Editing Printmaking (section)

===Engraving===
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[[File:Melencolia I (Durero).jpg|thumb|upright|left|''[[Melencolia I]]'', 1514 engraving by [[Albrecht Dürer]], one of the most important printmakers.]]
The process was developed in Germany in the 1430s from the engraving used by [[goldsmith]]s to decorate metalwork.  Engravers use a hardened steel tool called a [[Burin (engraving)|burin]] to cut the design into the surface of a metal plate, traditionally made of copper. Engraving using a burin is generally a difficult skill to learn.

Gravers come in a variety of shapes and sizes that yield different line types. The burin produces a unique and recognizable quality of line that is characterized by its steady, deliberate appearance and clean edges. Other tools such as mezzotint rockers, roulettes (a tool with a fine-toothed wheel) and burnishers (a tool used for making an object smooth or shiny by rubbing) are used for texturing effects.

To make a print, the engraved plate is inked all over, then the ink is wiped off the surface, leaving ink only in the engraved lines. The plate is then put through a high-pressure printing press together with a sheet of paper (often moistened to soften it). The paper picks up the ink from the engraved lines, making a print. The process can be repeated many times; typically several hundred impressions (copies) could be printed before the printing plate shows much sign of wear, except when [[drypoint]], which gives much shallower lines, is used.

In the 20th century, true engraving was revived as a serious art form by artists including [[Stanley William Hayter]] whose [[Atelier 17]] in Paris and New York City became the magnet for such artists as [[Pablo Picasso]], [[Alberto Giacometti]], [[Mauricio Lasansky]] and [[Joan Miró]].
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