Aerial perspective is a method of spatial expression which uses the properties of the atmosphere. For example, when looking at a landscape outside, objects that are further away will appear bluish and hazy with less distinct contours. Taking these

Drypoint is a type of direct intaglio technique (direct carving method) in which a metal plate is carved out directly to create a drawing. The image is carved directly on the plate surface using steel needles etc. which are harder than the plate itse

An original print is a print work produced with the clear intention of the artist, and is one which was completed with the direct involvement of the artist in the making process. Several conditions apply to qualify as an original print. They are:

Engraving is a type of direct intaglio technique (direct carving method) in which a metal plate is carved out directly to create a drawing. A tool called a burin is used to score lines (the image) directly on the printing plate. A feature of this tec

Tessenbyo literally means a steel wire line and refers to a sharp line of uniform width. It is a typical type of line used in Japanese paintings. Lines constitute a key element of Japanese paintings, forming the framework of a painting. In contras

When producing watercolors and Japanese paintings etc., the paper is first stretched on a wooden panel etc. This process utilizes the characteristic of paper whereby it expands when moistened with water and shrinks back to its original size as it dri

Wood engraving is a type of woodblock printing in which a block of wood with a hard surface, made by slicing a tree into rings, is used for the printing block. This block can be carved with intricate details using a burin. Sometimes referred to as

Side-stitch binding refers to the method of binding magazines and booklets by forcing a wire through the side of the signature (printed paper folded into the size of the booklet), from the front to the back, near the spine. This simple method was

Koshitazu (small sketch) refers to the many small sketches that are drawn to plan out the image and direction of a painting before starting on the actual piece. It is also called kojitae or esquisse. Koshitazu is prepared to determine the composit

Books and booklets can be made by sewing together the spine of the signatures (printed paper folded into the size of the book) with thread. This technique is called itotoji (sewn binding) or kagari. Because books made this way are strong and can be o

Kumadori is a representation method for blurring or adding gradations to a Japanese painting. This is also referred to as bokashi. Kumadori emphasizes the three-dimensional shape of the painted object and also has a decorative effect. The blurred

A plate mark is a depression unique to copper plate prints produced when a plate is printed. To ensure that the plate feeds smoothly into the rollers of the printing press and that the paper or felt on which the image is printed does not tear, the

Screen printing is a typical form of stencil printing. It uses a stencil made from a mesh of tetron or other smooth fiber stretched on a wooden or metal frame. Emulsion is used to block up this mesh, leaving openings in the image section only. Ink is

Etching is an indirect intaglio printmaking technique in which the metal plate is prepared through corrosion. A needle is used to scratch and peel off the anticorrosive coating on the plate to expose the metal surface. When this plate is immersed in

Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique and a variant of etching (indirect intaglio) in which the metal plate is prepared through corrosion. A porous plate surface is produced by sprinkling powdered pine resin or asphalt on the surface of the p

EPS, which stands for Encapsulated PostScript, is a file format for graphic data which uses a technology known as PostScript. It carries the extension, .eps. Because it can include vector data and bit map data, it is used as the file format for both

BMP is the standard file format for bit map data in Windows (There is also a slightly different BMP in the OS/2 format). It carries the extension, .bmp. BMP files can be viewed and edited with the Windows accessory program, MS Paint, and is compatibl

Dosabiki (sizing) is the technique of treating washi and eginu (silk canvas) used as the support medium for Japanese paintings, to prevent the ink from smudging. This is done on "raw" washi and various other support elements. Sizing is best carrie

This is the process of converting analog data such as images and audio into digital data is called analog-digital (A-D) conversion. A-D conversion is performed via two processes: sampling and quantization. Quantization is the process of converting sa

The process of converting analog data such as images and audio into digital data is called analog-digital (A-D) conversion. A-D conversion is performed via two processes: sampling and quantization. Sampling is the process of measuring continuously ch

Color perspective is a method of spatial expression using a psychological technique with color and visual effect. Color can be broadly divided into warm and cold colors. Warm colors such as red and yellow convey a feeling of compression, of being pro

