A technical dictionary of printmaking, André Béguin.

1. Insofar as print making is concerned a line is generally considered to be an incision made in a plate or block which is either meant to contain ink (as in the case of line engraving) or to avoid being inked (as in white line work, etc.). In the French language a whole series of terms have been coined using the word taille (cut) which are almost impossible to translate into English. The following terms are listed and defined for the reader's convenience. Where an English equivalent exists it has been given along with the French term.

   Taille blanche (white line work). In relief engraving the white line method allows for making a white drawing on a black background. Since relief inking only concerns the areas that are not incised, the incisions here become the white lines of the image. The white line method is the opposite of the black line method in which the image is black on a white background,

   Taille brisée (broken line). A line that is suddenly broken off or interrupted.

   Taille claire ("light cut"). A term used to designate engravings that contain much light and whose tones are pale.

   Taille croisée (crossed lines ). An ensemble of lines in which some lines are cut so as to cross other ones (see below under taille simple).

   Taille enveloppante ("enveloping lines"). The term used to designate the systematically parallel lines that are used to outline an object.

   Taille d'épargne (black line method). See above under taille blanche.

   Taille en losange (lozenge lines). Lines that are crossed so that they form a lozenge shape between them.

   Taille méplate. Term used for the strong lines that mark the contrast between shady and light areas.

   Taille perdue ("lost line"). Lines that are too deep will not hold ink. Such lines are called taille perdue.

   Taille premières (first lines ). The first lines that are cut outline the image and the values of the plate. Tailles secondes or second lines are cut over the first ones to give shades and contrasts.

   Taille simple or taille unique (simple or single lines). A term used for engravings in which there are no second lines. In this case it may be said that the first lines are no longer such but rather the only ones. The image in such engravings is produced by swelling the lines.

   Taille tremblée ("trembled line"). A line which is purpously irregular.

   Belle taille (literally, "beautiful cut"). A belle taille engraving is one done with good workmanship.

   Contretaille or contre-taille. A term used for a line that cuts over another one.

   Entretaille (literally, "lines between the lines"). Little dots or short lines which the engravers place between two continous lines. This term is also used to denote the swelling of a line in wood engraving [wood, line engraving, cut, engraving, hachure, incision, undercut ].

2. LINES IN TYPOGRAPHY. A typographical line is composed of words going from the left hand side of a page to the right hand side. If the lines that make up a page all end in the same place (according to the measure chosen) they are called justified lines. A break line is a line in which there are only a few words on the left hand side of the page as, for example, at the end of a paragraph. If a break line ends up being at the beginning of a page the composition is usually changed somewhat to avoid this happening. The rest of a break line, where there are no words, is filled in with quadrats to complete the line with blank spaces.
   A line does not always begin in the same place (as with the beginning of a paragraph. In this case it is said that a line is indented.
   If the spacing material on both sides of a title is of the same length the title is centered.
   The top line of a page is the line in which there is a running head (an abreviated title) and the folio (page number).
   The foot line is made up of spacing material put at the bottom of the page.
   To compose a page line for line means that the page will reproduce exactly another page of text that has already been printed and therefore the page will have exactly the same composition.
   The type line is the imaginary line on which the characters rest. Another term for type line is body line.
   The line gauge is a triangular instrument made of hard wood or metal with markings that permit one to use it with different body sizes.