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![Prepare the master copy]( "Prepare the master copy")
Prepare the master copy
Come to the workshop to tell us about your project.
Tell us the type of paper and number of copies you want.
We will draw up the estimated cost and provide approximate dates for delivery.
We will prepare the plate so that you can make any changes, and once we have engraved the master copy, we will carry out the proof testing.
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![Come and validate the BAT]( "Come and validate the BAT")
Come and validate the BAT
Come and see the stamp proof, give your approval and sign the BAT, which will serve as a guide for the rest of the copies in the print run.
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![Collect your prints]( "Collect your prints")
Collect your prints
We will let you know when you can come and collect your prints or we will send them to the location of your request.
We offer free delivery on orders over €100.
TECHNIQUES
Chalcographic engraving is a printing technique which consists of transferring an image that has been drawn using tools that punch or cut, or with chemical processes, on a metallic surface named the master copy, with the aim of inserting ink into the incisions, which is later transferred by pressure onto paper.
Polymer film photoengraving – also known as photopolymer – is a printing technique carried out using a master copy formed of light-sensitive film adhered to the surface of a plate. The image that is to be reproduced is transferred to the master copy by superimposing the positive printed on an acetate – called a photolith – and exposing it to ultraviolet light. This process traces the image with a system of hollow dots, ink receptors, which is then transferred by pressure onto paper.
PROCESS
Inking is the process of introducing the ink in the grooves of the master copy, which is distributed over the whole surface with a flexible spatula. The plate is then cleaned with tarlatan (a cotton cloth) and superficially finished with Manila paper or similar, thus leaving the ink solely inside the grooves.
Printing is the process of printing using an engraved and inked plate onto wet paper by means of the pressure exerted in an engraving press.
The rolling press is a manual press used to print engravings, usually chalcographic ones, operated by rotating some rollers. It consists of two cylinders, upper and lower, through which a plate passes, with the inked plate on top of it and the paper and felts placed on top of that.
Print is the name given to the image obtained through the process of printing an engraved plate onto another surface.
Bon à tirer means ‘good to print’ and is used for the final proof of a print that has been agreed by the author and printer after a process of test prints and which will serve as a guide for the full print run. The term is French and is usually abbreviated as BAT.
EQUIPMENT
At Tinta Invisible we have two rolling presses (one for a 120 cm-width plate and the other for an 80 cm-width plate), two inking tables and worktops to prepare the master copies of the chalcographic engraving. We also have all the material required for the preparation and stamping of the plates: varnish, engraving tools, non-toxic chemicals, buckets, ink, spatulas, tarlatan cloth, Manila paper, etc.