metal engraving

Metal engraving is a technique for printing illustrations based on metal or steel instead of copper. Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing images on paper as prints or illustrations; these images are also called engravings”. Engraving is one of the oldest and most important techniques in printmaking. It has been rarely used in artistic printmaking, although it was much used for reproductions in the 19th century.