Printing technique carving characters on wooden blocks for reproduction.

Printing technique carving characters on wooden blocks for reproduction.

• A. Woodblock Printing
• B. Movable Type
• C. Papermaking
• D. Porcelain

Answer: (A)

The technique described is woodblock printing. In this method, characters and designs are carved in relief onto a wooden block, usually in mirror image, so that when inked and pressed onto paper, the text or image transfers cleanly. This allowed many copies to be produced from a single block and was a major method for reproducing texts and images in medieval China. Movable type uses individual characters that can be rearranged for different pages, which isn’t what’s described here. Papermaking is the process of making the paper itself, not printing. Porcelain is a ceramic material and not a printing technique.

The technique described is woodblock printing. In this method, characters and designs are carved in relief onto a wooden block, usually in mirror image, so that when inked and pressed onto paper, the text or image transfers cleanly. This allowed many copies to be produced from a single block and was a major method for reproducing texts and images in medieval China.

Movable type uses individual characters that can be rearranged for different pages, which isn’t what’s described here. Papermaking is the process of making the paper itself, not printing. Porcelain is a ceramic material and not a printing technique.