Etching

An intaglio printing process in which a needle is used to draw into a wax ground applied over a metal plate. The plate is then submerged in a series of acid baths, each biting into the metal surface only where unprotected by the ground. The ground is removed, ink is forced into the etched depressions, the unetched surfaces wiped, and an impression is printed.

Printing technique in which a metal plate is
first covered with an acid-resistant material, then
worked with an etching needle to create an intaglio
image. The exposed metal is eaten away in an acid
bath, creating depressed lines that are later inked for
printing. This technique was thought to have been
developed by Daniel Hopfer (1493-1536). Etching
surpassed engraving as the most popular graphic art
during the active years of Rembrandt and Hercules
Segher in the 17th century, and it remains one of the
most versatile and subtle printing techniques today

Intaglio printing technique that uses a resist liquid or ground to cover a metal plate. An image is drawn into the ground, expossing metal that is then eaten away by an acid bath. this leaves a depression line in the surface of the plate. Ink is then rubbed into the depression and printed with an intaglio or etching press.