Set up guide for beginner lino printers - my favourite brands and where to get them.

So you’ve seen some groovey grooves being grooved on instagram and you want to learn how to get groove too. Here’s a hella helpful guide on what brand lino print tools and materials you need to get going, getting quality items without having to go all in. You might as well learn from my years trialing different products with great failure and greater success. Feel free to ditch my rambling and jump to my shopping list at the bottom.

If you’re living in New Zealand, it can be a little hard to find specialty lino printing products. The good news is, since I started print making 6 years ago, lots of art stores have hugely increased their offering as Lino printing makes a come back to slay ai art back into the loser layer from which it came. Gordon Harris is just about a 1 stop shop.

Number fucking 1 babe.

A slip strop.

Cheap sharp tools are better than expensive blunt tools. My favourite little dude for this is the flexcut slip strop block. I love it because it gives you everything you need in a compact little block and polishing paste. It is as it proclaims, ‘the secret to razor sharp tools’ so you can froth hard on them crispy lines.

Number 2.

Carving tools.

For starting out, I can safely say I do not recommend the ‘starter pack’ essdee lino cut tool. It has a plastic handle and interchangeable blades and I find the whole thing pretty floppy. I would highly recommend a set of Japanese woodblock tools which are relatively inexpensive. The yoshiharu maruichi carving tool set of 5 is available at Gordon Harris for 34.99. It has a good mix of v gauge and U gauge (my favourite) aswell as a straight and skew blade. 

Number 3.

The Lino itself.

Essdee traditional lino slays this game. I like that you can snap it at the end of a stroke or glide in and out to fine tips. It comes in lots of sizes, mounted or unmounted. It’s also the only real eco option made of linseed oil and woodflour and is biodegradable. 

Number 4.

A brayer.

So you can roll that ink out and on. The speedball soft lino roller slays queen. Pay the extra for the soft rubber because the coverage is ‘kisses fingers’. They can get tacky after washing which is a down fall but I just let them air dry and keep them stored not touching anything.

Number 6. 

An inking slab.

Cheap as chips from gordon harris a PETG crystal clear plastic sheet will do you well. Easy clean up is life.

Number 7.

My kink is ink.

I’ve tried SO many and always come back to ye faithful old caligo safe wash relief ink. Water washable but with the density of oil based. Stunning. You can buy this from gordon harris for $29.99.

Number 8.

Paper.

This is a hard one because there are so many print making papers to choose from. Awagami factory papers are handmade Japanese papers and they are all to die for, or die wrapped in. The kitakata is a famous printing paper and I love the warm creamy colour. Plus, Gordon Harris now stocks it so you don't have to pay shipping from Japan! I find white papers look tacky. Himalayan hand made papers are gorgeous for a rustic torn edge look. Lightly textured water colour paper works well for relief printing because they can stand up to lots of layers of ink. It’s also a budget friendly option for starting out and easy to get your hands on. 

Number 9.

Barrens and printing presses.

I’ve tried several barrens and always end up going back to the back of a wooden spoon and a bone folder. Spolight stocks the Fiskars Bone Folder for $8.40. Hopefully you can raid your kitchen drawer for a wooden spoon and endure your partner getting annoyed that you have three wooden spoons but he can never find one. Printing this way is effective but pain staking and back breaking for large prints and dense black areas. If you have access to a rolling print press that’s the bees knees. 

I hope this helps you find your way through the oceans of printmaking materials available out there. I’ll be making another blog entry about more advanced materials such as thinners, tack reducers, tool sharpeners etc. in the future. Hopefully that gives you something to live for when you try carving words for the first time then remember everything is backwards when you print it. Yeah, I did that too.

Shopping list

Timberly Wood Turning

Flexcut slip strop PW12 around $52.00

Gordon Harris

Yoshiharu maruichi carving tool set of 5 $34.99.

Essdee traditional lino from $1.50-$59.99

Speedball soft lino roller from from $57.99-$77.00

PETG crystal clear sheet from $1.20

Caligo safe wash relief ink $29.99

Awagami factory Kitakata paper from $6.50 per sheet

Spotlight

Folding bone $8.40