Nine Types of Printmaking

Our work incorporates a lot of these techniques.

Come to our exhibition, 
opening on the 6th of November and find out which ones we use the most!

Woodcut

The oldest printmaking technique, woodcut involves carving an 

image into a wooden surface, which is then inked and printed

leaving the carved-out image in negative, 

as well as occasional traces of the wood’s grain.

Linocut

A more modern analog to woodcut, 
linocuts are made using linoleum; 
the softness of the material allows for cleaner, freer, and more fluid lines.

Etching

To create an etching, artists incise (“draw”) 

a composition onto a wax-coated metal plate, 

then soak the entire plate in acid. 

The acid corrodes the exposed lines and leaves the wax intact, 

so that when the plate is inked and pressed, 

the paper absorbs the image in reverse. 

Rembrandt is one of the original masters of this technique.

Engraving

A less forgiving version of etching (mastered by Dürer), 

in this process artists incise their image directly

 onto a metal plate, which is then inked and printed.

Monotype

Unlike most other printmaking techniques, 

this process produces unique editions. 

Artists draw, paint, or otherwise manipulate ink or paint 

to create a composition on a smooth surface, 

which is then produced in reverse when applied to a ground support.

Collograph

a printmaking process in which materials are applied to a rigid substrate (such as paperboard or wood). The word is derived from the Greek word koll or kolla, 
meaning glue, and graph, meaning the activity of drawing.

The plate can be intaglio-inked, inked with a roller or paintbrush, or some combination.

Ink or pigment is applied to the resulting collage, and the board is used to print onto 
paper or another material using either a printing press or various hand tools. 
The resulting print is termed a collagraph. Substances such as carborundum, 
acrylic texture mediums, sandpapers, textiles, bubble wrap, string or other fibers, 
cut card, leaves and grass can all be used in creating the collagraph plate. 
In some instances, leaves can be used as a source of pigment by rubbing them onto the 
surface of the plate.

Different tonal effects and vibrant colors can be achieved with the technique due to the 
depth of relief and differential inking that results from the collagraph plate's 
highly textured surface. 

Collagraphy is a very open printmaking method. Ink may be applied to the upper 
surfaces of the plate with a brayer for a relief print, or ink may be applied to the 
entire board and then removed from the upper surfaces but remain in the spaces 
between objects, resulting in an intaglio print. 
A combination of both intaglio and relief methods may also be employed. 
A printing press may or may not be used.

Screen Print

One of the most ubiquitous printmaking techniques today,

 screen printing starts with an ink-blocking stencil applied to a screen. 

When ink is wiped across the screen, it selectively passes through, 

transferring the image to the ground. 

Look no further than Andy Warhol for iconic examples of the medium.

Transfer

Transfer is a catch-all term for processes of transmitting images 

from one surface to another, 

whether by rubbing, tracing, pressing, or any other manual technique. 

Outside of the “fine art” context, 

examples of the technique include gravestone rubbings and carbon copies.