Xylography

Rarely used term for woodblock printing. Also the mechanical reproduction of wood grain for decorative purposes.<br><br>A printing technique that involves carving text in relief upon a wooden block, which is then inked and an impression made on paper. "Xylography" combines "xylo-," meaning "wood," and "-graphy," which denotes writing in a specified manner. "Xylography" didn&#39;t appear in print in English until 1816, but it is linked to printing practices that are much older. The oldest known printed works were produced by this method in Japan and China during the 8th and 9th centuries. This method of wood-block printing appeared in Europe in the 14th century, and eventually inspired Johannes Gutenberg to create individual and reusable ("movable") pieces of type out of metal. These days, "xylography" can also describe the technique of engraving wood for purely artistic purposes.(pr. zi:-LAH-gr&#601;-fee)Also see incunabulum.