Bresadruck

Bresadruck is a term found in a small subset of historical German-language printing literature. The exact meaning and scope of Bresadruck are not consistently defined, and reliable comprehensive references are scarce. The etymology is not settled; Bres- may be a proper name or a regional designation; "Druck" simply means print.

In descriptions where Bresadruck is mentioned, it is generally characterized as an early hybrid printing method that mixed relief and intaglio elements. Some sources describe Bresadruck as employing a relief image formed in a matrix with recessed details that receive ink, or as a process that combined woodblock or copperplate techniques with a later squeegee impression.

The reported techniques vary, but common themes include combining raised and incised areas and printing under high pressure to transfer ink from both raised and recessed features to the paper.

Historically, references to Bresadruck appear in Central European contexts, roughly late 18th to early 19th centuries, a period of experimentation in illustration and book production. It largely faded as newer technologies such as lithography and then offset printing became dominant.

Surviving examples, when they exist, are primarily of interest to bibliographers and historians of printmaking and are often found in catalogs, marginal notes, or specialized treatises rather than mainstream publishing literature. Because Bresadruck is not widely standardized, modern definitions vary and are sometimes contested among scholars.

The term is sometimes used in catalogs to denote a specific printer’s technique, rather than a formal, universally recognized process. See also related printmaking methods such as relief printing, intaglio, woodcut, copper engraving, and lithography.