A copperplate engraving of a map.

In order to print the map using this plate, the etchings would be filled with "black." The printer would then clean away the ink left on the copper not that was not inside the etchings. The printer would then take a damp paper or parchment and place it over the plate. Two cylinders would roll on either side of the copper and paper, allowing the ink to transfer to the paper producing very distinct lines. 

 

 

 

     When this book was published, the use of woodcuts was fading out of fashion. However, woodcuts were part of the technological advancement process that led to the copperprinting used in Turner's compendium. A wood cut was made by the artist, or in this case mapmaker, drawing the design onto a piece of smooth wood. A wood cutter would then cut away at everything on the block except the mapmaker’s marks[1]. This allowed the mapmaker’s designs to protrude from the rest of the block. The block could then be used similarly to a modern day stamp in which it was dipped into ink and placed on paper to produce an image.

     When Turner's text was written, woodcuts of the Renaissance were phasing out and copper engravings became the more popular form of printing for map makers of this period[2]. In this process, the map maker would draw out his map on a piece of paper and bring this manuscript to a practiced engraver. The engraver's part of the job is known to take notoriously long. This is because the engraver often wouldn't purchase the copper until a work was given to him. The majority of an engraver's time was spent finding and purchasing resources. The actual time spent copying the image onto a copper sheet was relatively short [3]. In order to copy the engraving into a book, the indents made by the engraving were filled with a black ink referred to as “black”. A dampened paper would be placed over the inked engraving and two cylinder rollers would pass on either side of the copper and paper often creating indentations where the edge of the copper plate was pressed against the page [4]. This helped copper engravings produce distinct lines when copied into books. These copper engravings could include the most delicate of lines and so became accurate means of copying a mapmaker’s work[5].