Drypoint

Drypoint is a technique for directly engraving metal without the use of acids. The tool used is a sharp steel needle or a diamond point.
A variation in the pressure on the tool causes a variation in the depth and width of the mark, which, once printed, will give a more or less rich effect.
By applying pressure on the plate for making the marks, the point penetrates the metal, moving thin filaments on the sides of the burrs, which hold the ink during the printing stage, giving a velvety line, which is the distinctive feature of this technique.
These filaments are removed or flattened when cleaning or under the pressure of the press. The marks lose intensity after quite a small number of copies.
Because of this feature, drypoint is not used as a technique to reproduce a high number of copies, since as the filaments get flattened, they never give the same mark.