Printing from the top of an incision is called relief. The plate (matrix) is carved from wood, linoleum or some other material. The part of the matrix that is carved away will hold no ink and thus be white in the resulting print. The remaining part will hold ink and thus be colored in the final print. Rubber stamps are an example of relief printing.

Printing from the bottom of an incision is called intaglio. The matrix is engraved or etched with fine lines. Ink is pressed into the lines and wiped off the surface. Paper is layered on top and pressure is applied, pulling the ink from the lines (capillary action). Paper currency is printed using an intaglio technique.

Printing from the surface of the matrix with no incision is called planographic printing. The image is drawn on the matrix using some medium that will hold ink on the drawing. Ink is applied and sticks only to the drawing, which is then transferred to the paper under pressure. Lithography is a planographic printing technique.

Printing through holes in the matrix is known as stencil. Holes are cut in the matrix allowing ink to pass through. Ink is then applied to the entire matrix but only passes to the paper through the holes in the stencil. Silk-screen printing is an example of stencil printing.

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Courtesy of Erik Brunvand