THREE MAJOR PRINT-MAKING PROCESSES
Intaglio - The process of incising a design beneath the surface of hard metal or stone. Plates are inked only in the etched depressions on the plates and then the plate surface is wiped clean. The ink is then transferred onto the paper through an etching press. The printing is done with a plate bearing an image in intaglio and includes all metal-plate etching and engraving processes. The reverse of this process is known as relief printing.
Planographic - The process to print impressions from a smooth surface rather than from creating incised or relief areas on the plate. The term was devised to describe lithography.
Relief - All printing processes in which the non-printing areas of the block or plate are carved, engraved, or etched away. Inks are applied onto the protected surface and transferred onto the paper. The reverse process is known as intaglio printing.
COMMON PRINT-MAKING TECHNOLOGIES
Aquatint - Printing technique capable of producing unlimited tonal gradations to re-create the broad flat tints of ink wash or watercolor drawings by etching microscopic crackles and pits into the image on a master plate, typically made of copper or zinc. The majority of Spanish artist Goya's (1746-1828) graphic works were done using this technique.
Blind - Printing using an un-inked plate to produce the subtle embossed texture of a white-on-white image, highlighted by the shadow of the relief image on the un-inked paper. This technique is used in many Japanese prints.
Collagraph - Printing technique in which proofs are pulled from a block on which the artwork or design is built up like a collage, creating a relief.
Drypoint - Printing technique of intaglio, engraving in which a hard, steel needle incises lines on a metal plate, creating a burr that yields a characteristically soft and velvety line in the final print.
Engraving - Printing technique in which an intaglio image is produced by cutting a metal plate or box directly with a sharp engraving tool. The incised lines are inked and printed with heavy pressure.
Etching - Printing technique in which a metal plate is first covered with an acid-resistant material, then worked with an etching needle to create an intaglio image. The exposed metal is eaten away in an acid bath, creating depressed lines that are later inked for printing. Developed around the 16th century, etching surpassed engraving during Rembrandt's era and remains a primary fine art printing technique.
Iris or Giclée - "Giclée," from the French word meaning "to spray," is a high-resolution printmaking process that eliminates mechanical screen patterns. Modern giclée printing uses high-precision inkjet technology to deliver exceptional color accuracy, rich depth, and fine detail on archival paper or canvas.
Lithography - A planographic process where prints are pulled from a flat stone or metal surface chemically treated so ink adheres only to image areas. Invented in 1798 by Alois Senefelder, it was popularized by masters such as Daumier, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, and Miró.
Mezzotint - A reverse intaglio process on copper or steel plates producing rich tonal gradations of light and shadow using a metal rocker tool.
Monotype - A unique, single-impression print created by painting directly onto a metal or glass plate and transferring the wet image to paper.
Offset Lithography - A photomechanical process where the inked image is transferred from plates to a rubber blanket, then to paper, widely adapted for high-quality color reproduction.
Pochoir - A refined stencil technique popular in early 20th-century Paris for adding vibrant hand-applied color layers to prints, associated with Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles.
Serigraphy (Silkscreen) - A technique forcing ink through fine fabric stencils onto paper or canvas using a squeegee, producing rich, dense color fields.
Woodcut - Relief printing cut from wooden blocks, one of the oldest print techniques dating to 12th-century China and 14th-century Europe.
COMMON ART PRINT TERMS
Acid-free Paper or Canvas - Archival substrate treated to prevent yellowing, degradation, and chemical breakdown over time.
Canvas Transfer - Reproducing artwork onto real canvas to replicate texture and original painterly characteristics.
Color-variant Suite - A set of identical print compositions executed in differing color schemes.
Impression - Any single image printed from a block, plate, stone, or matrix.
Limited Edition - A fixed, predetermined quantity of identical prints, numbered and signed by the artist.
Monoprint - A distinct, one-of-a-kind print created with artistic variations during the printing process.
Montage (Collage) - Composition created by assembling, layering, and joining disparate graphic elements or photos.
Multiple Originals - Original fine prints conceived and executed through matrix processes (e.g., etchings) under the artist's direct supervision.
Multiple Reproductions - Prints duplicating an existing artwork originally created in another medium (e.g., a serigraph of an oil painting).
Open Edition - Print series produced without a strict quantitative cap.
Provenance - Traced documented history of ownership verifying authenticity.
Remarque - A small original drawing or hand-embellishment added by the artist in the print margin.
Restrike - Subsequent impressions printed after the main edition has closed.
PRINT TYPES & PROOFS
Proofs are authorized impressions outside the main numbered edition. Proof designations indicate specific functional roles in the production process:
Artist's Proof (A.P. / E.A.) - Impressions reserved for the artist's personal archive or distribution, typically around 10% of the edition size.
Bon à Tirer (B.A.T.) - "Good to pull" proof; the master reference impression approved by the artist for the printer to match.
Cancellation Proof - A print pulled after a plate or block has been defaced to verify no further impressions can be produced.
Hors d'Commerce Proof (H.C.) - Impressions designated for gallery displays and promotional trade use.
Printer's Proof (P.P.) - Archival impressions retained by the printing workshop.
Trial Proof (T.P.) - Working proofs pulled during development to inspect progress before finalizing the plate.
COMMON ABBREVIATIONS USED IN ART
2nd ed / 2nd st. - Second Edition / Second State (reflecting composition or color alterations).
A.P. / E.A. - Artist's Proof (Épreuve d'artiste).
Del. - Delineavit (He/She drew it).
Exe. / Imp. - Excudit / Impressit (He/She printed/executed it).
H.C. - Hors d'Commerce.
Inc. / Sculp. - Incidit / Sculpsit (He/She engraved/carved it).
Inv. - Invenit (He/She designed/invented it).
Lith. / Litho. - Lithographed by.
Pinx. - Pinxit (He/She painted it).
P.P. / T.P. - Printer's Proof / Trial Proof.
ART STYLES & MOVEMENTS
Abstract - 20th-century non-representational style focusing on form, color, line, and composition over realistic representation.
Art Nouveau - Decorative, nature-inspired movement featuring flowing, organic lines and stylized motifs.
Cubism - Avant-garde style pioneered by Picasso and Braque, breaking subjects into geometric planes across multiple viewpoints.
Dadaism - Anti-establishment movement challenging conventional aesthetic norms following WWI.
Expressionism - Movement prioritizing subjective emotional experience over objective reality through vivid colors and dynamic distortion.
Impressionism - 19th-century French movement capturing light, atmosphere, and fleeting moments with visible, vibrant brushwork.
Pop Art - Modern movement using imagery from popular culture, advertising, and commercial media.
Realism - Direct representation of subjects as they appear in everyday life without romanticized idealization.
Romanticism - Movement emphasizing heightened emotion, drama, individualism, and nature.
Surrealism - Exploration of dream states, chance juxtapositions, and the subconscious mind.
Symbolism - Late 19th-century movement using mystical and allegorical symbols to express inner psychological states.
Trompe L'oeil - "Trick the eye" technique producing realistic 3D spatial illusions on 2D surfaces.
PHOTOGRAPHIC TERMS
Albumen Print - Dominant 19th-century photographic print method using egg white and silver nitrate solutions on light-sensitive paper.
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