• AQUATINT
• BAT
• BURIN
• DIGITAL PRINT
• DRYPOINT
• E.A. OR A.E.
• EDITION
• ENGRAVING
• ETCHING
• HORS COMMERCE (HC)
• IMPRESSION
• INTAGLIO
• LINOLEUM CUT( LINOCUT)
• LITHOGRAPH
• MATRIX
• MEZZOTINT
• MONOTYPE
• MULTIPLE
• OFFSET LITHOGRAPH
• ORIGINAL PRINT
• PHOTOGRAVURE
• PROOF
• PUBLISHER
• REGISTRATION
• RELIEF PRINTING
• SCREENPRINT (SERIGRAPH, SILKSCREEN)
• SOFT GROUND
• STATE
• STENCIL
• TUSCHE
• WOOD ENGRAVING
• WOODCUT

Drypoint

An image is incised into a plate by scratching the surface with a hard, sharp metal (or diamond) point. The deeper the scratch on the surface, the darker the ink will be at that point. This technique is different from engraving. While engraved lines are very smooth and hard-edged, drypoint scratching leaves a rough burr at the edges of each line. This burr gives drypoint prints a characteristically soft, and sometimes blurry, line quality. Because the pressure of printing quickly destroys the burr, drypoint is useful only for very small editions; as few as ten or twenty impressions. To counter this, and allow for longer print runs, electroplating can harden the surface of a plate.