Printmaking Techniques Relief Prints One of the oldest techniques of printing an image onto a surface is that of relief printing. Seals of clay or stone date back to Antiquity. The technique of inking a raised surface and stamping it onto another surface such as paper is still in use today.
Rubber stamps are the most familiar examples of relief printing.
In a relief print, those parts of the surface which are not intended to be printed are removed or cut away. The line can also be etched by the action of acid. The plate is then coated with ink, and wiped clean so as to leave ink only in the incised lines. The paper is pressed into the incised lines and absorbs the ink. The term intaglio is a generic one and includes various techniques such as engraving, drypoint, etching and aquatint.