Printmaking tips for relief prints or gelli prints

I know this is long, but may be helpful to some viewers who have trouble getting different layers to match up on the paper, plus a few other tips for printing. I put a heading on each section, so you can pick and choose to read what interests you or not. 

Use tape to line up layers 

If you put a piece of tape on the left edge of your paper and tape it to the table or another piece of paper, you can lift it from the plate & turn it over leaving the tape in place while you add more to the gelli plate. When you lay the paper down again, it will be in the exact same position on the plate so additional colors won't be offset. If you want to work on 2 prints, you can tape another paper to the right. 

Make a reusable registration plate to line up layers 

You can make a registration plate that can be used over and over. Cut a piece of cardboard larger than the largest paper you use. Glue two strips of cardboard, each about an inch wide (see the * at the bottom of this post) on top of the large piece of cardboard, at the edges of 2 adjacent sides, creating a right angle with them. The thickness of these strips should be slightly less thick than your printing plate. Add a piece of heavy tape (duct tape, electrical tape, Gorilla tape) on the top of the cardboard strip on the shorter end. Then, from the bottom, add 3 (or more, if that side is long) thin nails or tacks with large flat heads that are long enough to go through your base cardboard, the extra cardboard strip and stick out about 3/8 to 1/2 inch at the top. Space them evenly. Remove the nails and use permanent glue (like E-6000) on them to glue them back in place. After the glue dries, add a strip of heavy tape across the bottom of that area to help hold the nail heads in place.

Sorry, I don't have a photo of one of these because I haven't been doing print-making for a long time. But I created a rough image in Photosho. 

 

 

 

Making 2 small prints on the same paper using a registration plate 

To print 2 prints on the same paper, place your printing plate snugly in the right-angle corner with the short end of the plate against the long end of the registration plate. Place your paper so the nails poke holes in through on the short edge (see the * at the bottom of this post). Lay the paper down over your printing plate and rub. You can remove the paper completely, being careful not to tear bigger holes with the nails, Turn the paper 180º, poke new holes, then print your second print. You can replace the paper on nails for additional colors and it will be in the same place it was the first time. 

Making 1 large print using a registration plate 

 If you have a large plate and want to print only one print on a piece of paper, place the shorter end of the printing plate at the shorter end of your registration plate (see the * at the bottom of this post). If you have a large plate and want to print only one print on a piece of paper, place the shorter end of the printing plate at the shorter end of your registration plate (see the * at the bottom of this post). 

 How long will a cardboard registration plate last? 

A cardboard registration plate should last a pretty long time. You could cover it with a water-resistant coating so you can wipe it clean with a damp cloth. (I use several coats of Min-Wax indoor/outdoor spar urethane, but similar sealants will work.) When I taught school, I had 5 classes of students using c ardboard registration plates for 12-16 days each year and they lasted about 4-5 years. But, you could also make one from wood or maybe thick sturdy plastic that might last longer.

To tranfer the ink to your paper 

 

You can rub the paper with your hands, the back of a wooden spoon, use a clean brayer with a hard or soft roller, or a barren. Other items might work for you.

My ex, who was a printmaker, found an old wooden sock-darning tool. I was roughly the shape of the end of the foot and flat on the bottom to fit into the front of a sock. The curved side fit nicely into his hand to rub the paper with the flat underside. Most sock darners look like a spindle with an egg shape on the end. This one is different. 

 

 

*The distance between your printing plate and the nails on a registration plate will determine the amount of space on that side of the plate between the print and the holes in the paper.  

 

If you want a wide margin around the print, you can temporarily or permnently place another cardboard strip in that corner to place your printing plate further from the holes.

 

 

I was trying to describe this old sock darning tool in a comment on YouTube, trying to distinquish it from a more common tool.

So even though I haven't posted here for years, I decided to post this photo and link it to my YouTube comment.

My ex is a printmaker. In a thrift shop, he found an item similar to the old sock darning tool pictured above and bought it to use instead of a barren to transfer ink from printing plates to paper. He liked it because the part at the bottom of the photo fit nicely into his hand. The under side was flat, which he used to rub paper to transfer ink from his printing plates.

 

Below is a rough image of a registration plate for printmaking. It is used when adding additional colors or images to a print so that everything fits together properly without some layers being offset. This can be made with cardboard, glue, tape, and nails, and if used carefully, will last a fairly long time. A more permanent one can be made from wood or sturdy thick plastic sheets.