Printmaking Vocabulary Worksheet

Press Print worksheet to match twelve printmaking terms, from brayer and plate to proof and edition, to their meanings.

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Printmaking vocabularyprintmakingprintplateblockbrayerinkpresseditionproofreliefintaglioregistrationa way of printing in which sunkenlines hold the inkthe colored fluid that a printer ora pen leaves on papera way of printing in which theraised parts carry the inklining up the paper so each colorlands in its right placethe art of making pictures bytransfer from an inked surfacea trial copy pulled to check howthe image looksa thick piece of wood or lino witha design cut in its faceone picture pulled from an inkedsurface, often one of manythe whole set of copies an artistpulls of one imagea flat sheet, often metal, whosesurface holds the picturea machine that pushes paper hardagainst an inked surfacea small hand roller that lays downan even film of ink
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Printmaking vocabularyAnswer keyprintmakingprintplateblockbrayerinkpresseditionproofreliefintaglioregistrationa way of printing in which sunkenlines hold the inkthe colored fluid that a printer ora pen leaves on papera way of printing in which theraised parts carry the inklining up the paper so each colorlands in its right placethe art of making pictures bytransfer from an inked surfacea trial copy pulled to check howthe image looksa thick piece of wood or lino witha design cut in its faceone picture pulled from an inkedsurface, often one of manythe whole set of copies an artistpulls of one imagea flat sheet, often metal, whosesurface holds the picturea machine that pushes paper hardagainst an inked surfacea small hand roller that lays downan even film of ink
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All 36 terms

Making a print 12

  • block A thick piece of wood or lino with a design cut in its face. "The block took her three lessons to cut."
  • brayer A small hand roller that lays down an even film of ink. "She rolled the brayer back and forth until the ink looked smooth."
  • edition The whole set of copies an artist pulls of one image. "The edition was twenty copies, all on cream paper."
  • ink The colored fluid that a printer or a pen leaves on paper. "Blue ink covered the whole design."
  • intaglio A way of printing in which sunken lines hold the ink. "For intaglio, he wiped the top clean and left ink only in the grooves."
  • plate A flat sheet, often metal, whose surface holds the picture. "He wiped the plate clean before starting again."
  • press A machine that pushes paper hard against an inked surface. "The class took turns at the handle of the press."
  • print One picture pulled from an inked surface, often one of many. "She signed each print in pencil."
  • printmaking The art of making pictures by transfer from an inked surface. "In printmaking, one carved design can give many copies."
  • proof A trial copy pulled to check how the image looks. "The first proof showed that one corner was too pale."
  • registration Lining up the paper so each color lands in its right place. "Poor registration left a white gap beside the red."
  • relief A way of printing in which the raised parts carry the ink. "In a relief print, the parts she left standing are the parts that show."
Show all 36 terms (24 more)

Ways to print 12

  • aquatint A kind of etching with soft tones, like a watercolor. "The gray sky in the picture was done in aquatint."
  • collagraph A print from a plate built up with glued-on materials. "String and leaves gave the collagraph its rough lines."
  • engraving A print taken from a design cut into a plate, often copper. "The engraving showed every feather of the bird."
  • etching A print taken from a design that acid ate into metal. "The etching was full of thin, wiry lines."
  • linocut A print from a design carved in a sheet of linoleum. "Her linocut of a fox used two colors."
  • lithography Printing from a flat stone drawn on in a greasy substance. "The concert poster was made by lithography."
  • mezzotint A print from a plate made rough, then smoothed in places. "The mezzotint went from deep black to pale gray."
  • monotype A single print lifted from ink painted on glass or metal. "Her monotype of the harbor could not be printed a second time."
  • screen printing Making images by pushing ink through cloth on a frame. "The class used screen printing to put a design on shirts."
  • stamp A hand tool pressed down to leave its design on a surface. "She cut a stamp from an eraser and printed a border."
  • stencil A thin sheet with a pattern of holes that color goes through. "He dabbed paint through the stencil of a star."
  • woodcut A print taken from a design carved into a flat plank. "The grain of the plank shows in the woodcut."

Tools and studio words 12

  • artist's proof A print kept by its maker, outside the numbered set. "She kept one artist's proof for her own wall."
  • baren A flat, round pad rubbed by hand over the paper's back. "She pressed the baren in small circles over the sheet."
  • bench hook A holder that stops a piece of work sliding as it is cut. "The lino sat against the bench hook while he worked."
  • burin A pointed steel tool that cuts fine lines into metal. "He pushed the burin slowly along the curve."
  • burnish To make smooth and bright by firm rubbing. "He used the back of a spoon to burnish the copper."
  • carve To shape wood or stone by slicing bits of it off. "It took an hour to carve the sky out of the wood."
  • emboss To raise a design so that it stands up from the surface. "The press can emboss a pattern into damp paper."
  • gouge A chisel whose curved blade scoops out grooves. "A wide gouge cleared the background quickly."
  • ground A waxy coat on a plate that acid cannot eat through. "She drew through the ground with a needle."
  • incise To cut a thin line down into a surface with a sharp tool. "She began to incise the outline of a leaf."
  • mirror image A picture flipped so that left has become right. "The still lake showed a mirror image of the hills."
  • squeegee A rubber blade on a handle, pulled across a wet surface. "One pull of the squeegee carried the ink from top to bottom."

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-12. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day in two references: the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and the entry in the Cambridge Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/). Where the second has no entry or no sense of printmaking, the second reference is an article of English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license: Brayer, Baren (printing tool), Burin (engraving), Bench hook, Monotyping, Collagraphy, Mezzotint, Artist's proof, Edition (printmaking) and Printing registration for the terms they are named after; Relief printing for relief and block; Etching for ground; Linocut for gouge. Press was read in the second dictionary under printing press. The answers under the list rest on the articles Printmaking, Etching, Engraving, Edition (printmaking), Artist's proof and Linocut. The sentence in quotation marks after each meaning is our own. Licence: own work

How it works

This printmaking vocabulary worksheet prints twelve terms down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. It opens on studio basics such as brayer, plate and relief. Two more sets cover ways to print and tools.

Read the full guide

Printmaking terms for a first print

Set opens on Making a print: printmaking, print, plate, block, brayer, ink, press, edition, proof, relief, intaglio and registration.

Etching, linocut and the tools

Ways to print has woodcut, linocut, etching, engraving, aquatint, lithography, screen printing, monotype, collagraph, stencil, stamp and mezzotint. Tools and studio words prints baren, burin, gouge, squeegee, burnish, carve, incise, emboss, bench hook, ground, mirror image and artist's proof. Under the tool each term has a sentence that uses it, such as "She signed each print in pencil."

Questions and answers

What are the four main types of printmaking?

Relief, intaglio, planographic and stencil. In relief the ink lies on the surface left standing; in intaglio it is forced into grooves. Lithography is planographic: the stone or plate keeps its original surface. Screen printing is a stencil method, with ink pressed through a screen.

What is the difference between etching and engraving?

An engraver cuts the grooves straight into the plate with a burin. In etching the plate is covered with a waxy ground that resists acid, the artist scratches the drawing through it with a needle, and acid bites the bare metal.

What do the numbers on a print mean?

They belong to a limited edition. A print numbered 67/100 is impression 67 of an edition of 100, and the artist normally signs it in pencil. A copy pencilled A/P is an artist's proof and is not counted in the edition number.

Why does a print come out backwards?

The inked block is pressed onto the paper, so the print is its mirror image. On a linocut the raised areas are a reversal of the parts that will show, and in etching the design is drawn in reverse.

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