What is an Original Print?

Unlike printed images, which are reproductions of a painting, drawing or photograph, and are produced in large quantities by a photomechanical process, an original print is the product of an artist creating a printing matrix – the block, plate, stone or screen onto which the image has been cut or drawn. This matrix is then inked and used to transfer the design to paper or another printing surface. The resulting impression is an original print, envisaged by the artist in a way that exploits the unique aesthetic characteristics of the medium and which cannot be achieved by any other means.

Most original prints are produced in a limited edition, in which each impression is numbered and signed by the artist. Each print in the edition is identical, and there is no discernible difference between the first and the last.

As the name suggests, monotypes are the exception to this rule, and are unique one-off prints.

Some artists print the edition themselves, but others collaborate with specialist printers, combining their creative vision with the technical prowess and expertise of the printer. This is the collaboration that the Kaleidoscope Editions brings about.

PRINTING TERMS

PROOF

A proof is any impression of a print that is not part of the numbered edition. Proofs are often made during the development of the print matrix, enabling the artist or printer to assess progress and determine additional requirements. The term proof also refers to impressions that are identical to the edition, such as artist’s or printer’s proofs, which are owned by those individuals.

RELIEF PRINT

A relief print is made by printing from the raised surface of any object. A fingerprint or an impression made from a commercially produced rubber stamp is a relief print, as is any impression taken from a specially prepared printing block, most commonly made from wood or linoleum. Ink is applied to the raised surface of the block and transferred to the printing surface by either running both through a printing press, or by rubbing both together, applying pressure from the back of the printing surface.

WOODCUT

A woodcut is a type of relief print made by printing from the raised surface of a piece of wood into which a design has been cut using knives, gouges or the precision of a laser cutting machine. The areas cut away appear white (or the colour of the printing surface). Colour woodcuts are typically made using an additional block for each colour, each of which is carefully registered – or aligned with the others during printing – so that every element of the final design corresponds.

LINOCUT

A linocut is similar to a woodcut, but made using a block (or blocks) of linoleum instead of wood. Colour linocuts can also be made using a reduction technique, which involves the cutting away of a single block in progressive stages. Colours are printed one over the other after each successive cutting of the block.

INTAGLIO PRINTS

Intaglio prints are made by the transfer of ink rubbed into incised lines below the surface of a (typically metal) plate. A dampened sheet of paper and the plate are run through the printing press under great pressure and the paper is forced into the incised areas of the plate, picking up the ink and transferring the design.

ETCHING

An etching is a type of intaglio print in which the incised lines and forms are made through the process of a chemical action, where acid corrodes (or ‘bites’) the metal plate. The plate is covered with an acid-resistant ground, into which the design is drawn with an etching needle, exposing these areas. These are then etched when immersed in acid. Immersing the plate multiple times will result in deeper lines, which will print darker. Areas to be printed lighter are protected during multiple immersions by stop-out varnish painted on the surface of the plate.

DRYPOINT

A drypoint is a type of intaglio print in which the design is scored into the copper plate with a sharp needle. The burr, or metal shaving which is made by the scoring holds ink, creating a distinctive velvety line in the resulting print. Protruding above the surface of the plate, the delicate burr wears down quickly during printing, limiting the number of impressions which can be produced.

AQUATINT

Aquatint is an intaglio process that relies upon the chemical action of acid to create indentations in the metal plate. Unlike etching, which is used primarily for linear work, aquatint creates tone. An acid-resistant ground is created from particles of powdered resin that are dusted on to the metal plate and then fused by heating. When the plate is etched, the acid bites around the particles, creating indentations that hold the ink during printing. Like an etching, variations in tone can be achieved by multiple immersions of the plate into acid, using stop-out varnish to protect areas that are to remain light.

ENGRAVING

An engraving is a type of intaglio print in which the lines to be printed are manually incised in the plate using a special tool called a burin.

LITHOGRAPH

Lithographs are a planographic (printing from the surface) process based upon the principle that grease and water repel each other. The artist draws or paints onto the matrix – traditionally limestone, but more commonly a zinc or aluminium plate – using a greasy crayon or ink (tusche) and the image is fixed to the matrix surface with a solution of Gum arabic and nitric acid. The surface of the matrix is then sponged with water and rolled with a greasy ink, the wet areas repelling the ink and the greasy marks attracting it. The image is then printed by running both the inked matrix and paper together through a press.

SCREENPRINT

Screenprints are a form of stencil printing produced through a mesh screen (traditionally silk, but now usually synthetic) which is fixed tautly within a frame. The area to remain uncoloured is blocked out by paint or paper – or, in the case of photo-screenprints, a light-sensitive coating that hardens when exposed to light – and a layer of ink is forced through the mesh with a hard rubber squeegee, transferring the design to the printing surface.