How to Identify Graphic Art Prints

prints are made by cutting away the areas around where the image will be.

Ink is then applied to these raised areas and then transferred to the

paper either manually or in a press. When printed manually the back of the

paper will often show the wear marks of the baren. This is a pad used to

apply pressure to the back of paper which has been placed face down onto

the inked printing block.

Relief prints are most often done in wood or linoleum. Wood engravings,

though similar in appearance to metal engravings, are also relief prints

since the area around the image is cut away leaving the raised area to be

inked.

The Japanese produced exceptional wood block prints during the period 1750

– 1850. Early German examples are dated from the 1500’s and represent some

of the finest graphic artwork known. Broad flat areas of solid color often

characterize Oriental woodblocks, while fine detail can be seen in the

German examples.

Wood Block (Linocut)

These prints are cut on the plank side of a piece of fine-grained

hardwood. Linocut uses the same technique, but is cut into a piece of

linoleum. These prints will usually have large areas, flat perspective,

and may incorporate the wood grain itself into the image. Each color in a

relief print will be cut from a separate block and individually printed.

The image area on a relief print will be slightly raised from the

background as the paper is embossed onto the raised inked areas during

printing. This technique can be used to white emboss areas of the print in

which the image was left intentionally without ink.

Wood Engraving

A very close grained wood is used along with typical engraving burins to

cut the outline of the image into the end grain of a block of wood. This

gives a much finer line than is possible in other block printing. The ink

remains on the surface of the image and so is classified a relief print.

These are very similar to engravings and often will require experience to

tell the difference. To visualize the difference between an intaglio

engraving and a wood engraving relief print, remember that where an

engraved image is constructed of a series of black lines built up into an

image, a wood engraving uses a series of white lines cut away from a black

image.

The wood engraving technique was developed around 1800 in England.

Planographic

prints are one of the newest techniques developed and the most plentiful.

These are generically lithograph prints. Within that category are stone

lithograph, chromolithographs, and process lithographs. All use the same

principle...water and oil do not mix. The lithographic technique was

discovered about 1800 in Germany.

Stone lithographs

A stone with a grain appropriate to the image desired is used. The image

is drawn on the stone, (or is transferred to the stone using a special

transfer paper), with a greasy pencil. The entire stone is then wet with

water, which is repelled by the greasy substance. Greasy ink is then

applied. This sticks to the image and not to the rest of the stone which

has been wet with water. The image is then printed.

Depending on the texture of the stone and the type of drawing tool used,

the image may appear to be coarse or fine. Backgrounds can be entirely

filled in or left blank. The ink will lie flat on the surface and the

paper will also be flat, with no raised or incised areas showing pressure

points.

Chromolithographs

These are stone lithographs, but instead of printing large areas of a

single solid color, the artist will use a coarser stone and print one

color on top of another, through as many as 60 stones, to achieve the

particular color, tone, and shade desired. This technique produces very

vibrant colors.

Examination through a magnifying glass will reveal small 'dots' of color.

Each dot is individual and unique. Do not confuse these dots with those

formed by a process lithography technique explained next.

Chromolithographs were very popular from about 1860 – 1910.

Process lithography

This technique covers the group best known today. Almost all commercial

printing uses process lithography. These prints are made mechanically. A

photographic image is made. A 'screen' is made from this photographic

image. The screen will actually have holes in it that will hold the ink.

The size, shape, and spacing of the holes will determine the image

tonality. The screen is inked and the image transferred to a rubber roller

from which it is then transferred to the paper. (Thus the term ‘offset’

printing).

This technique is easily recognizable in color prints. The colors are

formed from a pattern of dots. Each dot within the pattern is usually of 1

of 3 or 4 colors. (Thus 3 or 4 color process). The combination of these

colors in the intensity printed forms the overall color of the print. Look

for the dot pattern with a magnifying glass on better prints. Newspaper

printing uses the same technique and is easier to see, so practice there

first to recognize the dot pattern. It will usually be a circular pattern

formed by 3 – 4 dots of distinct color.

This technique has been popular since about 1920.

Screen and Stencil

prints are printed using a mask. Portions of a stencil or screen are

masked off to prevent the flow of ink passing through. The open areas are

printed. Several stencils or screens are required to make an image. These

may be recognized by their broad areas of color, occasionally overlapping

color areas, and sometimes a silk screen impression will retain

impressions of the screen in open areas of the print.

While hand coloring of existing prints by use of stencils has been around

since the very earliest days of printing, silk screen printing is a

product of this century.

Bibliography

Ivins, William M. Jr, ‘How Prints Look’, Beacon Press, Copyright

1948

Gascoigne, Bamber, ‘How to Identify Prints’, Thames and Hudson,

Copyright 1986

Kanada, Margaret Miller, ‘Color Woodblock Printmaking’,

Shufunotomo Co, Copyright 1989

Ross, John, et al., ‘The Complete Printmaker’, the Free Press,

Copyright 1972