- Intaglio, Embossing and Flat Printing
- Woodcut and Linoleum Cut
- Metal Printing Techniques
- etching
- aquatint
- dry point
- spraying technique
- carborundum etching
- Lithography
- Silkscreen (Serigraphy)
- Prints in Several Colors
- Mixed Techniques
- The Collaboration with the Printer
- The Edition
- The Paper

Lithography

In 1798, the stone printing technique, i.e. lithography, was invented, though nearly by accident. This is a flat printing technique, in which the repellent and absorbent qualities of the materials on a surface are used to transfer the desired image in ink. Similar to this method is the silkscreen, though this would not be invented until the second half of the 20^th century.

Specialists can discern by the color on the paper the different grains of the various types of stone used. Limestone is the preferred material, with the Solnhofen limestone being one of the most famous. In lithography as well there are several methods: chalk technique, pen and paintbrush technique, the half-ink technique, and the already mentioned repeated printing technique.

The etching process (nitric acid and gum solution) is done following the rules of embossing, so that the grain on which the lithograph chalk or lithograph India ink has settled is eaten away by the acid and a smooth surface results which repels the ink. The relief is hardly noticeable. The gum solution also has a function. The stone plate is covered with ink using rollers, which only adheres to the greasy area of the drawing, just as the greasy lithograph chalk previously repelled the acid.

Often the artist draws with lithographic chalk or lithographic ink on transfer paper instead of directly on the plate. This drawing, done on special paper, is then pressed onto the plate. Since many artists carried this transfer paper with them instead of their sketchpads, drawing found a direct outlet, and its spontaneity could be preserved for the lithograph without any complicated preparations. Keep in mind that both the plate and the transfer paper reflect the drawing as in a mirror. In more recent times, photographic technology was also incorporated into the transferal of a work of art onto the stone plate, with legitimate results. At this point the border was crossed to mechanical offset printing techniques - and this is where one must remain wary of counterfeits.

Silkscreen, Serigrahy

And finally, serigraphy. The silkscreen is used above all where purely flat results are desired. The technique can be traced back to the use of templates. In contrast to the other graphic techniques, the drawing here is not transferred as a mirror. The image is applied onto a cloth stretched across a frame. A scraper is pressed across the surface after areas of the cloth are covered and ink is applied. The permeability of the tissue allows the ink to go through onto the paper or other support. From a technical point of view, the silkscreen can provide nearly unlimited editions, and is thus used in advertising as well. As serigraphy is one of the youngest of the graphic techniques, it had to wait its turn to become consecrated as a valid graphic technique through Pop and Op Art in the 50's. Today, as other techniques, even electronic media, await their blessing from the world of art, the silkscreen has long since advanced to take up its place as one of the classic techniques within the art of original graphic works.

Prints in Several Colors

The polychrome print is the result of using several plates (or wood blocks or screens), one after another, with the result that the color is applied in layers. This can be done with wood, metal or screen, as well as stone plates. And as with all the graphic techniques, there are also variations possible here. Hence for example, 'à la poupée' refers to the technique of applying several colors onto one plate at the same time. It goes without saying that for every print, the color must be added to the plate anew.

Mixed Techniques

There are some rare cases today of graphic works which combine the use of aquatint etching with lithography for the creation of a single graphic, or which in addition areas of the paper are cut out using the collage technique, or which combine lithography with silkscreen. The possibilities are endless.

Collaboration with the Printer

Graphic art is based on tried skill, and the printer becomes the closest confidante of the artist during the creation process. It is no accident that artists often work for decades with the same printer - or that an entire pick of artists are customers of one and the same printer. The secrets of this transferal process involve many nuances - and are closely related as well to the habits, the experience and the individual personality of the printer.

Often it is the artist who is personally involved until the very last details on the stone or copper plate, on the silkscreen or wood block. Nevertheless, sooner or later, and particularly in somewhat larger editions, the transferal skills of the printer come into play.

The Edition

Plates become worn with use. Limiting an edition to a certain number of copies is hence well justified. Plates made of softer metals such as copper, zinc or aluminum are often coated with steel for an edition in order to achieve perfectly equal results in each print. Or harder materials are used, as for example steel plates. In order to guarantee the edition and prevent any further editions from being printed, the wood blocks are destroyed after the completion of the edition, the plates ruined.

The Paper

Printing, along with drawing, is the great art on paper. The paper is prepared for an intaglio print by wetting it so that it is absorbent and elastic. After the pressing, the impression from the entire plate remains on the paper, with the area around the plate producing the recess typical of etchings. This alone requires the paper to be strong and resistant to tearing. This principle lies at the basis of embossing as well, which is often used in more recent times to complement other graphic techniques.