Electrotyping

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A technique used in the printing industry to create metal plates for reproducing texts and images involves casting a metal layer from an original design
2. This method enables the duplication of illustrations and writings by creating a metal mold from a matrix using conductive materials
3. A method in printing where a metal copy of a plate or design is formed through electroplating to allow repeated printing

Etymology: Electrotyping is a printing process in which a metal copy of a set of type or an engraved plate is built up by electrical deposition, and the noun names the whole procedure. The base word, "electrotype," is itself a compound of "electro-," from the Greek "ēlektron" (amber, the substance in which static electricity was first noticed), and "type," from the Greek "typos" meaning impression or mark. Put together, the word describes a type or impression made by electricity. The suffix "-ing" turns the process into a noun, so "electrotyping" names the activity as well as its result. A printer would speak of doing electrotyping in the way one speaks of engraving or stereotyping, meaning the whole craft from wax mould to finished plate.