What is an Etching?

Etching is the generic name we use when talking about an intaglio or gravure print. Intaglio means that the image is incised into the surface of a plate. Those incised lines or sunken areas hold ink, which is then transferred to paper to create the print.

Etching also refers to the technique of using acid to bite the surface of a metal plate.

There are other intaglio techniques such as drypoint, engraving, mezzotint and aquatint, and many prints use a combination of these techniques. But they’re all printed in the same manner, using an etching press to push damp paper into the inked sub-surface lines.

Here’s a simplified description of how a line etching is made:

1. A preliminary sketch or plan is made.

2. The metal plate is cleaned and a ground is applied. The ground protects the plate from the acid.

3. A tool is used to draw just through the ground, exposing the metal beneath.

4. The plate is immersed in a bath of dilute acid. The acid etches (bites) the exposed metal of the lines that were drawn. The longer the plate is in the acid, the deeper and wider the lines will be etched.

5. The plate is removed from the acid and rinsed. The ground is then removed.

6. Ink is rubbed into the etched (incised) lines.

7. The excess surface ink is removed by gently wiping the surface with a tarlatan (a type of starched, lint-free cheesecloth). Ink will remain in the etched lines.

8. The plate is placed face-up on the bed of an etching press, covered with dampened paper (usually 100% cotton rag), the felt blankets, and run through the press under pressure. The ink is offset onto the damp, flexible paper.

9. The print is “pulled” up off of the plate and the results are admired.

An etching made in this way is an original work of art. After all, the plate is just a matrix, a tool created to convey the ink to the paper. The print is the artist’s creation. Even if a limited edition is produced, each and every print is an original. That’s why so many art collectors enjoy collecting original prints! As respected printmaker Rosey Rosenthal states, “Original prints are an intimate conversation between the artist and the collector. These prints clearly reveal the artist’s true feelings, skills and energy.”