| Copperplate prints are made using a sticky kind of ink,
with the plate being warmed on a stove.
The pictures below show the eight basic stages of
copperplate engraving.
The paper for the intaglio process of engraving is of a special kind: it contains little glue and no wood fibres. It is similar to blotting paper and must be wet in order to adhere better to the inked depressions.
The plate is inked before the printing of each sheet of paper. The printing process is done with a hand press on a movable plane passing between two metal rollers. Between the cylinders pass : a)
the plane d)
a blotter to absorb the water from the paper squeezed out by the cylinders. By pulling a lever, the entire rolling process is set into motion. The printing of wood- and linocut is done using a vertical printing-press which works like a normal press.
The ink is deposited on the relief. Wood- and linocuts can also be printed manually by mounting the matrix on a board, placing a sheet of paper over the parts in relief and rubbing the back of the paper with a spoon or a bone stick. (from "tecniche dell'incisione" INClub Firenze) |
