Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with designs stitched in strands of thread or yarn using a needle. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. Machine embroidery is created by using a specialized machine that can read a computerized design to automatically create a stitched design.

Printmaking is a process for producing editions (multiple copies) of artwork; painting, on the other hand, is a process for producing a single original piece of artwork. Prints are created from a single original surface, most commonly linoleum, metal or wood. Each print is considered an original work of art, not a copy. Works printed from a single plate create an edition, usually each signed and numbered. A single print could be the product of one or multiple presses. Printmakers work in a variety of mediums, including water based ink, water color paint, oil based ink, oil pastels, and any water soluble solid pigment such as Caran D'Ache crayons. The work is created on a flat surface called a plate. Depending on the process used to lift the print, artists either carve or draw into their surfaces. Printmaking techniques that utilize digital methods are becoming increasingly popular and in many markets are the preferred method. Surfaces used in printmaking include planks of wood, metal plates, panes of plexiglass, pieces of shellacked book board, or lithographic stones. A separate technique, called screenprinting, makes use of a porous fabric mesh stretched in a frame, called a screen. Small prints can even be made using the surface of a potato.

Screenprinting, or serigraphy, also known as Silkscreen, is a printmaking technique that traditionally creates a sharp-edged image using a stencil and a porous fabric. A screenprint or serigraph is an image created using this technique.

The Specialty Graphic Imaging Association is the only international association for specialty imaging. Their mission is to provide imaging professionals with the tools and information needed to make the best possible business decisions.