The Kamakura Print Collection, Photogravure Etchings by Peter Miller

鎌倉プリント・コレクションへようこそ・ﾌｫﾄｸﾞﾗﾋﾞｭｰﾙ銅版画、ﾐﾗｰ･ﾋﾟｰﾀｰ (Peter Miller)

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Technique of Intaglio Photogravure Printmaking, continued

Prepare Positive Transparency
Sensitize Resist
Expose Resist
Adhere Exposed Resist to Copperplate
Develop Resist
Etch Copperplate
Pull a Proof
Print the Edition
Chine Collé Printing

VII. Pull a Proof

Ink, wipe, and print the etched copperplate in accordance with the printing instructions below.
See whether the proof has good highlight and shadow detail, plate tone, depth, and whether it looks like your visualization of the image. If so,
Cut the plate to the size of the image, with or without a border as desired.
File and bevel the edges of the copperplate, so that they will not hold ink.

Etched plate Here is the etched copperplate from which the Hokokuji print was made.

<5> Etched plate, Hokokuji

VIII. Print the Edition

The day before you plan to print, prepare a stack of the etching paper you will use, alternating wet with dry sheets, wrap them in plastic, and place a flat weight on top. Use distilled or buffered water.
The etching paper or washi should be damp and soft, but should not have any water visible on its surface.
Adjust the pressure of the etching press so that it makes an even impression.
Polish etched copperplate, and, using rubber gloves, de-grease plate with sodium hydroxide solution, and brighten it with acetic acid / salt solution. Dry plate quickly to avoid tarnishing.
Mix black or sepia etching ink either from dry pigment together with cold-pressed linseed oil, or from prepared inks, kneading it repeatedly with a stiff ink knife until it has the desired tack or consistency. The ink should fall slowly off the knife, rather than flowing (Figure 6).
Spread ink on clean copperplate with brayer, covering the whole plate evenly.

Ink <6> Etching ink ready to be applied to copperplate

Etching papers (Figure 7) differ in how they take the ink, how absorbent they are, in tone, and in surface texture. Contrary to what one might think, the inked copperplate actually prints quite faithfully onto a rough-textured paper, giving a pleasing contrast between the image area and the texture of the margin.

<7> Magnani, Lana, Fabriano, Somerset .Ganpi White, Torinoko, Ganpi Cream, Ganpi. Tosa Hanga, Mitsumata, Kyokushi

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