The copper plate etch is a form of impact printing technique in which the grooves are not created in the plate provided with a stylus (as is the case with engravings). The grooves in which the printing inks rest are produced in the case where the pressure acts on the plate. Prints from solo records since the second half of the 15th century.

 

The plate is covered with a thin layer of asphalt that protects the copper from the acid. The artist then uses a needle to pull the picture into the asphalt, scratching away the protective layer. Then the copper shines through the black and looks like a negative of the picture that will eventually be printed. The copper plate is then placed in an acid bath and the drawing is etched into the copper.

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After etching and cleaning the asphalt layer, the plate is coated with a printing ink. The excess ink is then wiped off and only the ink in the etched grooves is retained. Then a moist piece of paper is placed over the plate and then rolled together through the press.

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Due to the pressure exerted on the copper plate and the moisture of the paper, the paper itself is pressed into the grooves of the plate, whereby the printer ink is taken up. The pressure is then removed from the plate and cleaned. This printing process repeats itself for each print and, as in the production of the copper plate, has remained unchanged for over 500 years.

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My personal guarantee

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For 30 years I have strived to live up to the high standards of printing art established over the centuries. I myself produce my own printing plates and have commissioned the best gravure printing companies in Europe to print my etchings. All prints are made by hand in the technique described above. All etchings are limited edition, signed and numbered. The plate is destroyed after completion of the edition. Please contact me for more information.

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