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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Note: The video companion to this guide is here.

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 a full range of highlight and shadow detail, plate tone, as revealed by the variable depth of etching in the plate. Here is a deeply etched shadow area that will hold enough ink to print a rich deep black:

Etched copperplate shadow areas

Here is a lightly etched highlight area that will hold a slight amount of ink, only enough to outline detail and show plate tone:

Etched copperplate highlight areas

If a full range of tones is visible in the proof and there are no serious flaws, cut the plate to the size of the image, with or without a border as desired.

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 soft, but without any surface water or excessive dampness.
Adjust the pressure of the etching press so that it makes an even impression on either side. Some presses have vernier scales that enable such adjustment without proofing.
Polish etched copperplate, and, using rubber gloves, de-grease plate by wiping it vigorously with a rag soaked in sodium hydroxide solution, until water flows off the plate smoothly. If the water beads up or is repelled by any spot on the plate, some grease remains. Keep at it until the copperplate is completely de-greased, so that the ink will transfer thoroughly to the etching paper.
Next, brighten the plate with an acetic acid / salt solution. This removes the surface layer of oxidation and thus also promotes full ink transfer. Dry plate quickly to avoid tarnishing.
Mix 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).

Ink

<6> Etching ink ready to be applied to copperplate

Spread ink on clean copperplate with brayer, covering the whole plate evenly.

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. The great variety of texture and tone in hand-made etching papers is shown in these six examples, Lana Gravure from France, Magnani Pescia and Fabriano Tiepolo from Italy, Somerset from England, and Kyokushi from Japan:

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