
The method was previously used for all mass-printed materials but today intaglio printing is reserved for currency, banknotes and passports.įor examples of intaglio prints see Carmen Herrera’s Equilibrio, 2017, Robert Rauschenberg’s Soviet/American Array IV, 1990 and Kiki Smith’s Puppet, 1994. By the 1500s it was used by artists such as Albert Dürer, who has since become known as one of the most famous intaglio artists. Examples of intaglio printing are etching, drypoint, engraving. Intaglio printing is the direct opposite of relief printing because the incised areas are what is printed rather than the raised areas. This is what creates the final image on the paper when it is put through the printing press.Įmerging well after the woodcut print, intaglio printmaking is first recorded as being used in the late 1430s. Intaglio printing refers to a wide range of printmaking techniques in which a plate surface is incised and the resulting lines are printed.


Excess ink is then wiped away so that only the incisions retain the inks. To print an intaglio plate, ink must be applied to the entire surface and pushed into the recessed lines. If a cutting tool is used, then the process is called engraving whereas if acid is used the process is called etching. In order to do this, you can either use a cutting tool called a burin or rely on the corrosive actions of acid. The process is started by cutting lines into the metal plate.

Intaglio printing is the opposite printing-making technique for relief printing. Examples of intaglio printing are etching, drypoint, engraving, photogravure, heliogravure, aquatint, and mezzotint. Intaglio printing is one of the oldest printmaking techniques and is similar to many printing methods in which the plate area is carved, and the lines that are the outcome plate carving are probably printed. These plates are also commonly referred to as solar exposure plates as printmakers often use the sun’s UV rays for exposure. Intaglio printing is the direct opposite of relief printing because the incised areas are what is printed rather than the raised areas. KM43 Intaglio plates are exposed through a film positive where the printed image appears the same as the original drawing.These are popular intaglio etching plates. Intaglio printing refers to a wide range of printmaking techniques in which a plate surface is incised and the resulting lines are printed.
