Intaglio

The process of incising a design beneath the surface of a hard metal or stone surface.

The plates are inked only in the etched depressions on the plates and the surface is wiped clean. The ink is then transferred onto the paper with an etching press.

The printing is done with a plate bearing an image "in itaglio"" and includes all metal-plate etching and engraving processes. The opposite of this process is known as a "relief print."