By George W. H. Ritchie.
The method of printing etchings, mezzotint, and other intaglio plates
is the same to-day as it was in the time of Rembrandt and Durer. The
modern inventor has found no way to economize time, labor, or expense
in the work--excepting that in the case of postage stamps, bond
certificates, and similar plates, which are printed in vast
quantities, the work has been adapted to the steam press.
In the olden time the engraver, or etcher, himself was to a
considerable extent his own printer. He worked at engraving his plate
until he needed a proof to show him how the work was progressing. Then
he printed, or "pulled," a proof and resumed his work, taking proofs
from time to time until he had completed the plate to his
satisfaction. Then, if only a small edition was required, he printed
it. Proofs taken during the making of a plate are known by plate
engravers and printers as the "states" of a plate, and it is due to
the whim of the etcher, the softness of the copper, and the wearing of
the plate in printing that we have prints representing many "states"
of a single plate which might otherwise have had but one state, thus
depriving one modern print collector of the privilege of discovering
in his proof three hairs more or less in a donkey's tail than his
rival finds in another proof, which makes the former's more valuable
by several hundred pounds.
One form of press is used for all manner of intaglio plate printing.
It consists of a framework supporting two heavy iron rollers, between
which moves a flat iron travelling plank, or bed, and on this bed the
plate to be printed is laid. The pressure of the rollers is regulated
by screws at each end of the top roller, which is covered with two or
three pieces of thick felt. This top roller is revolved by handles and
the bed moves along with it under the pressure of the roller. At one
side of the press stands a rectangular box, or "stove," made of iron,
or having an iron top. The top is heated by gas and on it the printer
puts his plate while inking and wiping it. The heat thins the ink as
it is applied, allowing it to be worked freely and to be "lifted"
easily by the paper.
The ink is made of fine bone dust, vegetable or other form of carbon,
which has been carefully cleansed from foreign matter and ground to
the necessary fineness in combination with burned linseed oil. Its
strength and consistency should be varied according to the plate which
is in hand, and the color also may be varied to suit the character of
the plate by the addition of pigments.
The paper used in plate printing may be one of several kinds, but the
usual variety is a fine white paper free from spots and imperfections
which might mar the appearance of the finished print. This paper is
made either by hand or machinery of selected bleached cotton rags, and
has a soft, spongy surface which yields readily under the pressure of
the plate. Before it can be used the paper is moistened and allowed to
stand for from one to twelve hours, or even longer, until it becomes
evenly and thoroughly dampened,--but not wet,--so that it will more
readily force itself into the lines of the plate and take therefrom
and hold the ink.
Before printing a photogravure, mezzotint, or other engraved plate the
printer must first carefully examine it to see that it has no
scratches, and that no dried ink remains in the lines from the last
printing, and, in fact, that there are none of the many possible
impedimenta which might prevent the production of a perfect print. The
plate being in proper condition, it is then thoroughly cleansed with
turpentine or benzine, all traces of which must be carefully wiped
from the surface before the ink is applied. The plate is then laid on
the heated iron box or "stove" until it has become thoroughly warmed.
The surface of the plate is covered with ink, put on by means of an
ink-roller, or perhaps the old-fashioned dauber, and the ink is
thoroughly worked into the lines or depressions in the plate. After
this the ink on the flat surface of the plate is entirely removed by
wiping with rags. The printer's hand, which has become more or less
covered with ink from the rags, is then passed over a piece of chalk,
or gilder's white, and lightly rubbed over the surface of the plate,
to remove the last vestige of the ink, leaving a highly polished flat
surface with the incised lines or depressions filled with ink to the
level of the surface.
The plate is then ready for printing and is placed on the bed of the
press, a sheet of dampened paper laid upon it, and both are then run
between the rollers of the press. As the top roller is encased in soft
blankets, the soft, dampened paper is forced into the ink-filled lines
of the plate, and when the paper is removed the ink clings to it and
shows an exact impression of the engraving. This entire process must
be repeated for each print made from an intaglio plate.
