Comprehensive Guide to

Printmaking Methods
Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
Relief Printing
1. Artist carves
image into
wooden block
2. Raised
areas remain
to receive ink
3. Ink applied
to raised
surface with
roller
4. Paper
Wooden blocks, pressed onto
220 CE Unknown chisels, gouges, inked surface
Woodcut
(China) Chinese artisans knives, water-based by hand or
inks press
5. Image
transfers to
paper as mirror
image
6. Multiple
colors require
multiple blocks
7. Traditional in
Asian art and
European
religious prints
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Design
carved into end
grain of
hardwood
2. Fine lines
possible due to
dense wood
grain
3. Uses
engraving tools
rather than
knives
End-grain hardwood 4. Allows for
(boxwood), burin, more detail
Wood Engraving 1790 Thomas Bewick
metal tools, oil- than standard
based inks woodcut
5. Printed
using
mechanical
press
6. Popular for
book
illustrations in
19th century
7. White lines
appear where
wood is cut
away
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Design
carved into soft
linoleum with
gouges
2. Easier to
carve than
wood but less
durable
3. Inked with
roller and
printed by hand
or press
Linoleum sheet,
Franz Cisek, Die 4. Produces
Linocut 1905 carving tools, oil-
Brücke artists bold, graphic
based inks
images
5. Multiple
colors require
multiple blocks
or reduction
technique
6. Popular in
educational
settings
7. Modernized
by Picasso in
1950s
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Collaged
materials
adhered to
backing plate
2. Materials
create textured
surface with
varying heights
3. Plate sealed
with acrylic or
varnish
4. Can be
Cardboard, textured
inked as relief
materials, glue,
Collagraph 1955 Glen Alps or intaglio
acrylic medium,
process
various inks
5. Printed with
press under
high pressure
6. Creates
textural prints
with
dimensional
quality
7. Allows use
of found
materials and
recycled items
Intaglio
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Design
incised directly
into metal plate
with sharp
tools
2. Ink pushed
into recessed
lines
3. Surface
wiped clean,
leaving ink in
grooves
German 4. Dampened
Copper or zinc
goldsmiths paper pressed
Engraving 1430s plates, burins, steel
(possibly Martin onto plate with
tools, oil-based inks
Schongauer) etching press
5. Tremendous
pressure forces
paper into
grooved lines
6. Creates
precise, crisp
lines
7. Historically
used for
currency,
maps, and fine
art
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Metal plate
covered with
acid-resistant
ground
2. Design
drawn through
ground with
needle
3. Plate
immersed in
acid, which
bites exposed
Metal plates, acid-
metal
resistant ground,
4. Ground
Etching 1510s Daniel Hopfer acid bath, etching
removed, plate
needles, oil-based
inked, surface
inks
wiped
5. Printed with
etching press
on dampened
paper
6. Creates
freer lines than
engraving
7. Mastered by
Rembrandt and
other Old
Masters
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Metal plate
dusted with
fine rosin
powder
2. Plate heated
to adhere rosin
particles
3. Areas
painted with
acid-resistant
varnish remain
untouched
Metal plates, rosin
Jean-Baptiste Le 4. Plate etched
Aquatint 1768 dust, acid bath, oil-
Prince in acid bath at
based inks
varying times
5. Creates
tonal effects
rather than
lines
6. Multiple
baths create
range of tones
7. Often
combined with
etching for
lines and tone
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Entire plate
roughened with
serrated tool
(rocker)
2. Creates
uniform rough
surface that
holds ink
3. Image
created by
smoothing
areas with
Copper plates,
burnisher
Ludwig von mezzotint rocker,
Mezzotint 1642 4. Smoother
Siegen burnishing tools, oil-
areas hold less
based inks
ink, creating
highlights
5. Printed with
etching press
6. Creates rich,
velvety blacks
and subtle
gradations
7. Popular for
reproducing
paintings in
18th century
1. Lines
scratched
directly into
metal with
sharp tool
2. Creates
metal burr that
holds ink
3. Produces
soft, velvety
Metal plates, sharp lines
Housebook
Late 15th steel or diamond- 4. Plate wears
Drypoint Master
century tipped tools, oil- down quickly
(Germany)
based inks during printing
5. Limited
editions due to
wear
6. No acid
involved in
process
7. Favored for
spontaneous,
sketch-like
qualities
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
Planographic
1. Design
drawn on
limestone with
greasy
materials
2. Stone
treated with
gum arabic and
acid solution
3. Based on
principle that
oil and water
repel
4. Stone
Limestone, greasy
dampened with
drawing materials,
Lithography 1796 Alois Senefelder water (repels
gum arabic, water,
oil-based ink)
oil-based inks
5. Ink rolled
onto stone,
adheres only to
greasy areas
6. Paper
pressed onto
stone with
lithographic
press
7.
