Above: A hand made press from found objects including a milk crate and paint rollers. Date and origin unknown.
AKUA PIN PRESS
An economical, portable press designed for light pressure printing processes such as monotype, drypoint and collagraph. The roller is 20" wide. This press is machined to a smooth surface for uniform contact between the roller, paper, and plate. Durable, all-metal construction ensures long-lasting, trouble-free printing. The handles swivel and act as a stand when the press is not in use. |
|
|
PASTA MAKERS
Also called polymer clay rollers, pasta makers are a low cost option for pulling small impressions. They can also be found at second hand or online marketplaces. The cheaper models are poorer quality, while the more expensive options are higher quality construction. Many people have pasta makers sitting unused in their kitchen cupboards, ask around!
Recommended Pasta Maker: Atlas pasta machine
Higher quality construction. The best of both worlds when it comes to balancing cost with durability.
Cheapest option: Amaco craft clay machine
Low quality construction. This is a good option if you think you may not use this long-term.
Conversion for printmaking use:
Also called polymer clay rollers, pasta makers are a low cost option for pulling small impressions. They can also be found at second hand or online marketplaces. The cheaper models are poorer quality, while the more expensive options are higher quality construction. Many people have pasta makers sitting unused in their kitchen cupboards, ask around!
Recommended Pasta Maker: Atlas pasta machine
Higher quality construction. The best of both worlds when it comes to balancing cost with durability.
Cheapest option: Amaco craft clay machine
Low quality construction. This is a good option if you think you may not use this long-term.
Conversion for printmaking use:
- It works best to turn pasta makers sideways, allowing for flat, or horizontal feed, of the material through the rollers. This also allows you to more easily clamp the press down (to keep it from moving while rolling the material through). Time, labor, tools, and moderate skills required to convert pasta maker for use as a horizontal printing device.
- Press Bed: Pasta makers feed material through vertically. To use vertically, flexible matrices must be used to allow the sandwich of matrix, printing paper, and packing to curve through and out from beneath the rollers.
- Pressure: Adjustments are made by spinning the dial. Pasta makers typically have 9 thickness settings. Those with carpentry skills are encouraged to build a frame around the pasta machine to give full support as the bed rolls through the rollers. Some trial and error is required to get quality results. Once initial testing is complete, they are able to produce prints with consistent results.
Here are a few resources that go over the pasta press options:
VIDEOS |
|
|
|
|
DIE CUTTING MACHINES
Die cutting machines have the lowest initial time investment needed for setup, since so little conversion is needed. Die cut machines are easier to use than a pasta machine because the rollers are positioned to roll a bed through horizontally. Some die cut machines have an adjustable roller height, but not all, so it may necessary to gather boards of different thicknesses to adjust the height of the roller. On fixed height die cutters pressure must be adjusted by adding or removing material from the bed to change the distance between the roller and bed. Once testing is complete, it is easy to achieve consistent printing results. Recommended Die Cut Machines:
RESOURCES |
|
CASTER + WHEEL PRINTING
All details on preparing a caster to use as a substitute for an etching press: Caster Printing Instructions – Sheila Goloborotko The slide deck above also includes printing with a conveyor belt roller!
6" Urethane Wheel Printing –Tatiana Potts |
|
SPOON + BURNISHER
With heavy pressure from a metal spoon, you can print an intaglio print – it just takes much longer than using a press. The line work can easily be blurry, but with practice you can overcome this effect. A burnisher will allow you to apply direct pressure to areas, because of the tip. Use a spoon in conjunction with a burnisher for more control in the detailed, hard print areas. Limitations: Any movement of paper or plate during printing will create printing inconsistencies – lines will look "broken", blurry or appear hollow. This also means you weren't pressing hard enough to transfer all of the ink. Quick Tips: Place a barrier sheet (like wax paper) between the spoon and paper to stop it from pilling up the backside of the wet paper. RESOURCES
|
|
DIY PRINTING METHODS
There are so many DIY options available for printing, from high quality water-jet cut metal parts to re-purposing other products, like spoons.
|
MORE PRESS OPTIONS
There are tons of these things floating around in the print world! It may be hard to obtain some of these options, but they should give you a lot of good ideas! Hand Presses Table Top Presses |
PLASTER OF PARIS
Good proofs of an intaglio plate can be made by plaster casting, for fine plaster of paris will pick up the most delicate details. This method will produce a particularly attractive proof if the plate has deeply etched or engraved sections. To make a plaster print, the plate is inked in the same manner as it would be for normal printing. The inked and wiped plate is placed face up on a glass plate, and a precut wood frame is placed around the plate to contain the plaster. After the plaster is poured, it is allowed to cool and set, after which the plate is gently removed. RESOURCES |
TAR GEL
Golden Tar Gel works because it has "an extremely resinous, syrupy, stringy and tar-like consistency" as described on the Golden website. It pulls the ink from the grooves in the etched plate when you peel the paper faway rom the plate.
|
OLD SCHOOL DIY:
LAUNDRY WRANGLE The Laundry wrangle, or wringer, was a common piece of household equipment that was converted into a press. Bertha E. Jaques began her printmaking career on this kind of press. She would go on to help found the Chicago Society of Etchers, an organization that would become internationally significant for promoting etching as a printmaking technique. |
References (still in progress)
https://www.britannica.com/art/printmaking/Plaster-print
https://www.britannica.com/art/printmaking/Plaster-print