: a perforated block or cutter through which material such as plastic, clay, metal, or paper is forced so that it assumes a desired shape.

Drypoint: an intaglio technique in which the line is scratched directly into the copper plate with a sharp metal point or "needle." As the needle scores the copper, it creates a ridge of metal or burr, that holds the ink and prints as a rich, velvety line.

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E

EB (Elements in black): a series of proofs intended to illustrate the image development of the finished print, showing each printing element singly in black, regardless of its color in the edition.

EC (Elements in color): a series of proofs intended to illustrate the image development of the finished print, showing each printing element singly in color.

Edition: this is the body of prints essentially identical to the right to print impression or standard used for the edition. In the signing procedure, the upper number follows a consecutive sequence beginning with 1 through to the total number in the edition, for example 5/25, where the second number indicates the total number of pieces in the edition.

Embossed print: a print in which a three-dimensional effect is achieved through the pressing of the paper into the crevices of the plate or wood block.

Engraving: an intaglio technique in which a metal plate is manually incised with a burin. The incised lines may vary in width and darkness when printed, depending on the angle of the incision and the amount of pressure applied. The result is a steady, considered line with crisp edges.

Etching: the process whereby an image is produced on a metal plate as a result of the corrosive action of acid. The image is drawn onto a plate that has been covered with either a hard or soft ground. The plate is then placed in an acid bath, so that the acid "eats" into the exposed areas on the plate.

F

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G

Ground: an acid-resistant substance used in etching and aquatint to protect non-image areas of the metal plate from the action of acid. In mezzotint, it is the background produced by roughening the plate surface with roulettes or rockers (tools used to prick multiple, closely spaced indentations into a metal plate).

H

Halftone printing: a process whereby gradations of tone in a photograph, drawing, or painting are translated into small dots by being photographed through a glass or contact film screen, thus simulating the grays produced by commercial printing by reducing tones to a series of dots. The dots vary in size, shape, and spacing, in direct proportion to the tones they represent.

Hand etching press: the press is comprised of a solid steel plate, or "bed," that is driven between two rollers by a star wheel or gear. Pressure is adjusted by a screw mechanism that is located on both sides of the top roller.

Hand lithographic press: the press is comprised of a steel "bed" that travels under a leather-faced scraper. Pressure is exerted by the adjustable scraper.

Handmade paper: paper that has been formed from pulp using a hand-held mold, matrix, or other device.

Hardground: an acid-resistant compound that is heated until it softens so that it can be applied to a warm etching plate and rolled to a thin, even coating. When the coated plate is cooled, a hardground is formed. Etching needles or other metal instruments can then be used to cut through the ground so as to expose the metal for subsequent etching.

HC (Hors de commerce): an impression pulled outside the edition. Not intended for sale, it is designated for the artist's or publisher's use. An entire edition may be printed for this purpose.

I

Intaglio: a general term referring to printing techniques that involve the incision of lines or images onto a metal plate, either manually incised or chemically etched. The paper receives the ink from the incised, recessed marks and is dampened so that it will be squeezed under printing pressure into the inked recesses of the plate. A distinguishing characteristic of intaglio printing is that the dried ink impression stands up from the paper in very slight relief. Aquatint, engraving, etching, mezzotint, and drypoint are all intaglio techniques.

J

K

L

Liftground: an etching technique in which it is possible to draw and print in positive rather than in reverse. The process involves drawing with pen or brush, either on an aquatint ground or on a clean copper plate, using a solution of sugar and India ink. Once the solution is dry, the plate is thinly coated with an acid resist, dried and then immersed in a tray of warm water, which dissolves the sugar-ink mixture, thereby lifting the resist coating off the plate. The exposed drawing is then placed in an acid-bath and prepared for printing.

Linoleum cut (or linocut): a method of surface printing, similar to woodcut, which employs a layer of linoleum mounted on wood. The soft linoleum can easily be cut in any direction and has a surface that accepts ink evenly.

Lithographic crayon and lithographic pencil: drawing tools used to create the grease image on the printing element. These materials, manufactured in varying degrees of hardness, are also used in creating hand-drawn screenprint stencils.

Lithography: the process whereby an image is drawn on a stone or plate with lithographic pencils, greasy crayon, ink (tusche), or other synthetic materials. After the image is drawn, it is fixed with an "etch" solution of gum arabic and nitric acid which is spread over the entire surface in order to prevent the grease from spreading. As a result, water-receptive nonprinting areas and grease-receptive image areas are produced. Ink bonds only to the greasy areas and the plate or stone can then be printed on dampened paper.

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M

Mezzotint: a method of intaglio printing that involves the use of a "rocker" to roughen the surface of the plate so that it prints black, then working the plate from darker to lighter values by scraping and burnishing. Also known as "manière noire."

Monoprint: a print that has been altered by coloring the paper before printing or by varying each impression during or after printing. A monoprint derives all or part of its image from printing elements and may include collage elements and/or hand-coloring.

Monotype: a unique image printed from a plate, glass, metal, or other material on which an image is painted or drawn. A monotype impression is one of a kind. A second, lighter impression, called a ghost, can be made from the painted or drawn printing element.

N

O

Offset lithography: a modern development of lithography in which the image is lifted from the stone or plate by a rubber roller which then reprints it onto paper. This double printing procedure re-reverses the image, which is then printed in its original direction.

OP (Other proofs): this term designates proofs that do not fit within standard definitions.

P

Photochemical (or photomechanical): a term referring to the group of processes that allow a photographic image to be transferred to a printing element. This is frequently done by means of a dot screen through which the continuous gradations of photography are translated into spots of black and white.