While the printing of a steel engraving or photogravure is a more or
less mechanical operation, the printing of an etching--and "dry
points" may be included--is oftentimes as much of an art as the actual
etching of the plate. The two styles of printing may be compared to
two kinds of fishing,--that of fishing for flounders with a drop line,
from a flat-bottomed boat at low tide when one must just sit tight
until one has a bite, and then haul in the fish, bait up, drop the
line and wait again, as against that of angling for trout on an early
spring day, dropping the fly in a likely spot without success at the
first cast, persevering until rewarded by a rise and then by the sport
of playing the fish, giving him line and reeling him in as about he
circles and finally is landed. A good one, perchance, but the sport
was in landing him. So it is with printing an etching. There is the
opportunity to play with, and work hard over, a plate. Perhaps the
etcher has not, for reasons only known to himself, put in the plate
all that can be shown in the print by ordinary printing. The printer
actually has to interpret in his printing the etcher's meaning, for
the which, as a rule, he gets "more kicks than ha'pence," and in the
end wishes he had stuck to plain plate printing as far as the profit
is concerned.
In the process of printing an etching, the printer first covers the
plate with ink and then wipes it with the rags, and, if necessary,
with the hand. It depends entirely upon the etched work of the plate
as to how it must be wiped, and it rests with the printer to prepare a
proof which is satisfactory to the etcher. The plate is wiped
"closely" where the high lights are required or a tint (a thin coating
of ink) left over certain portions where it needs to be darker. After
this the plate is "retroussed," which is accomplished by passing a
very soft piece of fine muslin, or a "badger blender,"--a soft brush
used by artists,--delicately over the work in the plate and drawing
the ink up and over the edges of the lines. This softens and broadens
the lines and gives a very rich effect, and, if continued
sufficiently, fills the spaces between the lines and produces an
almost black effect. All this work is varied according to the wishes
of the etcher. A plate that left the etcher's hand a mere skeleton may
be made to produce a print which is a thing of life. The possibilities
of an etching in the hands of a skilful printer are almost limitless;
the effects can vary with every impression, each showing a new
picture. His processes are as interesting as those of the etcher
himself, and it is within his capabilities to transform an etching
from a broad daylight effect into a moonlight scene, including the
moon, by judiciously, or injudiciously, inking and wiping the plate.
A "dry point" plate is produced by drawing on a copper plate with a
steel or diamond point, and without biting by acid. The lines are cut
into the copper and a burr thrown up which holds the ink in printing,
and produces a soft, velvety line. The method of printing such a plate
is similar to that of an etching, but the possibilities are not as
great in the printing, as they rest to a greater extent upon the work
of the artist. A great depth of color, producing wonderfully rich
effects, can be obtained and the finer lines can be made much more
delicate than by any other method.
The printing of intaglio plates in color flourished for a short period
in the latter portion of the eighteenth century, and the best prints
of that time now in existence are of rare beauty and bring enormous
prices. The process, now almost a memory, is a costly one, and this
prevents its use in book illustration excepting for volumes which
command a very high price. This kind of printing requires the plate to
be actually painted by hand with inks of such colors as the picture
may require, and the painting has to be repeated for every impression
that is taken. The colors are put on with a "dole,"--a small piece of
muslin turned to a point,--and great care must be taken that they do
not overlap, or run into, each other. As each color is placed, the
plate is wiped clean with rags as already described, and when all the
colors have been properly placed, the plate is pulled through the
press in the same manner as in ordinary printing.
The successful printer of color plates must be a rare artist or else
work under the direction of an artist. Little of this work is now done
except in Paris and Vienna, and the limited number of color plates of
this kind used for book illustration in this country does not warrant
the time and expense necessary to train printers capable of doing the
work. Even English plates are usually sent to Paris to be printed.
It is difficult to describe the work of what is termed artistic
printing. Every plate is a subject to be treated by itself, and no
hard and fast rule can be applied. It is really a matter of artistic
feeling, and to revert to the simile of the angler, one cannot explain
how a trout should be played, but can only say that it depends on the
fish, the water, and the circumstances. A fisherman can _show_ you, if
you are on the spot, and so can the printer.