A technical dictionary of printmaking, André Béguin. Back to Main Page of the "Printmaking dictionary" Autotype At the end of the last century this word was synonymous with heliography in that it was also a photographic transfer technique. "The modest wood engraving is suffering from the competition of autotype and heliography: the ray of sunlight is taking the place of the graver" (Journal Officiel, 16 September 1873). The term is used in English and in German in the same sense as photo-engraving but denotes a relief* method. An antiquated galvanoplastic reproduction method was called "autotypography". This method consisted in laying an etcher's ground (made electrically conductive with plumbago and a fine powder of copper sulfate) onto a glass plate. The ground was then drawn upon with a needle and then the plate was plunged into an electrolic bath so as to obtain a fairly thick deposit of copper. Such a method could result in either a relief or an intaglio plate (Beslay method). [engraving , printing techniques]. f cliché de similigravure d Autotypie Rasterklischee n autotypie autotypiecliché rastercliché. Back to Main Page of the "Printmaking dictionary"