Linocut vs Woodcut
リノカット / 木版画
Both sit in Relief Printing, so the question is not what they belong to but how they behave. Both are read here as technique. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.
Linocut
Cuts the smooth block boldly, giving few colors and repeated figures a driving rhythm.
Woodcut
Prints the surface left after carving, raising an image through line direction and the pressure of black and white.
| Linocut | Woodcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 1890s– | 8th century– |
| Family | Relief Printing | Relief Printing |
| Kind | Technique | Technique |
| Cues | Large cut planes / Overlapping color blocks / Simplified figures / Repeating movement | Direction of the cut / Hard black-white contrast / Density of line / The block's materiality |
| Best used for | Showing crowds and daily motion as rhythm · A friendly hand-printed feel in few colors | Carving a strong story or symbol in one color · Handwork resistance and reproducibility at once |
| Type | Letters sturdy enough to hold against the shapes; one color per block | Contrast a heavy headline with the print's fine lines |
| Composition | Repeat forms with aligned motion; change the current in one place | Place the black masses first; open focal points with white cuts |
| Material | Two to five color blocks, broad cut planes, the paper's ground | Ink black and paper; run the line direction along the form |
| Caution | The difference from woodcut is not mere roughness. Use linoleum's smooth curves and planes. | Not a digital scuff texture. Design where the black stays and which way you carve. |