Guest Blogger: The Fine Art of Fine Art Engraving

Usually on this blog, I am Tony Anzivino: Marketing Communications Specialist in the Financial Services Industry. However, today, I am putting on the hat of Tony Anzivino: Supportive and Proud Colleague.

I had a post ready to go this week, but when I found out that my coworker, Elizabeth Pfeiffer, a member of the Fine Arts Engraving division at Merrill Corporation, was the recent recipient of an award at the International Engraved Graphics Association (IEGA) Annual Conference, I thought to myself, "that is one more award than I have won this week. Maybe she is more deserving of a post than I am."

Seriously though, this is a tremendous achievement and she has offered to discuss the process for putting together an award-winning document of this sort. I will be back after the holiday and throughout the rest of the summer, but for this week, Elizabeth, the blog is yours....


The Fine Art of Fine Art Engraving


Whenever someone hands me a business card, I instinctively run my hand over it, look on the back, rip the paper a little bit, and then finally look at the words. This process takes me about ten seconds, and by the end of that time, people tend to look at me like I am nuts. That’s when I have to fess up –

Yes, I work for an engraving company.

Engraving is the process of stamping ink onto paper with copper dies on presses that use two tons of pressure per square inch. (Yes, that is my canned speech and I’m sticking with it). The mark of true engraving is a beauty mark on the back, the raised print on the front, and finally, the fine quality paper that can withstand the process and make the design pop. Nothing makes a design more memorable than by engraving it.

Now, I am not a graphic designer. I am actually an English major. But there is something about the marrying of words with the printed art that sets my heart a twitter. Especially when the print is raised and I can not only see the words, but feel them. Engraving is an art, with the basic components being the ink that is chosen, the paper, and the design:

Ink 101: Engraving lays down the ink one color at a time. Each color has its own plate so the number of colors that you use will dictate how many times the paper will be stamped. As you can imagine, four colors can be done, but six or seven times through the press and the paper will be compromised. Engraving inks are also water-soluble, so they are 100% recyclable and drying time is less than a minute.

Paper 101: 20 lb copier paper just isn’t going to cut it. Because of the pressure that the presses use on paper, only the finest, highest quality paper can withstand the process. Engraving works best on uncoated woven, smooth, vellum, linen, textured, and metallic stocks. Coatings that are typically used for the lithography process will compromise the lay of the ink on the paper and are typically never used. When designing for an engraved piece, it is always best to consult with your engraving specialist for best choice with paper selection so that they can marry it to your design.

Design 101: I could write a book about how to design for engraving, but for now, I will just highlight some basic tips:

• The beauty of engraving inks is that they are very opaque, which means that white ink will print crisply and clearly over darkly colored stocks. So, designers are not limited on their selection of inks or colors.
• Many designs may call for gold or metallic inks to be used in the design. On the correct stock, these inks pop off the paper. However, metallic inks due tend to clump together or mottle when a large area is inked and will have to be screened to prevent this.
• Engraving uses Pantone colors and due to the nature of the ink, can match any branded or special color. That means that any four color process design can easily be matched on press once converted to the proper format.
• Engraving is best known for its ability to replicate fine details and is still used today for banknotes as a security measure because the ability to duplicate is nearly impossible. It is because of these fine details that many designs choose engraving over traditional printing methods.
• Engraving can incorporate the use of screens to produce gradients on press. The lowest that engraving can go is a 65% screen and retain the original integrity of the design.
  

While these are the basic ingredients for engraving, there is an extra variable, which is the willingness to consistently strive to get better. To me, it is a refined and highly skilled craft, and over the past four years, as I have graduated from flinching every time I heard the loud noises of the presses at work, to unconsciously walking in a rhythmic “cla-clank” step with it, I have worked hard to improve and evolve in this craft. Being honored with a Best of Show award at this year's International Engravers Graphics Association (IEGA) means all that all that work has been worth it.

Not bad for an English Major who flicks cards, huh?

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Elizabeth Pfeiffer is a Sales Support Specialist at Fine Arts Engraving, a Merrill Communications LLC company. She has been with the company for four years and started her career in the print industry with flexographic printing. She moved to Chicago and began her career at Fine Arts as a Customer Service Representative, Project Manager, and Sales Support Specialist. She can be reached at 630-920-9303 x 355 to discuss any engraving print projects or to assist with design tips for engraving.