The art of incising a metal surface with a burin to reproduce a drawing so that it can be printed on paper. The print is obtained by inking the whole of the metal plate and then wiping the surface so that the ink remains only in the grooves. Dampened paper is then pressed hard on onto the plate, penetrating into the grooves and absorbing the ink deposited in them. The ink deposited on the surface of the paper forms a layer whose thickness will vary according to the depth of the grooves, which enables the engraver to obtain blacks of varying depths and with a velvety effect