A burin pushed across a copper plate displaces metal in fine ridges. Reserved for currency, certificates, and reproductive prints.
You cut lines directly into a metal plate with a sharp tool, then ink and press it.
- ▸No acid — just muscle and a very sharp burin.
- ▸Ink sits in the cut grooves; the flat surface is wiped clean.
- ▸Strong press squeezes paper into the grooves to pick up the ink.
History
Developed by goldsmiths in the Rhine valley around 1430. Martin Schongauer and Albrecht Dürer elevated it to high art. Today it survives mostly in security printing—banknotes, postage stamps, passports.
Process
- 01
Polish a copper plate to a mirror finish.
- 02
Push a burin across the surface, lifting curls of metal.
- 03
Brush sharp curls (burr) away with a scraper.
- 04
Ink the plate; wipe the surface clean.
- 05
Print under high pressure on an intaglio press.
Strengths
- +Razor-sharp lines
- +Counterfeit-resistant
- +Centuries of durability
Limitations
- −Years of training
- −Extremely slow
- −Hard to correct
Sources & citations
References for the history and process described above.
- 01Engraving — The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Heilbrunn Timeline
- 02The Burin and the Engraved Line — National Gallery of Art