Printmaking terms and definitions

A serrated, curved tool used to prepare a mezzotint plate. The rocker is pushed across the plate in multiple overlapping directions until the entire surface is uniformly roughened (rocked). A full rocking can take many hours.

Small wheel on a handle with spiked or textured surface, rolled across intaglio plate to create dotted or grainy lines. Used to add texture or tone to etchings and engravings, or create drypoint-like marks.

A soft, greasy lithographic crayon or stick (often sold in soft, medium, or hard grades) used in lithography for broad, smudged tonal effects and delicate tints by rubbing directly onto stones or plates, mimicking charcoal but with higher grease content for better ink receptivity during printing.

Rubylith is a red, translucent masking film used in screenprinting and graphic arts to create hand‑cut film positives. The opaque red layer blocks UV light, while the clear areas let it through, allowing precise exposure of photosensitive screens. It is especially useful for sharp, graphic stencils and when working with orthochromatic emulsions.

A three‑sided steel blade used in intaglio and mezzotint printmaking to smooth the edges of metal plates and to adjust the depth of tone in the printed image by removing burrs and surface material from the plate.

The primary tool of screen printing: a frame (wood or aluminum) over which a fine mesh is stretched. A stencil, either hand-cut or photo-emulsion, blocks parts of the mesh to create the image. One screen is required per color layer.

The bottom blanket in the standard three‑blanket stack on an etching press, usually a thin, tightly woven wool or “swanskin‑type” fabric. It lies directly against the damp paper, absorbing excess sizing and glue while helping the paper release cleanly from the plate’s recesses during printing.

A rubber blade mounted in a handle, used to push ink through the mesh of a screen. The hardness (durometer) of the rubber affects how ink is deposited: softer squeegees deposit more ink; harder squeegees produce thinner, more detailed prints.

A distinct version of a print made from a matrix that has been altered between printings. Significant changes such as adding or removing lines, burnishing areas, re-biting create a new state.

Any material used to block selected areas of a printing surface. In screen printing, stencils may be hand-cut (paper, Mylar, lacquer film) or photo-chemically prepared (photo-emulsion). In pochoir, zinc or card stencils are cut with a scalpel.

An acid-resistant varnish painted onto etching plate areas that should not be bitten further. Protects already-bitten areas while re-biting others to create darker tones.

A stiff, open-weave cotton fabric used to wipe intaglio plates after inking. Tarlatan pushes ink into the plate's recesses and removes excess from the surface without scratching the plate. Also used for buffing litho stones.

An impression taken during the development of the image to assess how the plate or block is progressing. Trial proofs record the evolution of a print and may differ significantly from the final edition.

An edition in which prints vary intentionally, through different colorways, added hand‑coloring, or chine‑collé elements.

Thickness or flow resistance of ink. High-viscosity inks are stiff; low-viscosity inks are more fluid.

Advanced color technique where inks of different viscosities interact and separate on the printing plate. Stiff ink rejects fluid ink, creating complex multi-color effects from one press pass. Developed by S.W. Hayter at Atelier 17 in Paris.