By abuse of language, “engraving”, “print” and “print” are often confused.
The first technique identified is the xylography, which appeared in China in the XNUMXth century. Along with the invention ofprinting house in Europe, these techniques will experience a considerable development from the Renaissance.

Engraving in savings size: We are talking about savings size, or relief engraving when “the board is hollowed out wherever the impression should not have any effect; the drawing alone is preserved at the initial level of the surface of the board, it is spared ”1. The printing of an engraving in savings size can be done by hand, or on a typographic press. This is the technique used for woodcut, engraving in screen on metal and the linocut.

Intaglio engraving: Engraving in intaglio, or intaglio engraving, is most often performed on copper. Unlike the savings cut, the ink will settle in the hollows engraved by the artist. The printing of the plate is done on a intaglio press.

Flat engraving: Some specialists add flatbed printing (or flat printing, or planography) to the previous two categories. This is the case with lithography or monotype which do not require reliefs, and are therefore not "engravings" in the strict sense of the term but assimilated as such. However, the first form of the lithography, invented and slowly developed by Aloys Senefelder from 1796, was a printing technique based on a very low relief.

These three methods cover various techniques, which can be categorized as follows.

• Manual engraving using a tool: The chisel, dry point, woodcut and xylography, linocut, black way, dotted, monochrome.
• Manual engraving using a mordant: Theetching, wash engraving,aquatint, sugar engraving, pencil way, soft varnish.
• Flat engraving (or flat printing, or planography): The lithography, monotype, serigraphy.

Source: Extract from articles Wikipedia.

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