["International Journal of Art &Design Education, EarlyView. ", "\nAbstract\nThis article examines the relevance and formative value of printmaking within contemporary higher art education. Through a historical and conceptual review, it analyses the shift of printmaking from industrial and reproductive functions toward a space of artistic exploration, material enquiry and pedagogical reflection. The study argues that printmaking serves as a propaedeutic discipline that helps students understand the relationships among idea, material, time and process in artistic creation. Drawing on contributions from William M. Ivins Jr., Walter Benjamin, John Dewey, Elliot W. Eisner, Stanley William Hayter, María del Mar Bernal and Etienne Wenger, as well as experiences at the University of the West of England, the Universitat Politècnica de València and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the article highlights the print studio as a setting for exploratory and project‐based learning. In the digital era, it remains a space where technical, conceptual and ethical development converge.\n"]