Printmaking Glossary: Art Print Terms Explained

Printmaking is a process with a lot going on behind the finished image. It includes the plate, block, or screen; the paper; the ink; the pressure; the color; and how each layer comes together. Then there is the language that comes with it.

Words like "matrix," "impression," "proof," "edition," "registration," and “BAT” all have their subtle place. Once you understand what they actually mean, you might be surprised to see that they are not that complicated.

This printmaking glossary thoroughly covers any and every kind of printmaking terms one can encounter, starting from the tools and materials used to make a print to the words used when it is proofed, editioned, signed, and numbered.

If you consider yourself interested in learning about printmaking or simply want to understand the art print terms you commonly come across, then this piece is perfect to start with.

A

Acid-free

Paper, board, or other materials made without acids that can cause yellowing or deterioration over time. Acid-free materials are commonly used for prints intended for long-term preservation.

Aisuki

A flat Japanese woodblock carving tool used to clear larger areas of a block, leaving a clean, relatively flat surface.

À la poupée

A multi-color inking technique where different colors are applied to different areas of the same plate or block before a single impression is taken.

Aluminum plate

A thin metal plate used as a printing surface in lithography. It is lighter and easier to handle than traditional lithographic stone.

Archival

A term used for materials intended to remain stable over time, with resistance to fading, yellowing, and deterioration. It can refer to paper, inks, storage, and framing materials.

Artist's proof

An impression made from the same matrix as the main edition but kept outside the numbered edition for the artist. It is usually marked AP or A/P.

Asphaltum

An oil-based resin used in traditional lithography to protect and restore greasy image areas during the preparation of a stone.

Autographic

A printmaking process in which the artist creates marks directly by hand rather than relying on a photographic or mechanical transfer.

Autographic ink

A greasy drawing ink used to make marks directly on a printing surface or on an intermediate material that can later be transferred.

Autolithography

Lithography in which the artist draws directly onto the lithographic stone or plate rather than transferring the image photographically.

B

Baren

A flat hand tool used to press paper against an inked block or plate. It allows relief prints to be made by hand without a press.

Binder

The substance in printing ink that carries and holds the pigment. It also affects how the ink behaves, dries, and transfers.

Bite

The action of acid eating into a metal plate during etching. The depth of the bite affects the resulting line and how much ink it can hold.

Bleed

When an image extends to or beyond the edge of the paper with no visible margin. In digital preparation, "bleed" also refers to artwork extending beyond the final trim area.

Blend roll

A printing technique where two or more colors of ink are placed together and blended on a roller or brayer, creating a gradual color transition.

Block

A surface carved for relief printing. Wood and linoleum are common examples, with the raised areas carrying the ink.

Bon à tirer

Usually shortened to BAT, meaning "good to print." It is the approved proof used as the reference for the rest of an edition.

Brayer

A hand roller is used to spread ink evenly over a block, plate, or other printing surface.

Burin

A sharp engraving tool used to cut lines into a metal plate. It produces clean, controlled marks and is also known as a graver.

Burnisher

A smooth tool used to polish or compress areas of a metal plate. It can soften marks, reduce tones, or correct parts of an intaglio plate.

Burr

The raised edge of metal created when a tool cuts or scratches into a plate. In drypoint, the burr holds extra ink and gives the resulting line a softer quality.

Cmetal is

Cancellation proof

A print made after a plate or matrix has been canceled to document that no further authorized impressions can be made from it.

Cancelled plate

A printing plate that has been deliberately altered, scored or otherwise defaced after an edition has been completed so that further impressions cannot be made.

Carborundum

A silicon carbide abrasive used in printmaking, particularly for preparing and texturing lithographic stones.

Catalogue raisonné

A comprehensive scholarly record of an artist's known works, often including details such as dates, dimensions, editions, and provenance.

Chine-collé

A technique in which a thin sheet of paper is attached to a heavier support sheet during the printing process.

Chop

A small stamped, printed, or embossed mark identifying an artist, printer, workshop, or publisher.

Chromolithography

A color lithographic process in which separate printing surfaces are used for different colors, which are then printed in register.

CMYK

A four-color printing process using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Separate color layers combine to create the finished image.

Collagraph

A process in which the printing surface is built up by attaching materials such as card, fabric, or textured materials to a base before printing.

Colophon

A statement recording information about a printed work or edition, such as the artist, printer, publisher, paper, date, or number of copies.

Color separation

The process of separating an artwork into individual color layers so each color can be printed separately.

Copper plate

A sheet of copper used as a printing surface for intaglio processes such as etching, engraving, aquatint, and drypoint.

Countersign

A mark or stamp from a print workshop confirming that an edition was produced under its supervision. It is separate from the artist's own signature.

Cushion

A soft blanket used on an etching press to provide padding and help paper settle into the recessed areas of an intaglio plate.

Cyanotype

A photographic printing process known for its distinctive blue color. A light-sensitive coating is exposed to UV light before the paper is washed.

D

Deckled edge

The naturally rough, uneven edge found on some handmade papers. It can also be recreated on machine-made paper.

