Relief Printing

Relief printing, or blockprinting, covers all techniques in which what counts on the carved plate is the relief. The plate can be made of wood, solid or plywood, linoleum, gum, etc. Engraving is generally done manually with a gouge. All the areas that are engraved, and therefore spared, will not receive the ink when the inking roller passes over the surface, hence the term ‘sparing’ size.
Printing on paper or textiles is done by hand using a baren or any other suitably shaped object that is rubbed against the back of the paper. It can also be done on a press, if the printer so wishes, to create a debossing or engraving that makes the shape of the die visible in relief in the paper.