GLOSSARY OF PRINT TERMINOLOGY | |
| Acid Bath | A tray containing acid mixed with water in which the plate is immersed to be bitten. See Bite. |
| A la Poupee | A method of applying multi-color inks by rollers or other tools, to one plate in different areas for a single impression. |
| Aluminum | Metal used in connection with hand printed lithography as an alternative to stone. |
| Aquatint | An etching process in which the tonality is achieved by dusting powdered resin onto a plate, heating it, when the resin has adhered to the plate, the plate is etched. |
| Artist's Proof | Artist's Proof should be exactly the same as the edition in quality and image though they are outside the numbered edition. They are identified with "A.P." or "Artist's Proof" on the impression. They are often retained by the artist or publisher. |
| Asphaltum | A bituminous substance used in intaglio as an acid resist. In lithography it may be used for drawing or rolling up stones or plates. |
| Baren | A padded tool used for rubbing the back of paper in relief printing from blocks. |
| Bite | Term is used for the action of acid on the plate in the acid bath. |
| Blankets | Pads used between the paper and roller on an etching press to prevent movement of paper during printing. Also to provide cushioning and aid in pressing paper into the lines of the plates, etc. |
| Blind Stamp | The same as chop but stamped with ink on verso of the print. See also Chop. |
| Bon a Tirer | A literal translation from the French meaning "good to pull" and refers to the first print the artist decides to use for editioning. This print is then used as a guide for printer of the edition. This print is annotated Bon a Tirer, B.A.T. or R.T.P. (Right to Print), and is outside the edition. |
| Burin | A tool with a steel shaft used for engraving metal plates or wood blocks. |
| Burr | The ridge left in the metal plate on both sides of the needle-cut line. A ridge of metal created as the needle cuts into the metal plate. In printing creates a soft fuzzy line, instead of a clean sharp line as in engraving. |
| Cancellation Proof | A proof pulled from defaced plate, screen or block, to guarantee that no other prints may be made from that edition, thus insuring a limited edition. |
| Chine Colle/ Chine Applique | A process in which one sheet of paper is adhered to another by pressure, usually a thin paper laminated to backing during the printing process. |
| Chop | An identifying mark embossed on a print to identify the workshop, printer or publisher of the print. |
| Collagraph | A print of a collage which may consist of a variety of materials glued to a rigid plate. The plate is then inked and printed usually on an etching press. |
| Color Separations | Proofs of each separate color of a multicolor print. |
| Color Trial Proof | This term may be used to annotate Trial Proofs, these proofs may be done using the same plates as in the edition but the color varies from that used in the edition. |
| Couching | The process of transferring a wet just formed sheet of paper from mold to a wet felt. Two or more sheets may be couched together to form one sheet. This can be used as a means of making limited editions of cast paper. |
| Deckle Edge | The uneven edge on handmade paper or mould made paper. |
| Drypoint | Drawing on a metal plate with a needle of hard steel, often with a diamond point. The "burr" that is formed along the edge of the line traps the ink for a soft rich effect. |
| Dustbox | A box in which a plate is coated with powdered rosin for aquatint processing. |
| Edition | Total number of prints pulled from one image and represents the largest body of work for sale from that image. These prints are consecutively numbered to show that the edition is limited by publisher or artist. |
| Embossment/ Debossment | The effect attained by a specially cut plate or block printed inkless. This results in the image on paper having a raised or lowered effect. |
| Engraving | A method of drawing that employs a burin or graver to cut or incise on a metal plate. |
| Etching | An intaglio process in which the lowered printing areas are bitten and etched by acid. The drawing and preparation of the plate can be accomplished with a variety of techniques dealt with elsewhere in this glossary. See Hardground, Sugar Lift and Softground. |
| Felts | The woven fabrics, such as wool, on which the made papers are placed when wet. See Couching. |
| Fibers | Threadlike structures, often cellulose, that make up papermaking pulp. |
| Handmade Paper | Paper formed by a hand held mould or matrix. |
| Hardground | A waxy varnish or ground applied to a plate to prepare it for drawing. The ground masks out areas not to be bitten in the acid bath, it acts as a resist. This technique is commonly used to produce fine line drawings. |
| Hors de Commerce | These prints are outside the edition but are the same as the edition and are used as gifts or payment to those involved in the production of the edition. |
| Impression | A term applied to any work from any printing element. |
| Intaglio | A general term covering the printing process such as engraving, aquatint, mezzotint, etching. Any process in which the image is cut, engraved or etched below the surface of the plate. |
| Light Sensitive Plate | A plate treated with a light sensitive coating which will receive a photographic image either in lithographic or intaglio processes. |
| Line Engraving | A print made by using a metal plate cut with an engraving tool. |
| Linocut | A relief process in which the image is cut into linoleum block. The printing surface being the raised portions of the block. |
| Lithographic Crayons and Pencils | Crayons and pencils of a greasy substance used in drawing for lithography. |
| Lithography | A process based on the natural repulsion between grease and water. Image is drawn on stone, aluminum or zinc plates, or both with greasy drawing materials. The image is then chemically processed so that the drawn area accepts grease (ink) and the non-image area water. Unlike intaglio printing the image and non-image areas are on the same plane or level (planographic). |
