In the Tang Dynasty, seals began to acquire their aesthetic appeal, and during the Sung and Yuan, writers had seals carved not only with their names but also with their courtesy names and the names of their studies.
唐朝文風鼎盛，印章逐漸由實用進為游藝，開始呈現出圖畫的風格，印文中也創出許多新字。宋代以後，印章大為流行。宋元時，文人雅士更愛在書畫上用印，除姓名外，還有字號、齋館等印。