There are several different printing techniques and types of print making. Intaligio is one of them, and is a type of etching and related to drypoint. The intended image is incised into the surface and the sunken areas then momentarily stores the ink. Plates of copper and zink have been used for this type of print.
The printing technique was invented in Germany in the 1430s. Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) is one of the artists who produced works in Intaglio.
Intaglio is in many ways the opposite to relief printing where the raised area contains the ink. Derivatives of Intalgio techniques are still used for fine security printing such as stamps and bank notes, but is rarely favoured by contemporary artists.