Photolithography: a form of lithography in which light-sensitive plates or stones are exposed to a photographic image, usually by means of a halftone screen.

Photoscreenprint: a form of screenprint in which a light-sensitive resist applied to the screen is exposed to a photographic image that has been broken down by a dot screen. Areas exposed to light harden. A photo stencil is created when unexposed sections, which are unaffected, are washed away. The ink is forced through the open mesh to create the image.

PP (Progressive proof): a series of proofs intended to illustrate the image development of the completed print showing each color or element as added one by one.

PP I (Printer's proof I): a proof presented to a printer who assisted in printing the edition. Additional proofs beyond a printer's proof I may exist and are indicated by Roman numerals (PP II, PP III, PP IV, etc.).

PR (Presentation proof): A proof meeting the right to print impression or standard used for the edition that is intended as a gift to a group or individual.

Print: prints are works of art produced in editions or multiple original impressions of the same image. They are made by transferring a layer of ink from a printing element onto paper or another material. A printing press frequently supplies the pressure for the transfer.

Printing element: any material, such as a stone, screen, or metal plate, upon which a design is created for the purpose of transfer. In prints involving more than one color, a separate printing element is usually drawn for each color. Multiple colors may be simultaneously printed from a single element, and elements may be used many times for different colors.

Proof: impressions pulled, before the printing of the edition, in which the development of the image is tracked and various inks, colors, papers, and other variables are tested.

Q

R

Rag paper: cotton rags and/or pulped linen are the main ingredients for most fine art papers.

Relief printing: a process in which the impression is created by the raised areas of the printing element. The ink is applied to the raised surface, while the incised or recessed areas remain clear. During printing, paper is often pushed into the sunken areas, thus creating an embossed effect. Wood, linoleum, and plastic are most commonly used for relief printing.

Rocker: in mezzotint, a serrated cutting tool with a wide curved edge that roughens the surface of a metal plate.

Rosin: an organic substance in lump or powdered form that melts when heated. It is primarily used for aquatint grounds.

Roulette: in intaglio, a textured wheel that may be drawn across a metal plate to roughen the surface and produce tonalities.

RTP (Right to proof or standard): the first impression achieved in the proofing period that meets the aesthetic and technical approval of the artist and workshop. It is used as a guide for the production of the edition. The proof is generally presented to the printer with whom the artist collaborated.

S

Scraper: in mezzotint, a tool, usually with a wooden handle and a shaft of one or more knife-like edges, that smoothes the surface of the roughened plate by scraping off some or all of the texture on the surface, reducing the plate's ability to carry ink.

Screenprint: a print made by a stencil technique in which ink is forced through stretched mesh fabric (silk, cotton, nylon) or metal onto paper beneath the frame. The image is created by blocking out parts of the mesh in a variety of ways such as hand-painting the screen with glue or lacquer, applying a cutout design, or by painting a light-sensitive resist on the screen which is then developed photographically. Unlike other printing media, there is no mirror reversal in screenprinting, which is very versatile as it can be placed on almost any material.

Softground: an etching ground that has tallow added to prevent it from hardening. Once the ground has been laid onto the plate, a piece of soft paper may be fixed on top of it onto which the artist may make a drawing. Where the pencil presses into the ground, it adheres to the paper, which is carefully pulled away together with the attached ground, leaving a design exposed on the copper. For a sharper line, the artist may draw directly through the ground and can impress textures through it. The plate is then bitten in the usual way, and a facsimile of the original drawing is transferred to the copper.

SP (Special proof): a proof specifically created for presentation purposes by the artist or publisher that equals the right to print impression or standard used for the edition. In some cases this is called a dedication proof (DP).

Spitbite: a direct intaglio method of painting the grounded etching plate with a strong acid rather than placing it in an acid-bath. The term originated with the traditional practice of putting saliva onto the plate to mix with the acid, in order to control the dispersal of the fluid over the plate.

State: the point at which an artist stops work on a plate and pulls an impression of a print. A first state is the first impression or impressions. A second state is the next impression taken after further design adjustments have been made. This sequence may continue until a final state is produced.

T

TC (Trial cancellation): this impression is a trial proof made in preparation for a cancellation proof.

TP (Trial proof): this impression varies from the edition either in imagery, printing sequence, or fabrication.

Tusche: a drawing medium manufactured in liquid and solid states, made from similar ingredients such as lithographic crayons and pencils. Litho tusche can be diluted in water, turpentine, or other solvents to produce a liquid medium for drawing on stone, aluminum plates, transfer paper, acetate, or Mylar. Tusche is also used in creating hand-drawn screenprint stencils.

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V

W

Wash drawing: in lithography, a drawing made with diluted tusche. This technique gives the artist the freedom to draw spontaneously using a wide range of continuous tones directly on the stone, plate, or transfer paper.

Woodcut: a method of relief printing in which wood is gouged to create an image. The artist's design is either drawn directly on the block of wood or on a sheet of paper that is adhered to its surface. A variety of cutting tools can be used to carve away the non-printing areas. The image appears as a network of lines and shapes standing out in relief, which are then inked and printed.

WP (Working proof): this impression is one upon which the artist has added work by hand.

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Y

Z

Peterdi, Gabor. Printmaking: Methods Old and New. Revised and Expanded Edition. Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1980.

For more information about printmaking techniques visit the Gemini G.E.L. Online Catalogue Raisonné at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC at http://www.nga.gov/gemini.