Image 1 of 2
Image 2 of 2
Photogravure is a photo-mechanical process for printing continuous tone photographic images. It was invented in the 1820’s and perfected by the 1880’s. It is an intaglio process in which ink is held in the recesses of a plate. The plate is then run through an engraving press under high pressure, where the paper is pushed into the recesses of the plate and picks up the ink. The plate must then be re-inked and carefully hand wiped clean before the next impression can be made. Polymer photogravure or photo polymer gravure is a variation of this process utilizing a photo-sensitive polymer plate with a steel backing instead of a traditional copper plate.