Historical Methods of Intaglio Printing:: Terminology and Classification of Inking Processes

Abstract

The inking of an intaglio plate is one of the graphic resources that has most impact on the quality of the final print. In artistic printing, the origin was a tint on the surface of the metal that increases, incidentally, the density of ink in the engraved lines. I analyze the different inking methods so as to reveal its historical, aesthetic and technical importance and its capacity to contribute to, or lessen, the beauty of the print. I also examine the terminology derived from guild transmission in reference to the different methods of inking and printing, in order to draw a comparison between the more practical and direct terms of art used in the workshop and the terminology used in the museo-graphical context, of a more erudite nature, as well as dealing with the imprecise translations into Spanish from foreign manuals.