What is Linocut?

A linocut, or lino print, is a type of block printing. At its most basic, you carve a design into a linoleum block, roll block printing ink on it and print it on paper.

Lino Cut

Start drawing on your lino block, once you are done start carving. Always carve in a direction away from your other hand for safety's sake. You can use a bench hook to hold your block in place or a scrap of non-skid shelf lining laid underneath the block works well.

Lino Inking

؜Brayers (rollers) come in a range of sizes so you’ll want one that fits the size of your project as best as possible. Try to avoid over inking the block to keep ink from seeping down into the carved recesses of the block.

Lino Printing

؜The linocut is printed by hand or with the use of a press.

The paper is carefully laid on the inked block and burnished on the back with a tool called a baren - the back of a wooden spoon works too.

Printing with a Press - The block can also be printed on an etching press (or similar press), which is how most of my work is printed. This video shows me inking the lino block and pulling the print with a press. I find that the block typically prints better after a couple prints have been pulled.

Etching Presses - Here in the US, Conrad and Takach presses are amongst the best available. I'm a fan of Blick etching presses (I've bought two over the years!) because they offer excellent bang for the buck in comparison. I’ve owned two Blick presses; the Blick 999 Model II etching press (pictured above) and the smaller Blick Econo Etch Model II press. Feel free to check out my review of these two Blick etching presses. Alternatively, you might try the less expensive colorful, hand-operated Woodzilla presses that seem to have gained popularity, though I’ve not used one yet. Or, you could build your own printing press on a relatively small budget using a design like this Bottle Jack Press by Charles Morgan.

Printmaking Paper for Linocuts - Popular types of paper for relief printmaking include Rives BFK, Stonehenge (a personal favorite) and Japanese washi paper. Lighter weight paper is particularly well suited for printing by hand as it doesn't require as much pressure to get a nice, crisp impression. I have a review of good papers for hand printing linocuts that I did in 2020.

I usually buy my paper in large 22" x 30" sheets and then cut it to size. I do this by carefully tearing it along the edge of my 36" metal straightedge or using one of my paper trimmers. Finally, I let the ink dry keeping in mind that oil-based ink takes longer than water-based ink.