Print-Making Glossary

Every work at Artmus is described precisely: technique, dimensions, edition. This guide explains what those terms mean, so you know exactly what you are acquiring.

Techniques

Serigraphy: Also known as silkscreen or screen printing. A printmaking technique in which ink is pushed with a squeegee through a fine mesh screen onto the paper, while a stencil blocks the areas that should stay blank. Each color is printed with its own screen, producing the flat, vivid, even areas of color the medium is known for.
Lithograph: A planographic (flat-surface) process based on the principle that oil and water repel each other. The artist draws the image with a greasy crayon or ink on a limestone slab or metal plate. The surface is then dampened and inked: the ink sticks only to the greasy drawing and is repelled by the wet blank areas, allowing faithful reproduction of the artist's hand.
Etching: An intaglio technique. A metal plate is coated with an acid-resistant ground, and the artist scratches the image through the ground with a needle to expose the metal. The plate is bathed in acid ("bitten"), which etches lines into the exposed areas. The plate is inked, wiped so ink remains only in the recessed lines, and printed under pressure.
Aquatint: An intaglio technique used to create areas of tone rather than line. The plate is dusted with a fine powdered resin that is heat-fused to the surface; the acid bites around the resin grains, producing a granular texture that prints as soft, even washes resembling watercolor. Often combined with etching for both line and tone.
Drypoint: An intaglio technique in which the image is scratched directly into the plate with a hard, pointed needle. The tool throws up a ridge of displaced metal called the burr along each line; this burr holds extra ink and prints as rich, velvety, slightly blurred lines. Because the delicate burr wears down quickly, drypoint editions are typically small.
Soft ground: An etching variant using a soft, tacky ground that never fully hardens. When the artist draws on paper laid over the plate or presses textured materials (fabric, leaves) into it, the ground lifts away wherever pressure is applied. Acid then bites these exposed areas, reproducing soft, pencil-like marks and rich textures.
Woodcut: The oldest relief printmaking technique. The artist carves away the areas meant to stay blank from a block of wood, leaving the image raised. The raised surface is inked with a roller and printed, so only the uncut parts transfer to the paper. It is characterized by bold contrasts and visible grain.
Woodcut in colors: A color relief technique that extends the woodcut by using several blocks — one for each color. The artist carves a separate block per color; each is inked in its own hue and printed in turn onto the same sheet, held in precise alignment by registration marks. The overlapping layers build up a full-color image with luminous, flat, layered tones. It is historically related to the chiaroscuro (camaïeu) woodcut, which used multiple blocks to produce tonal depth.
Engraving (burin): An intaglio technique in which the artist cuts the image directly into a metal plate with a burin — a fine steel tool pushed by hand. Each stroke removes a sliver of metal, leaving a clean V-shaped groove whose depth and width are controlled by pressure and angle. The plate is inked, wiped so ink stays only in the incised lines, and printed under pressure, yielding sharp, tapering, precise lines.
Giclée: A modern fine-art printing method that uses a high-resolution inkjet printer to spray microscopic droplets of pigment-based ink onto archival paper or canvas. It reproduces a wide color range and fine detail with excellent lightfastness, and is widely used for contemporary limited editions and reproductions. The name comes from the French « gicler » (to spray).

Edition Types

Main edition (#): The primary numbered edition of the work — impressions numbered sequentially (e.g. 12/50), signed by the artist and offered for sale.
Artist's Proof (AP): A good impression of the finished work that is identical to the numbered copies. It should not exceed 10% of the total number of works in the edition. Usually marked "A/P" (or "E/A").
Printer's Proof (PP): One or more complimentary proofs given to the publisher of the edition, or to the technicians who worked on its production. Usually marked "P/P".
Bon à tirer (BAT): A single 'good to print' artist proof approved by the artist and perhaps marked up with notes, used by the printer as the reference standard for the edition. Marked "B.A.T.".
Hors commerce (HC): Though these should generally not be for sale, Hors Commerce prints are sometimes used commercially to extend the edition. Marked "H.C.".
Edition varied (EV): Other versions of the edition, sometimes printed on different coloured paper or with different inks. Marked "E.V.".
Trial Proof (TP): A working proof created at an early stage in the edition, used to test and refine the image before the final edition is set. Marked "T/P".
Exhibition Copy (EC): A copy of the edition that has been created specifically for exhibition purposes. Marked "E.C.".
Hand-embellished (rehaussé): An impression from the edition that the artist has worked on by hand after printing, adding gouache, watercolor, pastel, ink or gold leaf directly onto the sheet. Because each intervention differs, every embellished impression becomes a unique piece within the edition. Usually annotated "rehaussé" (or "rehaussé à la main") next to the signature and number.