Copperplate refers to the use of inscribed sheets of copper in printing. The etched sheets of copper are inked and then have paper rolled over them to produce a copy.

In Southeast Asia, the use of copperplate for important documents was a stage in the writing system; they served as durable documentation in a climate which destroyed other documents. In Java, for example, the copperplates were heated until they were soft, and then inscribed with an implement. Skill in metalwork in Southeast Asia apparently spanned multiple metals during the epoch of copperplate inscriptions.

A famous example is the Laguna Copperplate Inscription.

Copperplate is also the name of a style of calligraphic writing, using a sharp pointed nib instead of the flat nib used in most calligraphic writing. Its name comes from the sharp lines of the writing style resembling the etches of engraved copper.

See also

• Calligraphy