Unit 18: Print-Based Media LO1 Hand Printing Techniques

Linocutting

What is it?
Linocut is a printmaking technique where you take a piece of linoleum sheet and cut a
design into it by using a sharp knife to raise the uncarved areas then you use a roller
covered in ink to roll over the lino. Finally you can print the image, either by hand or by
using a press machine.
Advantages & Disadvantages of using this type of technique
One of the advantages of linocutting is that you can make a series of prints and change the
colour of the ink as the paint is easy to wash off the lino and can be done at home. One
disadvantage of this is that the process may be quite slow and delicate as the lino can
sometimes be hard to cut and takes time to cut if you want to make it neat and precise.
Linocutting isnt expensive; the most expensive thing to buy would just be the board. It can
be done at home or commercially.
Where is it used?
Linocutting isnt specifically used for anything, some artists use it to create various different
prints or is mainly just used for fun to experiment with.
What skills & knowledge are needed?
You need to know how to cut the lino board carefully but dont need any specific skills to
complete this process.
Cost & Equipment
For linocutting you need a piece of lino, paint, a special knife, a roller and card/paper to
print onto. This is a fairly cheap process although if you were to use a press machine this
would be more expensive than printing by hand.
Step by step guide:
1) First of all you need to draw out your design. You then have to trace your design
onto tracing paper then you can trace it onto a piece of
lino.

2) Once your trace of your design is on the lino you then have to cut out your design on
the lino, using a special lino cutter which removes the strips of lino.
3) After your design is cut out on the lino board
you can then get you ink ready. You have to
put a small amount of ink or paint, roughly the
size of a 10p coin onto a flat board and roll
the ink with a roller back and forth till it is all
smoothed out onto your board. You will know
when the ink or paint is ready when it starts
to make a sticky noise.

4) You can now roll the ink onto your lino and
then place your piece of lino down onto a
piece of paper.


5) Now you can either start to push down hard
onto the lino to create the print onto the
paper or if you have a printing press you can
put it through that.