Backing is a technique used in lithography and wood engraving in which works printed on ganpishi and other thin paper are mounted on a thicker, sturdier backing paper. Although this method is often used in wood engraving where the work is hand-pri

Oshitazu (preliminary sketch) is an outline of the work sketched in full size before starting on the actual piece. It is also referred to as oshitae (rough sketch) or soko (draft). In Japanese paintings, oshitazu is drawn on a separate medium to t

Mezzotint is a type of direct intaglio method in which the plate is roughened with countless burrs (dots), using tools such as a rocker, before it is carved to produce soft expressions which are rich in tone and shade contrasts. In French, it is also

Marbling is a method of transferring complex designs and patterns created on the water surface by sprinkling water-repellant colorants in aqueous solution of rubber resin to paper. It is said that marbling has originated in Turkey in the 15th cent

Lithographic crayons are crayons with a high oil content used in lithography. They are available in pencil and stick (like Conte crayons) forms. Both types come in varying degrees of hardness so they should be selected according to drawing conditi

Monotypes are created by drawing an image directly on a plate with ink or oil paint, placing a piece of paper on top and applying pressure to transfer the image on the plate to the paper. They are also sometimes referred to as monoprints. "Mono" i

A dermatograph is a colored pencil made of rolled paper and is used in block printing instead of a lithographic crayon when doing lithographs. A dermatograph is made of paper wound into a pencil shape. Unlike a conventional pencil, it is unique in

A screen frame is the frame on which a mesh (made of tetron, nylon, silk, etc.) stencil for screen printing is stretched. The frames come in various sizes but they must be slightly larger than the actual image to be printed (image size) because a squ

Rubber spatulas are used mainly for copper plate and wood intaglio printing and for removing excess ink from the block. They generally comprise a wooden handle with a piece of rounded rubber on the end or a squeegee large enough to fit in the hand.

Kakiron (touch up pen) and keshiron (eraser pen) are pen-type tools for making corrections to finished plates used in metal lithography. Since both these instruments rely on chemical reactions, they do not require conventional surface treatment on th

Woodblock printing is a typical type of relief printing using wooden printing blocks. Ink (paint) is loaded on to the relief sections of the printing plate that have been carved out using carving tools, and is transferred to the paper by applying pre

Woodcut is a type of woodblock printing in which a board, cut out vertically along the grain of the wood, is used as the printing block. In Japan, there has long been a culture of woodcut prints such as ukiyo-e, and woodblock printing using woodcut b

Uchi kento and soto kento are registration marks that determine the position of the paper in woodblock printing. A registration mark carved within the woodblock is called uchi kento while one carved into a separate wood board, known as a kentoban, is

Copperplate printing is one of the forms of intaglio printing in which grooves are formed in a pressed copperplate by a physical process such as engraving or acid etching. Ink is then packed into this and is transferred from the plate to paper with a

Perspective projections are also called central projections and are one technique for showing a three-dimensional object on a flat surface. They are called perspective drawings or "pers" for short. Because they enable the creator to produce an identi

Section diagrams are auxiliary diagrams showing parts that are not visible. Invisible parts in a three dimensional object are shown by hidden outlines (broken lines) but if too many are used, the blueprint becomes complicated and difficult to read. T

Projection methods are broadly divided into perspective and parallel projection. Projection is a means of representing a three-dimensional object in two dimensions and orthographic projection is a form of parallel projection. A feature of orthographi

Hari kento is a registration method used in lithography and multi-color copperplate printing to place the printing paper in the correct position against the plate using needles. This technique is employed in normal printing, and also when the pape

Kotsugaki is the technique of outlining in sumi ink before adding colors. Kotsu means outline. The outline of a picture becomes an important part of the coloring process. In addition to Japanese painting, the technique is also used in adding artwork

Registration marks (kento) are placed on the printing plates to position the paper correctly for printing. They are indispensable, particularly for works produced through multiple printing. The quality of the work will depend greatly on the accuracy

Kagi kento (L-mark) and hikitsuke kento (straight mark) are L-shaped and straight-line registration marks that are carved on the woodblock as markers for accurately placing the paper in the correct position for printing. The L-mark is carved on th

Image size is the dimensions of an image left on paper (medium) by a plate in block print works and the size is expressed in length x width. Block prints are accomplished by printing on paper or some other medium. The medium for many block prints

Perspective is the technique of representing three-dimensional space around us on a flat, two-dimensional surface (painting, drawing, etc.) without compromising spatial relations such as the notions of far and near, high and low, and wide and narrow.

