Using various tools, the artist begins by cutting the grooves that form the design. Only the ungouged portion is inked. A roller is used to ink the surface, and thus the ink does not enter the hollow sections. The sheet of paper is placed on the inked block and pressure is applied to the back of the sheet, either with a press or, simpler yet, a frotton - a tool whose lower end, made of wood or metal, is slightly oval and well-suited for rubbing. Escher often used the back of a small spoon made of bone.
(George Escher, in Coxeter, 1986, p. xiv).

If the space within the outline of the design is gouged out, the design will appear white on a black ground, but if the section outside the outline is cut away, it will appear black on a white ground, The artist is not limited to black, but normally only one colour is used in each impression. Escher's multicolour prints are produced from several blocks, one for each colour including black.