Choosing Paper Type for Relief Printing

Video Transcript

"Now we're going to begin to ink the block and do what's called proofing the block where we apply ink to the surface of the block and pull a proof. A proof really is just that; it is proof that the image is on the wood. First let's discuss paper. There are several papers that you can choose as an artist and a print maker as well. Most importantly we want to us an acid free paper for the longevity of the artwork itself. Something like newspaper is fine to pull a proof on or even your 8 1/2 by 11 paper that you would buy in a pack to computer print. That would be sufficient for proofing but not for a final piece of art that you would want to frame and put in a gallery situation. There are several types of paper. Generally what a print maker would choose would be one that would not have a lot of texture that might be competitive or one that has essentially different values, stripes for instance. Something like this could be interesting. I would probably not choose a paper that has a lay or a tooth to it which actually occurs in the process of the paper being created. The screen for which the pulp falls on will have a texture or a surface to it. These are a lot of hand made papers are like this. The best choice for right now is something called Hosho which has two sides to it. Traditionally you print on the smooth side of the paper not the rough side of the paper, your image will appear much more concise and precise. The marks that you've carved will show up much better on the smooth side versus the rough side of the paper."