Frottage is the technique of copying the texture and shape of an object by placing a sheet of paper on top and rubbing with a pencil or similar implement. The term comes from the French word, "frotter", meaning, "to rub". There are a variety of co

Decalcomania, from the French décalcomanie, is the technique of placing paint between two sheets of paper or between paper and some other material and pressing down and spreading the paint. This produces a random pattern over which the artist has no

The compression method in which the original data can be restored from the compressed data is called lossless compression. It would be meaningless to compress and reduce the size of text and program data if data is lost in the process. That is why lo

A lead is a short sentence or paragraph placed between the headline and the article in newspapers, magazines and other publications providing a précis of the article and intended to stimulate reader interest. To distinguish it from the article and th

A computer handles various data such as text, image, audio and video in files. The specific way in which data is stored in a file is called the file format. All data processed on a computer are binary data that can be expressed in 0s and 1s. In ot

Numbering refers to the numbering of pages and in Japanese publications is called nombre, from the French word. Books, magazines and other bound publications have the page number displayed on each page. This is also called pagination. Numbering ge

Gutter is the term for the bound sections (inner margins) of a book, magazine or other publication. It also refers to the margins between the printed text and the binding on any book or magazine surface. Setting the correct margin for the gutter w

TIFF is the abbreviation for Tagged Image File Format and is a bitmap data file format. It carries the extension, .tif. Using codes called tags to recognize data content enables information related to images to be stored in files. It is compatible

PSD is a bitmap data file format and is the native file format to the graphics editing software, Adobe Photoshop. It carries the extension, .psd. It is also known as the Photoshop format. Adobe Photoshop is a multifunctional graphics processing so

Headers and footers carry the document title, chapter, section and/or main points and are positioned in the margin area outside the main text area on pages of books, magazines, and other book-type publications. The purpose of this information is to m

The fore edge of a book, magazine or other bound publication is the transverse section on the side opposite the binding (spine). The Japanese term, koguchi, essentially means transverse section. In the general book production process today, when a

Metal type is usually cast in an alloy mainly made of lead. It is a piece of metal shaped into a rectangular prism with a top surface which is the size of the letter and a height of around 24mm, and is used in a combination to produce a type page for

Imaginary body refers to the frame that will be the size standard when designing a font. A 12-point (1 point = 0.3514mm) font, for example, will be designed within a 4.217mm x 4.217mm frame. That frame is the imaginary body. The size of the letter is

A heading is a title placed at the beginning of a passage to provide a concise description of its content. In books, it refers to the titles given to each segment of the text according to chapter, section, paragraph, etc. In newspapers and magazines,

When converting analog sound into digital data, it needs to go through a sampling and quantizing analog - digital (A-D) conversion process. The digitization of sound in this way is known as PCM (Pulse Code Modulation). WAVE is one of the principal

PNG, short for Portable Network Graphics, is a bitmap data file format. The file extension for it is ".png". PNG is a lossless compression file format for use on networks supporting 8-bit and 24-bit colors with the ability to achieve image transpare

If data is deleted to reduce the size during compression, that data cannot be restored. This type of compression method in which the original data cannot be restored from the compressed data is referred to as lossy compression. Because image, audio a

Hanmen or hanzura (type page) originally referred to the entire printed area. It now primarily refers to the type area or printed region that makes up the contents of pages in books and magazines. In the latter case, secondary elements such as header

Ten (head) refers to the top edge of pages in bound books and magazines. Chi (foot) refers to the bottom edge of those pages. Each of these is part of what is known as the koguchi (fore edge) in its broad sense. There are also occasions in which thes

Adhesive binding (case binding) is the binding of all of the signatures (the printed sheets folded to the size of a book) that make up a book or a magazine at the spring using an adhesive. In the past, the tendency of pages to detach used to be a

