Process shots from my second intaglio piece. In this photo I'm tearing down the paper to the correct border size after printing. The usual paper trimming process we use is to simply lay a large metal ruler across the paper and tear the paper over it carefully to create the border we desire.
We do this when creating print pieces because high quality paper, such as the canson shown in the picture, have a natural edge that is rough, a deckle edge. So you don't razor cut these papers. You tear them down to create a natural border.
The piece in the picture is actually upside down (oops) but it's not so important as the piece is abstract and this is just a process shot.
All of the lines visible in the piece were drawn into hard ground by hand and etched in nitric acid. No drypoint was used in the piece.