When the plate is covered
Inking the plate
A copperplate is inked-up - covered with a layer of printing ink - using a roller and a bundle of muslin or tarlatan. in ink this collects in the grooves and is transferred to paper with a printing press - the deeper the incision, the darker the line when printed. Subtler tones and shading can be added with hatching
Hatching
Close parallel or crisscrossed lines in a picture is known as hatching. This is used in prints and drawings to depict shade and to portray rounded forms. The word 'hatching' comes from the French 'harcher', meaning to cut into pieces.. While actually engraving, the copper plate is placed on a leather cushion, allowing the engraver to turn the plate.