Best products from r/printmaking

We found 24 comments on r/printmaking discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 35 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

Top comments mentioning products on r/printmaking:

u/personal_iconography · 2 pointsr/printmaking

You should be able to print this, even with your limitations. Oil based inks are safe to clean up by

  1. physically scraping up/wiping up as much as you can before adding anything to clean it.

  2. a little vegetable oil to clean up the ink

  3. a little bit of a spray kitchen cleaner, like simple green, to clean the vegetable oil.

    I know people that print relief by hand on fabric, you will need to put the block face down on top of the shirt and press from the back. Look up srmprints on Instagram, she posts lots of process shots.

    I would pull a nice one or two, the repost the Etsy listing with new photos and describing the product as handmade with natural variations to cover your bum, then as long as it looks cool you are fine.

    If you want to screenprint, get a copy of Screenprintig Today, he talks about how to set up “shop” on the cheap and DIY. screenprinting today by Andy MacDougall
u/LallaRookh · 1 pointr/printmaking

I second u/mashley503...Flexcut is a great option that's not super expensive. I bought this set initially but I find I mostly use the u and v gouges, so now I just buy individual tools I want. The microtools are great for fine detail.

This is the first set of upgraded carving tools I bought. You can buy the set or individual tools separately. I like the quality of the edge--they sharpen up easily enough, too, and I still have them years later. I just don't love the handles. You definitely will need to cut them down so they fit your hand, but even then, they weren't really for me. The more expensive tools from McClains are awesome, but they range from $30-$100 per individual tool, so not a great intro option.

Edited to add, because I can't believe I forgot...Flexcut's sharpening tool is a MUST have. .

u/Indexical_Objects · 5 pointsr/printmaking

In my opinion (and I hold an MA in printmaking, with years of focusing on etching exclusively), Crown Point Press is the authority for all things etching-related; and they've published several incredible volumes detailing the techniques they use in their studio, the "Magical Secrets" series. Here's the one on line etching & engraving. The others are on general etching, aquatint, and chine colle. I personally own the aquatint and chin colle ones, and really can't recommend them highly enough.

Printmaking: History and Process is another title that comes to mind, and a book I think every shop should have a copy of. It's from the 70s and so won't cover any of the digital hybrid techniques that have become so popular over the last few decades... but for a detailed overview of those parts our craft which haven't changed much in centuries, I know no better reference. It's been out of print for some time now, so you'll probably only be able to find used copies—but good news is, it looks like the prices on those have come down some. I paid $40 for a used copy a few years back and thought that was a steal at the time.
Good luck!

u/Tuesday_D · 1 pointr/printmaking

I like to use mulberry paper. Depending on the thickness, it works great for many techniques. I use thicker stock for woodblock relief and am using thinner stuff now for chine-colle. It makes great final prints.

This is what I'm using now for intaglio. To dampen, we use a garden sprayer (the type with the pump to build up the pressure like a Super Soaker). It can't handle long soaks but takes on the water very easily with just the spritz.

u/Palivizumab · 1 pointr/printmaking

I bought this carving set: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071JFSTTS/

Which just now at the time of me posting this I am realizing is actually for woodcarving.

The U-shaped gouge was very sharp and sliced through the linoleum very easily, but the V-gauge (which I used for most of it) was a huge chore, and very difficult to work with. I tried sharpening it several times to no avail.

I guess I'm just trying to figure out if I was using it wrong, or maybe it's just because these are actually for woodcutting, or maybe there are some other tools you'd recommend that are great for linoleum. I'm using grey battleship lino.

Anyways, thanks for any help.

u/james-eno · 1 pointr/printmaking

Here is a link to one on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/All-Steel-Construction-Suitable-Printing-Monotype/dp/B004WQGIJ0/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ETCHING+PRESS&qid=1568501280&s=gateway&sr=8-1

IT IS NOT THE SAME ONE I HAVE, so I cannot speak to the quality of this one but it looks very similar.

This model in this video looks very similar to the one I have and the one in the amazon link. My guess is that they are all made by the same company and then different suppliers are buying them and rebranding them:

https://youtu.be/zAXdoS2TTxA

I hope this helps. Good luck on your journey!

u/Mountaineer11 · 2 pointsr/printmaking

Those are Speedball cutters. The bottom looks like a number one small cutter. The top one I think is a 5. If you’re a newbie you may want to get something like speedy carve. This is what I started with Speedball Super Value Block Printing Starter Kit – Includes Ink, Brayer, Lino Handle and Cutters, Speedy-Carve https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SKT0US/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2OLYBbAZS38SS

u/scienceopossum · 1 pointr/printmaking

https://www.amazon.com/Speedball-Baren-for-Block-Printing/dp/B003IG27OK

That's the one I have. It's padded foam, but I don't feel like it's too soft. I feel like the covering slides across the paper really well too which makes it easier.

u/teatiller · 1 pointr/printmaking

Printmaking: Methods Old and New https://www.amazon.com/dp/0025960601/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_DXWWzbS50GDJE

Out of print , but look for best used price

u/mobscura · 3 pointsr/printmaking
  1. You don't necessarily need to know how to draw well. It depends on what kind of prints you want to make. Most people sketch out a preliminary drawing and transfer it onto their printing matrix in some way. You can use graphite transfer paper to trace an image onto a block for relief printing.