Desensitization

A chemical treatment used in lithography to prepare the non-image areas of a stone or plate so they attract water and repel oil-based ink.

Durometer

A measurement of rubber hardness, particularly relevant to squeegees, rollers, and brayers. The hardness affects how ink is deposited.

E

Edition

The total number of authorized impressions made from a particular matrix. A print marked 17/50, for example, belongs to an edition of 50.

Editioning

The process of establishing an edition, checking impressions, selecting those that meet the required standard, and then numbering and signing them.

Electrolytic etching

A method of etching metal using an electrical current and a solution rather than a traditional acid mordant.

Embossing/debossing

A process that presses a design into paper without necessarily using ink. Embossing creates a raised impression, while debossing creates a recessed one.

Emulsion

A light-sensitive coating used on screenprinting mesh. Exposure hardens selected areas, while the image areas can be washed out to create the stencil.

End grain

Wood is cut across the direction of the grain. Its hard, fine surface allows very detailed marks and is particularly useful in wood engraving.

Etching blanket

A thick felt blanket placed between the press roller and paper during intaglio printing. It distributes pressure and lets the paper settle into the plate.

Etching ink

A highly pigmented ink formulated for intaglio printing. It is worked into the recessed areas of a plate before wiping the surface.

Etching needle

A sharp tool used to draw through the protective ground on a metal plate, exposing areas that will later be bitten by acid.

Etching press

A press with heavy rollers used to transfer an image from a plate to paper under controlled pressure.

Exposure

The stage where a light-sensitive material, such as screen emulsion, is exposed to UV light to create the image or stencil.

Extender

A transparent medium added to ink to reduce color strength or create more transparent layers without changing the basic printing characteristics of the ink.

F

Ferric chloride

A chemical mordant used to etch certain metal plates. It is commonly used with copper and can provide a slower, more controlled etch.

Film positive

A transparent film used to expose a screen. Opaque areas block light while clear areas allow it through.

Flocking

A process in which short fibers are applied to an adhesive printed surface to create a soft, textured finish.

G

Gel plate

A soft, reusable printing surface used for monotype and experimental printing. Ink is applied to the plate before the image is transferred to paper by hand.

Ghost print

A lighter second impression made from a plate or block using ink left from the previous impression rather than fully re-inking the surface.

Gouge

A curved cutting tool used to remove material from a relief block. Different shapes produce different marks and textures.

Ground

An acid-resistant coating applied to a metal plate before etching. The artist removes the ground where the acid is intended to bite.

GSM

Short for grams per square meter, GSM describes paper weight. It is one of the standard ways of specifying how heavy a sheet of paper is.

Gum arabic

A natural gum widely used in lithography. It helps separate image and non-image areas by encouraging the non-image areas to hold water.

H

Halftone

A way of creating the appearance of continuous tones using dots of different sizes or spacing. It is widely used in color and screen printing.

Hors Commerce

Usually marked HC, meaning "outside commerce." These impressions are generally kept for reference, promotion, or the artist's own purposes rather than included in the main edition.

Hydrophilic

Describes a surface that attracts water. In lithography, the non-image areas are hydrophilic and therefore repel oil-based ink.

I

Impression

A single print made from a matrix, usually referring to one pull or pass. "Impression" is a more precise printmaking term than simply saying "print" in some contexts.

Ink drier

An additive mixed into certain inks to help them dry or cure more quickly.

K

Kento

Registration marks used in Japanese woodblock printing to position paper consistently across multiple color-printing passes.

L

Letterpress ink

A thick relief-printing ink designed to sit on raised type or blocks and transfer cleanly to paper.

Levigator

A heavy tool used with abrasive material to grind and prepare a lithographic stone.

Limited edition

A print edition with a declared, fixed number of impressions. Once that edition is complete, no additional prints should be produced as part of that edition.

Linoleum

A flexible material widely used as a relief-printing surface. The design is carved into the lino, leaving raised areas to receive ink.

Lithograph

A print made using lithography, a process based on the different behavior of oil and water on a flat printing surface.

Lithographic crayon

A grease-based crayon used to draw on a lithographic stone or plate.

Lithographic ink

An oil-based ink formulated for lithographic printing. It adheres to greasy image areas while being rejected by dampened non-image areas.

Lithographic limestone

Fine-grained limestone traditionally used as the surface for stone lithography.

Lithographic pencil

A grease-based pencil used for drawing and detailed marks on lithographic stones or plates.

Lithographic stone

A fine-grained stone, traditionally limestone, used as the printing surface in traditional stone lithography.

Lithography press

A press designed to transfer an image from a lithographic stone or plate onto paper using controlled pressure.

M

Magnesium carbonate

A fine powder used as an ink modifier in some printmaking processes to alter the body and working characteristics of ink.

Marbling

A decorative process in which pigments are floated and manipulated on a liquid surface before being transferred to paper.

Matrix

The surface from which a print is made. It can be a woodblock, copper plate, lithographic stone, screen, or another printing surface. The matrix carries the image that is transferred to the paper.

Mesh count

The number of threads in a screenprinting mesh. Mesh count affects how much ink passes through the screen and how much fine detail it can reproduce.

