print and printmaking - A print is a shape
or mark made from a block
or plate or other object that is covered with
wet color (usually ink)
and then pressed onto a flat
surface, such as paper or textile.
Most prints can be produced over and over again by re-inking the
printing block or plate. Printmaking can be done in many ways,
including using an engraved
block or stone, transfer
paper, or a film negative. The making of fine prints is generally
included in the graphic arts,
while the work of artists whose designs are made to satisfy the
needs of more commercial clients are included in graphic
design.
German,
a set of eight woodcuts
from the 16th century depict the various parts of the printing trade
first row:
A. Making vellum
B. Making paper
C. Casting type
D. Setting type and working the press
second row:
E. Drawing illustrations
F. Cutting wood
blocks
G. Printing the woodcuts
H. Binding books.
To find further discussion of prints and printmaking, with numerous images of examples, see articles on specific printing methods. For instance, see aquatint, aquatint mezzotint, engraving, etching, graphic arts, intaglio, linoleum cut, lithography, mezzotint, monoprint, monotype, photography, serigraphy or silkscreen, woodcut, and wood engraving.
Also see bookplate, camera-ready, clip art, coated paper, ephemera, frisket, incunabulum, packaging, philately, posthumous, praise, and study.
