Off-Press/Print Restraint

Created with the help of Nick Greenglass, a printmaker from the Centre for Fine Print Research!

Having had a very successful first print test of the fluorescent inks sourced from Van Son Fine Printing Inks, I’ve had about a month away trying to get my money back or a solution to why they aren’t actually fluorescent unless you press them so thinly that they become translucent… It’s most confusing because 2 of the 7 colours are fluo but 5 of them are incredibly dark. Either way, the company isn’t helping and the dealer says I’m printing it wrong and sent a leaflet on how to relief print…very helpful! The only answer seems to be that 2 of the inks are true fluo and the rest work only on letterpress under extreme pressures that thin them into the low microns.

I am going to have to investigate transparent mediums, as I can’t get to those pressures with a garden roller!

Anyway, besides this debacle, and the poor paper starting to stretch beyond the registration points under its own weight, I did manage to get a reasonable first print.

The registration frame works perfectly, except that the paper had stretched over the past 3 weeks and there was a bit of movement that meant I double-printed the left hand…

…I missed a bit of the details to the top left of the basket…

…and sadly, didn’t get enough pressure/ink on the base, despite using half a tin of black!

If I get to know the blocks more, and the way the frame works I can over come a lot of these mistakes. but the pressure on the base is going to be a problem. Might have to invest in burnishers and maybe some assistants!

After I carry out more tests with transparent mediums I am thinking of inviting people in to help choose the arrangements. Any suggestions for interesting guests I could invite would be very welcome!