Carborundum mezzotint technique was created during the WPA in the 1930s by Dox Thrash and others at the Philadelphia Graphics Workshop. This process uses Carborundum grains to create pits below the surface of the metal that then hold ink as in traditional mezzotint.  The surface is covered in ink, and then the surface is wiped clean, leaving ink only in the texture of theCarborundum. A damp piece of paper is placed on top, and the plate and paper are run through a printing press that, through pressure, transfers the ink from the recesses of the plate to the paper and develops velvety tones and shadows.

Etching is traditionally, along with engraving, the most important technique for old master prints, and remains in wide use today. A copper, zinc or steel plate is covered with a waxy ground which is resistant to acid. An artist scratches off the ground where a line will appear in the finished piece to expose the bare metal.  The plate is then submerged in acid which eats away those areas of the plate unprotected by the ground to form a pattern of recessed lines. These lines hold the ink, and when the plate is applied to moist paper, the design transfers to the paper to create a finished print of exceptional clarity.

Intaglio is the family of printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface and the incised line or sunken area holds the ink. It is the direct opposite of a relief print. Normally, copper or zinc plates are used as a surface and the incisions are created by etching, engraving, dry point, aquatint or mezzotint. 

Linocut is a technique, in which a sheet of linoleum is used for a relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp blade. The raised, uncarved areas represent a reversal or mirror image when impressed onto paper or fabric. The actual printing can be done by hand or with a printing press. This process was favored by many African American artists in the 1930s -1950s.

Lithography originally used an image drawn with oil, fat, or wax onto the surface of a smooth, level limestone plate. The stone was treated with a mixture of acid and Gum Arabic, etching the portions of the stone that were not protected by the grease-based image. When the stone was subsequently moistened, the etched areas retained water. An oil-based ink could then be applied that would be repelled by the water, sticking only to the original drawing. The ink would finally be transferred to a blank paper sheet, producing a printed page.

Silkscreen printing uses a mesh to transfer ink onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the minute open areas in the mesh with ink, and a reverse stroke then causes the screen to touch the substrate momentarily along a line of contact. This causes the ink to wet the substrate and be pulled out of the mesh openings as the screen springs back after the blade has completed its pass across the screen. One color is printed at a time, so several screens can be used to produce a multi-colored image or design.

Vitreography is a printmaking technique that uses a 3⁄8-inch-thick (9.5 mm) float glass instead of metal, wood or stone. A print created using this material is called a Vitreograph. Unlike a monotype, in which ink is painted onto a smooth glass plate and transferred to paper to produce a unique work, the Vitreograph technique involves fixing the imagery in, or on the glass plate. This allows the production of an edition of prints. 

Woodblock printing is a technique, originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later on paper. The wood block is prepared in a relief pattern, which means the areas to show no color are cut away with a knife, chisel, or sandpaper leaving the characters or image at the original surface level to show in color. It is necessary only to ink the block and bring it into firm, even contact with the paper or cloth to achieve an acceptable print. The block would print "in reverse" or as a mirror-image, a further complication when text was involved.