Type of print and the process in which a drawing or painting executed on a flat, unworked printing plate or other surface is transferred through pressure to a sheet of paper. As most of the image is transferred in the printing process, only one strong impression can be taken, hence the term monotype (unique, single impression). Residual ink on the printing surface occasionally permits the printing of fainter second or third impressions; these are called ghosts or cognates. A monotype is distinct from a monoprint, which is a uniquely inked and printed impression from a traditional print matrix.
David P. Becker
From Grove Art Online
© 2009 Oxford University Press
