Relief printing

The design is drawn onto the surface of the lino block. Allowance needs to be made that the print will appear as a mirror image of the original drawing. Once the drawing is finished, the lino is warmed on a hotplate to make it easier to cut into.

The surface of the block is cut into using a variety of differently shaped cutting tools. Lines and larger areas can be cut into the surfaced with gouges. The lino is reheated as necessary to help with the cutting process.

Relief printing ink is rolled out onto a glass slab using a hand roller. The ink is worked until there is a very flat even coverage on the roller.

The ink is then rolled onto the surface of the cut block. The areas that have been cut away remain free of ink.

The block is then placed on the bed of the press, lined up against small strips of cardboard that act as registration marks for the block and paper. These ensure that the image is printed in exactly the right position every time. This is critical if additional colours have to be printed on top of the original.

The printing paper is carefully placed on top of the block and overlaid with some packing sheets. A hinged cover, called a tympan, is lowered over this and the entire bed slides under the press plate, which is called the platen.

A lever is pulled to press the platen down onto the printing block, transferring the ink onto the paper. The lever is released and the bed is rolled out from under the press.

The tympan is raised and the print carefully peeled from the block. If the print is good the process is repeated to print the edition or the block can be further cut into to add more detail to the image if required.