Art of Printing: Styles and Techniques

PRINT-BASED MEDIADifferent Forms and Techniques

BRYAN M. NOZALEDA

HAND PRINTING

8 April 2023Bryan Nozaleda2

ETCHING/INTAGLIOETCHING/INTAGLIOLINOCUTLINOCUT

SCREEN PRINTINGSCREEN PRINTINGWOODCUTWOODCUT

LITHOGRAPHYLITHOGRAPHY

ETCHING/INTAGLIO

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Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal (the original process—in modern manufacturing other chemicals may be used on other types of material).

8 April 2023Bryan Nozaleda

Steps


Choose the type of steel you want to etch. You can etch stainless steel, mild steel, or high-carbon steel. Which type of steel you etch will determine the best acid or chemical to use to etch it with.


Choose the image you want to etch into the steel. You can either draw a freehand image or replicate an existing image onto the steel surface. Depending on which transfer method you use, you can have a fairly simple design or a complex one.


Transfer your design onto the steel surface. You can transfer the design in 1 of several ways, as described below. Be aware that however you transfer your design, it will print the reverse of the way you etch it into the steel. If you plan to use the etched steel plate solely as a decoration, not to print with, this won't matter to you.


Cover the steel's edges. You can tape over the edges or paint them. Either method keeps the acid from etching the edges.


Choose the acid you want to etch the steel with. Possible acids include muriatic (hydrochloric) acid (HCl), nitric acid (HNO3), or sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Certain non-acids that form acid in water, such as ferric chloride (FeCl3) or copper sulfate (CuSO4), can also be used as etching chemicals. How strong the acid is generally determines how fast the steel will be etched, or "bitten." You can obtain etching acids and chemicals through chemical supply stores or electronics supply shops.


Immerse the steel in a bath of the etching acid. Usually, you'll want to place the steel plate face-down in the solution so that the exposed metal flakes downward into the solution and away from the plate. This produces cleaner lines when etching the steel. If you put the plate in face up, you can sweep away the flakes as they form with a light brush or feather; this will also remove bubbles that form. (The bubbles impede the etching process, but they can also create interesting designs if left alone.) Leave the steel plate in the etching acid until the lines are cut to the depth you want.


Remove and clean the steel plate. Wash the plate with water to remove the acid. If you used a particularly strong acid, you may also need to use baking soda to neutralize it. You then need to remove the resist; depending on the resist material, use one of the following methods:

Use alcohol, methyl hydrate, or steel wool for wax-like grounds.

Use running water for water-soluble inks and alcohol for inks insoluble in water.

LINOCUT/WOODCUT


Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut, in which a sheet of linoleum (sometimes mounted on a wooden block) is used for the relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, V-shaped chisel or gouge, with the raised (uncarved) areas representing a reversal (mirror image) of the parts to show printed.

The linoleum sheet is inked with a roller (called a brayer), and then impressed onto paper or fabric. The actual printing can be done by hand or with a press.

Due to ease of use, linocut is widely used in schools to introduce children to the art of printmaking; similarly, non-professional artists often cut lino rather than wood for printing. In the modern day art world however, after the input of Picasso and Henri Matisse, the linocut is an established professional print medium.

LINOCUT TOOLS


SCREEN PRINTINGSCREEN PRINTING


Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink or other printable materials which can be pressed through the mesh as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate.

A roller or squeegee is moved across the screen stencil, forcing or pumping ink past the threads of the woven mesh in the open areas.

SCREEN PRINTING TechniquesSCREEN PRINTING Techniques


SCREEN PRINTING TechniquesSCREEN PRINTING Techniques


LITHOGRAPHY


Lithography is a method for printing using a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface. It makes use of simple chemical processes to print text or images on to paper or other suitable materials.

The positive part of an image is a hydrophobic, or "water hating" substance, while the negative image would be hydrophilic or "water loving". Thus, when the plate is introduced to a compatible printing ink and water mixture, the ink will adhere to the positive image and the water will clean the negative image.

LITHOGRAPHY Techniques


MECHANICAL


LETTERPRESSLETTERPRESSGRAVUREGRAVURE

SCREEN PROCESSSCREEN PROCESS

LETTERPRESS


Letterpress printing is relief printing of text and image using a press with a "type-high bed" printing press and movable type, in which a reversed, raised surface is inked and then pressed into a sheet of paper to obtain a positive right-reading image.

In addition to the direct impression of inked movable type onto paper or another receptive surface, letterpress is also the direct impression of inked printmaking blocks such as photo-etched zinc "cuts" (plates), linoleum blocks, wood engravings, etc., using such a press.



GRAVURE


Gravure (also known as rotogravure or roto) is a type of intaglio printing process that involves engraving the image onto an image carrier. In gravure printing, the image is engraved onto a copper cylinder because, like offset and flexography, it uses a rotary printing press. The vast majority of gravure presses print on rolls (also known as webs) of paper, rather than sheets of paper.


DIGITAL


PHOTOCOPYINGPHOTOCOPYINGLASER PRINTINGLASER PRINTING

INKJETINKJETDESKTOP PUBLISHINGDESKTOP PUBLISHING

3D PRINTING3D PRINTING

PHOTOCOPYING


Photocopying is a mechanical process that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography, a dry process using heat. (Copiers can also use other technologies such as ink jet, but xerography is standard for office copying.)

While photocopying is widely used for business, education, and government purposes, there have been many predictions that photocopiers will eventually become obsolete, as companies continue to increase their digital document creation and distribution, and rely less on distributing actual pieces of paper.


LASER PRINTING


Laser printing is a common type of computer printing process that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction printers, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process but differ from analogue photocopiers in that the image is produced by the direct scanning of a laser beam across the printer's photoreceptor.


INKJET


Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing that creates a digital image by propelling variable-sized droplets of ink onto paper. The ink can be applied to the paper through various means which differ between the models of inkjet printer, for example, thermal and piezoelectric inkjet.

Inkjet printers are the most commonly used type of printer and range from small inexpensive consumer models to very large professional machines.


DESKTOP PUBLISHING


Desktop publishing (also known as DTP) combines a personal computer and WYSIWYG (acronym for “what you see is what you get”) page layout software to create publication documents on a computer for either large scale publishing or small scale local multifunction peripheral output and distribution.

The term "desktop publishing" is commonly used to describe page layout skills. However, the skills and software are not limited to paper and book publishing. The same skills and software are often used to create graphics for point of sale displays, promotional items, trade show exhibits, retail package designs and outdoor signs.




3D PRINTING


Additive manufacturing or 3D printing[1] is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. 3D printing is achieved using an additive process, where successive layers of material are laid down in different shapes.[2] 3D printing is also considered distinct from traditional machining techniques, which mostly rely on the removal of material by methods such as cutting or drilling (subtractive processes).

A materials printer usually performs 3D printing processes using digital technology. The first working 3D printer was created in 1984 by Chuck Hull of 3D Systems Corp.[3] Since the start of the 21st century there has been a large growth in the sales of these machines, and their price has dropped substantially.[4] According to Wohlers Associates, a consultancy, the market for 3D printers and services was worth $2.2 billion worldwide in 2012, up 29% from 2011.[5]



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Art of Printing: Styles and Techniques