In the long-term development process, due to the differences of times, regions, sculptors, carving forms and printing technologies, many different types of prints have been produced. Different from the times, there are Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing editions. Geographically, there are engravings in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hubei, Sichuan, Guangdong, Hunan and other places; There are official engravings (books printed by various government agencies in ancient China), workshop engravings (books engraved by ordinary booksellers) and family engravings. From the engraving form, there are big characters, small characters, shadow engraving (also known as photocopying, the method is to copy the original book first and then engrave it on the plate) and towel box (a small version of ancient books, towel box is a small strategy of ancient fashion headscarves; Because this book is very small, it can be packed in a towel box and is extremely convenient to carry, so it is named). The difference of printing technology is writing engraving, ink printing and multi-color overprinting.
The appearance and spread of printmaking has played a great role in preserving and spreading the cultural heritage of the motherland.