

What is Prints?

A print is a work of art made up of ink on paper and existing in multiple examples. It is created not by drawing on paper with an ink-filled pen or other instrument, but through an indirect transfer process. The artist begins by drawing a composition on another surface. The transfer occurs when a sheet of paper, placed in contact with the drawing surface, is run through a printing press. Among the advantages of making an artwork in this way is that numerous “ impressions” can be made, since new pieces of paper can be sent through the press in the same way. The artist decides how many to make and that total number of impressions is called an “edition.” They are then signed and numbered by the artist. Since more than one example exists, many people can own these prints. The four best-known techniques are woodcut, etching, lithography, and screenprint. Depending on what an artist wants to express in a particular work, one or another technique is chosen for its distinct visual effects. Since these techniques are sometimes complicated to perform, the assistance of an expert printer is often required.

Screen print

Screen print is a form of stenciling, a common procedure used to apply work or images to paper and other materials. For screen prints, mesh (originally silk) is stretched tautly across a frame. An image is glued or otherwise affixed onto the mesh to mask out compositional areas. This image can be created from a variety of materials: cut paper, a hardening form of glue, or a special gelatin (for photographic imagery). Unlike procedures for the techniques of woodcut, etching, and lithography, no printing press is required to transfer this image from screen to paper. Rather, paper is placed directly beneath the screen, and a tool with a flat rubber edge, called a squeegee, is used to push ink through the mesh. Areas masked out by compositional shapes are nonporous and obstruct the ink, reading as white shapes after printing. When more than one color is needed, as here, separate screens are used for each color.


Woodcut most typically has a distinctly rough-hewn appearance that incorporate into the composition the slashed edges of shapes, the coarsely ground-out areas, and even the grain of the wood itself. The making of a woodcut is a straightforward process. An artist sketches a composition on a plank of wood and then, using gouges, chisels, and knives, cuts away pieces from the block. Ink is applied to the surface of the block with a roller. Paper is placed over the block, which is then run through a press. Woodcuts can also be printed by hand, using a spoon or similar instrument to rub the back of the paper and transfer the image from the wood. The recessed, cutaway areas do not receive ink and appear white on the printed image

Keigo Takahashi

Keigo Takahashi is a Master Printer who has been printing Fine Art Editions for ten years, including in well reknowned printing establishments Watanabe Studio and Pace Editions. Keigo Takashashi specializes in Screenprint and Woodcut printing, he lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.