Printmaking

Printmaking is a way to make many copies of one picture. The artist carves or draws on a block, then puts ink on it. They press paper on top and pull off a print. Each copy looks almost the same.

Kinds of Printmaking

Woodcut printing uses carved wood blocks. Etching uses metal plates cut with acid. Screen printing pushes ink through a screen, often used on T-shirts. Potato stamps are a simple kind of print kids can make.

The famous Japanese print of a huge blue wave curling over boats.
The famous Japanese print of a huge blue wave curling over boats. (Katsushika Hokusai / Wikimedia Commons)

Famous Prints

A Japanese artist named Hokusai made a famous print called The Great Wave. It shows a huge wave over boats. Albrecht Durer made detailed prints in Germany long ago. Andy Warhol used screen printing to make pop art.

Fun Facts

  • Printmaking helped make books before there were printers.
  • Some woodcut prints are hundreds of years old.
  • Kids often make their first prints using cut potatoes or sponges.

Did You Know?

The oldest known printed book in the world is a printed scroll from China called the Diamond Sutra, made in 868.