The 50s to the 90s were marked by a revolution in printing – from “hot type” using molten lead and photoengraving to “cold type” using computers. I found a box of printing plates of some of my father’s drawings in his studio and was intrigued with learning how they were used.
The printing plate below is a photoengraved zinc plate mounted on wood. Joseph Papin drew it in 1971 for an event sponsored by the Daily News – the All City High School Chorus and Orchestra at Philharmonic Hall.
The following is a quick introduction to photoengraving; tomorrow I will go through the complete process:
“Photoengraving is a process that uses a light-sensitive photoresist applied to the surface to be engraved to create a mask that protects some areas during a subsequent operation which etches, dissolves, or otherwise removes some or all of the material from the unshielded areas of a substrate. Normally applied to metal, it can also be used on glass, plastic and other materials” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoengraving).
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