Which printing process involves carving into a surface to hold ink?

The correct answer involves a printing process where an image is incised into a surface, allowing the recessed areas to hold ink. In intaglio printing, artists carve into a plate—typically made of metal, but sometimes plastic or other materials—using various tools such as burins or etching needles. Once the design is completed, the plate is inked, and the excess ink is wiped off the surface, leaving ink solely in the carved areas.

When pressure is applied, typically through an etching press, the paper is pressed onto the plate, transferring the ink from the incised lines onto the paper. This method allows for fine detail and a wide range of textures and tones, which are hallmarks of intaglio prints.

In contrast, relief printing involves carving away from a surface to leave the raised areas, which hold the ink. Lithography uses a different process based on the immiscibility of oil and water to create images, and screen printing employs a mesh to push ink through stencils to create designs. Understanding these distinctions clarifies why intaglio is characterized by carving into a surface that holds the ink.