Block Printing

A common word that applies to all forms of relief printmaking but particularly to the raised relief print. Ink for relief printing is often called block ink especially the water based versions. Wood blocks are cut from fine grained soft woods and lino cuts are cut from pieces or tiles of linoleum. Raised relief is glued onto a block which could be as simple as cardboard. Found objects or cut out pieces of materials from plastic to metal can all be glued down and when dried given a coat of shellac if at all absorbent. A soft roller can be used to ink and print from this block. A variation is to use the block to emboss into damp etching paper.