The aim of the conference is to study the place of writing, and its forms and functions in the European engraving in the sixteenth century, in addition to the production of matrices for the dissemination of images and its use by figures occupying different roles. This conference will bring together specialists in engraving of the printed book, culture and the arts in order to reflect on the typology of the letter, on its technical and artistic uses, the meaning of inscriptions and the role of writing in numerous categories of prints produced at that time. Long neglected by the specialists of engraving, the study of the letter appears today as an essential way of analyzing the printed images and reflection on the different literacy practices in European culture in the sixteenth century.