Modifier

An additive mixed into ink to change characteristics such as viscosity, transparency, tack, gloss, or drying behavior.

Mordant

A chemical solution used to bite into a metal plate during etching. The mordant helps determine how deeply the plate is etched.

N

Nitric acid

A strong acid traditionally used as a mordant in some etching processes and in the preparation of lithographic surfaces.

Nori

A rice-based paste used in Japanese woodblock printing. It is mixed with pigments and helps the color adhere to the block and paper.

O

Off-contact printing

A screenprinting method where the mesh sits slightly above the printing surface. This allows the screen to lift away cleanly as the squeegee moves across it.

Oleophilic

Describes a surface that attracts oil. In lithography, image areas are oleophilic and therefore accept oil-based ink.

Open edition

A print edition with no fixed maximum number. Unlike a limited edition, the artist or publisher does not declare a final total at the outset.

P

pH scale

A scale used to measure acidity and alkalinity. Paper intended for long-term preservation is generally neutral or slightly alkaline rather than strongly acidic.

Plank grain

Wood cut parallel to its natural grain. The grain can remain visible and become part of the character of the printed image.

Plate mark

The shallow indentation left in paper by the edge of an intaglio plate during printing.

Plate oil

An oil-based material used to modify the working characteristics of printing ink, particularly its viscosity and flow.

Plate tone

A controlled film of ink deliberately left on the surface of an intaglio plate. It creates soft tonal areas and can give individual impressions subtle variation.

Polyester plate

A lightweight polyester sheet used as a lithographic printing surface. It offers a more accessible alternative to traditional lithographic stone.

Printer's proof

An impression retained by the printer or workshop rather than included in the numbered edition. It is commonly marked PP or P/P.

Proof

An impression taken while developing, testing, approving, or documenting a print. Proofs can include working proofs, trial proofs, artist's proofs, and the BAT.

Pusher

The top blanket in the standard blanket stack of an etching press. It sits above the other blankets and helps distribute pressure while protecting the press blanket system.

R

Reduction print

A print made from one block by progressively cutting away more of the surface after each color is printed. Because the block is continually altered, the process is irreversible.

Registration

The accurate alignment of separate color layers or printing passes so that each part of the image falls where it should.

Registration pins

Pins or tabs used to hold paper in exactly the same position during multiple printing passes.

Relief ink

Ink formulated for relief processes such as woodcut and linocut. It is designed to sit on raised areas of the block and transfer cleanly to paper.

Retroussage

An intaglio technique in which a cloth is lightly worked across a wiped plate to bring some ink back towards the surface, creating softer marks.

Rocker

A serrated, curved tool used to roughen a metal plate when preparing it for mezzotint.

Rosin

A powdered resin used in several printmaking processes. In aquatint, it helps create tonal areas when the plate is etched.

Roulette

A small textured wheel used on an intaglio plate to create dotted or grainy marks.

Rubbing ink

A soft, greasy lithographic material used to create broad or tonal marks on a lithographic surface.

Rubylith

A red translucent masking film used in screen printing and graphic arts when preparing film positives and stencils.

S

Scraper

A sharp metal tool used to smooth or alter areas of a metal plate, particularly in intaglio and mezzotint.

Scraper bar

The rigid bar in a lithographic press that applies pressure across the printing surface as the bed passes through the press.

Screen

The framed mesh used in screen printing. A stencil blocks selected areas while open areas allow ink to pass through.

Sizing catcher

The lower blanket in an etching press blanket stack. It sits closest to the paper and helps with the release and handling of damp paper during printing.

Squeegee

A rubber blade used to push ink across a screen and through the open mesh onto the paper.

State

A distinct version of a print created after the matrix has been changed. Adding, removing, or altering marks can create a new state.

Stencil

A material or mask that blocks selected areas while allowing ink to pass through other areas. Screenprinting is one of the best-known stencil processes.

Stop-out varnish

An acid-resistant varnish painted over parts of an etching plate that should no longer be exposed to the mordant.

T

Talc

A fine powder used in some lithographic preparation stages to help create a clean, even surface before chemical treatment.

Tarlatan

A stiff, open-weave fabric used to wipe excess ink from an intaglio plate while leaving ink in the recessed areas.

Trial proof

A test impression taken while a print is still being developed. It allows the artist or printer to assess changes before the final edition is established.

Tusche

A greasy liquid drawing medium used in lithography to create painterly marks, washes, and tonal areas.

Tympan

A protective sheet placed over the paper during certain press processes. It helps distribute pressure and protect the paper and press components.

V

Variable edition

An edition in which prints intentionally vary from one another, for example, through different colorways, hand-coloring, or additional elements.

Viscosity

The thickness or resistance to flow of an ink. A high-viscosity ink is thicker, while a low-viscosity ink flows more easily.

Viscosity printing

A technique in which inks with different viscosities interact on the plate to create multiple colors and complex effects in a single printing pass.

Z

Zinc plate

A metal plate used in both intaglio and lithographic printmaking. In intaglio, the plate can be etched to create recessed lines for printing.