Engraving is a centuries-old technique in which a design is incised into a hard surface. Engraving can be used as a means of surface decoration on objects made of metal or glass, or as a printmaking technique belonging to the intaglio family. For both categories, engravers typically employ a tool called a burin to create lines. A burin has a very sharp, v-shaped tip, which cleanly removes the excess material, forming a sharp, precise line. Engraving requires a steady and skillful hand in order to translate a drawn image to a metal plate. Printmakers can use small hatch marks to create the appearance of shadow. Perhaps the most celebrated engraver working in the West was 16th Century German artist Albrecht Durer, who conjured astonishing levels of detail in his widely distributed prints. Other pioneering engravers include Andrea Mantegna, Martin Schongauer, and Marcantonio Raimondi.

As prints, engravings are processed like any other intaglio plate—forcing a stiff ink into the recessed lines while at the same time removing it from the surface of the plate. The plate is then run through a large printing press with a sheet of paper. Although engraving requires a greater level of skill than many other types of printmaking, it is still practiced by some artists today. Contemporary artists who have practiced engraving include Tom Otterness, Julie Mehretu, Frank Stella, Richard Tuttle, and Louise Bourgeois.