The printmaking technique in which an image is carved into a wooden block is called woodcut.
Woodcut is a relief-printing process: the artist cuts away the areas that should remain blank, while the raised surface receives ink. Paper is then pressed against the inked block, producing the image. Traditionally, carving followed the direction of the wood grain, distinguishing woodcut from wood engraving, which commonly uses end-grain blocks.
Woodblock printing developed in China during antiquity and was used for textiles before spreading to paper. The technique reached Europe by the late Middle Ages and became especially important for book illustrations, religious images, and single-sheet prints. In many workshops, the artist designed the image while specialist block-cutters carved it.
A common mix-up is treating woodcut as a general name for every print made from wood. East Asian traditions are often described as woodblock printing, while woodcut usually refers specifically to the relief-printing technique and its resulting image. Screen printing, lithography, and etching use fundamentally different processes.