Читать книгу Prints. A Brief Review of Their Technique and History онлайн

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The term “print,” as we use it here, applies to any design conveyed upon paper or any similar substance by means of pressure, usually in the printing-press. Prints are not all produced in one and the same manner;—if this statement should prove surprising, just open any magazine on an illustration page; then place beside it, for comparison, a new dollar bill. Notice the even tone of black in the magazine illustration and the intensity of the black, sharp-cut, metallic lines of the head on the bill. It is quite evident that these two examples have been produced by different means; the magazine illustration shows that the inked lines and dots which constitute the picture have been brought upon the paper with considerable pressure: the ink is embedded into the paper; whereas, if the bill is new, you will notice, upon close inspection, that the ink of every line and dot lies upon the surface of the paper. Pass your finger lightly over some of the heavier lines, and if your finger-tips are sensitive, you will distinctly feel these ridges of ink. Why this difference? Because human ingenuity has devised several ways of obtaining an impression. There are three such possibilities, which divide the graphic arts into three main groups, namely:—