A printmaker can use a bunch of tapers in the etching process during the preparation of the printing plate. In etching the printmaker spreads an acid resistant wax-like substance called the ‘ground’ over the metal printing plate and draws the lines of the image through this coating with a needle. Tapers can be used to smoke and darken the etching ground before drawing into it, so that the marks made by the needle show up more clearly.

The plate is then placed in an acid bath and the corrosive action of the acid 'bites' into the metal where it has been exposed by the needle, creating grooves beneath the surface of the of the plate. Drawing with a needle through a ground rather than engraving the image directly into the metal plate enables the printmaker to achieve finer lines and a greater freedom of draughtsmanship. The quality of an etched line can range from soft and fluid to energised and scratchy.

To make a print, or impression, from the etched plate, ink is applied and forced into the grooves where it is held while the surface of the plate is wiped clean. Dampened paper is then laid over the plate and together they are submitted to pressure (usually in a roller press) so that the paper draws the ink out of the grooves in the plate. The printed image is in reverse of that on the plate.