Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East
Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper. As a method of printing on cloth, the earliest
surviving examples from China date to before 220, and woodblock printing
remained the most common East Asian method of printings books and other texts,
as well as images, until the 19th century. Ukiyo-e is the best known type of Japanese woodblock art print. Most European uses
of the technique for printing images on paper are covered by the art term woodcut,
except for the block-books produced mainly in the 15th century
The site I use.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodblock_printing
Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper. As a method of printing on cloth, the earliest
surviving examples from China date to before 220, and woodblock printing
remained the most common East Asian method of printings books and other texts,
as well as images, until the 19th century. Ukiyo-e is the best known type of Japanese woodblock art print. Most European uses
of the technique for printing images on paper are covered by the art term woodcut,
except for the block-books produced mainly in the 15th century
The site I use.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodblock_printing