Making prints from wood engravings is the simplest technique. An image is carved into a block of hard word (with the extruding parts forming the outline of the drawing). This image is then inked like a stamp and pressed onto paper by hand or with a press.
Intaglio engraving -- usually done with copperplate, although other metals are often used -- is the engraving of an image onto a sheet of copper, zinc, steel or even plastic. Ink is then passed over the whole plate and wiped off the surface so that it remains in the grooves that have been cut into the surface. The inked image is then transferred to paper using a heavy press or rollers that press the paper firmly against the metal plate so that it will absorb the ink in the grooves the paper is usually dampened to facilitate absorption.
In intaglio engraving, the artist uses a tool called a "burin" or "graver" to engrave the image onto the plate. Burins come in different sizes and usually have a wooden handle and a steel diamond- or square-shaped shaft that can be straight or curved. When making the engraving the artist holds the burin steady and turns the plate to make curved lines.