  2. I think the easiest way to start would be with relief printing. You can get a basic starter kit like this one. It's got everything you need to get started, plus some extras.

  3. Beginner techniques for relief printing:

  1. Sketch your image. Draw/transfer it onto your block.

  2. Carve your block with the gauge. Remember, whatever you carve away will not get ink on it. The surface you leave alone will be what transfers the ink. Also remember your image will be reversed on the paper. If you're carving text, it needs to be backwards on the block so it prints correctly on the paper.

  3. Get your ink ready for rolling. Squeeze some ink out of your tube. Use something like a putty knife to spread the ink into a horizontal stripe. Use your brayer to roll a section of that stripe down so you also have a vertical stripe. Roll the ink up and down this stripe several times until you have a nice, even layer. This is hard to explain but you should have a "T" of ink, essentially. Two perpendicular stripes of ink.

  4. Inking time! Roll your brayer over your block and watch that image appear! Roll from top to bottom and use even pressure across the entire block. You may need to pick up more ink by rolling your brayer over your vertical stripe from step 3 again.

  5. Make your print. Press your paper down on top of your block. Apply pressure without moving the paper. You can use your hands, a wooden spoon, a bone folder, a baren, or a printing press. It comes down to personal preference and how much you want to invest. I have this little press, but I've found that I prefer hand pressure for small prints. I'll use my press if I've been working for hours and my fingers are about to fall off.

  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5. You will probably make several test prints before you make one really good one. And then the challenge is making several prints that all look similar enough to be in the same edition.

    That's about as basic as printmaking gets. And yes, there are techniques that are way more difficult. Etching is a whole different beast from relief printing. Aquatint etchings drove me insane at school, but the results when done right are breathtakingly beautiful. And I don't even know entirely how lithographs are made.

    I know this is a lot to absorb from a reddit comment, so if there are any classes offered near you, I highly recommend taking some!
u/Assstray · 1 pointr/printmaking

They can be like $1 from the local hardware store. Lot's of cheap ones out there. You can find diamond ones, diamond files. All kinds of cheap abrasive tools.

https://www.amazon.com/EZE-LAP-PAK-Color-Coded-Diamond/dp/B000UVS62S

u/MohawkGirl · 8 pointsr/printmaking

You need to get some block-printing ink. For easy cleanup (don't need any chemicals, just water) maybe grab some [Speedball]
(https://www.amazon.co.uk/Speedball-Block-Ink-Starter-Set/dp/B000J09PFM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505579138&sr=8-1&keywords=speedball+block+printing+ink) to get you started. :)

Here's also a short video about inking techniques for water-based ink.

u/grosskitty · 1 pointr/printmaking

They are from a pfeil palm set, this one here

I had been using the basic speedball carving set, so this was a pretty huge upgrade. I’m really enjoying them so far!

u/katcolo · 1 pointr/printmaking

I often use a mix based on needs. I got a bamboo covered one that is really smooth & works great on thin paper. (Bamboo Bark Printmaking Baren https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018A66SQ?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf) Then I go over details with a spoon. Sometimes a heavy bottomed glass works well too.

u/generichumanmale · 2 pointsr/printmaking

Thanks! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001T8IEO6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought those after a trial run with a set of 12 for $12. I found that I really only use 1-2 of the gouges anyway. The steel in this set ($33 for 5) is much higher quality than the steel in the $15 range. Eventually I'll save up and get a much better set, but if I keep these sharp they'll last me awhile I think.

u/lilgnat · 6 pointsr/printmaking

I really like powergrip. You can buy a set of them on amazon. Here's the five piece set.

u/enagrom · 1 pointr/printmaking

If your lino tools are getting worn out and/or you just want to upgrade, these are excellent and well-priced carving tools. I use them for woodblock carving.

u/blackbarlow · 3 pointsr/printmaking

There are other kits on amazon by speedball that are like $10 and $20 that will be enough to let you know if you're even interested in things like linocut... They're not precisely linocut, as it's not technically linoleum, but the process is the same. (Though the $10 one doesn't come with any kind of ink.) Otherwise, you can get cheap carving tools and blocks and ink separately, but the kits make it convenient to just get started.