Creating Linocuts at Home

My messy home studio corner in Colorado circa 2021

Lacking the access to dark rooms, big washout stations, exposure tables, various relief printing presses, lithography stones, etching baths, and on and on that was available at art school forces us to adjust our printing practice. At times, I have missed the big communal printmaking studios from school but also enjoy seeing the influence of these constraints over the years as my printmaking practice has evolved and I have become pretty creative with micro studio setups. Below are the top tools that make printing linocuts at home easy peasy for me.

1. Good Carving Tools! My go to has been the Linoleum and Block cutters by Pfeil but I also have a few Flexcut tools that are in my rotation. The micro u and v gouges make a huge difference when carving details compared to the basic beginner cutting tools. Keep in mind, these tools won’t help you if you don’t keep them sharp, so I use the well-known Flexcut SlipStrop frequently throughout a carving session. Highly recommend.

2. Non-adhesive shelf liner
   I love using this to hold my linoleum in place while carving. It is much less bulky than a traditional table block and packs easily for travel or storage in tiny studios. It usually comes in a roll like this, so you can cut to the perfect size.

3. Glass for Tabletop - Easy inking clean-up
   Glass can be expensive, so thrift stores are a great resource to find what you need. I was able to re-use a piece of heavyweight glass from a stack of home building materials, but you can also look for used glass-top tables.

4. Drying Rack
   For years I would just hang up string across whatever room I was working in and use clothes pins to hang prints to dry. This works just fine, though it can usually fill up too fast if you’re trying to print an edition. I also used a couple other wire shelf and binder clip methods, but a couple years ago I finally found a reasonably priced drying rack that is perfect for small studio spaces. I have mine on the casters it came with so I can move it around as needed, but it can also be mounted to the wall. There are a few weird things about this rack: It only has three wheels, so could be more stable and the hinge mechanism on the racks are by no means as effective as the professional racks I was used to in school, but this is far superior to my previous set up.

5. Print Frog Glass Baren
   I often get questions about what press I use and while I do often use a small etching press, it is definitely not necessary to own a press to make great prints at home. For MANY years, I just used a wooden spoon / spatula and also highly recommend the glass barens by Print Frog / IRONFROGPRESS. I still often use this glass baren to create test prints or to print large blocks (since I do not have a full-size relief press).