Drypoint vs Soft-ground Etching
ドライポイント / ソフトグラウンド・エッチング
Both sit in Intaglio Printing, so the question is not what they belong to but how they behave. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.
Drypoint
An intaglio method that scratches the plate directly. Ink held by the groove and its raised burr gives the line a soft fringe, ranging from dense black to a faint trace. Unlike etched lines, these marks need no acid; the burr wears during printing, so impressions can differ.
Soft-ground Etching
An etching method in which pressure through paper or contact with a textured object marks a soft resist before the plate is etched. It can produce grainy, pencil-like lines or transferred surface textures. These differ from direct drypoint scratches and needle drawing through a hard ground.
| Drypoint | Soft-ground Etching | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 15th century–present | 18th century–present |
| Family | Intaglio Printing | Intaglio Printing |
| Kind | Technique | Technique |
| Cues | Small irregularities in scratched lines / Soft fringes from the raised burr / Dense black beside faint marks / Line character changes between impressions | Grainy, pencil-like lines / Paper or object textures transferred to the plate / Soft transitions between line and area / Density varies with pressure and contact |
| Best used for | Exhibitions and teaching that compare Drypoint with neighbouring print techniques · Publications studying lines, tones and paper through documented works | Exhibitions and teaching that compare Soft-ground Etching with neighbouring print techniques · Publications studying lines, tones and paper through documented works |
| Type | Keep lettering in the work separate from added labels; place medium, artist and date outside the image. | Keep lettering in the work separate from added labels; place medium, artist and date outside the image. |
| Composition | Compare line density and softness in both details and whole impressions. | Compare pressure and contact textures, separating soft lines from background density. |
| Material | Check the collection medium record and the paper and ink; do not infer materials from screen colour alone. | Check the collection medium record and the paper and ink; do not infer materials from screen colour alone. |
| Caution | A fuzzy digital line does not identify drypoint. Check the plate process and mixed techniques; later impressions may have less burr. | A pencil-like appearance does not prove the method. Check the resist process and other intaglio techniques recorded for the work. |