Relief, intaglio and planographic

Types of printmaking

Types of printmaking are grouped by where the ink sits on the matrix.

Relief printing: the surface is cut away and the raised parts are printed. This includes woodcut, linocut and relief metal plates, such as the lead plates Posada used.

Intaglio, or copperplate printing: the ink is pushed into lines sunk into a metal plate, usually copper. The lines are cut with a burin, a drypoint needle or acid, as in etching and aquatint. It is printed on a high-pressure press.

Planographic printing: lithography has no relief; it works because grease and water repel each other on a limestone. Screen printing pushes ink through a mesh. The MUNAG has examples of almost all these techniques.