Few inventions in the history of civilization have played such a key role in the evolution of thought as the development of printed images. The cultural impact of printing was without parallel until our own age of computers, photography, and mass communications. The earliest printed images were relief prints, the best known method being the wood cut.

Relief printing takes its name from the fact that the printing surface is raised above its background. In wood block printing, for example, background areas that are not meant to print are carved away, leaving the image areas of the print in relief. Ink os applied to this raised surface, and the image is transferred to paper.

Taken from: Printmaking: History and Process, Donal Saff and Deli Sacilotto