Intaglio and Planographic Printing

Copper engraving. Jacques-Louis Goussier. Dessin, Chambre Obscure from L’Encyclopédie de Diderot. c. 1772 (Printed by Desehrt). 13¼ x 8 1/4" (33.6 x 21 cm).

This section examines two of the great printing processes: intaglio, which means printing from the low part of a printing plate (as opposed to the high parts used in relief printing), and planographic printing, which prints from a material with a smooth surface. The most common intaglio processes are engraving and etching; the best-known of the planographic processes is stone lithography.