Printing Processes

Relief Printing: 

Relief Printing is a  printing process where the surface faces of the paint block are inked; empty areas are ink free. Printing the image is a simple task in inking the face of the block, making it contrast more with the paper.

1.) Prep your block, you can tone it using Indian wash or jet black film ink.

2.) Place carbon paper transfer on tip of the block.

3.) Once the paper is transferred, you have the choice of what kind of composition you want to have which will have a impact on what tool you decide to press with.

4.) Roll in over the surface of the block, then place it on the press where it is past through transferring ink to paper. 

Intaglio Printing: Intaglio printing is any print making process when the image area is below the flat surface of the printing plate. The design is cut, scratched, or etched into the plate. 

1.) Prepare the plate by polishing and cleaning it so that there are no scratches or marks that could interfere with the drawing.

2.) Apply a ground to the plate, protecting the non-image areas of the plate.

3.) Etching the plate, eats away all of the bare areas showing on the plate deep into recesses that will hold ink. 

4.) Wipe the plate with ink to force ink into the recesses of the plate, removing ink from the upper surfaces of the plate.

5.) By hand wipe and clean the whit ares to keep them white.

6.) Set it on the press with a dampened sheet on top of it, then run the press with high pressure.

Lithography Printing:

Lithography is a more intricate printmaking process that revolves around grease and water resisting one another. Lithography shows smaller more intricate strokes so it looks like it is hand drawn.

1.) Grain the stone, removing chemical top layer exposing the top fresh stone underneath.

2.) Draw on the stone, all drawing materials contain grease which is absorbed by the top layer of stone.

3.) To Process the stone use gum arabic to chemically separate the image and non-image areas so the greasy image areas become water repellent and only image ares receive ink.

4.) Once the stone is covered with gum, a clean sponge is used to wipe down the gum layer making it thin and even.

5.) Wipe off the stone

Summary

6.) Then ink is used and rolled over the image making it clearly visible.

7.) Roll the ink onto the image, it usually takes at least ten tries to get the clear image that you are looking for.

Summary:

If I were to try one of these printing processes I think I would want to try Lithography it seems the hardest and most time consuming but it also seems really fun. I think that it would be cool to be able to see all the detail from the drawings. I also think that it would be fun to work with the stone. it is crazy to think about printing with out all of the technology, I have never thought about all the work it used to take to print of copy something.