Intaglio

Intaglio is the family of printmaking techniques in which the image is incised below the surface of a plate, and the ink that prints sits within those recessed lines. The name comes from the Italian intagliare, ‘to cut into’. It is the opposite of relief printing, where the printed image stands raised above the surface.

Intaglio encompasses some of the most refined and historically important print techniques, including etching, drypoint, engraving, aquatint and mezzotint.

How intaglio printing works

In every intaglio technique, lines or textures are cut, scratched or bitten into a metal plate, by tool, by acid, or by a combination. Ink is then worked down into these recesses, and the flat surface of the plate is carefully wiped clean, so that ink remains only in the incised areas.

Damp paper is laid over the plate, and the two are passed through a press under great pressure. This forces the paper down into the inked recesses to lift the image, which is why intaglio prints often show a characteristic plate mark, a slight embossed border where the edge of the plate pressed into the paper.

The main intaglio techniques

• Etching – lines bitten into the plate with acid.
• Drypoint – lines scratched directly into the plate, raising an ink-holding burr.
• Engraving – lines cut directly with a sharp tool called a burin.
• Aquatint – tonal areas created with acid and powdered resin.
• Mezzotint – rich tones worked up from a roughened plate.

Many prints combine several of these on a single plate.

Recognising and collecting intaglio prints

The plate mark is one of the clearest signs of an intaglio print, run your eye around the image and you will often see a faint embossed line where the plate edge met the paper. The ink, sitting slightly raised on the paper’s surface, can sometimes be felt as well as seen.

Intaglio prints are produced in signed, numbered editions. At Byard Art, our print collection includes etchings, drypoints and other intaglio works from contemporary printmakers.