Revolutionized
commercial
printing in 19th
century
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Image
transferred to
light-sensitive
aluminum plate
2. Plate
mounted on
cylinder in
press
3. Ink
transferred
from plate to
rubber blanket
Metal plates, rubber
4. Blanket
blanket, multiple
transfers
Ira Washington rollers,
Offset Lithography 1904 (offsets) image
Rubel photosensitive
to paper
emulsions, oil-based
5. Allows for
inks
high-speed
commercial
printing
6. Dominates
modern
commercial
printing
industry
7. Enables full-
color printing
through CMYK
process
Stencil
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Stencil
created on
mesh screen
(originally silk)
2. Modern
method uses
photosensitive
emulsion
3. Ink forced
through open
areas of screen
John Pilsworth, with squeegee
Mesh screen, photo
Screenprint selective credit to 4. Direct
1910s emulsion, squeegee,
(Serigraph) Samuel Simon transfer to
stencil materials, ink
(1907) paper beneath
screen
5. Separate
screen for each
color
6. Creates
bold, flat areas
of color
7. Popularized
by Warhol in
Pop Art
movement
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Multiple
stencils cut for
different colors
2. Colors
applied by
brushing
through
stencils
3. Hand-
colored
process
common for
Stencil plates fashion plates
French
(metal/plastic), 4. Each print
Pochoir 1880s commercial
brushes, water- individually
artists
based paints colored
5. Creates
vibrant,
painterly
effects
6. Popular in
Art Deco
illustration
7. Labor-
intensive
process done
by specialized
artisans
Digital
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Digital file
created or
scanned
2. Printed with
professional
inkjet printer
3. Uses
multiple color
channels (8-12
ink colors)
4. Produces
Archival inkjet archival-quality
printers, pigment- fine art
Giclée 1991 Jack Duganne
based inks, archival reproductions
papers 5. Allows
printing on
various
substrates
6. Creates
continuous
tone without
visible dots
7. Term derived
from French
word for
"spray"
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Digital image
converted to
master
wrapped
around drum
2. Master
perforated by
thermal print
head
3. Ink pushed
through
perforated
master onto
Noboru Hayama Thermal master, paper
Risograph 1980 (RISO Kagaku rice-based ink, 4. One color
Corporation) Risograph printer per drum,
colors layered
sequentially
5. Limited spot
colors available
6. Creates
distinctive
texture and
registration
7. Initially
designed for
high-volume
institutional
printing
Monotype/Monoprint
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Image
painted directly
onto smooth,
unaltered plate
2. No
permanent
marks on plate
3. Dampened
paper placed
over painted
surface
4. Transferred
Giovanni Smooth plate (metal, using press or
Monotype 1640s Benedetto glass, acrylic), paints hand pressure
Castiglione or inks, paper 5. Produces
one unique
print (mono =
one)
6. Some ghost
image may
remain for
second, fainter
print
7. Combines
painting and
printmaking
techniques
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Uses an
existing print
matrix with
permanent
elements
2. Matrix
altered with
additional
unique
elements for
each print
3. Each
impression is
unique but with
Etched plate or other
Various artists consistent
Early 19th matrix with
Monoprint including Edgar elements
century permanent features,
Degas 4. Combines
paints or inks
reproducible
and variable
elements
5. Printed with
press or hand
pressure
6. Allows for
series with
variations
7. Blurs
boundary
between
printmaking
and painting
Japanese Methods
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Artist's
drawing
transferred to
