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Print Presses, Applications and Upgrades - Let the Good Times Roll!

Printmaking offers challenges and excitement that are enough to make any creative spirit soar. The wide range of printing techniques, materials and equipment may be the biggest in the entire realm of supplies for generating art. The following paragraphs will share the "tip of the iceberg" in printmaking supplies, applications, presses and equipment so that you might consider making prints as your next creative avenue.

To begin, the prints that are made one at a time from art materials rendered onto paper, illustration board, leather, stone, etc., are not to be confused with any computer-generated or photographic print methods. Artistic printmaking is a special category of art, is very original and one-of-a-kind in nature, even though there may be many very similar images created during any given printmaking session. With that said, the following will help you judge whether or not there is a printmaking experience in your immediate future.

The method with which a print is created has a lot to do with the budget of the artist. Etchings made with studio style presses, from which there are a good number to choose, involve the creation of a master "plate" or image that is sent under adjustable rollers. The rollers literally "press" the paper against the plate's image and "retrieve" the ink line from the plate. Prints other than etchings can also be made on this style of press. Collagraph works (combining painting methods with added materials), paper plate lithography, drypoint and unmounted linoleum blocks will work very well. Economy presses (under $500) are available to artists and demonstrators; and while they are simple "machines," they offer great variety and opportunity to anyone.

Once you try even the most basic presses to create prints, you will see that there are lots of advantages over any hand-transferred printing method. Prices accelerate as printmaking apparatuses become more sophisticated. Etching presses (remember, they can be used for a wide range of printmaking methods) can include felt blankets on which the printing plate rests during the printing process, different widths of rollers to facilitate wider paper, stands for stand-up and walk around placement in the studio environment (some with rollers for easy moving from place to place), several different master advancing mechanisms (levers, handles, assisted roller operation) and adjustable roller separation for fine tuning the process.

Felt blankets are very important to the printing process because they provide support for the master plate during printing. They come in different sizes and thickness so that you may select the padding that suits your master best. The blankets offer gentle pressure over the plate, a sort of guard and guidance cover for the master plate, and provide a degree of "ease" when the roller presses across the plate.

Rollers are available in different widths, and it is always wise to buy the widest acceptance area you can afford, even if you think your work will remain small. Larger presses usually have geared drives so they are easier to advance than smaller, direct drive models. And when you see how wonderful the results can be, you will eventually want to do bigger and bigger works.

Stands for presses are usually included in the purchase price if the unit is too heavy to lift easily. They make use of the press convenient because they give elevation to make working easier and remove the fear of the press toppling. Those frames/bases that have rollers include locks on the casters to hold them stationary during printing.

To advance the master plate through the press, there are levers, wheels or even motorized advance mechanisms on professional models. Although the lever and wheel models require a bit of strength, they are designed to be as easy to operate as possible. Motorized units become necessary when the base bed and print size get large. As expected, these are the highest cost models. When a printmaker is really cooking and volume is an issue, however, the need for motorization is elevated.

Probably the single most important issue with a press is the thickness of master it can accept. For wood block printing and embossing of same, you would need the widest possible opening between the roller and the bed of the press. If you were doing only metal plate etchings, a press with a much smaller opening limitation would work fine. But, here again, if you can swing the purchase price of a press that is capable of more than you do currently, you might be saving money in the long run. A press can be a lifelong studio workhorse and making a good decision from the start is best. Explore the differences, do Internet research and peruse product catalogs. Choose the press that will work the hardest to make you a success.

Be sure to look at the information provided by Graphic Chemical and Ink Company. Their line of inks, presses and accessories is fantastic. Check out www.graphicchemical.com for lots of goodies or see your local art material retailer.