Using the Linocut Registration Frame in a Press

While this device was designed for hand printing, it can also be used on a printing press, relief or intaglio, provided the frame fits on the bed of the press. If you have the standard device with a bench hook, you will need to saw off the front part of the base in line with the edge of the hinged frame. If you have bought the device modified for use on a press this will have been done already.

When printing on a press, the top plate or the roller, depending on your type of press, must press the paper onto the surface of the lino. The lino must be the highest area under the printing paper. To ensure this, we advise that you get a piece of mount board (mat board) the same size as the insert and put this into the registration device underneath the insert to raise the lino. Standard mount board is 1.4mm thick, the right height to get a nice clean impression while not putting pressure on the frame.

For hand printing you can use double sided tape to fix the lino to the insert. If you are using a printing press, the thickness of the tape is likely to show in your prints as a denser stripe of colour. Please use a thin, even layer of carpet or cork-tile adhesive instead.

Finally, if your press is a roller type intaglio press then there is a possibility that the paper may ‘creep’ over the surface of the block as the paper is wound through, slipping on the ink. To avoid this, we recommend that you tape both ends of the paper to the frame.