Print Techniques - what is Etching?

About Etching

Etching is an intaglio method of printmaking, which uses an acid or mordant to make marks in a metal plate surface to create a design to be printed from.

A metal plate, (usually copper, zinc or steel), is covered with a thin layer of waxy ground which is resistant to acid. The ground is then scratched through with a needle to create a line by exposing the bare metal underneath. When the plate is immersed in a mordant, the drawn lines are ‘bitten’ into the plate. The longer the plate is left in the acid, the deeper the lines become. The plate is then inked up and then wiped clean with scrim, leaving ink only in the etched lines. A print is made by rolling the plate through a printing press with damp paper on top to produce a print.