block by
craftsman
2. Different
block carved
for each color
3. Registration
marks (kento)
ensure
alignment
Cherry wood blocks,
4. Water-based
Hishikawa water-based
Ukiyo-e Woodblock 1660s pigments
Moronobu pigments, rice paste,
brushed onto
washi paper
blocks
5. Paper hand-
burnished with
baren tool
6. Production
divided among
specialist
artisans
7. Created
Japan's most
recognizable
art form
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Modern
adaptation of
traditional
Japanese
woodblock
2. Uses water-
based
pigments
mixed with rice
paste
3. Multiple
blocks for
different colors
Traditional Cherry wood, water-
Traditional 4. Hand-
Japanese based pigments,
Moku Hanga (revived printing with
artisans, revived Japanese papers,
1960s) baren (no
by Western artists baren
press required)
5. Wood grain
often visible in
prints
6. Non-toxic
process using
traditional
materials
7. Creates
translucent
color layers
unlike Western
methods
Other Methods
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Paper
coated with
photosensitive
solution
2. Objects or
negatives
placed on
treated paper
3. Exposed to
ultraviolet light
(sun)
Ferric ammonium 4. Exposed
citrate, potassium areas turn
Cyanotype 1842 Sir John Herschel
ferricyanide, paper, Prussian blue
UV light when washed
5. Creates
distinctive blue
and white
images
6. Originally
used for
architectural
blueprints
7. Popularized
in botany by
Anna Atkins
1. Practiced by
Japanese
fishermen to
record catches
2. Fish cleaned
and dried, eyes
removed
3. Ink applied
directly to fish
4. Paper gently
Unknown Fish, water-soluble pressed onto
Gyotaku 1800s Japanese ink, rice paper or inked fish
fishermen fabric 5. Creates
detailed
impression of
fish anatomy
6. Developed
into art form
beyond
documentation
7. "Gyo" = fish,
"taku" =
rubbing
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Natural
objects
(leaves,
feathers) inked
directly
2. Object
pressed onto
paper or into
soft lead
3. Metal
impression can
be
electroplated
for durability
Natural objects, ink,
Early botanical 4. Creates
Nature Printing 1430s paper, sometimes
printers detailed
soft metal plates
botanical
impressions
5. Used
historically for
scientific
documentation
6. Revived as
eco-friendly
contemporary
technique
7. Creates
direct
impressions of
natural textures
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Light-
sensitive
polymer
coating on
metal plate
2. Exposed to
UV light
through
transparency
3. Unexposed
areas wash
away with
water
Photopolymer
4. Creates
Solar Plate Etching 1970s Dan Welden plates, UV light,
intaglio or relief
water, intaglio inks
surface
5. Non-toxic
alternative to
traditional
etching
6. No acids or
solvents
required
7. Combines
photographic
and hand-
drawn
elements
 Origin Process
Method Founder/Pioneer Materials Used
Year Description
1. Not a
printing method
itself but a
technique
2. Thin colored
paper cut to
desired shapes
3. Coated with
adhesive on
reverse
4. Placed on
Thin tissue papers,
Late 18th European printing plate
Chine-collé wheat paste, intaglio
century printmakers face up
or relief prints
5. Printed
simultaneously
with backing
sheet
6. Adds color
and texture to
prints
7. "Chine"
refers to thin
Chinese paper
originally used
1. Based on
properties of
inks with
different
viscosities
2. Intaglio plate
inked with stiff
ink in recessed
areas
3. Surface
rolled with less
viscous ink
Intaglio plates, inks 4. Inks of
Stanley William
Viscosity Printing 1950s of different different
Hayter
viscosities, rollers viscosities
repel each
other
5. Multiple
colors printed
in single press
run
6. Developed
at Atelier 17 in
Paris
7. Creates
complex color
relationships