- Though the origin of acid etching is not precise, a few 16th-century blacksmiths are attributed with first using acid to etch designs into armor. Once paper from the Far East reached Europe in the Middle Ages, etching became more popular among artists.
- Mediums used for fine art etching include copper and zinc plates that are inked and pressed onto paper. Artists and craftsmen also create decorative glassware and concrete elements using a similar etching process.
- Create an etched piece of art by coating the desired medium in an acid-resistant ground, scratching away the design and soaking it in an acid bath. The acid eats into the exposed areas, leaving a recessed impression on the surface of the medium. To create a print, ink the surface of the plate, cover the plate with moist paper, and run the plate through a flatbed printing press.
- Acid etching is used to create fine art prints, book illustrations, posters, fine glassware, and decorative metal and concrete. Though multiple prints can be created from a single plate, known as the master, each print is considered an original piece of art.
- The two most notable artists who utilized the acid etching technique were Albrecht Durer, from the late 15th and early 16th centuries, and Rembrandt van Rijn, from the 17th century. Both artists took the art of etching from a technical craft to fine artwork.
