block printing
The process of printing from hand-carved blocks of
wood or linoleum. Modern blocks, which are made up
of relatively heavy lines and solid areas, are cut
for relief printing, and are inked or colored only
on the uncut surfaces. If printing in two or more
colors is required, the colors can be applied and
printed in one impression, printed in two or more
impressions, or two or more blocks can be cut. In
the early days of block printing, it was a common
practice to print the outline of the design and
then apply the colors by hand. The relatively soft
surfaces of blocks of wood or linoleum limit the
number of impressions that can be made. (234 )
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