GCSE-readyPrintmaking
Printmaking lets you make many copies of the same image. It is also full of surprises, because the print always comes out back to front.
Main types of printmaking
| Type | How it works | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Relief | Cut away the parts you do not want; ink the raised surface | Lino print, woodcut, potato print |
| Intaglio | Cut or scratch lines into a plate; ink sits in the grooves and is pressed on to paper | Etching, engraving, drypoint |
| Screen printing | Push ink through a fine mesh screen; a stencil blocks some areas | T-shirts, posters |
| Monoprint | Make a one-off print, for example by drawing on paper laid over an inked surface | Each print is unique |
Relief printing: lino
2. Cut away the areas that should stay white with lino gouges, always cutting away from your other hand.
3. Roll ink evenly over the block with a roller (also called a brayer).
4. Press paper on top and rub with a spoon or use a press.
The print is a mirror image of the block, so writing must be cut backwards.
A set of prints is an edition. A print marked 3/20 is the third print in an edition of twenty.
Printmakers
The Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760 to 1849) designed The Great Wave off Kanagawa, a colour woodblock print made around 1831.
Andy Warhol (American, 1928 to 1987) used screen printing to repeat images of celebrities and products.
Sam cuts the word ART into a lino block, reading normally. What will the printed word look like, and how should Sam fix it?
- A print is a mirror image of the block.
- So the word ART will print reversed, reading backwards.
- Sam should reverse the letters when transferring the design, so they print the right way round.
Answer: It will be back to front (mirrored). Sam must cut the letters reversed on the block.
Relief prints (lino, woodcut) ink the raised surface; intaglio prints ink the grooves; screen prints push ink through a mesh; a monoprint is one unique print. Prints are mirror images of the block. Hokusai, Dürer and Warhol were famous printmakers.
- Intaglio
- Printmaking in which lines are cut or etched into a plate and the ink in the grooves is printed, such as etching.
- Monoprint
- A one-off print; each one is unique.
- Edition
- A set of prints made from the same block or plate. A print marked 3/20 is the third of twenty.
- Screen printing
- Printing by pushing ink through a fine mesh, with a stencil blocking some areas.
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2 more questions
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In relief printing, which part of the block does NOT print?
- The raised surface
- The parts that have been cut away
- The whole surface
- The ink
Show the answer
Answer: The parts that have been cut away
Cut-away areas stay white.
You cut the word ART on a lino block reading normally. How does it appear in the print?
- Reversed, as a mirror image
- Exactly the same
- Upside down
- It does not print
Show the answer
Answer: Reversed, as a mirror image
Prints are mirror images of the block.
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Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.