Woodcut

• The oldest type of printmaking, woodcuts involve carving an image into a very stable, even-grained block of wood, then inking it and pressing it onto a sheet of paper. Woodblock carvers had to cut away every part of the wood except the lines to be printed. Early Medieval woodblocks had fairly thick lines, since very thin pieces of wood tend to break during the printing process. Over time, woodblocks became more sophisticated, eventually producing the elaborate prints for which German artist Albrecht Durer became famous.
  
  

Engraving

• Engraving developed shortly after woodblock printing. This technique involves gouging a sheet of relatively soft metal using a harder tool called a burin. Engraving allows for sharper, thinner lines than woodcut printing, and the plates degrade more slowly, producing more prints. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the earliest engravings developed in the 1430s in Germany. These prints were relatively simple and used primarily to produce small illustrations and page ornaments. By the 1470s, Schongauer and Mantegna were producing complex engravings that rivaled painting in complexity.
  
  

Etching

• The etching technique uses acid to cut an image into a metal plate, and originally evolved from armor making, where it was used for decorative effect. Medieval and early Renaissance etching involved covering metal plates in wax or acid-resistant varnish, then scratching the image in reverse onto the plate. Once the design is finished, the artist dips the plate in acid, which eats away at the exposed lines. Early etchings were done on iron plates, which were stronger than the gold or copper often used for engraving, but prone to rust. The first etchings date to the second quarter of the 15th century.
  
  

Drypoint

• Drypoint produces a softer line than woodcuts, etchings or engravings. Like engraving, drypoint requires the artist to scratch the design directly into a metal plate. Unlike engraving, drypoint leaves behind a metal scraping on the edge of each line, called the burr. This burr holds a large quantity of ink, allowing for very dense blacks and softer, less rigid lines. Drypoints don't work well for producing large numbers of images; however, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, any given drypoint plate will produce only about a dozen impressions. It was used infrequently, starting around the beginning of the 16th century, and usually for small batches of prints.