Saddle stitch binding is the method for the binding together, using a wire (for example) from the center of the cover to the gutter, both of the covers and all of the signatures (the printed sheets folded to the size of a book) that made up the conte

Folding, in the case of books or magazines, is the name for the process by which the printed sheets are folded, accordion style, into the size of a book. Normally, books are made using sheets with multiple pages printed on each side, and then fold

Photocomposition (or phototypesetting) is one technology for creating paste ups, which are used in printing characters. Early printing technology involved the assembly of movable type, metal pieces upon which characters had been carved individually,

Kyū (級) is a unit of measurement used to express the size of characters in photocomposition that is particular to Japan; it is equal to 0.25mm. It can also be written as “Q,” an abbreviation that is derived from the origin of its name, “quarter,” as

A reference frame is a frame constructed within an imaginary body that would coincide with the outer edge of the surface of a piece of type. The font is designed within this reference frame. It is not simply the case that a character can be design

The term “logotype” was originally used in printing to refer to the casting of type that contained multiple characters on a single piece of type, such as Æ.  Today, the term has come to refer to characters that capture a company’s or organization’s n

“Lettering” refers to the writing of characters/letters. This can refer to, among other things, traditional styles of writing known as shodō and calligraphy, in which a style is refined with the efficacy of the characters’ shapes in mind; to typeface

“Font” used to refer to a single set of metal movable type of the same style in the same size. A “single set” referred not just to the twenty-six letters of the alphabet, in the case of European languages, but each of those letters in both upper- and

Typography originally referred to the technique of letterpress movable type printing, but today refers more broadly to the technique of arranging characters for the production of printed materials. Since the invention of printing technology by Gut

The word “typeface” originally referred to the face of a piece of metal type; from that it came to designate a uniform style of design shared by a set of type. It is now used for the digital fonts that are used on computers in place of physical movab

A printmaker uses an ink slab, basically the equivalent of a painting palette for printmaking, to mix and roll ink. Most ink slabs are made out of marble (natural or artificial) or thick chamfered glass (approximately 1 cm thick). Hard, heavy, and

PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format for electronic documents. PDF files use the “.pdf” filename extension.

Originally released in 1993 by Adobe Systems, Inc., the PDF format is now standardized under t

Planography is a format of print work that uses plates with flat, even surfaces. One example of planography is lithography, in which an artist paints directly on a stone or metal plate with a smooth surface and then take advantage of the mutual repul

Of the many types of perspective, perspective drawing (linear perspective) is the most scientific and organized expression of space. Imagine, for example, that you are standing in the middle of straight road that extends toward the far horizon (HL) a

Made from paper mulberry, kōzoshi is a strong yet light and supple type of handmade Japanese paper. The paper has many different uses—from applications in painting as a support and lining paper of Japanese-style paintings (nihonga) and paper for wood

Contrasted with a shitazu (a sketch), a honga is a completed work created with Japanese paints on material such as washi. There are various stages in the creation process of a single Japanese painting : the sketch, first draft, second draft, and f

A printing block is a wooden board that artists use as a plate material when creating woodblock prints. There are two basic types of printing blocks: a cross-grain type, cut vertically to go with the fiber of the wood, and an end-grain type, cut i

In block printing, letterpress (toppan) is a plate format that uses a plate with a convex surface on its type page. It places ink on the convex section produced on the plate and then produces the print on the paper via pressure from above. The format

Copperplate ink is an oil-based ink used in intaglio printing (ōhan), which can be made by mixing the paint with extender pigments such as aluminum hydroxide and burnt linseed or plate oil (as mediums), then knead them together. Copperplate ink co

The chisel (chōkokutō), a carving knife used in woodcut printing, is a wood-handled, steel-bladed tool for carving into printing blocks. Chisels take their names from their tip shapes. In general, there are four widely used kinds of chisel: the cu

Takuzuri rubbing is one of the techniques of letterpress printing (toppan). It is a rubbing-printing method that involves transferring the patterns (monyō) and designs (zugara) on the protruding sections onto paper by applying the paper to the engrav

