archival boards

usually a content of 100% cotton rag
These high quality mat boards do not discolor and help to preserve the print.

aquatint

a technique used on etching plates to provide even tonal values
A common way to apply an aquatint is to use a "dust box." Powdered resin particles are agitated in the closed box and then the plate is put in the box so the particles are allowed to fall on its surface. The plate is then warmed to melt the resin. Areas of the plate can then be painted with a resist to prevent acid from biting. A range of values is achieved by various lengths of time the plate stays in the acid bath.
    Francisco Goya (1746–1828), the Spanish painter, is noted for his exceptional aquatint etchings.

artist’s proof

refers to the prints that are made in preparation for getting all variables (position, ink, pressure, etc.) ready to print an edition. Indicated as A/P on signed prints

deckle edge

a delicate uneven edge left on one side of certain fine printing papers

edition

a numered and signed group of prints from the same plate(s) or block(s)
    state: If a feature of an edition, such as the ink or paper has changed, it is indicated by the "state" number of the edition.

etching

An etching is a print made from a zinc or copper plate whose lines or tones have been etched or bitten in an acid bath. Etchings are intaglio prints, that is, with dampened paper and pressure, the ink is pulled out of the lines from below the surface of the plate.
    Rembrandt (1606–1669) was a master in this medium. After his bankruptcy and dwindling oil painting commissions, Rembrandt’s etchings were his main source of income.

etched linoleum

This process is described in detail in The Complete Manual of Relief Printmaking, ©1988, Alfred A. Knopf.
Melted wax is applied to the surface of a typical linoleum block in the areas not to be etched. A solution of lye is applied to the other areas and allowed to "bite." The wax is then removed and a proof is made. The results of this method are very unpredictable and always interesting.

handset type

individual letters of foundry type (metal) which are picked from a type case and assembled on a composing stick
The letters are cast in reverse on the face, or printing surface of the character and stand out in relief above the type body. The composed lines of type are separated by "slugs" or lengths of "leading" (strips of metal lower than type-high, so they do not pick up ink). The type is moved from the stick and locked into a form for relief letterpress printing.

hard ground (etching)

a thick liquid mixture of pitch, wax and asphaltum which is impervious to acid
This is applied to the surface of a zinc or copper plate before drawing on the plate with an etching needle, which opens the lines for biting in the acid bath so they will hold ink.
    A soft ground is a variation of this liquid which allows effects other than lines to be bitten by the acid, i.e., fabric textures.

letterpress printing

the process of assembling type (and/or engraved blocks) of uniform height, arranging them into a steel frame (chase) with spacing material (wood, hard plastic, or metal "furniture") and locking them together
The chase is then transferred to a printing press. The rollers of the press apply ink to the surface of the type, and pressure transfers the image to sheets of paper.
    Letterpress printing is a far more rare practice today than it was a mere sixty years ago. Printing from metal was the commercial norm until the early 1960s when the transition to offset lithography took hold. The next revolution in printing happened in the 1980s with the dawn of personal computer technology.

out of print

term used when all available prints or copies from an edition have been distributed and are no longer available from their original source
Another edition of that block (or plate, or book) must be prepared and printed, if that is possible, for availability. Sometimes plates or blocks are defaced to prevent subsequent editions, thus making the first edition increase in value.

photography based prepress

Before the digital revolution of the 1980s, type and images were pasted-up by hand onto sheets of paper which were then photographed by a large process camera. The sheets of film were then developed in trays in the darkroom area of the process camera. Film assembly onto "flats," a process referred to as "stripping," then preceded the burning of aluminim printing plates for attachment to the plate cylinders of offset printing presses.

polymer plate

A light-sensitive polymer material is used to receive the image, and the non-printing areas are chemically lowered so that the printing areas stand up in relief. This allows for any type or image, generated by digital or traditional methods, to be printed by letterpress methods.

relief printmaking

any printmaking technique where the ink is applied to the surface of the medium and a print is made by applying pressure
This is in contrast to intaglio printing, or etching, where the paper is dampened and rolled under pressure, and the ink is pulled from below the surface of the plate.
    Two other types of printing are silkscreen printing (serigraphy, stencil) and lithography (based on the repellent qualities of oil and water).

Resingrave™

Resingrave™ is a dense, hard polymer material which is added to a woodbase to create a block which is type-high, ready for printing on a letterpress printing press. This is a less expensive alternative to traditional hard wood engraving blocks.

SCBWI

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, an international organization whose headquarters is in Los Angeles, California.

trade edition

an edition of book created for sale and distribution in the mass market
Fine press limited editions of the same book may be designed and produced by the publisher for sale to a more selected market of collectors and bibliophiles.

wood engraving

The terms "woodcut" and "wood engraving" are often used interchangeably in error. A woodcut is made on plank wood with gouge tools. A wood engraving is made with engraving tools on end-grain hardwood blocks, usually maple or boxwood, which are type-high (to be printed with metal type on a printing press). Wood cuts normally show a black line against a white background; wood engravings are often predominantly a white line design against a black background. Extensive detail is possible by engraving on end-grain blocks because the end-grain cut of the wood is denser than plank wood, and they can endure many impressions before wearing down.
    Wood cuts were originated very early, long before Gutenberg (1396–1468) developed moveable type and the printing press in Germany around 1455. Thomas Bewick (1754–1828) pioneered wood engraving in England with his publication of British Birds in 1804. Wood engravings were used for book, magazine, catalog, and newspaper illustration well into the late 1800s when the development of photography matured to take its place.
    Many of Albrecht Dürer's (1471–1528) drawings were printed as wood cuts, and later, the French painter, Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) experimented with this medium.
    The wood engravings of our prolific contemporary, Barry Moser, are truly astounding, and can be enjoyed in his editions of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and Frankenstein to name only a few of the many books he has illustrated with wood engravings.