A relief print made using a block of wood, similar to wood engraving, but not the same, no matter what Webster 1913 says. A woodcut (or wood cut) is made by taking a piece of wood, drawing a design on it and removing a layer of wood from the areas that you do not want to print. Ink is applied to block, which is placed against a sheet of paper. The ink on the portion of the design that has not been cut away transfers to the paper, creating a woodcut print.

Woodcut prints were the most common method for mass reproduction of images until the 1860s or 1870s, when steel plate engravings became a much cheaper way to reproduce images. Wood cut prints can be easily identified from their crisp blacks, a generally bold design, the occasional presence of wood grain in the image, and the lack of any really fine lines. Wood cut prints are presently used almost exclusively by artists and private, limited edition presses.

Wood"cut` (?), n.

An engraving on wood; also, a print from it. Same as Wood cut, under Wood.

 

© Webster 1913.

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