Etching is a type of intaglio printmaking that uses acid to bite into the surface of the print matrix. As with all varieties of intaglio printing, in etching the image is incised below the surface of the plate. To create an etching, the artist first coats the surface of the plate—typically made out of copper or zinc—with an acid resistant ground. Using a sharp etching needle, the artist draws lines by scratching away the ground and exposing the plate below. The plate is then immersed in an acid bath, which bites into the exposed metal. The depth of the lines can be altered depending on how long the plate remains in the acid. After removing the ground, the artist prints the plate as any intaglio is printed: by forcing ink into the incised lines and running it through a press with a sheet of damp paper. The plate must be re-inked between impressions. A set of prints made from the same plate, where each print looks exactly the same, is called an edition.

Etching dates back to the sixteenth century and appeared first in Germany. Printmaker Daniel Hopfer is believed to be the first artist to practice the medium. The technique quickly spread to other parts of Europe; Italian artist Parmiganino created beautiful prints that exploited etching’s ability to more directly translate the artist’s fluid marks to the printed image. In the seventeenth century, Rembrandt produced hundreds of masterful etchings; he is still considered one of the greatest practitioners of the medium. The tradition has continued well into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and is practiced by artists like Jim Dine, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Chris Ofili, Grayson Perry, and Judy Pfaff.