Philadelphia
Print Shop on-line reference
library is for the use of
anyone interested in prints,
printmaking, maps and mapmaking.The
reference pages are non-commercial
in intent simply providing
useful information but are
linked to the Philadelphia
Print Shop commercial pages.
A
print [in general terms]
is a piece of paper on which
a design has been imprinted
from a matrix made of some
selected medium, usually stone,
wood, or metal. In an original
print the matrix is made by
hand, as opposed to a reproduction,
which is made by a photomechanical
method. [ more ]
Woodcuts
and wood engravings both
entail creating a relief image
on a block of wood by cutting
away the parts that are not
to hold ink .[ more ]
An
engraving ... is made
by incising a design into
a metal plate by applying
pressure to the plate with
a pointed tool called a graver
or burin. Engraving is an
intaglio process [more ]
An
etching is created by
covering a metal plate with
an acid-resistant layer of
wax called a ground and drawing
a design through the ground
using an etching needle. [ more ]
An aquatint is created
by etching sections, rather
than lines, of a plate in order
to create areas of uniform tone.
.Aquatint is an intaglio process
[ more]
A
stipple print is created
from a metal plate upon which
the design has been produced
using different sized small
dots grouped more or less
closely together in order
to create areas of tone [ more ]
Mezzotint can
be thought of as the inverse
of the other intaglio processes,
for a mezzotint design is created
working from black to white,
rather than vice versa. In a
mezzotint the metal plate is
worked using a rocker, which
roughens the entire surface
of the plate with tiny holes
and burrs...Mezzotint is an
intaglio process... [ more ]
A
lithograph is created
by drawing an image onto a
stone (lithography = "stone-drawing")
or metal plate using a grease
crayon or a greasy ink called
tusche. The process is based
on the principle that grease
and water do not mix. [ more ]
A
photomechanical or process
print is created from
a matrix upon which the image
has been photographically
transferred from an original
source. There is no direct
hand work involved in creating
the matrix and thus a photomechanical
print is considered to be
a reproduction rather than
an original print. [ more ]
Associations
& Publications 
