Printing Processes

We watched multiple videos about different types of printing processes. We learned about the relief process, the intaglio process, and the lithography process. Each process uses different materials and tools that help to make their designs unique. Here is a more in-depth view of each individual process:

Relief Process: 

Relief printing is the process of cutting away at a surface in order to create an image from the raised area. In a step by step process of this, first you can draw directly onto a linoleum block with a marker. Then, a linoleum cutter is used to cut away what you have drawn on the block. This means that whatever you have drawn will eventually be in white, while the blank space will be black. Then, ink will be applied to your linoleum block with a roller. Lastly, you can place a piece of paper on the linoleum block and apply light pressure in order to reveal your image. After letting the ink dry, this process is finished.

Example of relief process

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Intaglio Process:

Intaglio printing processes have the image area below the surface of your printing plate, meaning the ink sits in the areas that you have cut away. In other words, the intaglio process works in the opposite way as the relief process. There are multiple different intaglio processes such as dry point and etching. In a step by step intaglio process, you start by preparing the plate so nothing will interfere with your work. This involves polishing and cleaning it, applying a ground to the plate. You then smoke the plate until the surface is a jet black where the ground was applied. Now, you scratch away the ground on the plate to reveal the metal underneath it. These scratches will be the black part of your image, since the ink sits inside these scratches. The next step is etching the plate, which eats away at all the bare metal areas on the plate. It is then removed and rinsed to finish etching. After you clean the plate and remove the ground, you apply ink to the surface and then remove any excess ink. Once done cleaning, you place a wet sheet of paper on top of the plate and then you go through the printing press to reveal your image.

Example of intaglio process

Lithography Process:

The lithography process is a printing process that revolves around the use of water and grease and how they resist one another. In a step by step process of this, you use lithographic crayons or pencils to draw your image on the stone. After applying some chemicals to the stone, you can begin etching it. First you apply gum arabic, then TAPEM. Once you have etched the stone, you replace some of the old material and replace it with fresh gum arabic. This is called cooling the stone. You then you cloths to push all of this into the stone. Next you wash the drawing out with lithotine. This will look like your drawing has disappeared, creating a "ghost image". When you put the asphaltum on the drawing, you replace the drawing material. Now you can see a fully clear "ghost image". Now you will go over the image with a wet towel, dry towel, and sponge. You will then apply ink immediately to the surface, making the image appear. Now you put the paper on top of the stone and press the ink further into the stone. Finally, you can place a dampened piece of paper onto the stone and finally press the image on the paper.

Example of lithography process

Summary:

If I were to attempt any of these processes, I think I would try the intaglio process. I thought this one was very interesting since the ink pooled in the area that you removed. This allows for a lot of white space and imagination for your design. The steps also seemed fairly straightforward to follow and I think it would be very interesting to make my own design with this process. The other processes were interesting too, I just liked the intaglio process the most. These old school processes allow artists to use extreme detail when trying to create a needed design. These processes also help relate their work to sculptures.