What is relief printing?

In relief printing, the artist draws a design on a smooth block of material—usually wood or linoleum—and uses tools to carefully cut away the areas that are not to be printed, leaving behind a raised surface of lines and shapes. The surface of the block is inked using a dabber or a roller. A sheet of paper is then placed on top of the block and vertically pressed against the surface; this can be done by hand or using a printing press. The most common types of relief processes are woodcut, linocut, and wood-engraving.