Engraving / Burin Engraving vs Etching
エングレーヴィング（彫刻凹版） / エッチング／腐食銅版画
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.
Engraving / Burin Engraving
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An intaglio print made by cutting a metal plate directly with a burin or similar tool. Controlled changes in line width and dense parallel or crossed lines describe form and tone. It differs from acid etching, relief wood engraving and inscriptions cut into objects.
Etching
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A needle draws through the acid-resistant ground and the acid bites the metal it exposes, cutting lines into the plate that are thin, fluid and close to handwriting.
| Engraving / Burin Engraving | Etching | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 15th century–present | 16th century– |
| Family | Intaglio Printing | Intaglio Printing |
| Kind | Technique | Technique |
| Cues | Clearly controlled incised lines / Parallel and crossed hatching / Dense line fields beside paper white / Bundles of lines follow the form | Thin flowing lines / Depth by biting / Cross-hatching / Plate marks |
| Best used for | Exhibitions and teaching that compare Engraving / Burin Engraving with neighbouring print techniques · Publications studying lines, tones and paper through documented works | Series of travel notes or figures that keep the speed and hesitation of drawing · Book illustration where atmosphere and shadow must come from line alone |
| Type | Keep lettering in the work separate from added labels; place medium, artist and date outside the image. | Draw the lettering with the same needle so its weight matches the image |
| Composition | Run line bundles along the form and vary crossed-line density to separate shadows. | Build tone from hatching density and keep bare paper as the brightest area |
| Material | Check the collection medium record and the paper and ink; do not infer materials from screen colour alone. | Vary line depth by bite time, stopping out in stages as the acid works |
| Caution | Do not label every old printed illustration an engraving. Check the matrix, cutting method and whether it is a mixed print. | A uniform pen line filter is no substitute, since bite time, overlapping lines, ink left in the wiping and press pressure make the difference, and layering without timing fills detail with black. |