Editing Printmaking (section)

{{short description|Process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper}}
{{about|techniques of printmaking as a fine art|the history of printmaking in Europe|Old master print|the Japanese printmaking tradition|Ukiyo-e}}
[[File:Hokusai, The Underwave off Kanagawa.jpg|thumb|alt=Hokusai, The Underwave off Kanagawa, depicting various waves. A ship can be seen upon the waters.|300px|Katsushika [[Hokusai]] ''The Underwave off Kanagawa'', 1829/1833, color [[woodcut]], [[Rijksmuseum]] Collection]]
[[File:1630 Rembrandt Selbstportrait mit aufgerissenen Augen anagoria.JPG|thumb|300px|[[Rembrandt]],  ''[[Self-portrait]]'', [[etching]], {{Circa|1630}}]]
[[File:Goya - No Hay Quien Los Socorra (Nobody Can Help Them).jpg|thumb|300px|[[Francisco Goya]], ''There is No One To Help Them,'' ''[[Disasters of War]]'' series, [[aquatint]] {{Circa|1810}}]]

'''Printmaking''' is the process of creating [[work of art|artwork]]s by [[printing]], normally on [[paper]], but also on [[fabric]], [[wood]], [[metal]], and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed technique, rather than a photographic reproduction of a visual artwork which would be printed using an electronic machine ([[Printer (computing)|a printer]]); however, there is some cross-over between traditional and digital printmaking, including [[risograph]]. 

Prints are created by transferring ink from a [[Matrix (printing)|matrix]] to a sheet of paper or other material, by a variety of techniques. Common types of matrices include: metal plates for [[engraving]], [[etching]] and related [[intaglio printing]] techniques; stone, aluminum, or polymer for [[lithography]]; blocks of wood for [[woodcut]]s and [[wood engraving]]s; and linoleum for [[linocut]]s. Screens made of silk or synthetic fabrics are used for the [[screen printing]] process. Other types of matrix substrates and related processes are discussed below.

Except in the case of [[monotyping]], all printmaking processes have the capacity to produce identical multiples of the same artwork, which is called a print. Each print produced is considered an "original" work of art, and is correctly referred to as an "impression", not a "copy" (that means a different print copying the first, common in early printmaking). However, impressions can vary considerably, whether intentionally or not. [[Master printmaker]]s are technicians who are capable of printing identical "impressions" by hand.  A print that copies another work of art, especially a painting, is known as a "reproductive print".

Multiple impressions printed from the same matrix form an [[edition (printmaking)|edition]]. Since the late 19th century, artists have generally signed individual impressions from an edition and often number the impressions to form a limited edition; the matrix is then destroyed so that no more prints can be produced. Prints may also be printed in book form, such as illustrated books or [[artist's book]]s.