ABSTRACT
One of the great qualities of photogravure is that the universe of possible printing substrates is very large. There are several methods printmakers use for dampening the printing paper. The paper needs to be damp to be physically flexible for effective intaglio printing. This flexibility is needed in order for the paper to deform under the pressure of the rollers and blankets of the etching press and push into the recesses of the intaglio plate and pull out the ink that is buried there. The etching press must also be tightened to prepare for printing the photogravure plate. Photogravure requires high pressures to be exerted by the roller on the press bed in order to pull out all of the ink in the most deeply etched areas of the plate. The classic blanket configuration on an etching press consists of three blankets.