| Mezzotint | An intaglio process in which the surface of the plate is scored by a spurlike "rocker" so that it is completely roughened. The plate is then smoothed in areas to produce modulated tones of light and dark values. |
| Monoprint/ Monotype | A print in which the image is made on a non-absorbent surface, such as glass or plexiglass, drawn with ink or paint. The image is transferred to paper by rubbing the back of the paper on the plate with a rubbing tool or by hand. Only one print may be made by this method. Or any other method that makes only one impression. |
| Offset Lithography | A planographic process in which the inked impression is taken from the plate by a rubber covered cylinder which then transfers the image it has picked up to the paper. |
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Photo Processes (Photo Engraving, Photogravure, Photosilkscreen, Photolithography) | These processes all involve the use of light sensitive emulsion to transfer photographic images onto a plate or screen which are then processed for printing. |
| Plate Mark | In intaglio prints the pressure of the press causes the plate to leave a mark of its surface dimensions upon the paper. |
| Pochoir | A process used for hand coloring prints by using brushes or stencils or any method the artist chooses. |
| Printer's Proof | This impression is exactly like the edition and is the property of the printers responsible for pulling the edition. |
| Pull | To print, to transfer the ink to paper. |
| Pulp | The fibers that have been reduced and diluted with water to be formed into paper. |
| Rainbow Roll | Method of applying multi-color inks in bands or gradations on one roller to plate or stone. |
| Registration Marks | Marks used by the printer to line up the paper with area to be printed. |
| Relief Printing | A process of printing in which the non-printed areas have been cut away from a block or plate. |
| Remarque | Drawings or experimental marks usually in the margins of the print, to be removed before the work is editioned. The prints with these marks are called Remarque Proofs. |
| Restrike | The print or a whole edition pulled from formerly printed plates, blocks, stones, or stencils after the original edition has been printed and cancelled. These prints should show a defacing mark to note that original edition has been cancelled. |
| Rocker | A tool used to roughen the surface of the plate for mezzotint, an intaglio process. |
| Signed Edition | The number below the line designates the total size of the edition, the upper number refers to the specific print from the total edition, i.e. 2/100, the second print pulled from an edition of 100. |
| Silkscreen/ Serigraph/ Screenprint | A stencil process employing a frame on which silk or synthetic fabric is stretched. Stencils such as photo, hand drawn or hand cut are placed on the stretched fabric and act as a block out when the ink passes through the screen by means of a squeegee onto the paper, the non-stencil areas create the image. |
| Softground | An acid resistant coating applied to an etching plate. This ground remains soft even when dry and is very sensitive to pressure. |
| Spit Bite | A method in which the acid is applied directly to the plate and then quickly removed by any variety of liquids. |
| Squeegee | A tool used in silkscreen to apply ink or paint to material to be printed. A wooden bar and a rubber blade forces ink through screen. |
| State Proof | The alteration of an editioned image, plate, stone or stencil creating a new or related image. The new image may be printed in an edition with all impressions designated "State" I, II, III, IV, or more. |
| Stencil Print | A print made by applying color to an etching plate by use of a metal or paper stencil before printing, by rolling the color onto an inked plate. |
| Stone | Bavarian limestone is used in the medium of lithography. This is the element that the artist draws on to create the print image. |
| Sugar-Lift/ Ground | The image is drawn on the plate with brush or pen and sugar ink (a mixture of sugar and India ink). The plate is covered with hardground and immersed in hot water to dissolve the sugar, lifting the hardground with it. The plate is then etched in the normal manner. |
| Transfer | Method of drawing in which artist works on a specially coated paper or surface other than the intended printing element. The drawing is then transferred to metal or stone which is then processed for printing. |
| Trial Proof | A proof that varies from the edition either in color, size, drawing, printing order, etc. These proofs are usually pulled before the artist has arrived at the final decision for the edition. These prints are usually unique impressions which may be retained by the artist and are not numbered in any manner. |
| Transfer Paper | Paper used by the artist to draw on that is transferred to the plate or stone. With this method the image need not be drawn in reverse. |
| Vegetable Print | A print using a vegetable such as a potato as the inked element. |
| Watermark | The mark that papermakers form in their papers by sewing the design into the mould before the papermaking process. The watermark can be seen when held to the light as it is more translucent than the rest of the paper. |
| Wood Cut | A relief process in which the image is cut in a block of wood with tools such as knives, goughers or chisels. The image is inked with a roller, paper is applied to the surface and the back is rubbed by hand or with a rubbing tool, transferring the image to the paper. |
| Wood Engraving | A relief process in which the image is cut into the end grain of a block of wood using engraving tools. This process produces a very fine white line. |
| Zinc Plates/Metal Plates | Used both for lithography and intaglio processes. |
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