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How does intaglio printing differ from relief printing?

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Mary Cassatt: Woman Bathing — Printmaking *Woman Bathing*, color aquatint with drypoint by Mary Cassatt, 1890–91; in the Art Institute of Chicago.

Intaglio and relief printing are fundamentally opposite methods of printmaking.

In relief printing, the artist cuts or etches the surface so that the design to be printed remains raised, while the surrounding areas are removed. The ink is applied to these raised surfaces, which then transfer the image to paper.1

In contrast, intaglio printing involves ink held in areas below the surface of the plate. The design is incised, scratched, or etched into a plate (often metal), and ink is rubbed into these grooves. The surface of the plate is then wiped clean, leaving ink only in the recessed lines.23

Because the ink is held within the plate, intaglio printing requires enormous pressure from a roller press to force the paper into the incisions, effectively embossing the paper into the grooves. This process creates a distinct, three-dimensional quality that is characteristic of the rich, textured surface of an intaglio print.23