Here is the last part of my “printing a plate” series. In this post I’ll touch on how to actually print after you have prepared your paper and inked your plate.
If you’re interested in starting from the beginning, you can back track here:
Part I
Part II
After the plate has been inked, it's safe to lay it down onto the press bed. This is a great time to mention registration. This is simply a term used to describe how you get your paper and your plate to line up when you're printing. If you are printing a large run (lots of prints), then this is critical. The way I make a registration is by simply laying down my printing paper onto newsprint. I then trace the corners of it (seen above) with pencil. I then do the same with my plate. Now I have a pretty good idea where I am going to lay my plate and paper every time I print.
Now it's time to take your paper out of the water. Carefully remove one piece from it's bath and place it on a clean towel. Now, lightly press another towel on top in order to remove excess water.
Carefully line up your sheet of paper with your registration marks and lay it on top of your plate (your plate should be facing up). Once you have it lined up, you will lay another sheet of newsprint on top of the paper.
There is such a thing as a press blanket. Mine is used and messy, but it still gets the job done. A press blanket helps to protect the paper while pressing firmly on your plate. And will need to be the last thing you add to your stack. At this point in the process too, you may realize that your press needs to be loosened or tightened depending on how easy it is to turn. This is something you will merely need to experiment with and once again train yourself on what "feels right".
Once you turn the press all the way....you can check your paper to see your print! By carefully lifting one corner, but not removing the paper entirely, you can see if your print meets your standards. If it's too light, simply lay it back down and roll it through one more time. If it's too dark, or your paper tore, you will need to loosen your press and try again!
Voila! Print number 1. In order to create an edition you will need to take your plate back over to your inking area, and reapply ink. It's not necessary to clean your plate between prints.
After seeing my print for the first time I noticed a few spots where the lines were weak or lighter in some areas. So in this case, I took my steel-tipped tool and drew onto my plate in those areas. Remember, there aren't hard fast rules to printmaking. You're in charge of your print and therefore can make artistic decisions based on your own judgement.
After a print is complete, it needs to dry. I set mine on a wooden, clothes drying rack so that air can reach all parts of the paper to dry it evenly. The only problem with this method is that they don't dry flat. I typically rotate them around trying to be conscious of the indentions that are being made. Ultimately though, I will put them between two heavy books in order for them to flatten entirely.
Lastly, there's the cleanup. Before you begin, you should try to save as much ink as you can. You can either put it back into the container, or wrap it up in saran wrap. Ink is typically $15-$20 a can, so learning to be frugal with it is essential. Cleaning up your printmaking area is a pain in the rear. You're left with a huge oily, ink mess that stains virtually everything. By using simple household, vegetable oil you can clean up your work mess with relative ease. Simply drop a quarter sized spot into the area you're cleaning and begin wiping it with phone book paper. Continue this process until your table is almost clean. Then spritz the area with a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water. This will eleviate the rest of your mess. Use these materials to clean your tools as well. To clean your plate, I simply go back to the mineral spirits and toothbrush for easy ink removal. If you don't remove the ink from your plate it can dry and harden making it extremely difficult to clean, especially without damaging it.
Whew….welp. There you have it. The basics of printing a hand pulled etching. I will eventually document my non-toxic etching process that will explain how I got my plate to have a design on it. I hope that after reading this you might have a greater understanding and appreciation of printmaking. There are a variety ways to print, this is simply one. Let the next printmaker you meet know that you get what they’re doing….and that the piece of paper they’re asking $50 for is well worth it!
