Tools, Machines, and Techniques for Colour Printing in 18th-Century Europe

The history of the technology of printing in each of the three approaches to printing, relief, intaglio, and lithography, diverges for the history of printing colour. This is especially the case in Europe in the long 18th century, as colour printing was not mechanised at the same time or in the same way as ‘normal’ black printing. It could require that working methods or press structures be tweaked, or inspire wholly novel, colour-specific printing machines that were designed to accommodate equally novel printing surfaces or matrices. By focusing on the tools, machines, and workshop methods that were developed to print colour, rather than the end results, this chapter presents a technical overview of how colour was printed at this time, c.1700–1830. It concludes by indicating how techniques could be further adapted and combined. It includes printing in letterpress, relief, intaglio, and lithography, as well as cognate, cross-fertilising trades including textile, pottery, and wallpaper.