Woodblock printing is used widely throughout East Asia. Text, pictures, or patterns can be printed this way. While it originated in China, it’s used throughout the world now.
In Europe the technique was called a woodcut, and still remains popular in some areas. The areas that are to be white are cut away, and the areas that are designed to be dark are left on the surface of the woodblock. The block was then brought into firm contact with the ink that would be used on it. After that, the block could be used as a stamp for clock or paper or any other type of surface that would take the ink. If text was used it presented a problem because it would appear backward and therefore had to be carved into the block backward to be produced correctly.
Woodblocks can also be rubbed onto cloth, but the technique is somewhat more difficult than stamping, and is not used as often. More recently, printing in a press has been used in Asia, but stamping remains the most common method for woodblock printing.
Tags: printing, woodblock printing