Stencil is a printing format that involves a process of creating a stencil-plate with holes to make an image, covering the template with ink, and applying pressure to push the ink through the holes in the plate, thereby transferring the image to the

Intaglio is a printing format in which recesses in a printing plate hold the image to be printed. A printmaker fills the recesses made on the plate with ink and applies pressure using a press to make prints. Printmakers use etching or direct engravin

Damp rags (or uesu) called yawara are used in woodcut printing. Yawara are laid beneath a woodblock to prevent shifting when a printmaker burnishes paper against the woodblock. In woodcut printing, the printmaker applies a considerable amount of f

A printmaker uses a machine called a press to apply pressure to plates and paper, thereby transferring ink from the plates to the paper. The press is said to have been invented in the 15th century when a grape press was adapted for letterpress pri

The construction of a stretched canvas, which is used primarily in oil painting, is (as the name implies) a canvas that has been stretched and affixed to a wooden frame. Artists can easily stretch canvases themselves in various forms and sizes depend

The baren is a burnishing tool that printmakers use to transfer an image on a printing block to paper. The printmaker applies pressure with the baren to burnish paper placed on a printing block so that the paper picks up ink from the block. The ba

The hakobi, made from finely split bamboo skin that is gathered on a stick like a broom, is used in water-color woodcut printing applications to dissolve paint and transfer the dissolved paint to the woodblock. In use since the days of ukiyoe, printm

Hahnemuhle, made by the German paper manufacturer Hahnemuhle FineArt, Inc. (founded in 1584), is a form of print paper suitable for copperplate and other intaglio applications. A neutralized paper derived from cotton pulp (100%), Hahnemuhle is adequa

By signing a completed work, the artist ensures the originality of his or her print works. "Edition" refers to the limited number of copies of the completed work (determined by the artist), and is indicated by the edition number written in the margin

Printmaking rollers are used to apply oil-based ink to printmaking surfaces when using wooden blocks, or when using copperplates or lithographs for chromolithography. There are two types of rollers: leather rollers and synthetic rubber rollers. Le

Lithography is a method of press printmaking that utilizes printing surfaces (planographs) made of such materials as lithographic stone (limestone) or metals (aluminum or zinc plates). The process makes use of water and oil's natural propensity to re

The printing ink used for lithographs is made by combining linseed oil with pigments. There is another type of printing ink, a fast-drying type made from resin that is used in offset printing, but it is best not to use this ink by itself when prin

Palettes used in oil painting are surfaces upon which the variously colored oil paints are assembled, and upon which those paints can be blended and their consistency can be adjusted. Depending on the properties of the materials being used for the

A tanpo (Chinese: da bao) is a ball of cloth around which another cloth has been wrapped and then tied off at the top with a string, resembling a small pouch. Primarily tanpo are used to apply ink in the process of taking rubbings (takuhon) of cal

Ink spatulas (French: spatule) are a type of spatula used in the printing of woodblocks and other print art when blending colors and adjusting the thickness of the ink, spreading ink on the inking surface, and in cleaning. Spatulas come in a varie

Aluminum Litho plates are metallic (aluminum) plates that are used for lithograph prints; when one roughens one face in order to turn it into a surface for printing. Although stones were originally used for lithographic prints, a number of problem

T-shaped kento is one form of registration mark that is made when producing block prints so that the position of the paper vis-à-vis the blocks is always uniform. They are used primarily with lithographs. Such targets are essential when producing

JPEG is one compression method for bitmap image data files. (Originally it was an acronym of the Joint Photographic Experts Group, which developed the compression format.) The human eye is more sensitive to changes in brightness than in hue, and t

GIF, an abbreviation of Graphics Interchange Format, is one format for bitmap image data files. Its extension is “.gif.” This file format, which utilizes the LZW data compression technique, supports 8-bit (256 color) indexed color. Because it only

Komasuki is one type of U gouges, rounded blades in the shape of a half-cylinder that are used to carve into the surface of woodcut printing blocks.  “Komasuki” refers specifically to the ones that have a particularly narrow gauge. &