Heliogravure or photogravure
Also known as heliogravure, photogravure is arguably the finest photomechanical means of reproducing a photograph in large editions. Copper plates are acid-etched directly from an original silver print; the etched areas then hold differing amounts of ink in order to correspond to the tones of the original print. If prints remain untrimmed, the impression of the printing plate will remain on the paper (around the image). Blacks often appear as delicate charcoals, and whites – when printed on high quality paper – remain white. The photogravure technique results in incredibly beautiful prints, with excellent detail and sensitive tones.
