Frequently Asked Questions

What is relief printing?

Relief printmaking is a form of art dating back over two thousand years. It is the most ancient method of taking an impression from one object and putting it on another- essentially a stamp! The raised image area picks up ink when rolled on with a brayer. The inked block is then put under pressure to transfer that image onto paper or textiles.

What materials do you use?

Blocks: Blick unmounted linoleum blocks (battleship gray). I buy these by sheets or by the roll from Dick Blick Art Supply. They are hard but can be warmed up to carve easier. If you are a beginner, Speedball makes a rubber block that is pink and easy to get the hang of the carving process.

Paper: Mostly, I use Legion Stonehenge paper. Stonehenge is a traditional fine art paper with a smooth, flawless surface. It is machine-made in the United States, from 100% cotton fibers. It's acid-free. Sometimes I use Bordeaux Lotka. These Lokta papers are made from sustainably harvested Daphne bushes. All Loktas are handmade and dried in the sun, causing one side to be lighter than the other. Each sheet is unique in its color, the deckling of its edges, and thickness. These sheets are handmade, therefore, vary in color and thickness. 

Textiles: Tea towels are natural, unbleached, and size 18x22. They are 100% cotton, pre-washed, and lint free. Made in the USA. Shirts sold through Press Relief may vary. Sizing is always mentioned in listing, but usually 100% cotton. Bandanas are 22x22 and 100% cotton.

*For washing it is recommended to use cool water, delicate or hand wash cycle, and tumble dry low or hang dry. For shirts, we recommend turning them inside out to wash to preserve the image even longer, though they do hold up well after washes when recommended wash instructions are followed. In the past, we printed with mixed fabric shirts that were not 100% cotton and did not hold the image as long. If you purchased a shirt in the past and the image faded, email us at pressreliefprints@gmail.com so we can make it up to you!

Ink: Hanco oil based etching ink is used for all linocut prints on paper. For fabric ink, Speedball Fabric block printing ink or Caligo Safe Wash Relief Inks (oil based and washable).

Carving Tools: Flexcut. In my 10+ years as a printmaking artist, I have never steered from Flexcut! The tools cut like butter on linoleum and work great on woodblocks as well. Highly recommend! They even offer beginner sets that come with bandaids :)

How do you print your blocks onto paper and fabric?

I have a Conrad Etching Press. The bed of the press is 18x36, so comfortably the largest image area it can print is around 17x30. The press serves as a high-pressure printer. I lay the inked carving on the steel bed of the press (ink side up), put paper on top of the inked carving, then hand crank the bed through the steel roller where the pressure forces the paper into contact with the ink, transferring the image. Embossment from the pressure can be felt on the back of an original block print. This process can be repeated many times to print multiples; typically hundreds of impressions (copies) can be printed before the carving shows much wear.

Are the paper prints you sell digitally printed?

No. Currently, every work on paper sold by Press Relief or signed Masy Chighizola is an original work of art. The beauty of printmaking is that this process allows you to reprint the same image simply by re-inking the carving and cranking it through the etching press again. To the modern reader, the word print might suggest mechanically mass-produced commercial products, such as books or newspapers, however, the print refers to the original creation of an artist who, instead of the paintbrush and canvas, used pressure to transfer the image onto the paper.